TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Dozens of protesters of all ages gathered at the University of Arizona off of Campbell and University on Saturday to voice their opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
They chanted in both Spanish and English, calling for fairness and equality in U.S. immigration laws.
"We’ve got people from all countries attending here at the U of A. This is a melting pot. That’s exactly what the United States is," said Helene Decortez, one of the protest organizers.
Decortez organized the protest after attending several similar events. "We decided to post some flyers and support immigrants. We’re here on their behalf," she said.
Protesters carried signs reading "No Human Is Illegal" and chanted, “Refugees are welcome here.”
Jay Varela, a protester, held one of those signs. "There’s different ethnicities. But, you know, it doesn’t mean that you're not a person. Like, you have rights and hopes and dreams,” Varela said.
Since President Donald Trump's inauguration, his administration has signed several executive orders aimed at restricting migrant entry at the southern border, which he says protects public safety and reduces national security risk. According to the administration, more than 8,000 people have been arrested by federal immigration authorities.
Decortez called for change. "No more separating families. These children should not be afraid about what is going to happen to them," she said.
One of the administration's policies allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to make arrests in sensitive locations like schools and churches. Tom Homan, the administration's border czar, has stated that the DEA and FBI already had authority to operate in these areas.
"It doesn't mean we're doing a sweep of the high school. We're not doing sweeps at elementary schools. We're not going to walk into a church and do a large enforcement operation," Homan said. "But when we have a public safety threat or national security threat, there's no safe harbor. There's no sanctuary for them."
But Decortez argued that the policy creates unnecessary fear, especially among children.
"That's just installing fear in basically everyone, and it's a horrible thing to do to children," she said.
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