Hundreds gathered and marched two miles through Waukegan to show support for the immigrant community and to protest against federal agents arresting people in Lake County.
The community peace walk was held on Monday and attendees gathered around 4 p.m. at Corrine J. Rose Park in Waukegan.
“Our strength is in our unity. Let’s come together to celebrate community, demand change, and support those impacted by ICE policies in a peaceful walk,” a flyer for the event said.
Participants in the walk were asked to wear white shirts to show solidarity. Many also brought Mexican flags.
The event was marketed for U.S. citizens “for the safety of all participants.”
The Party for Socialism and Liberation – Chicago said hundreds attended the march “against ICE terror.”
The City of Waukegan helped facilitate the safety of participants by blocking roads and leading the crowd with a police escort.
Protesters, chanting “no more fear” and demanding peace, marched from Corrine J. Rose Park down Dodge Avenue before turning onto Glen Rock Avenue.
The crowd continued down Butrick Street and then down Washington Street, eventually reaching the Waukegan City Hall.
The peace walk concluded at Lincoln Plaza in front of the city hall.
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham spoke to the large crowd, thanking them for showing up for the community.
“I want to make it clear, for me, for those living in fear are not invisible. They are our neighbors, our friends, and for many, our family. They are part of this city. A city that is proud to be the melting pot of cultures, languages, histories and quite frankly some of the most beautiful people on the face of this earth,” Cunningham said.
The mayor said the past few days have been extremely hard for the city. “We have seen fear in the streets of Waukegan. People are afraid to leave their homes. Some of our favorite businesses are struggling without you.”
23-year-old Dariana Fajardo, who is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, also spoke following the march.
She was forcefully detained by Border Patrol agents outside of the Waukegan City Hall, leading to Cunningham stepping in and de-escalating the situation early last week. Fajardo was released hours after her arrest.
“Today we walked for peace, we walked for justice and we walked for those who can’t. We walked for every immigrant who has been treated like they don’t belong and for every family torn apart,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo said “humanity got lost in politics” and real people got reduced to headlines and numbers. “We’re here to remind the world they are not statistics. They are mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. They’re dreamers and they’re workers.”