Northwest Arkansas residents rally in support of immigrant workers
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
About a hundred people gathered in Springdale Monday in support of immigrant workers, a group that rallygoers said have been the target of recent policies at the state and federal levels.
The event was organized by Venceremos, a worker-based organization with a mission to ensure the human rights of poultry workers. The organization, whose name is Spanish for 'we will overcome,' is led by executive director Magaly Licolli, who told the Advocate Friday that immigrants who were honored as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic are now being demonized.
'Five years ago these workers were called essential workers, heroes, that without their jobs we wouldn't have food on the table, and now they are being attacked and being called criminals,' Licolli said.
President Donald Trump promised mass deportations on the campaign trail, and has followed through by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1789, supporting high-profile raids and revoking an extension of Temporary Protected Status for some immigrants, among other things.
Trump's policies have left immigrants living in fear as they're being treated as 'second-class citizens or no citizens at all,' Licolli said.
While the national rhetoric started by targeting immigrants who were criminals, Licolli said the discussion has devolved into labeling all immigrants as criminals regardless of their immigration status.
'We are seeing really that they are deporting anyone just because they are brown and being detained because they look brown until they prove they have the paperwork to stay in this country,' she said. 'It is not fair that they are treating everybody as equal as criminals and without recognizing that criminals, murderers, all of these criminals can be [anyone] — it doesn't matter the race.'
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers in Springdale on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers that made a stop outside Springdale City Hall on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Venceremos hosted a rally and march in support of immigrant workers that made a stop outside Springdale City Hall on March 31, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tied Arkansas immigration policy to Trump when she announced legislation two weeks ago to impose harsher penalties on undocumented migrants who commit crimes in the state.
'The Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act makes it clear: Arkansas will not tolerate violent, criminal illegals and will do our part to help the Trump administration keep our citizens safe,' Sanders said during a March 17 press conference.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 426 Monday morning, but an amendment in the afternoon means the bill will need to be reheard by the committee.
Licolli told reporters Monday that when Sanders says it's her job to protect citizens, she's only referring to the white community.
'We are also citizens, we are also humans,' Licolli said. 'And she's been enjoying the chicken that these immigrants are producing, so I wonder what she's going to do with her chicken if they are targeting the immigrants. She enjoys the benefits from the labor of these immigrants, so it's a hypocrisy and it's very racist that she is condemning all of these people for feeding her family.'
Springdale is home to Tyson Foods, one the world's largest food companies, and Licolli said poultry companies, like Tyson, should speak out for immigrants because they benefit from their labor. In addition to calling for better working conditions and for immigrants' humanity to be respected, Licolli said they also deserve a path to citizenship for all they've done to support the economy.
Protestors urge Arkansas' Tyson to commit to child labor, worker safety protections
Vladimir Rivera Lopez, District 4 Justice of the Peace for the Washington County Quorum Court, said he became really interested in workers rights after reading Life and Death of the American Worker, a book by Alice Driver that shares the challenges faced by immigrant workers at Tyson.
Rivera Lopez, a Springdale Democrat that won his first-ever election by 10 votes in November, said that he will attend 'any event that affirms the dignity of someone else in my community.'
'It's very easy to exploit people who can't vote, who don't have that opportunity to represent themselves come November, but that doesn't mean that these people don't exist,' he said.
Rivera Lopez joined dozens of Northwest Arkansas residents at Monday's rally, including Angela Hickman of Bella Vista, who decided to spend her day off marching to city hall dressed as Lady Liberty alongside her boyfriend and dog.
Hickman said she's taking every opportunity 'to show support and fight back' because there's a lot wrong with what's happening in the country.
'Letting our people that represent us know that we are not okay with what's going on,' she said. 'And Trump and [Elon] Musk need to not be where they are. They're doing a lot of damage, and I can't just sit idly by.'
Even when policies don't directly affect her, Hickman, who teared up during her explanation, said that one day 'it could be me.'
'I have children, they need a future, and I have to make that happen for them,' she said. 'My grandmother did it, my mom did it, my aunt, it's in the family all the way back to the Civil Rights Movement and everything in between. My grandmother can't be here to do it, she is no longer with us, so I'm doing it for her.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mayor of Monroe blames social media post for low attendance at Latin Festival
Low attendance at a Latin Fest in Monroe is causing controversy among residents and city leaders. 'I'm having a good time, but I miss my Spanish people,' one attendee said Sunday. 'I don't know what's going on, but this world needs to be in peace so everyone can reunite and be together.' ALSO READ: Group says increase of ICE arrests in Charlotte is leading to more calls for help Both the festivalgoer and Monroe's mayor, Robert Burns, noticed the lack of Hispanic people at the festival, but Burns blamed a social media post made on Facebook for the low turnout. The post said Monroe is not a safe place for immigrants, adding that attending the Latin Fest could place you and others in potential danger. 'I would challenge those individuals who post that type of stuff,' Burns said. 'You genuinely don't care about the Hispanic community, because that affected the businesses of our city. Regardless of what nationality they are, they are businesses and individuals who pour into this city.' The originators of the post, Monroe Immigrants, responded to the mayor in a statement to our partners at Telemundo. 'The City of Monroe needs to make capital from its Hispanic constituents; that's all they care about,' they said. 'The City of Monroe doesn't not care about anything except increasing the profits of capital.' In response, Burns said he was upset by the low turnout at the festival. 'We care about families, we care about the economy, low taxes, education,' he said. 'Not only was I surprised, I was hurt because the Hispanic community has had such an incredible effect on our city.' In May, Monroe City Council approved a statement about public safety and immigration enforcement, stating 'Monroe is not a sanctuary city.' City council passed an additional statement on Tuesday that removed that sentence and says Monroe Police do not enforce federal immigration law. Mayor Burns voted against last night's version. VIDEO: Bakery owner says ICE sparks fear in neighborhood, hurts local businesses
