Members of the Las Cruces community gathered at the Downtown Plaza on Jan. 30 with signs and flags to protest ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations throughout the United States.
The Las Cruces protest was one of many anti-ICE demonstrations and general strikes organized across the country in response to the murders of Renée Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24. The protests were also in response to the deaths of several detainees in ICE facilities. They served as an act of solidarity with the people of Minneapolis, who have been protesting ICE’s and Customs and Border Protection’s Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Las Cruces residents started arriving at the plaza at 11:30 a.m.
One protestor, Roscoe Louie, brought homemade signs which he made by projecting designs onto wood. One featured a skull with a hole and text reading “ICE; Who’s next?” Which was among the tallest protest signs at the plaza.
As an older community member, Louie said that he was proud to see how generationally diverse the event appeared.
“I think many of the policies of this administration affect a whole lot of innocent people in very negative ways,” Louie said. “And I think that it is especially important that we come out and try to stop some of the stuff that’s going on. I’m very happy to see the younger folks come out. You know, the older folks, we’re retired; we got the time. But the young people will take the consequences of these egregious policies that are happening right now.”
Another protestor, Spencer, walked around the Downtown Plaza banging a drum as music played from the plaza’s stage. Spencer said residents who feel targeted by ICE have a whole community behind their backs.
“If the terror that ICE and the federal government is spreading right now has you genuinely scared; if you’re someone that’s being targeted, just remember and know that there are people around you,” Spencer said. “Whether you see them or not, they are supporting you. They are looking out for you. They are trying to find ways to help you. They are trying to be supportive. Las Cruces, we want to make sure we stay a welcoming community for immigrants, for citizens, for everybody.”
Several local organizations helped to plan and attended the ICE Out protest. One of those groups was New Mexico State University’s Dream Team Chapter; giving advice, resources, and phone numbers to community members. NMSU Dream Team organizer Sarai Guerrero said the most important part of a movement is the groundwork laid out before action is done.
“I think a lot of history books taught us that these things were spontaneous when that’s not the truth,” Guerrero said. “There are so many people, organizers, activists, who are forever unnamed in history because they were the people that set up the groundwork for the big moments like the March on Washington during the Civil Rights Movement. Or today, how NMSU Dream Team works with the youth. We work with high schoolers, and we understand that they are our future.”
Another group in attendance was the Las Cruces chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Organizer Dylan Davis said the next crucial step for Las Cruces was for the community to start networking.
“I would just say that it’s more important now than ever to get involved with some sort of organization,” Davis said. “Whatever you see that fits your needs and your interests at the time, get involved. We need to be building these networks and community groups and these relationships that are going to be so important in the coming years.”
