A new wave of protesters took to the streets of Baltimore Wednesday afternoon to signal their increasing distress over an escalating immigration crackdown that has sparked protest and unrest across the country.
The outpouring in the city came as grassroots actions against immigration enforcement raids have sprung up around the nation from Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement. More protests are planned nationwide this week.
The epicenter of the protests has been in the greater Los Angeles area rocked by five days of unrest, which has turned violent and destructive at times. The White House deployed 4,700 National Guard troops and Marines to southern California despite opposition from local and state leaders.
In Baltimore on Wednesday, CASA, a national organization serving working-class Black, Latino, African-descendant, Indigenous and immigrant communities, organized the midday march of roughly 500 people that traversed about two miles through the eastern part of the city.
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“We’re here today to say enough is enough,” said Crisaly De Los Santos, CASA’s Baltimore and Central Maryland Director.
Since May 20, the posting date of a now viral video of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining a group of men in the Baltimore area, ICE officials have arrested at least 11 people in the Baltimore area, according to CASA. ICE did not immediately respond for a request for comment about those arrest and Wednesday’s march.
The 34-second video and other related social media posts show agents tackling and detaining the men by a home improvement store along Eastern Avenue near Baltimore’s southeastern border with Dundalk.
De Los Santos described the incident and other recent arrests as “violent” attacks and “direct assaults” to immigrant families.
State delegate Robbyn Lewis, a Democrat, who represents District 46 in Baltimore City, called on fellow Black Americans to support the anti-ICE effort. She explained that her enslaved ancestors were helped by abolitionists, and people today should stand up and help targeted immigrants.
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“The terror has roots in our history,” Lewis said. “This is not new.”
The diverse crowd chanted in both English and Spanish throughout the urban route, which started at CASA’s Baltimore Welcome Center near the Patterson Park branch of Enoch Pratt Free Library and then looped back to the same location.
“Aqui estamos y no nos vamos!” the crowd yelled in Spanish, which translates to, “We are here and we are not leaving.”
The boisterous yet peaceful street demonstration also caused traffic backups. Several MTA buses stalled in blocks of standstill traffic. One driver repeatedly honked her horn to the pleasure of the crowd. Passengers on another bus took out their phones to record the moment.
“The people united will never be divided,” the crowd yelled as a drum beat.
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Dozens carried an assortment of international flags and signs. One sign read: “ICE melts in Baltimore.” Another said, “Justice for Immigrants.” Still another called out to, “Assist all Filipino workers in distress.”
“No ICE, no KKK. No racist USA,” the crowd chanted.
The second stop was a strip mall that contained a Dollar Tree and other storefronts. Organizers said the location had been the site of past ICE arrests. Supermarket employees came out with their phones to capture the moment.
Odette Ramos stood on the front line. At an earlier press conference at CASA’s offices, the city councilwoman expressed anger and disappointment.
“Our neighbors are being treated inhumanly,” she said. “If they are coming for them, they are coming for us.”
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“Can you imagine mothers separated from their children?” She said as her voice cracked. “Baltimore speak out and speak up.”
At one point, four police SUVs with flashing emergency lights helped clear the way for the marchers.
Protesters described various reasons for attending, including to show support for protests in L.A.
“The acts of the federal government are devastating, and no one deserves to be treated the way they have been treating immigrants,” said participant Ilana Ginsberg, who came to the protest as part of Jews United for Justice, a organization that works on social, economic and racial issues in the city. “I hope that the protesters in L.A. will see they are not alone in their fight and that Americans are against the federal government’s policies and actions.”
Angela Raymundo Cobo attended the protest march with her daughter and grandson. “We came here with papers, but it cost us,” Cobo, who is originally from Guatemala, said in Spanish. “It is unfair they are deporting and separating families.”
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As the protesters marched along East Fayette Street, residents came out of their homes to record the events or join in with the chants. One woman’s eyes welled with tears as she watched from her front steps, an infant propped up on her hip. Young children who flanked her watched as the throng moved by.
Kumba Mankutima, who is originally from Angola and watched the march from a doorway, said “we came to this country to fight for our children. We have lost a lot of friends and students and that is not fair.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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