Community organizers are calling for a so-called “National Shutdown,” urging people to not to shop, attend work or school so they can protest ICE.
SAN ANTONIO — Activists, small business owners and community leaders gathered Thursday in downtown San Antonio calling on people rally in support of a nationwide shutdown against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At least a couple of the speakers had taken part in a protest the day before outside a migrant detention center in Dilley, where Texas Department of Public Safety troopers deployed pepper balls into the crowd.
“While there are people that are afraid, we are still resolved to fight back,” said Jessica Solis, who was among hundreds of Texans protesting what she described as horrific conditions at the Dilley facility.
The largely peaceful protest escalated after law enforcement deployed pepper balls and arrested at least two people outside the facility. Texas DPS officials noted efforts to disperse a crowd of 150 demonstrators failed and some protestors spat on the officers.
“That peaceful protest was met with tear gas and arrests. All across our country, we are seeing peaceful protestors. We are seeing people that are just trying to do the right and protect their neighbors being met with violence,” Solis said.
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett toured the ICE detention center on Wednesday, meeting with 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, who were taken into ICE custody more than a week ago in Minnesota. Castro and Crockett remarked that Liam has been depressed, not eating well and repeatedly asking if he can go back to school.
“The sad tragedy of all this is that Liam is emblematic of the inhumanity of our detention enter system and ICE operations,” Castro said.
Crockett condemned the conditions at the detention center, saying Liam has no extra clothes. There are also concerns about the water and food quality.
Detainees have told lawmakers that their children have been struggling emotionally.
Local groups said the demonstration planned for Friday aligns with demands from activists in Minneapolis and other cities calling for ICE to leave their communities following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in addition to overall ramped-up immigration enforcement activities.
“We call on all workers, students, business owners, faith leaders, and the people of San Antonio to shut it down to say, ‘ICE out of our city,'” said organizer Destiney Peña.
Elizabeth Eichhorn, who owns the Copper Rose wine shop, said she planned to close her business and march alongside other community members. She said the decision was rooted in her responsibility to her neighborhood and employees.
Eichhorn added that worker safety had become a core value of her business.
“I looked back to why I began Copper Rose,” Eichhorn said. “I did it for my neighborhood. When I hired our first employee, it became a business value to ensure safety for my staff and all of my employees.”
San Antonio’s protest is set to begin at 2 p.m. Friday at Travis Park.