Over 100 people gathered along Route 31 in McHenry on Saturday to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) detention centers.
Sue Rose of Indivisible McHenry County said about 140 people gathered Saturday to join in on the anti-ICE protest labelled “Communities Not Cages.”
According to a news release from Indivisible McHenry County, the event was part of a nationwide day of action “to oppose the Trump administration’s expansion of ICE warehouse detention centers and its attack on the due process rights of immigrants and all Americans.”
“The event was very peaceful and, for a Saturday on a beautiful day, the turnout was amazing,” Rose said. “It was a great opportunity for people to show their passion and their beliefs by protecting our immigrant neighbors.”
According to the release, groups met around the country to hold a nationwide day of action to oppose the Trump administration’s expansion of ICE warehouse detention and its attack on the due process rights of immigrants and all Americans.
“The Department of Homeland Security is moving to lock thousands of people in massive detention warehouses — disappearing them from their families, their lawyers, and their communities,” the release said. “We’re taking to the streets to make clear that we stand for dignity, justice, and the rule of law.”
The gathering was to show visible, public opposition to ICE detention expansion and the criminalization of immigration, stand in solidarity with detained immigrants and the communities fighting to protect them, and demand that our elected officials defend due process for everyone.
The number of protestors at the corner of Route 31 and McCullom Lake Road was down compared to other events held by Indivisible McHenry County.
Rose said a planned protest rally on May 1 is expected to be much larger. That rally will take place at the same location at Route 31 at McCullom Lake Road in McHenry.
“The May Day protest is being widely promoted and expected to be considerably larger,” she said. “But, we’ll have to wait to see how the weather is. “