More than 150 individuals marched in Morgan Hill to protest ICE enforcement and the immigration policies of the Trump administration. The march featured Aztec dancers and a diverse group of participants, including union members, families, and clergy. Organizers emphasized the threat to immigrant communities and civil rights. Protestors expressed a moral obligation to stand against injustices, recalling personal stories of resistance and urgency to advocate for undocumented individuals facing detention. The event highlighted the deep impact of immigration policy on local communities.
"We are here to speak up and show up for those who are being taken," said Rebeca Armendariz, a former Gilroy City Council member and one of the organizers of the march, who said ICE was threatening immigrant communities and being 'dismissive of our constitutional and our civil rights.' 'First it's them, then it's us.'
"It's a justice issue. ... There's a quite a strong sense that our faith calls us to do this," said Reverend Mary Blessing, an Episcopal priest, noting 'Jesus was a refugee.'
Casey Sutterland came with her partner and two children to the protest from San Jose. 'My grandparents were in the Dutch resistance to the Nazis. ... I want my kids to feel like they're part of that legacy of resistance.'
Under the hot afternoon sun, a cadre of Aztec dancers stomped and swayed to the relentless tattoo of drums, the foot-long feathers of their crowns bouncing to the rhythm as they led the marchers on a mile-and-a-half trek through Morgan Hill's main thoroughfare.
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