Roughly 100 individuals attended the Immigration Reform protest at Kesey Square Plaza on Feb. 8. Individuals were protesting against immigration reform and the separation of families by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Demonstrators began arriving at Kesey Square at around 10:30 a.m., with more individuals joining in leading up to the scheduled start time of 11 a.m. The demonstration was held in the square next to Voodoo Doughnut.
Destiny Martinez, a University of Oregon student who helped organize the event, said she hopes people can understand there are many ways to help support the movement, by being there for the families and protesting.
“I really do hope that with all these protests that are going around (at) all the states right now that Donald Trump really changes something,” Martinez said. “A lot of people are scared to actually go out and grocery shop because of ICE.”
During President Trump’s Inauguration Day, he promised “millions” of deportations this year, and over 8,000 arrests were made during the first two weeks of the Trump administration, according to NBC News.
Martinez said the vibes and energy of the hour-long protest were amazing and appreciated how the community showed up in support of the cause.
Some of the chants during the protest included, “The people united will never be divided” and “Unite, fight for immigrant rights,” along with other chants spoken in both English and Spanish.
Many Mexican and American flags were visible in the crowd and signs were held up by protesters, such as “being undocumented is not a crime” and “nadie es ilegal en una tierra robada,” which translates to “nobody is illegal on stolen land.”
A demonstrator and immigrant to the United States at the event, who requested to go by Martin, said that “it’s not an easy feeling to be an immigrant and come out here.”
He added, “I hope (the community) comes to us, makes this movement bigger so that we can have more power in the legislature, and change some of the laws and the rules that we have in place.”
Protestors at Saturday’s demonstration said they wanted to connect with the community and make sure immigrants and individuals being targeted felt safe and supported.
“I really do hope they understand that they get to go home to their families without worrying about their families being taken away from them,” Martinez said. “A lot of (today’s protesters) are allies and we appreciate them for coming out.”
Greg • Feb 10, 2025 at 4:42 am
Yes, you are definitely going to get people to support you when you wave Mexican flags!
As for the crowd size, oh, my God, 100 people! I wonder how many even in that small crowd are either dreamers or here illegally?
Chris M • Feb 11, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Greg, immigrants are not your enemies. Take that energy and look at how the ultra wealthy exploit and kill millions of Americans. They don’t care about people like you and me Greg, well they do, but they only care about how the meat of our bodies can fuel their machines.
Destiny Martinez • Feb 13, 2025 at 2:49 pm
“the land that constitutes the United States is considered “stolen land” because it was largely taken from Native American tribes through conquest, broken treaties, and forced displacement,”
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