While most Americans waved American flags and attended countrywide celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the nation, demonstrators continued to gather outside of the immigration detention center, Delaney Hall, over the July 4th weekend.
On Sunday, July 5th, several protesters huddled together to read a speech originally penned by Frederick Douglass about slavery that criticized a free country that held people in chains. Some 174 years later, activists reread the speech in honor of those held inside the New Jersey facility.
“We are committing horrible crimes, and some of us are not looking away, and unfortunately the words spoken 174 years ago, when our country was like 74 years old or 76 years old, are still true today. We have a lot of work to do, and we wanted those words to be heard, because they’re still true,” Eve Silber said. “I was here on July 4. There was nowhere else I wanted to be. It would not make sense to do anything but be here for me. There is nothing to celebrate in terms of independence when we have this many people suffering in the wealthiest nation on the planet.”
Photo by Dean Moses 
Photo by Dean Moses
People gathered round and listened to the historic words spoken through megaphones outside of the fences lined with barbed wire while others took turns reading the words.
Meanwhile, another group who identified themselves as Patterson BLM conducted performance art outside of the notorious detention center’s entranceway. Shamz Azanedo dressed as a dominatrix in leather holding chains attached to two men donning ICE uniforms. Azanedo walked the faux agents by the gated area on all fours, enraging those inside.
“Get out of here!” security could be heard yelling.
According to Azanedo this act of attempted humiliation is looking to raise awareness for the plight of detainees, especially during 4th of July weekend.
“I honestly don’t feel like there’s a lot to celebrate as far as the country goes,” Azanedo said. “This country has done wrong by so many of us, so many of the community members. Why are we celebrating that? What is there to celebrate?”
Azanedo added that her parents are immigrants, so protesting the Trump administration’s apparent war on immigrants is of grave importance to her.
“They came here to have a better life than what we had in South America. They wanted us to have good jobs, and to have a life for ourselves, and not be in a life of poverty. They’re not criminals. The rhetoric that this administration is doing is making people think that everyone who’s getting picked up are criminals, that they’re rapists, that they’re murderers, and that’s not true. The sad thing is people believe it,” Azanedo said.
Photo by Dean Moses
Delaney Hall has housed immigrant New Yorkers, many of whom were detained inside Lower Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza. For weeks protesters from the Big Apple and across the country have gathered to protest the deportation machine, only to have been beaten and doused with pepper spray from federal agents and local police.