Immigration activists set up blockade at Border Patrol entrance
Diana Alba Soular , Las Cruces Sun-News 9:24 p.m. MT May 4, 2017
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/675...lProtest-2.jpg
(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)
LAS CRUCES — Immigration advocates blocked driveways to the U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in Las Cruces on Thursday afternoon, saying it was an act of civil disobedience meant to oppose President Donald Trump's proposed spending hike for border and immigration enforcement.
About 150 demonstrators begin to rally about 4 p.m. on sidewalks along North Main Street, along Triviz Drive and in the parking lot of Walgreens, 3100 N. Main St., Las Cruces. About an hour later, a small portion of the protesters held a rope across the entrance to the adjacent Border Patrol headquarters parking lot and driveway. Some protesters moved to the rear entrance, off Triviz Drive, and a blockade was set up there.
"This agency is responsible for family separation, just like ICE is, and this administration wants to give them more resources," said Johana Bencomo, community organizer with NM Comunidades en Acción y de Fé, which coordinated the event with two other groups. "They want to give them more boots on the ground, but they operate with little accountability, so we want no more money going to them."
It was the second such protest in recent months. Immigrant advocates in mid-February blocked parts of North Main Street near city hall and Church Street near U.S. District Court for about 45 minutes. That was in opposition to immigration raids in the county earlier that day by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Mary Nuñez of Las Cruces, a volunteer with NM CAFé, said she participated in Thursday's protest because she doesn't want to see more federal resources routed to border enforcement agencies. The U.S. border with Mexico is already "super-militarized," she said.
"The amount of money Trump wants to allot is uncalled for," she said.
Much of the activity of the Las Cruces Border Patrol Station is geared toward running highway and interstate checkpoints in Doña Ana County.
Blockade formed
In Thursday's event, some protesters lay down — or sat down — across the entrance to the Border Patrol station. State Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Las Cruces, was among those sitting across the facility's Triviz Drive entrance. At one point, the driver of a truck aggressively approached protesters near the Main Street entrance of the Border Patrol station, but he didn't hit them. One protester said a driver also angrily wielded a bat as a threat, but didn't hit anyone.
Another man driving a car and trying to exit the Border Patrol station said protesters were blocking him from picking up his child from school.
Officers from the Las Cruces Police Department arrived on scene, conferred with Border Patrol agents and began holding down the rope, so vehicles on the Border Patrol's property could exit. In one instance, officers flanked people who were laying down to shield them as a vehicle passed the blockade.
Organizers said only protesters who'd gone through civil disobedience training were allowed to block the entrances. Other protesters were limited to standing on the sidewalks.
Bencomo said protesters participating in the blockade were aware of "all the risks and all the consequences," including the possibility of getting injured or arrested.
"Every single one of these folks are willing to stand here to take a stand and to make a bold statement that our undocumented brothers and sisters on the border, their lives matter and that we stand with them," she said. "I think we've made a bold statement today."
Temperatures were in the low 80s by late afternoon, and some protesters handed out bottled water to demonstrators.
Eli Hernandez of Las Cruces, a member of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, said he attended because "everyone has a right on this Earth," and he doesn't believe the federal government actually cares about individuals.
"I'm Native American, and I wish we had people to back the Native Americans when we needed help," he said. "I'm just here as a human being representative."
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6b4...Protest-12.jpg
New Mexico State Rep. Bill McCamley,left and Johanna Bencomo, with New Mexico Comunidades en Accion y de Fé stood in the drive way of the border patrol station in Las Cruces during a civil disobedience action that occurred at protest in front of the Border Patrol station in Las Cruces, Thursday May 4, 2017. (Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)
No citations issued
Protesters stemmed mainly from three groups: the activism group NM CAFé; the ACLU New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights; and the New Mexico Dream Team, another group supporting immigrants.
Asked if there would be any citations resulting from the protest, LCPD Police Chief Jaime Montoya said: "I talked to the station commander, and he didn't have any issue with the protesters blocking the entrances/exits to his building as none of the employees had to leave or enter the building. We did assist some employees with leaving and arriving with the cooperation of the protesters."
After shepherding a few vehicles through the blockade, LCPD officers then left.
"Since the station commander had no issues with the protesters I talked to my lieutenant on scene about the incident, and we decided we were no longer needed so we left to deal with other pressing calls," Montoya said.
Montoya acknowledged such demonstrations "may become a regular occurrence."
"But I hope with communication with all parties it does not get out of hand," he said.
The blockade lasted about an hour, finally dispersing after protesters stationed a memorial to immigrants who'd been killed by U.S. Customs & Border Protection on a median in front of the Border Patrol building. Protesters said they were going to a park near city hall to debrief.
The Border Patrol didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/332...lProtest-9.jpg
over a hundred people that gathered in front of the border patrol station in Las Cruces to protest the current debate in congress to give President Trump a supplemental budget for additional funding to expand ICE and border patrol along the U.S. / Mexico border. Thursday, May 4, 2107. (Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)
http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news...afe/101313228/
