For the second time this month, a demonstration will be held in Long Beach this weekend to protest the Trump Administration’s practice of separating families at the nation’s southern border, which was reversed via an executive order last week.
The scheduled Familias Unidas march and rally downtown this Saturday, June 30, is part of a nationwide day of action organized locally by the Sanctuary Long Beach campaign, which will also call on local leaders to adopt a “clean” Long Beach Values Act with no “carve-outs.” It refers to the Long Beach City Council’s March 2018 resolution that banned local law enforcement and other city departments from coordinating with federal immigration officers. However, immigrants could still be deported under “carve outs” for certain offenses like hate crimes, torture, gang-related crimes, vandalism and money laundering among other crimes.
Long Beach Builds on State’s Sanctuary Bill But Leaves Gaps Advocates Hoped To Close
“This protest is in response to the unjust and dehumanizing tactics that have been conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the guise that they are abiding by the law,” said Gaby Hernandez, program manager with the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, in a statement. “The claim that ‘ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security’ is patently a lie.”
Organizers will also be calling for the immediate reunification of over 2,000 children who have been separated at the border from their parents seeking asylum, and an end to ICE’s practice of “criminalizing immigrants” and “incarcerating children.”
Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, an outspoken supporter of immigration reform and reuniting of immigrant families, is expected to speak at the event along with other local leaders.
The rally will begin at 10 a.m. at Cesar Chavez Park, located at 401 Golden Avenue, followed by a march to city hall, located at 333 West Ocean Boulevard.