SPOKANE, Wash. — Community members gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Spokane today, joining nationwide protests against federal immigration enforcement actions.
The small group of protesters chanting “What do we want? ICE out. When do we want it? Now.” The demonstration took place at the same location where protests occurred six months ago, though this gathering was not as chaotic as the June event.
“I’ve really seen a lot of the impact ICE had, not just on our community, but on America as a whole. Especially because a lot of my family’s from rural areas. And I think that those areas are especially impacted. So I just want to see change in that, and I want to see really just ICE out of these communities,” said Katherine Fronherz, a protester.
The demonstration comes two days after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, and two people were shot by a border patrol agent in Portland.
“Across the country, people have been out in protest, out in vigils for Renee Good. In protest of the shootings in Portland and here in Spokane to where the community here is just very outraged and really just sick and tired of ICE violence in our communities,” said Ari Dean with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The protesters want deportations around the country, and here in Eastern Washington, to stop. Some were protesting the same issues here six months ago.
Fronherz described her experience during the June protest: “I was one of the individuals who was involved in standing in front of the trucks to block it in, and that was, it was a really scary experience, just because I knew that I was putting myself at risk by doing that.”
This is not the first event that has taken place here in Spokane. On Wednesday, a vigil was held for Renee Good at Riverfront Park.
Dean emphasized the ongoing nature of their activism: “They continue to terrorize our communities and they’re going to find and deport people anyway. And so it’s really our duty to continue to fight back and stand up.”
Tomorrow another protest is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. at Clark Park.
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