On a cold and snowy Saturday, hundreds gathered in Aurora to protest President Donald Trump’s proposed mass deportation plan.
The rally began at Fletcher Plaza and continued along Colfax Avenue.
“Donald Trump, let’s be clear, immigrants are welcome here,” protesters yelled.
While President Trump has stated that deportations will focus on undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds, march organizer Poncho Espino believes arrests will go beyond that.
“The purpose is to show that we’re not going to allow the lies and the rhetoric around our immigrant communities to take place,” Espino claimed.
So far, there have been no confirmed ICE raids in the Denver metro area. However, raids have already begun in other cities, including Boston and New York.
“The deportations are going extremely well. “We’re getting the bad, hard criminals out,” President Trump stated in an update on Friday.
Douglas County Commissioners in the Denver Metro area unanimously passed a resolution last week supporting President Trump’s deportation plan.
“Instead of ignoring a problem that is costing hardworking taxpayers, we are going to lean in and do the right thing,” said Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon.
However, those holding pro-immigrant signs are concerned that the community has been thrust into the national spotlight and could be the administration’s next target.
“We will not let ‘Operation Aurora’ take place without a fight. “They can target our communities, but people will respond,” Espino stated.
Group rallies in Aurora against Trump’s mass deportation plan.
