by Chris White
Progressive activists gathered in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal on Thursday, demanding immigrant detention centers be closed down, immigration raids end, and ICE be abolished.
The demonstration was organized by Rise and Resist, a progressive organization that was formed in response to Donald Trump’s presidential election victory, Fox News first reported. The protesters huddled inside the main hall at Grand Central Station, carrying signs and demanding an end to various immigration enforcement policies brought on by the Trump administration.
There were 295 participants in the anti-ICE silent protest, according to the event’s Facebook page.
“We are at Grand Central Station in NYC raising awareness about ongoing abuses by the Trump Administration. We will not give up until all migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers are freed,” read a tweet by Rise and Resist.
No Raids – Close the Camps – Abolish ICE!
We are at Grand Central Station in NYC raising awareness about ongoing abuses by the Trump Administration. We will not give up until all migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers are freed. https://t.co/C3OUTvn6JJ
— Rise and Resist (@riseandresistny) August 29, 2019
A member of group said there was no crisis at the southern border and that no crimes were being committed — besides the “crimes being committed by the Trump administration.”
The demonstration was met with counter-protesters. Activists appeared close by, holding “Keep America Great” banners and “Trump 2020” posters. One Trump supporters told Fox News that ICE agents and other law enforcement personnel deserved more respect.
“The Democrats had the White House and Congress [under former President Barack Obama] and they did absolutely nothing” to solve the immigration crisis, the Trump supporter, who identified herself as “Jennifer,” said Thursday.
Grand Central Terminal — which sees about 750,000 people pass through daily — has served as a top attraction for liberal protesters. While law enforcement officers were on the scene for Thursday’s protest, there were no reports of arrests or violent clashes between the two groups.
A slate of anti-ICE protests have arisen across the country in recent time, coinciding with Democrats increasingly harsh rhetoric against the federal agency tasked with carrying out deportation orders.
An ICE office in San Antonio was shot at several times earlier in August, with an FBI spokesman later saying it was “no question” a targeted attack against the agency. A left-wing protester was killed in a shootout with police in July after attempting to firebomb an ICE facility in Washington state.
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Chris White is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “ICE Protests” by Rise and Resist.
