2 weeks Ago By The Denver Gazette
Thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Colorado state Capitol on Wednesday afternoon in the wake of immigration raids in Aurora and Denver Wednesday morning and amidst a slew of orders coming from President Donald Trump. The crowd shut down traffic coming northbound on Lincoln Street for a couple of minutes, before moving to the west steps of the Capitol building. Protesters held signs that read, “It’s time to heal the nation now!” “No human is illegal” and “MAGA: Mexicans Aren’t Going Anywhere.
” The latter is a play on Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make American Great Again.” At least 50 Mexican flags were visible. On Wednesday morning, agents with the Rocky Mountain Field Division of the U.
S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a raid at Cedar Run Apartments in Denver, targeting “wanted drug traffickers.” An unknown number of individuals were detained and arrested.
Sasha, who did not give her last name, traveled from Colorado Springs to attend the protest. She said she felt awful when she heard about the raids. "I'm actually a foster parent and the government sent out a notification to foster agencies saying they're expecting an influx of children impacted by ICE, so I've been spreading the word and trying to let other people know that they could open their homes to these kids that are impacted," she said.
Sarah, a former teacher with Denver Public Schools, said she was grateful for DPS's policies prohibiting ICE activity on school property. Her husband is an immigrant from El Salvador, she said, and she has seen many of her former students from immigrant families grow up and become leaders in their communities. "They've become such an integral part of society, taking them away just doesn't make sense," she said.
Wednesday’s protest marked the second in two days. On Monday, nearly 100 people marched around the capitol, chanting “Sí, se puede” which translates loosely to “Yes, you can.” “We are united today, more than ever,” Leticia Ramirez, an organizer with United for Immigration Reform, said Monday.
Some of those in attendance Monday were in what’s called “mixed status” families, meaning not all of their family members are lawfully living in the United States. “I feel like it’s important to give a voice to the people who can’t because they’re afraid to,” Jessica Cabriales, of Denver, said. The protests weren't limited to the Capitol area.
Many protesters marched in shifts up Lincoln Street and into downtown as thousands maintained a rally outside the capitol. Many protestors marched down Colfax Avenue and back to the capitol where, minutes later, another shift of protesters marched back into downtown. Some protesters disrupted traffic along Colfax Avenue and 17th Street.
A number of cars sporting Mexican flags honked and drove around a busier downtown Wednesday afternoon. Typically, immigration is a border issue, but two years ago an influx of immigrants began spilling into interior states, like Colorado. In the two years since a busload of immigrants were dropped off in downtown Denver, the Mile High City has welcomed nearly 43,000 immigrants at a cost to local taxpayers of about $80 million.
Plane, bus and train tickets purchased for immigrants to travel to their final destination suggest that about half have stayed, Denver officials have said. Denver Gazette videographer Tom Hellauer, reporters Nico Brambilla, Noah Festenstein and Colorado Politics reporter Marissa Ventrelli contributed to this story. Editor's not e: This is a developing story.
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