Despite the seemingly endless snowfall and low temperatures, an immigration protest on Saturday at the Wilkes-Barre Public Square held a large attendance.
Marchers, sporting flags of their native countries and creating signs in support of the cause for immigrant rights, called for justice against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which is leading to mass deportations of Mexican Americans.
The protest was organized by current Wilkes University student Marytere Quintana-Avila.
Marytere Quintana-Avila is an English major at Wilkes and had help in organizing the protest with her friends Marissa Messina, Michelle Bazan ‘23 and Siomara Amigon.
Bazan is a Wilkes alum.
“The most important part is that we recognize the essential role the community has and across the nation,” Bazan said. “We need to be doing the best we can.”
Quintana-Avila emphasized the importance of peaceful protesting. Being a child of immigrant parents, she has said that for this issue, especially with the Trump administration executive orders, now is the time to stand up.
“It’s incredibly important to use your voice to speak up against injustice,” Quintana-Avila said.
During Trump’s first week in office, he signed 10 executive orders on immigration. Some revived priorities from his first administration, like forcing asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico and finishing the border wall.
Other orders are increasingly expansive and controversial. His efforts to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America and to end the use of a Biden-era app used by nearly a million migrants to enter America are being ethically, legally and logistically challenged.
Before the march around the square began, Quintana-Avila and the protest organizers held a brief prayer, speech and a moment to let attendees share their stories. In her speech, Quintana-Avila gave her thanks to her friends, local Hispanic businesses around the Wilkes-Barre area and the Community Justice Project.
“We all come from differences but we all understand there is an injustice happening here. We are uniting here as a community,” Quintana-Avila said in conclusion to her speech.
From there, the march around the square in protest began. Phrases shouted included, “Abolish ICE, not rights!” and “This is our home, leave us alone!”
Small dance intervals were also held as a moment of justice and celebration.
