Bernie Sanders at a rally in Long Island City on Oct. 19, where he was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Facebook)
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.
