Anti-Trump Sentiments Galvanize May Day Marchers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Millions of people around the globe are honoring "May Day." In Chicago, for some, it means bringing immigration reform to the forefront, reports CBS 2's Derrick Blakley.
Mexican-Americans in the costume of their homeland joined May Day marchers walking from Union Park to Trump Tower, motivated by what's seen as Trump's hostility toward immigrants.
Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia says Trump is, "Raising awareness. He is angering people. He's getting young people to register and to come out to vote."
Organizers say Trump's support for a wall at the Mexican border and opposition to Muslim immigration is practically doing their organizing for them.
"He happens to be the best thing that happened to the left," said Alderman Ricardo Munoz. "He is energizing people to come out and vote against him."
With immigrants heavily represented among low-income workers, Evanston's May Day rally focused on the drive for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.
Meantime, Chicago's demonstrators pointed to surging voter registration in California, especially among Latinos, as proof of a growing anti-Trump backlash.
"I think that this movement has been a strong one for quite a while, but I think Trump has really put people on notice that there's still some forces, reactionary forces, in this society who will promote hate and divisiveness," said SEIU Local 1 president Tom Balanoff.
Labor unions say the trump phenomenon is motivating newly legalized immigrants to register to vote in large numbers, with those voters hoping to have an impact in November on the race for the White House.
