The demonstration, which was was organized by FIEL Houston, spilled over onto the Dunlavy Bridge.
HOUSTON — Protesters spilled onto the Dunleavy Bridge in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood Friday as part of a nationwide demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The protest unfolded near Dunlavy Street above Highway 59, where demonstrators marched onto the bridge holding signs and chanting as passing drivers on the Southwest Freeway honked. The demonstration was organized by FIEL-Houston, an immigrant rights organization based in Houston.
FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinoza said the protest was organized after members of the Houston community reached out, saying they wanted a way to make their voices heard following the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Espinoza said the group wanted to create a space for people to unite and draw attention from local leaders.
“We want people to know that we are not happy about what’s happening and we want to see more leadership step up and denounce ICE for what they are doing here in our communities,” Espinoza said.
Demonstrators ranged widely in age, from senior citizens using walkers to children in strollers. Protesters called for an end to ICE activity in Houston, while organizers emphasized that the event was intended to remain peaceful.
A large Houston Police Department presence was visible as the protest continued on the bridge.
Renee Good, the victim in Minneapolis, was associated with a group that monitored and observed ICE. There are similar groups in Houston who feel that the agency’s presence isn’t wanted.
The group vowed to maintain its commitment to documenting ICE encounters to help hold agents accountable.
The volunteers who document ICE encounters are known as observers. Many people serve as observers around Houston, and there’s growing concern that if it can happen in Minneapolis, it could happen here.
Tensions are boiling over in response to ICE activity around Houston and the country. And community members have a lot to say about.
A crowd joined forces to express fear and frustration, using the recent shooting death of Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis to bring them closer.
“We encourage people to keep recording people to try to do the best, but also take care of themselves,” FIEL’s Cesar Espinoza said.
The protests are a stark contrast to what federal leaders have to say.
“These individuals had followed our officers all day. Had harassed them and blocked them in. They were impeding our law-enforcement operations, which is against the law,” Department of Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem said earlier this week.
FIEL is an immigrant advocacy and civil rights group, and said when ICE operations began in Houston, they developed a community observer team — dedicated volunteers who spread out when reports and rumors of ICE activity came in to film, document and report what happens.
“We always teach them not to interfere and things like that, but unfortunately, on the street, there’s a lot of variables,” Espinosa said.
FIEL said similar groups are found around the country. They said the teams are trained to never escalate, never interfere, but document.
“We heard that she was a community observer and the concerns from our group were that obviously if it can happen to somebody, it could happen to somebody somewhere else in the United States,” FIEL’s Abraham Espinoza said.
With the news of Good’s death, the observer team bombarded FIEL with questions. Concerned about their safety, some with enough concern to back out.
“A lot of them were really shocked by what happened, and a lot of them are concerned and maybe not so much for their own safety, but basically, for the work that we do,” Abraham Espinosa said.
An investigation into what happened in Minneapolis remains open.
“This vehicle was used to hit this officer. It was used as a weapon, and an officer felt as though his life was in jeopardy,” Noem said.
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