Protest against ICE raids held in Elizabeth

A protest was held in Elizabeth Sunday to rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to find undocumented immigrants.

News 12 Staff

Jul 14, 2019, 1:19 PM

Updated 1,976 days ago

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A protest was held in Elizabeth Sunday to rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to find undocumented immigrants.
Around 2,000 immigrants are being targeted nationwide. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says that reportedly, some raids began in the city as early as Saturday.
The protest, organized by Make the Road Headquarters, was held in front of an ICE center where over 300 detainees are awaiting deportation.
Organizers say they aren't just rallying for the families affected by ICE, but are protesting against Amazon, which has previously sold technology to the Trump administration that help recognize undocumented immigrants and get them deported.
Some signs said, "Amazon-No tech for ICE" and "Here to stay, Defund hate."
"A lot of people don't think that when you're purchasing these items, you're actually helping this big corporation get even bigger and have more money to help fund ICE with necessary technology they need in order to separate families," one protester said.
President Donald Trump says that the raids will mostly be targeting convicted criminals. Advocates say this includes people who have may missed a court date on their deportation orders. Advocates also say people may have not known that they've missed a court date.
Some immigrants told News 12 they came to the United States to escape the horrors of their own country or to help their families find better lives. Mario, an undocumented immigrant, says he is here to fight for his daughters so they can be educated and become professionals.
Others say that some people didn't show up to the event because they were scared of what it might mean for their own immigration status.
"A lot of people are living in fear and a lot of my friends who actually wanted to come today, ended up telling me that because of the fear of the raids — even though we weren't picked — they're just so scared that they can't come out," said Giovana Castaneda. "So I'm here in solidarity for them, for my family and for the whole immigrant community."
None of New Jersey's cities were named as targets for Sunday's raid.