Inspired by the migratory journey of monarch butterflies, Travieso’s En Root brings together histories of migration and labor in New Brunswick, attention to the natural environment, and a desire to center renewal, community, and joy for immigrants in the city today.
Since the 1990s, the monarch butterfly has emerged as a powerful symbol for immigrant rights and solidarity in the U.S. The monarch butterfly undertakes an extraordinary multi-generational migration from central Mexico to parts of the U.S. and Canada and back. The monarch butterfly represents and embodies movement across borders for survival, profound resilience, and the connections that exist between places separated by geography. For people celebrating el Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in Mexico, the returning monarch butterflies also represent a form of public memory of the cycles of life.
Monarch butterfly populations have been in decline, leading to their designation as a threatened species, and efforts to restore natural habitats that support and increase the population. New Brunswick lies along their migratory route and provides a summer habitat for monarchs to feed and reproduce on their journey.
“What if the Central New Jersey Monument to Migration and Labor could attract monarch butterflies, creating a living symbol of belonging, support, and solidarity for immigrant workers in New Brunswick?”
— CHAT TRAVIESO
The monument consists of a large-scale sculptural gateway installation in War Memorial Park, at the triangle formed by the intersection of French Street and Jersey Avenue., This public space is also known as Parque Oaxaca by members of the community, which is a nod to New Brunswick’s significant immigrant community from Oaxaca, a state in southern Mexico. En Root features monarch-attracting pollinator gardens, with native plantings, as well as information and resources for immigrant workers. This bright orange, inviting gateway, will serve as a gathering place for celebration, learning, and resource-sharing for both residents of the neighborhood, and the broader New Brunswick community.
In addition to the main archway, there will be a series of monarch-friendly pollinator planters set up throughout the city in partnership with local organizations and schools, incorporating educational materials and resources for immigrant workers and site-specific information and history.
The concept of En Root, Travieso shares, begins with a simple planter. Eventually, he envisions the possibility of adding more plantings in War Memorial Park/Parque Oaxaca, and beyond, with native perennial species that support monarch butterfly populations on a more permanent basis.In the long run, the goal is to create a sustainable habitat and ecological landscape that honor and echo the immigrant contributions in the city of New Brunswick.
The New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor project organized a series of community dialogues across the state in the spring and summer of 2025, including six in New Brunswick. Dialogue facilitators, who were themselves connected to the city or state’s im/migrant communities, guided stakeholders in discussions about the histories and personal narratives of migration and labor in the region.
Photo Credit: coLAB Arts; artwork made by participants in community dialogues in New Brunswick.
Travieso highlights the importance of these community dialogues in shaping his ideas for En Root. In one activity at a community dialogue at Unity Square, participants were asked to bring an object or artifact that represented migration and labor to them. Some community members brought plants from their community garden, including marigolds, which are particularly meaningful for the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Travieso was also inspired by the fight to pass New Jersey’s Temporary Worker’s Bill of Rights and the work of New Labor, a worker advocacy organization. Alongside the monarch butterfly’s journey, the foundations for En Root can be found at the intersection of nature and the garden, and the meanings that these sites offer about home and regrowth, and the ongoing advocacy by and for immigrant workers in New Brunswick.
NJMML is excited to host a series of events and activities related to the unveiling of the monuments this summer, and programs that will animate these installations even further!
Please see below for information about upcoming community engagement opportunities and the ribbon-cutting event for En Root at War Memorial Park/Parque Oaxaca in New Brunswick.
Educational and archival resources related to En Root coming soon! To learn more about how you and your organization might take part in programs connected to En Root, please take a look at the “How-to-Engage Manual” posted here.
— NAME LASTNAME, Community Member, Dialogue Info
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Know Your RightsFor information on what your rights are as a noncitizen in the United States, family preparedness plans, and red cards, please visit the website listed below:
www.ilrc.org/community-resources/know-your-rights
Legal Support HotlinesIf you or someone you know is facing deportation or has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), New Jersey’s Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative (DDDI) might be able to help. Complete the referral form so that DDDI can reach out to you and complete a legal screening.
Referral Form
Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ)- For detained individual and other detention-related calls: 1-888-894-0612
- For statewide non-detained immigration matters: 1-732-572-9100 ext. 8782
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) - For detention-related calls: 973-474-9861
(call on Tuesdays/Thursdays between 2:00pm–4:00pm)
- For residents of Monmouth and Ocean Counties: 732-902-0460
(call on Tuesdays between 1:00pm-4:00pm)
New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC)For individuals seeking immigration legal assistance for an unaccompanied child or youth under age 21: www.njcic.org/refer-a-child-english
ICE Detainee Locator If you suspect a loved one was detained by ICE, you can use ICE’s online detainee locator to check using the following link or QR code: locator.ice.gov/odls/#/search
New Jersey Rapid Response NetworksNew Jersey residents have mobilized to support its noncitizen community members being threatened with arrest and detention by ICE in NJ communities. Each area in New Jersey has its own rapid response network, please see below for which network services your area and their contact information:
DIRE:888-347-3767 (call or dm social media accounts)
Middlesex, Essex, Union, Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Morris, Warren, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Burlington, Camden, Glouster, Salem, and Cumberland Counties.
Resistencia En Acción: 640-466-2386 (call or text)
Mercer County
Spirit of Liberation (SOL) :201-616-2816 (call or text)
Hudson County
El Pueblo Unido :609-200-1030 (call or text)
Atlantic and Cape May Counties
If you see ICE, call your rapid response network and provide the following information: Exact location
Time of sighting
Send a photo and/or video
Conoce Tus DerechosPara información sobre cuáles son tus derechos como no ciudadano en los Estados Unidos, recursos de preparación familiar, y tarjetas rojas, visita la página abajo: www.ilrc.org/community-resources/know-your-rights
Líneas de Apoyo LegalSi usted o alguien que conoce está enfrentando la deportación o ha sido detenido por el Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), la iniciativa de Defensa contra la Detención y Deportación (DDDI) de Nueva Jersey podría ayudar. Rellena el formulario de derivación para que el DDDI pueda ponerse en contacto contigo y completar una evaluación legal.Formulario de Derivación
