Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the US have unlawfully killed multiple US citizens in the past few months. On top of this, ICE agents have been seen detaining children as young as five years old, separating them from their families by sending them to retention centers across the country.
ICE’s abuse of power has caused the people of the nation to revolt in civil acts of multiple varieties. People around the nation have participated in vigils honoring the lives of people that have tragically passed away due to the federal abuse of power. The most popular deaths being the ones of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but many other deaths have taken place just this year that may be of equal tragedy.
Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La and Heber Sánchez Domínguez have all passed away because of terrible conditions in detention centers, multiple of them taking their own life because of the extremely low quality of life. Geraldo Lunas Campos and Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz passed away after brutal attacks from ICE agents.
Protests have erupted in Wenatchee, as Wenatchee’s Latino population is becoming worried that this brutality might come to their town.
On Friday, Jan. 30, WHS students walked out in protest of ICE brutality throughout the nation. Many students didn’t attend school in protest, while others walked out after fourth period with an initial plan to walk to Ernie’s and then leave. However, after the group made it to Ernie’s, students near the front of the group led students to a common protesting place, Memorial Park. Hundreds of students attended this walkout in efforts to spread awareness of the atrocities that are happening in the world.
Counter-protesters tried to shut this down, telling Latino kids to go back to their own country and even mentioning that they were there to “check out the pretty girls.” These counter-protesters were easily above 50 years old, while the majority of the girls that attended the protest were minors.
Other counter-protesters claimed that these events will never affect the people in Wenatchee Valley and are justified in their intentions. Interpret the situation as you wish, but concerns about immigrants in Wenatchee are not a fabricated consideration.
Brutal acts by ICE agents around the nation raise worries for the ways they may act towards citizens in Wenatchee and the surrounding areas. It is vital that people stay informed about what the government is doing so they can form their own unique opinions about what may happen in our local community.
