Last Saturday, members of the Lubbock community gathered to join the national protest against immigration customs enforcement in the aftermath of two fatal shootings of American citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Over the weekend, a series of national protests took place in an effort to protest against ICE. Defend Democracy Lubbock worked in conjunction with the student organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, to organize two protests throughout the day.
The student-led protest was held at Leftwich Park. Even though it was a smaller turnout, people came together with makeshift signs and supportive chants asking for ICE to leave the Lubbock community alone.
A citizen-led protest was held later at the Citizen Tower in downtown Lubbock.
Tara Findley, a student at Texas Tech University and frequent student organizer, spoke about the importance of bringing people together.
“The goal here is visibility and solidarity,” Findley said. “I think in deep red places like this, it’s really important to show that there is some kind of resistance because this isn’t exactly the center of political conflict, so having that outside voice, I think is really important.”
Findley had also encouraged fellow students to participate in future on-campus protests to speak out against recent policies that have affected in-class discussions surrounding gender and sexuality.
“We feel like not enough students are aware about it,” she said. “As a Tech student and as a Tech student organization leader, it’s really important to me and it should be important to the community.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 31.7% of Lubbock’s population are of Hispanic or Latino descent. After president Donald Trump’s initial executive order of taking away immigration sanctuary in schools and churches last year, many members of the community were greatly concerned.
Coupled with the recent passage of Senate Bill 8, in which ICE must work in correlation with local sheriffs in Texas.
Lubbock county itself has had a history of involvement between local law enforcement and ICE. The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office has maintained an agreement with federal immigration authorities to interview and identify individuals held in the Lubbock County Detention Center to be “processed for removal.”
Another protestor, Antonio Lopez, spoke about his personal worry for friends who are undocumented in the United States, but stated that he was still hopeful in the face of adversity.
“We always have time, no matter what the media says,” he said. “They want us to be depressed, they want us to think we have no time, but we have time. We got to move a little fast, but we got time.”
Lopez said that the ultimate goal of bringing people together would spark more involvement in the overall community, hoping to encourage more resource and watch groups within the Lubbock area.
“If we don't speak up now, then we'll be censored and our words won't mean a single thing,” Lubbock native, Jauquin Hinojos said, sporting a sign that encouraged viewers to speak out.
Hinojos is a junior currently studying psychology at Texas Tech University. It’s his dream to go to medical school, but he fears his dreams may not be achievable in the current political climate.
“I feel like they don't care who you are. The color of your skin doesn't matter,” he said. “As long as they find you suspicious, they can just take you and possibly even execute you. It's terrible.”
