TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — About 200 people lined the Gárces Footbridge downtown and the area around Broadway between Church and Granada. Many of them were waving flags and holding signs denouncing President Donald Trump.
“We’re going to be here defending immigrants, that we want the deportations to end, that we want this ICE terror to end,” Tanya Nunez said.
Nunez is a member of the Party For Socialism And Liberation and she said she is standing behind migrants.
“We’re letting our community know that they have rights, no matter their immigration status,” she said.
Other protesters like Mike Olivas were there to show support for other nationwide protests like the ones in Los Angeles.
“More solidarity for us. More people getting in tune with what’s going on,” Olivas said.
Protesters like Olivas said they don’t approve of where Immigration and Customs Enforcement are arresting undocumented migrants.
“Due process is the law. You can’t just pick up somebody and say, ok, you’re coming with me,” he said.
Some of the protesters also mentioned that President Trump should not be sending the National Guard to the Los Angeles protests.
“It’s their right to protest and then when the government came in, they just lit a fuse and ignited it,” Olivas said.
When asked about protests that have turned into riots in Los Angeles, Nunez said ICE has already gotten violent by separating undocumented migrants from their families.
“No matter what people are doing, it’s not comparable to the violence that the system imposes on regular working class people,” she said.
Some protesters were chanting that both parties are a problem when it comes to tackling immigration issues. While Trump is currently in office, Nunez said past Presidents should’ve also handled deportations better.
“The U.S….it’s spending all this money to deport people, to criminalize people when we need money for education, we need money for healthcare,” she sad. “Politicians should be listening to their community.”
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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