A group of local activists seeking immigration reform will gather outside of Great American Ball Park on Sunday ahead of the Cincinnati Reds’ matchup against the Chicago Cubs.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, also known as LULAC, is an organization that aims to protect Latino ballplayers and immigrant communities nationwide. They will distribute a leaflet highlighting threats to Latino ball players and all immigrants by organizations like Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and cited recent comments by Reds designated hitter Eugenio Suárez as the reason for their protest.
“Baseball is full of immigrants and their families; this past Opening Day, over 100 Major League Baseball players hailed from the Dominican Republic and 60+ hailed from Venezuela. Suárez, who was born in Venezuela, recently had a family member lose Temporary Protected Status and their U.S. citizenship was unexpectedly canceled,” according to a leaflet provided by LULAC.
“Latino immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are concerned about the loss of Temporary Protected Status, challenges for green card applicants, and the mass arrests of immigrants without criminal records,” said LULAC President Aileen Cobbs.
The gathering will take place outside of Second and Main, and is sponsored by LULAC; 50501; Coffee, Compassion, Action; Red, Wine & Blue; and the Queen City Brigadiers. Organizers have gotten approval for the gathering from local police. It will take place at 12:30 p.m., one hour before the game begins.
For more information, visit the official LULAC website.