Jan. 15, 2020 By Kristen Torres
One of the nation’s largest immigration rights groups has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.
Make the Road Action (MRA)—which has a large New York chapter—announced its decision to endorse Sanders on Wednesday, citing his commitment to workers rights, universal healthcare and national rent control.
“Bernie Sanders has shown us for decades that he will stand up for workers and tenants and against corporate greed,” David Vergara, member of MRA’s New York chapter, said in a statement.
“With companies like Amazon doing major damage to the rights and well-being of workers and communities, it’s more important than ever that we have someone in the White House who will stand up for our rights and needs,” he added.
The organization has tens of thousands of members across Connecticut, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. MRA leadership completed months of interviews with members across the five states and reviewed policy platforms in dozens of community workshops before deciding to back Sanders for the presidency.
“Our members are overjoyed to be able to support Bernie Sanders’ phenomenal candidacy, which reminds us every day that progressive values and issue priorities are both the right thing to do and the right way to beat Trump,” said Javier Valdés, co-executive director of MRA.
MRA works to engage immigrant and working class communities in the political process by canvassing during elections and promoting policy solutions. The organization said it now plans to work toward garnering support for Sanders in each of its states.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—who represents sections of the Bronx and Queens—has also worked closely with MRA members, and supported its endorsement of Sen. Sanders in a statement on Wednesday.
“MRA members fight every day for justice for immigrants, for Black and Brown youth, for tenants, for workers, and for our trans and gender non-conforming siblings. Their spirit and tenacity will lend enormous strength to the diverse coalition to elect Bernie Sanders to be our next President,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
8 Comments
Don’t be too disappointed when Bernie doesn’t win the NY primary.
Does it represent all immigrants or only from few select countries to use a bait?
It is clear now that billionaire speculator George Soros is behind Bernie Sanders (Make the Road Action is funded by George Soros). The interesting thing is that Sanders used to attack millionaires and billionaires, but since he became a millionaire he only attacks billionaires, while receiving support from billionaires…Socialist hypocrisy
Ah yes, another right-wing George Soros conspiracy freak, spouting the same conspiracies that are fostered by ethnic & religious hate groups (and by Russian bots trying to corrupt our elections again).
Heads up: The billionaire that we really need to worry about is that dangerous billionaire con-man in the White House. Trump is a self-serving liar who tries to shred the Constitution and the Rule of Law as he falsely claims that “article two gives me the power to do anything I want”- thus taking his que from the all the dictators across the world that he admires & loves so much.
Sanders does not merely attack billionaires. He rightfully attacks a fundamentally corrupted system where the richer get richer and the rest of us get screwed, over and over again. Instead of slamming the honest idealism of Democratic Socialists like Sanders (who are trying to lift us ALL up, instead of just a few), I suggest you worry about out-of-control commie-loving capitalist Trump, who bolsters and embraces Russian goals & KGB Putin’s wishes at every turn, as he shamefully sells out America for his own personal & family gain. It’s not the art of the deal- it’s the art of the betrayal.
More power to Sanders, and To Make the Road, as they both fight the good fight in trying to improve the lives of ordinary Americans –as well as would-be Americans, who are walking the same hard path that our immigrant ancestors once took. For it is immigrants who made & make America great – not some lying billionaire trying to pull the wool over our eyes with a catchy slogan on a red cap.
Let’s REALLY make America Great Again by impeaching, convicting, removing and sending Trump packing – on the next plane to to his pal Putin. Heck, let him take Air Force One, his nepotistic family, Moscow Mitch, the spine-less Republican Senate, and Ghoul-iani with him too.
Dear Donald, Dear Leader, if f you’re listening (hmm.. where have I heard that before?): If you step down from your throne now, and flee with as much cash as you can grab, then you can golf, tantrum-tweet, eat burgers, pay off mistresses and watch Fox Fake News ALL day — instead of just 95% of the time as you do currently. It sure beats some well-deserved lock-him-up jail-time after you leave office! Air Force One is waiting!
Trump stood with the people of Venezuela. Democrats stood with Maduro.
Trump stood with the protesters in Hong Kong. Democrats stood with Communist China.
Trump stands with the people of Iran. Democrats stand with Soleimani and the Ayatollahs.
And Duterte who praised racists and sent out death squads for extrajudicial killings.
He DIDN’T STAND WITH HONG KONG. “President Xi, who is a strong man, I call him King”
Kim Jong Un is “somebody that I’ve gotten to know very well and respect”
He praised Erdogan, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi…should I go on?
Are you really that gullible? Learn some basic facts before you copy and paste this again. The billionaire’s gonna look out for the little guy!
The fact that George Soros funds Make the Road does not in any way indicate that he is funding Sanders. Though he may fund them, MTR is an independent organization that is free to act however they see fit. This article does not mention that their endorsement carried any financial donation.
Forbes did an extensive piece on who each candidate’s billionaire donors are. Exactly one spouse of a billionaire donated to Sanders’ campaign (her name is Marta Thoma Hall) and his campaign returned the donation. He is the only candidate not being funded by billionaires at all.
Perhaps at some point consider that wealthy people may act without prioritizing their own financial self interest. Multiple millionaire celebrities have also endorsed Sanders, and presumably agree with his policies to tax the rich and have their tax dollars fund social initiatives. Isn’t that what philanthropists do? Just under different tax incentives?
You voted for the billionaire game show host that lives in a golden tower with his name on it when he’s not flying his private jet to his mansion in Florida to play golf…but you hate billionaires right? Lmao
Bernie STILL criticizes the concentration of wealth. His proposed taxes would have raised HIS OWN tax rate.
Trump doesn’t pay taxes, and brags about it.