For Immediate Release // Please Excuse Cross Posting
Monday, March 10th, 2025
Contact: Palmira Figueroa, 425-301-2764; pfigueroa@ndlon.org
LOS ANGELES, March 10 – Fighting for fairness and for their survival, elderly Mexican immigrants, our “heroes y heroínas de la patria”, as President Sheinbaum refers to our immigrants, marched today to many Mexican Consulates in California and Arizona, demanding that Mexico’s Government keep its promise to include immigrants like them in the Pensión Bienestar, Mexico’s national social-security program.
The march, known as Caminata con Bastones (Walking Canes March), was held in different cities across the two states. The marchers, many of them elderly and frail, delivered letters to the Mexican government highlighting their urgent plight and calling for action to honor the benefits they have earned through their years of labor and remittances sent home to their families in Mexico.
These marchers have worked for decades in the United States and contributed significantly to the Mexican economy through their remittances. But now, they find themselves struggling to survive in their later years without the safety net they were promised. Many are ill, unable to work, and face a future without the security they earned through a lifetime of hard work and hardship.
“We’re not asking for charity, just for our rights to be recognized. We’ve worked hard all our lives, sending money home to build a future for our families. Now it’s time for the government to honor our contributions and take care of us in our old age,” said Jose Carlos Silva, from Jalisco, a California resident for 30 years.
According to a recent survey conducted by the National Day Laborer Network (NDLON), only 2.5% of undocumented Mexicans aged 65 and older reported having a pension that could support them in retirement, with 89% reporting that they did not. The majority are left without any form of financial security, making this march a critical step in their fight for justice.
WHAT: “Caminata con Bastones” (Walking Canes March for Justice and Security)
WHEN: Monday, March 10, 2025, at different times
For more information visit our post on Instagram here, and to read the official letter to the consulates, visit our Pronunciamiento (Letter to Consulates) HERE.
