So far, 2016 has been a troubling year for undocumented immigrants in the United States. On the very first weekend of January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the homes of Central American women and children who had been ordered for removal by an immigration judge – even though they were seeking asylum in the United States because of the rampant gang violence in their native countries.
On Tuesday, activists in Los Angeles and San Francisco protested the raids. In both cities, they chained themselves together and blocked traffic, according to Fusion.
“I’m taking part of this action because our familias and community can’t continue to live under the abusive presence of ICE. I’ve seen the harm deportations have caused in my family and I don’t want to experience it again,” said Yadira Sanchez, a protestor in San Francisco. “I’m taking a stand against the deportations of Central American refugee families who are fleeing violence imposed by U.S. foreign policies.”
There were arrests in both LA and San Francisco. The Los Angeles Police Department asked protesters to leave after 11 a.m., and those who didn’t leave were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly, according to ABC 7.
Julio Salgado, an artist with CultureStrike, was arrested in San Francisco for about two hours, he told Remezcla. “Sure it was physically painful to be arrested,” he said. “My shoulder hurt and my wrists were purple from the zip ties, but it was very empowering to be next to badass women who organized this rally.”
On Facebook, he shared a personal story relating to arrest, drawing an analogy to his father’s arrest years ago. “This time around I had the privelege [privilege] of being in control. I decided to take the risk of sitting in the middle of the street and getting arrested. My dad didn’t have that privelege. Migrants and refugees don’t have that privelege.”