Hundreds of protesters, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, gathered at the corner of Garden and Palafox streets Thursday evening to voice their concerns about the conduct of immigration enforcement officers in recent months.
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The protest follows news of a 17-year-old foster child who was removed from his Pensacola foster home earlier this week and transferred to ICE custody. The Miami Herald reports the Honduran teen, whose first name is Henry, may be a victim of labor trafficking.
As part of a growing national movement, anti-ICE protests have spread to cities across the country.
RELATED: More than 100 arrested in ICE immigration sweep on Tallahassee construction site
Grace McCaffery, head of Latino Gulf Coast and primary emcee of Thursday’s protest, said her efforts are all about unity in the community and educating legislators about the effects immigration policies have on local families.
“Normally, these are federal activities, but they affect our local community,” she said. “We often have to come to the city and county to explain how immigration policies affect Escambia and Pensacola families. So, they’re (local legislators) in that position of needing to understand that just like a lot of others.”
The primary goal of the protest, according to McCaffery, is advocacy for better immigration policies and peaceful communities.
“It’s to show support for the national effort to support immigrants,” she explained. “For improved policies and systems so that we can all live peacefully together and figure out real solutions rather than using hatred and bigotry to push people away.”
Locally, there has been little pushback against the movement. Florida officials have warned about the consequences of violent or non-peaceful protests in the state. There were no incidents at Thursday’s event.
Protestors like Jasmine, who declined to give a last name, say they are standing up for families and ‘regular people.’
“I think our role and why we are here today is to be a part of a force that says these are not ‘criminals’ that we are defending,” she said. “These are families, these are just people who are immigrants, who are workers who came over here to find a stable life after their country has been destabilized. These are just regular people like us. They're our neighbors, our co-workers.”
