Hundreds rally in Greeley to protest immigration policies

Hundreds of people, including some without proper documentation, rallied in Weld County Saturday against federal immigration policies.

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GREELEY, Colo. — Car horns and cheers filled the streets of downtown Greeley on Saturday as demonstrators marched near the Weld County Courthouse to protest immigration policies. The rally drew hundreds of people, including Fernando Chavez, who has relatives living in the country without proper documentation.

“They're both a little scared right now. So are we," he said. "We are also scared, and the only thing we can do is just help raise awareness to show that we are supportive of everybody.



" RELATED: Colorado schools see steady attendance despite concerns over ICE raids His sister, Ashley Chavez, shared similar concerns, expressing worry about the potential impact of immigration enforcement on her family. “I have a lot of anxiety, just because me and my mom are very close, and just the thought of somebody taking her away from me is really horrible,” she said. Fears over potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have fueled anxiety across Hispanic communities in Colorado.

Greeley was home to one of the largest ICE raids in the state’s history, when 262 workers were arrested at a meatpacking plant in 2006. RELATED: Can ICE now raid churches, schools and hospitals? What we can VERIFY “I think it's just kind of like, people are still scared, people are still hiding in the shadows. It's giving a lot of people déjà vu almost,” Chavez said.

He emphasized that Saturday’s march was about providing a voice for those who could not attend. “Right now, seeing everybody here supporting each other, it's just showing we're still here, we're still standing tall, and there's some of us that are not scared and there's some of us that are here as voices to other people,” he said..