A long bus ride and sweltering heat didn’t sap the energy of New Jersey 1199ers as they arrived in Washington DC to participate in a huge rally for immigration reform on April 10. Tens of thousands mobilized in front of the Capitol building to demand that Congress pass a comprehensive immigration bill that protects people’s civil rights and establishes a clear path to citizenship for millions of families who call the United States home.

Before heading to the rally, 1199 members visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, located at the opposite end of the National Mall, to pay their respects to the civil rights hero. The significance of looking back on his legacy on this particular day wasn’t lost on 1199 members: Just as 1199 helped to build the civil rights movement alongside Dr. King 60 years ago, today members continue that same struggle to ensure that working people of all backgrounds are united in the same fight for a life of dignity.

Ella Moton, a CNA at Harbor View Health Care Center, explained that “immigration reform is important because everyone who lives in this country needs to be able to come out of the shadows, vote, and have the same rights as everyone else.”

Echoing this sentiment, Ovixon Constant, a Housekeeper at Westfield Center Nursing Home, said that even though he is an American citizen, “I know many people who are not. It is not fair that they don’t have the same rights as people in my position.”

A clear viewpoint shared by the 1199 members who attended the rally was that reform of our country’s immigration system is not just an issue that matters to undocumented immigrants, but to all working people regardless of where they are from. People of all backgrounds need to stick together to prevent the erosion of civil liberties and workers’ rights when the rich and powerful try to scapegoat immigrants, members agreed.

The United States has been waiting for decades for comprehensive immigration reform, but with the dedicated efforts of millions over the past several years, the country is now closer than ever to seeing it happen. 1199 members are keeping a close eye on developments in Congress and are readying themselves to spring into action again if needed to make sure that immigration reform becomes a reality this year.