Thread: Hundreds line sidewalk outside of FLETC in dual marches over immigration

Hundreds line sidewalk outside of FLETC in dual marches over immigration
By Zack Ponce


Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus Ignacio Garcia of Somos Un Pueblo Unido holds a sign that reads "Don't play with our lives" in Spanish. He stands next to the fence speperating the undocumented immigrants detained at FLETC from the crowd outside the facility.

]ARTESIA, N.M. >> Hundreds of people lined the sidewalk outside of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia without incident to voice their view of how the country should solve its immigration problem.

Nearly 300 supporters of the New Mexican activist group Somos Un Pueblo Unido marched in support of the undocumented immigrants detained at FLETC and advocated for the immediate release and granting of asylum for the more than 600 Central American women and children who are housed in military-style barracks

A separate local group called Standing for Americans had around 60 supporters advocate for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end the use of FLETC as a temporary detention center and deport all undocumented immigrants.


Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus Supporters of Somos Un Pueblo Unido shout and sing messages to the undocumented immigrants being detained at
Somos Un Pueblo Unido gathered near the reinforced barbed-wire fence outside of FLETC that separated the crowd outside from the undocumented immigrants inside the facility. Supporters stood on top of trucks and held signs over the fence so the Central Americans could read and hear their messages.

Chants of "No estan solos," or "You're not alone" elicited cheers and roars for about a minute from the detainees who gathered outside of their barracks to listen to the message from Somos Un Pueblo Unido according to those who were standing in the truck beds.

"It was very important for the Southeastern New Mexico immigrant and Chicano community, and for these women and children who are detained in prison conditions, to hear that in Southeastern New Mexico it's not all about anti-immigrant rhetoric," said Marina Pina, a community organizer with the Roswell office of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. "We are united and we are an organized community, and I think we were able to prove that today."


Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus John Craft, a supporter of Standing for Americans, holds a sign reading "What part of illegal do you not understand" while he marches toward FLETC. The group would rather the country focus its resources on underprivilaged American citizens.

The organization that fights against racism read a letter from one of the detainees over the loudspeaker alleging mistreatment by ICE officials and claimed that her child had lost 15 pounds because of inadequate nourishment. ICE officials could not immediately be reached because the march occurred on Sunday.

Standing for Americans, a local Artesia organization, also decried the use of FLETC to detain undocumented immigrants but for a different reason.
Debbie Shearman, a member of the group that states its mission as "to peacefully bring awareness to the plight of millions of Americans who go without basic human needs," said they want the United States to use its resources to help disenfranchised American citizens and not those who were caught crossing the border illegally.
Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus Supporters of Standing for Americans march toward FLETC holding signs and chanting saying including "Americans

"We are standing here today as Christian Americans and we want our country back," Shearman said. "We have to abide by the laws and we want everybody else to abide by the laws too."

Artesia has quickly become one of the country's hotbeds for the immigration debate, leading to the inspiration for both marches. In June, ICE began sending women and children who originate from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to the facility while they await either deportation or asylum.

Artesia Mayor Phil Burch has made it clear from the beginning that while he does not agree with the decision to house undocumented immigrants, he will help ICE and FLETC officials in any way possible.

http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad...ual?source=rss

Standing for Americans, a local Artesia organization, also decried the use of FLETC to detain undocumented immigrants but for a different reason.
Debbie Shearman, a member of the group that states its mission as "to peacefully bring awareness to the plight of millions of Americans who go without basic human needs," said they want the United States to use its resources to help disenfranchised American citizens and not those who were caught crossing the border illegally.
Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus Supporters of Standing for Americans march toward FLETC holding signs and chanting saying including "Americans

http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad...ual?source=rss

Originally Posted by working4change

Standing for Americans, a local Artesia organization, also decried the use of FLETC to detain undocumented immigrants but for a different reason.
Debbie Shearman, a member of the group that states its mission as "to peacefully bring awareness to the plight of millions of Americans who go without basic human needs," said they want the United States to use its resources to help disenfranchised American citizens and not those who were caught crossing the border illegally.
Photo by Zack Ponce - Current-Argus Supporters of Standing for Americans march toward FLETC holding signs and chanting saying including "Americans

http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad...ual?source=rss

Love the sign now that's what I'm talking about!!!!!