MTI Joins Voices De La Frontera in May Day News April 22nd, 2026
Press Release
Date: April 22, 2026
Email: mti@madisonteachers.org
On Friday May 1st, 2026, Madison Teachers Inc., will join Voces de la Frontera and a
broad coalition of labor and community partners in a powerful act of Solidarity to take action on “A Day
Without Immigrants.” Starting at noon at the State Street Library Mall, Voces, MTI, and thousands of
supporters will march to the Capitol at 2 PM to hear from impacted communities and activists.
“No School, No Work, and No Shopping.” By choosing to march with our students and community
instead of going to work, the members of MTI are aligning with Voces de la Frontera’s demands and our
immigrant communities while calling attention to the state’s failure to live up to its obligations to
Wisconsin’s public-school students.
Why We Walk
MTI members voted overwhelmingly to take this action because our country is in crisis, and our
vulnerable communities are paying the price.
Every child is precious, no matter where they or their parents were born. They deserve to feel welcome,
safe, and supported. Our students are experiencing heightened anxiety, leading to absences and trouble
concentrating at school. They are afraid that ICE agents will come for them, their parents, or their friends
—a heavy burden no child should have to bear. Students cannot learn while grappling with adult fears of
family separation before they have even mastered their ABCs.
Fund Public Schools
Education is a fundamental right for every student. No exceptions. The Wisconsin Constitution (Art. X,
Sec. 3), mandates a free, appropriate education for all children, regardless of status or ability. Despite
these mandates, the state and federal governments continue to underfund programs for students who
are entitled to additional educational resources or medical support. While the state hoards a $2.5 billion
surplus, local taxpayers are asked to pass recurring referenda to keep their schools operational.
We must stop starving our schools and return to investing in our children. Wisconsin’s public schools
were among the top in the nation before the Wisconsin GOP began this campaign to defund and
dismantle public schools.
To send a strong message, MTI is taking this action in solidarity with Voces de la Frontera to end the
attacks on our families and to demand the State Legislature provide the educational resources our
children are legally and ethically entitled to receive.
We are calling on our community partners, our families and our neighbors to join us on Friday May 1, at
the Wisconsin State Capitol to demand a future where every child is safe, supported, and seen.
We refuse to stay silent while our students are threatened by displacement, deportation, or
disinvestment.
We will march with Voces de la Frontera to demand an end to the anti-immigrant campaign, a pathway to
citizenship for all, and state funding for our public schools that honors every student, no matter their
race, gender, religion, abilities, or national origin.
Join us at the Wisconsin State Capitol on May 1st.
State Street Library Mall at noon with a Capitol program at 2 PM.
For our students. For our families. For our Future.
Collectively We Decide, United We Act!