Anti ICE Protest Held Last Week
by Bradley Mitchell,
Last week at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) office on 8th and Arch streets in Philadelphia, a press conference was held which was sponsored by Senator Amanda Cappelletti of the 17th Senate District. The subject of the event was what the Senator says is the unconstitutional way in which I.C.E. agents are going about the business of raiding homes and workplaces and apprehending supposed criminals for the welfare and safety of our country. There were many speakers on hand in addition to Senator Cappellitti. Included were, State Representative Rick Krajewski, Senator Nikil Saval, District Attorney Larry Krasner, CEO of the Philadelphia Welcome Center Anuj Gupta, Executive Director of Juntos Erika Guadalupe Núñez, representatives of the Asian American Alliance and President of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO.
The many speakers making remarks think, that the country is headed in the wrong direction with regard to the freedoms outlined in our constitution. The fact of the matter is that what they are actually doing is taking, in many cases, legally naturalized citizens and deporting them to countries outside the U.S. and in many cases, not the country of their origin. Also, there is no due process involved in these deportations. Anuj Gupta likened it to the same activities that were witness during the Holocaust.
Many of the speakers gave emotional speeches about their own experiences, as well as others who went through a laundry list of infractions by this current administration. The overriding theme of the event was that the participants of this protest believe that we, as Americans can no longer stand idly by while the rights of so many are being trampled in the name of justice .