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Lizzy Larson
Aoife Fritz leads chants at Madison West High school on May 1, 2026.
Aoife Fritz, a senior at West High school, leads chants on a megaphone at Madison West, including, 'Up, up education, down, down, deportation' and 'si se puede' (translation: yes, we can). Fritz says that 'everyone’s here today because we’re supporting the MTI strike and we’re supporting our very fervent labor history within the United States.'
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Lizzy Larson
Osmari Mora-Pacheco and Jose Gutierrez hold signs outside West High on May 1, 2026.
Osmari Mora-Pacheco, left, a sophomore, and Jose Gutierrez, a senior, in front of West High, where they go to school.
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Lizzy Larson
Eli Morey leads chants at West High school on May 1, 2026.
Eli Morey, a teacher at West High School and member of Madison Teachers Inc., addressed students before they marched downtown. 'How are students supposed to survive and thrive in this school system when they’re afraid of being deported, of having their parents and their family deported?' he asked. 'That kind of stress, that kind of pressure, prevents our students from living up to their full potential.'
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Chali Pittman
The 'singing resistance' at Library Mall on May 1, 2026.
The program at Library Mall featured a 'singing resistance,' or Voces en Resistencia. The group practices in a Presbyterian church and works to teach songs at rallies like this one. They are protest songs of Latin America and Spain, and also integrate Spanish language spirits. 'When the world sucks, singing is one of the best ways to cope,' says organizer Martin Alvarado. 'Singing together is even better.'
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Chali Pittman
Adriana Perez carries a dragon down State Street on May 1, 2026.
Adriana Perez made this dragon, which led the march down State Street to the Capitol. It's in the style of Mexican folk art called alebrije. Perez runs Abarrotes El Primo, a Sun Prairie taqueria and grocery. They were closed Friday as part of the strike.
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Lizzy Larson
A Madison police officer on a motorcycle blocked traffic for protesters on May 1, 2026.
A Madison police officer on a motorcycle blocked traffic for protestors marching from West High school to the Capitol. Many drivers honked, expressing support for the protest.
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Lizzy Larson
East High school students join the protest at the Capitol on May 1, 2026.
Protestors at the Capitol gathering clapped and cheered as the student march from East High merged with the larger event on the Capitol lawn.
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Lizzy Larson
Madison teacher Tess Flynn protests at the Capitol on May 1, 2026.
Tess Flynn, a Madison teacher and Madison Teachers Inc. union rep, said she was at the rally 'to support our school and our students.'
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Lizzy Larson
West High students march up W. Washington St. on May 1, 2026.
West High school students marched up West Washington Avenue and eventually converged with protestors already at the Capitol building, many of whom had come from Library Mall up State Street.
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Chali Pittman
Madison police estimate that 3,000 protestors participated acros
Madison police estimate that 3,000 protestors participated across the three protests in Madison that converged on the Capitol.
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Chali Pittman
An onlooker raises a fist at the protest on State Street on May 1, 2026.
Not everyone remembered it was May Day. Some onlookers whipped out phones, or just watched as the crowd marched by. Chants were both in Spanish and English, and featured accompaniment from drums and resistance singers.
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Chali Pittman
State Rep. Francesca Hong speaks to the crowd on May 1, 2026.
'We must be fighting relentlessly for the thousands of families who have been separated or detained,' said state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor. 'Yes, ICE should be abolished. But we must also fight to undo a system and a type of policymaking that made violent systems like ICE possible.'
The Day Without Immigrants is a staple of spring in Madison. Held each year on International Workers' Day, the march advocates for immigrants' rights and highlights their economic power as workers, with solidarity from labor unions, faith groups, and political allies.
Milwaukee-based immigrants rights group Voces de la Frontera has been organizing the march for 20 years, using the day to advocate for dignity and respect for immigrant communities. This year's action "comes as immigrant communities face escalating attacks, a dangerous blurring of immigration enforcement and the justice system, and repeated violations of due process and constitutional rights," according to a media release.
It also comes as part of a May Day strike, with more than 3,000 planned actions across the U.S. In Wisconsin, more than 200 businesses were poised to participate. Madison alone had three separate rallies, and school was shut down for the day.
Crowds formed at Library Mall, at West High School and East High School on Friday, marching to eventually converge on the state Capitol steps. Madison police estimate 3,000 protestors participated.
Over the years, the Day Without Immigrants has also advocated for specific policies: restoration of drivers' licenses for all, in-state tuition, pathways to citizenship. The first march in 2006 was organized in response to federal legislation to increase border security and increase penalties for people without documentation. The bill was proposed by Republican Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. It didn't pass.
Twenty years later, are immigrant workers any further ahead? "There's been relentless attacks that have pushed back our progress," says statewide organizing director Luis Velasquez. "But just as it has been before, sometimes progress takes some steps back, and we're hoping that in the next few years, we can advance."
