An entirely youth-led protest referred to as “ICE OUT Jersey City” marched down Grove Street yesterday afternoon, calling to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid a recent wave of actions in Hudson County.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
Protestors gathered at the Grove Street Path Station and proceeded down the street to City Hall. Uttering chants calling for the abolition of ICE and the protection of immigrant communities, nearly 100 people showed up in solidarity from Jersey City to Newark.
“If safety makes children afraid in their own homes, then something is broken! Safety is not panic at the door,” Jersey City High School and College Democrats Chair Janhitha Veeramachaneni, the main rally organizer, stated.
“Safety is not children holding their breath. And safety is not fear in our neighborhoods. All of that is what we call fear. And we refuse to call fear security.”
According to Veeramachaneni, she and other students see ICE’s impact every day in the classroom in the form of empty desks and classmates disappearing in the hallways.
She added that many who wanted to attend the protest couldn’t out of fear for themselves or their families, stating that isn’t the type of city, county, state or community she wants to live in where that is a choice.
“We want to be safe, the real kind of safe. Stability for families, accountability for law enforcement, fairness in policy, and empathy for our neighbors, that is what safety looks like,” Veeramachaneni added.
A number of other students and youth followed Veeramachaneni speaking on the stairs of Jersey City City Hall, echoing calls for the abolition of ICE, decrying their enforcement tactics, denouncing the conditions at detainment centers, and calling for continued action until the “terror” ceases.
“Over the course of the past week, we’ve seen more and more reckless actions conducted by ICE, including arresting a Columbia student inside of her own dorm, even though she had a student visa,” said Carlos Pineda, a County Prep High School student.
“Even more unfortunately, they had negligent actions that led to the death of a refugee from Myanmar in upstate New York. That is simply unacceptable … Although the reality seems very grim, I think the most important part about us being here is that we have to be unapologetic about what we believe. It is the belief that the government shouldn’t be hurting immigrants.”
Alison Garcia, of Atlantic City’s El Pueblo Unido school, shared the story of her mom being deported.
“The day after my 17th birthday, my mom was detained and deported two weeks late. She was arrested on criminal charges, but she never got to prove her innocence … How am I supposed to be planning for my future, when I know that I am not with my mom right now?” she asked.
“My mom will not be here for graduation, for my prom, to help me to move into college where I need her. I will never be able to live here with her ever again, simply because she could not get her due process that she deserved.’”
In addition, a number of local elected officials also spoke out against ICE at the rally, including Ward C Councilman Tom Zuppa, Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, and Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little.
“What ICE is doing is wrong, and we will not be silent. If we do not stand up for our constitutional rights, that are guaranteed to every person standing, sitting, breathing, and living in the United States, then it’s a matter of time before they come for the rest of us,” Zuppa declared.
“If you do not speak up for the most marginalized people who do not have a voice or are not privileged to have the advocacy, they will come for everybody else.”
Ephros said the immigration enforcement situation locally is particularly disappointing with Heights University Hospital, formerly Christ Hospital, shutting down.
“It is so obvious how shameful it is that here in Jersey, we are opening up Roxbury Concentration Camp but closing down Christ Hospital. That is unacceptable… This is the kind of nonsense we are living through, and I’m proud to be here with youth organizers, from across Jersey City and beyond, for us saying ‘No more.’”
Additionally, Little called this “the rise of fascism” and commended the students who organized and attended Sunday’s event.
“Our schools are not a battleground. They are a sanctuary of learning,” began McNair High School Athletic Director Kristen Zadroga-Hart.
“And I will use every tool available to me, every policy, every legal protection, every conversation with administrators, with parents, and with community members to make sure our students can come to school without fear … I’m a proud daughter of immigrants, and I will protect our students.”
Furthermore, state Senators Angela McKnight (LD-31) and Raj Mukherji (LD-32) spoke passionately about ICE’s impact on families.
“I stand with my colleagues down in Trenton with all the pieces of legislation that will abolish ICE,” expressed McKnight.
“I feel for the little kids who no longer have their mom or their dad. Imagine being a five-year-old or a 17-year-old and you are no longer working with your mom or your dad. Or you were used as a tool to lure your family in. That is heartbreaking.”
Mukherji then decried the training, or lack there, of ICE agents across the country.
“Now we have masked gunmen not keeping anybody safe with inadequate training, running around on city streets in America, killing Americans, locking up people, separating parents from their children, luring children, luring parents out with their children, with 5-year-olds that are my kids’ ages, and then I got to explain to them this dichotomy of respecting folks who wear a uniform while ICE is running around deploying Gestapo tactics,” Mukherji said.
“That is not the America that any of us deserve.”
Assembly members Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan (D-32) pledged to keep fighting alongside legislators in Trenton against ICE in every way possible.
“This is not a movie. This is not a TikTok or Instagram reel. The stories we’ve heard shows that this is reality for some people,” stated Bhalla.
“They’re coming for me. They’re coming for you. Thank you for standing up. Because yes, we are going to make it as painful as freaking possible. We’re going to use every tool that the state has. We’re going to tax the hell out of them. We are going to make sure that we can protect the people in our communities,” added Brennan.
The event occurred in the wake of a walkout against ICE coordinated by students at Ferris, Dickinson, Snyder, and County Prep high schools and an attempted walkout at McNair Academic High School among other demonstrations.