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Immigration advocates plan to protest ICE operations in Baltimore
Immigration advocates in Baltimore plan to hold weekly protests to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) operations.
During a rally on Monday, protestors will meet at McKeldin Plaza and march to the ICE Field Office in Baltimore.
Immigration advocates plan Baltimore protests
Organizers of the weekly Eyes on ICE protests said the movement is about calling on the Trump administration to stop violating human rights.
According to organizers, the administration plans to spend $48 billion to expand immigration while also firing federal workers and cutting services that are vital for communities.
"We don't want to live in their police state. We don't want a system that terrorizes and kidnaps our immigrant brothers and sisters, while it cuts and eliminates our vital education, nutrition and healthcare services," organizers said in a statement.
In their call to action, the group said they are supporting migrants like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Elsy Berrios, along with others.
Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March. He was returned to the U.S. on June 6 to face federal human smuggling charges.
Berrios was taken into custody by ICE in April. Videos of her arrest show agents smashing a car window and taking the 51-year-old into custody as her daughter watched.
Protest organizers said they will demand accountability over the "surveillance state that is enveloping our communities, and threatening the privacy rights of human beings to exist free of intrusion and overreach from the State."
They also plan to call for accountability from ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"Stop hurting human beings! Stop hurting immigrant people! Stop violating human rights! Stop dividing us and stripping our communities of the resources we need to live dignified and fulfilling lives! Stop building up a surveillance and police state while eliminating the vital services we require to live," organizers said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city always monitors protests like these. He acknowledged that the city has seen similar protests in the past that have not escalated. According to the mayor, public safety is top of mind.
Unrest over immigration enforcement in California
The protests in Baltimore come as unrest in Los Angeles, California, over ICE operations prompted President Trump to deploy the National Guard on June 8.
The protests, which began to escalate on Saturday, June 7, were sparked by dozens of ICE arrests in the city.
Large crowds of protestors clashed with local law enforcement on Saturday. Some were seen throwing rocks and other objects at police vehicles.
As of Monday, at least 39 people were arrested during the Los Angeles unrest, including one person who allegedly threw a molotov cocktail that hit three deputies.
Previous ICE protests in Baltimore
In March, community activists rallied outside of the Baltimore ICE field office on several occasions to speak out against conditions in holding facilities. Some protestors called the conditions "inhumane," saying migrants who were being held could not access showers, medicine or proper sleeping arrangements.
"You're making some people sleep on the floor —men and women sleep on the floor. I heard a story that someone soiled themselves because they didn't have access to a bathroom," protestor Muller Paz said.
A spokesperson for ICE said the Baltimore Field Office only operates a holding room and said the facility is run in compliance with federal laws. They also said the ICE Health Service Corps was on site to provide medical services.
"In the event of a medical emergency, detainees are promptly transported to nearby hospitals to receive immediate and appropriate care," the agency said in a statement. "ICE remains dedicated to transparency and accountability in our operations."
