By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Protestors opposing the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies stood along Veterans Boulevard in the bright winter sunshine Saturday, chanting slogans, holding signs and waving flags.
About 20 men and women joined the event, which was organized by Del Rio resident Valerie Rodriguez. The protestors stood on the Veterans Boulevard right-of-way in front of the Del Rio Civic Center.
Rodriguez told The 830 Times before the event she hopes to raise awareness of opposition to the new administration’s immigration policies, which she decried as “fearmongering” in communities of both immigrants and naturalized citizens. She also denounced the policies as blatantly racist.
“We’re protesting today against the wrongful fearmongering among the immigrant community. Without immigrants, we would not be able to sustain our country, and the fact that they’re so scared now, a lot of them are not going to work, not doing even the basics,” Rodriguez said.
As she spoke, a Del Rio Police Department patrol unit pulled up alongside her, and DRPD Lt. Robert “Bobby” Hernandez told Rodriguez she and the other protestors were welcome to use restrooms inside the civic center or go inside to cool off, since the temperature hovered near 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We just don’t want anybody getting hurt,” Hernandez told her, and she thanked him.
After Hernandez drove away, she said, “We respect law enforcement. We have a good relationship, and we’ve had a good working relationship with law enforcement. I think they’ve been tasked with something very difficult.”
“A lot of these people (immigrants) are not criminals. I know they say they’re criminals because they entered this country illegally or they overstayed their visas, but the reality is they’re not (criminals). Yes, I understand they came in illegally, and so when we create this fear among the immigrant community, we’re also creating a ripple effect that’s affecting our economy, our people and our families,” she added.
Hernandez also charged that the new hardline policies target primarily Latinos.
“There are people from other countries, who don’t have brown
skin, that have overstayed their visas, who are staying here illegally, yet nothing will happen to them. They won’t be detained. They won’t be arrested. It’s the people of color, and that line will also be crossed with American citizens,” Rodriguez said.
“I have a father with a very strong accent, and I have to remind him to have his documents on him, because if he gets pulled over, they’re not going to believe he’s a U.S. citizen. They’re going to automatically assume he’s not, and why do I or my father or anybody else have to express who we are? Why do we have to do that? And why are officers being asked to racially profile, because essentially that’s what’s happening,” she charged.
Hernandez said she also organized the protest in solidarity with other events being held and planned around the country, as well as with those who are protesting individually.
She praised a young man who has been walking along Veterans Boulevard in the evenings waving a flag and said he should be lauded for having the courage to express his views, not being criticized by anonymous social media posters.
“We have to take a stand. When we believe in something, we have to take a stand,” Rodriguez said.
“My message is, I don’t want the immigrant community to be scared, but at the same time, I understand them, and I would like law enforcement to be more open. Don’t let that man who’s sitting in the presidency, who’s tearing our country apart, tear apart your integrity, because no human in this world is illegal. We have created these messes in other countries that have led to this migration, and until we get to the bottom of that, we will never fix the problem. They’re still going to come,” she added.
Austin resident Miguel Salas and his brother both attended the protest.
“I’ve been hearing about all of this stuff that’s going on, and we have family from (Ciudad) Acuña, so we heard there was going to be a little protest, and we decided to take the time, so that’s why we’re here,” Salas said.
He said he hopes the protest sends the message that “immigrants are mostly good people who are here to make a difference in the United States.”
Another protestor was Sergio Lopez of the Border Network for Human Rights, which has offices in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, Coah., Mexico.
“We are here because we want to let our local community – in Del Rio and Acuña – know that they are not alone. There are many people here, citizens from Del Rio, born and raised in this area, who want to defend against the immigration policies that are raining down on our communities. We want to facilitate a smooth process,” Lopez said.
Lopez encouraged anyone with concerns about the immigration policies to reach out to him at his office, 716 W. Garza St., or call him at 817-228-7936 or (52) 877-789-6739 in Acuña.
“We want to tell people they are not alone. I represent one organization, the Border Network for Human Rights, but we have alliances with more than 90 organizations throughout the United States and other countries,” Lopez added.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
