‘Standing up for justice.’ Arlington protesters decry arrests by ICE, mass deportation
Hundreds of protesters gathered to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, chanting, “Hell no, we won’t go” Sunday afternoon outside Arlington City Hall.
The protest — and there were others across the U.S., including in Dallas — comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and law enforcement ramp up their efforts to arrest and deport immigrants.
ICE reported on Saturday, Feb. 1 that it made 864 arrests on Jan. 31, according to a social media post.
The numbers are expected to rise, according to the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group. It reported that ICE officials have been given a quota of “75 people per day for each of the agency’s field offices,” a number that a White House official said “is a floor, not a ceiling.”
Sunday’s protest/rally was organized by the Tarrant County Democratic Party, which wants to ensure that the voices of these community members are heard, executive director Candace Sublett told the Star-Telegram.
“These types of rallies make sure that people know that we will not stand for people coming for our families and our families here in Tarrant County, our families here in Texas,” Sublett said.
As the crowd grew Sunday afternoon, people were shouting, “Yo soy Americano! Yo soy Mexicano!” — I’m American in English.
Jenny Riemer and Emanuel Hernandez of Arlington were at Sunday’s protest; Riemer with her 3-month-old child in a stroller and Hernandez holding a flag of Mexico across his chest.
Riemer and Hernandez said they have family members who might be affected by the deportations so they came out to show their support.
“If we get united, all of us, we can change something, we can talk with the representatives, we can do something together, that’s why we came out today,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said many of the immigrants in the United States are trying to live life and have a family, but are afraid right now.
He urges them to “keep on the dream.”
Tracy Kenyon, who lives in Arlington, agreed.
“We’re standing up for our loved ones. We’re standing up for justice,” Kenyon said. “Because those are the ideals that I was told America is about.”
Kenyon was holding a poster that read: “Mexicans aren’t going anywhere. Protect your neighbors.”
She said, “If we don’t protect each other, if we don’t stand up for each other, you may just find yourself on the other end of it as well, even people that think they’re protected.”
She said she joined the rally to make the first step, “just showing up and being counted and letting everyone know that you won’t stand for it.”
Vanesa Guillen, a law student from Arlington, said her mother came as an immigrant to this country and it was important for her to bring her children to the protest.
Guillen said her mother — and lots of her family members who come from countries like El Salvador and Mexico — have worked very hard.
“There’s a very small percentage of criminals. They try to criminalize immigrants, but they don’t see the people that help build houses, do construction, and pay billions of dollars in taxes,” Guillen said. “So this is something that’s important to me, and I want my kids to see why our voice matters.”
Guillen said she saw many people from different walks of life standing together for one reason.
“I love to see that as a community, we can all come together to use our voice the right way, stand up for what’s right and be together,” she said.
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 8:37 PM.