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Conspiracy Scandal Sentences Ex-OC Supervisor Andrew Do to 5 Years in Federal Prison
Conspiracy Scandal Sentences Ex-OC Supervisor Andrew Do to 5 Years in Federal Prison originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Andrew Do, a former supervisor for Orange County, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for a conspiracy to commit bribery — the maximum sentence for a crime of this accepted over $500,000 in personal bribes and voted in favor of $10 million in COVID-19 relief funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters, all while in office, according to the U.S. Department of resigned his O.C. office and pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy after his daughter, Rhiannon Do, fell under fire for purchasing a million-dollar home in Tustin that was allegedly purchased with the pandemic relief funds. Do has since forfeited the home. His attorneys asked that their client serve just under three years, but the prosecution pushed for the maximum sentence. The judge favored the prosecution's suggestion, which stated Do used county money to pay for self-serving endeavors like extravagant dinners, credit card debt and personal property DOJ said Do will be responsible for repaying the bribes, forfeiting certain assets and relinquishing control of his pension earned during the scandal. Additionally, he will repay the money his daughters accrued, including that of Viet America Society, the nonprofit Rhiannon worked at and used to purchase her home.'No one is above the law. This maximum sentencing of Andrew Do sends a strong message that we do not tolerate public corruption in Orange County,' said O.C. Vice Chair Katrina Foley in a statement obtained by FOX 11. 'Andrew Do enriched himself off the suffering of others, betraying our residents and violating his oath of office. I commend the Department of Justice for holding him fully accountable.' This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Skift
26 minutes ago
- Skift
Planners Fear Immigration Crackdowns Will Make Hotel Labor Shortages Worse: Exclusive Survey
The hospitality industry has struggled with a labor shortage since the Covid pandemic. Now, immigration enforcement and an anti-immigrant sentiment are adding a new layer of complexity. An exclusive Skift Meetings survey of U.S. planners shows that they expect to grapple with the effects of Trump-era immigration policies on their events, with growing concern about hotel staffing across the board. More than two-thirds of respondents (72%) said they expect hotel staffing to be affected in 2025–2026 because of immigration policies. Only 13% foresaw no impact. 'Hotel staffing never fully bounced back after the pandemic. We're still experiencing some gaps in service in certain markets and at certain properties,' said Kyle Jordan, director of meetings at the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS). Staffing issues are being felt at more than hotels. 'Challenges extend to other key partners like AV providers and vendors that support our meetings,' said Jordan. 'While it's hard to predict the full impact, I would expect that deportation activity could further strain staffing in some destinations.' Concerns stem not just from general staffing shortages but also the effect of revived immigration enforcement policies. 'The main issue is that for many workers in hotels, while they may be legal immigrants, the feeling toward immigrants in general has turned toxic,' said Mark Phillips, CEO of LamontCo. 'No one wants to live and work in such an environment or put families through it, so over time we will see less available even legal immigrant workforces. It already appears to be happening in several cities.' ICE Raids and Protests Exacerbate Immigration Issues In Los Angeles, several days of protests followed large-scale immigration raids by ICE. Protests have spread to other U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C, and New York City. a'The hospitality industry relies heavily on immigrant labor especially in back-of-house roles like housekeeping, food and beverage service, and maintenance. Stricter immigration enforcement, increased deportations, and general anti-immigration rhetoric have created fear and uncertainty among these workers, not to mention ICE raids, and I-9 audits. This leads some to leave the industry or self-deport, reducing the labor pool, making it even harder for hotels to fill critical positions,' said Robert Kraus, founder of Small Conferences. Kraus added that there are concerns about the future of the H-2B visa program and similar initiatives. 'There's also a worry that H-2B visas and other temporary worker programs will be curtailed plus general apprehension on potential workers to risk coming to the U.S. just to be told they can't enter or later be sent home only after a short amount of time. This could easily limit the number of foreign workers applying, which is critical for meeting seasonal demands of resorts and other hospitality businesses.' Labor shortages have already disrupted event logistics.'In several cases, my groups suffered through multi-hour lunch services because the hotel restaurant kitchen could not keep up with demand,' he said. Legal Compliance Doesn't Eliminate Anxiety Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of ALHI, argues that deportation is not necessarily a direct impact to hotel staffing. 'It has been required by law for any employee to complete an I-9 form, which verifies legal status and requires documentation,' said Dominguez. 'Any company or hotel not doing that is in violation of Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1986. Everyone working in a hotel needs documentation, or they are breaking the law.' Still, legal status does not erase worker anxiety, said Melanie Nathan, human rights advocate and executive director of the African Human Rights Coalition. 'I know people who are perfectly legal and who have filled in those I-9's who are too scared to go to work. They are standing back to try and ride out what they feel like is a storm. Some fear they might get picked up in workplaces where there are likely to be raids.' Guest Services and Sales Take a Hit The staffing crunch is also affecting guest experience and hotel revenue. 'Daily housekeeping is no longer a given. There are hotels where it is now every other day or on request,' said Akshar Patel, VP of corporate strategy and development at eShow Event Management Solutions and a hospitality expert. Beyond guest services, the staffing crunch is slowing business development efforts. 'A staffing shortage on the sales side is delaying RFPs,' said Patel. Andrea Milrad Heilweil, VP of sales and marketing at The Hutton Group, agrees. 'I have found that since Covid I have to be much more proactive with follow-up. Between people furloughed, laid off, or leaving the industry altogether, RFP responses, requests for contracts, setting up site visits, and general communication have been delayed.'
