Thousands march on Cesar Chavez Day for immigrant rights in Central California
Thousands of workers from across the state marched Monday in Delano in Kern County on Cesar Chavez Day in solidarity with immigrant workers who denounce the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies.
“Workers who joined us and members of the community were energized. They are hungry to do something for their communities. And the message that we’re sending here is immigrant workers matter,” said Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers.”
Romero said immigrants are “decent human beings.”
“We don’t come here to commit crimes, and we need to recognize that,” Romero said. “So, the rhetoric of immigrants, being criminals, being lazy people that just want to come and get from the country, it’s not true. Everybody who joined us here today is proof of that.”
The three-mile march in Delano commemorated Chavez’s 98th birthday andwas mobilized union workers from the UFW, the California Federation of Labor Unions and SEIU California.
Organizers said that about 7,000 people — including farmworkers, janitors, airport workers, gig drivers and fast food workers, many who are also immigrants — marched three miles from Memorial Park in Delano to the UFW union Hall at 40 Acres. The site is where the historical 1965 grape strike took place in protest of the anti-immigrant climate against largely Latino communities.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta reiterated his office’s support to protect farmworkers.
Earlier this month, Bonta said his office has received increased reports of immigration scams and ICE agent impersonators.
Last month, two fake ICE agents wore tactical vests and body-worn cameras while harassing Fresno shoppers and businesses weeks after Border Patrol raids in the Central Valley. The UFW and the American Civil Liberties Union of California also sued the federal government over the U.S. Border Patrol’s January deportation raids in Kern County that led to 78 arrests.
Organizers said the march’s theme, “With These Hands,” highlighted the role of immigrant workers as the backbone of the country’s economy. Demonstrators carried signs as well as UFW flags, Mexican, American, and El Salvadoran flags and chanted, “Si se puede.”
David Huerta, SEIU USWW California president, a statewide union representing 50,000 members, said people from Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County came to Delano not only to recognize the legacy of Cesar Chavez, but to “reflect on the conditions or the situation of our immigrant community.”
“Immigrant families right now are really concerned for themselves and their families in this moment in time because of the policies of this administration,” Huerta said.
Romero said the UFW will continue keep protesting the Trump’s Administration rhetoric against immigrants.
“We are filing lawsuits to stop him from doing the things that he wants to do. We cannot just sit down and let him do whatever he wants,” Romero said. “We’re here to fight for farm workers. We’re here to fight for immigrants, and we’re here to fight for all workers who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:15 PM.
