Dozens of immigrant families protested Saturday behind the fences of a Texas detention facility where a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father were sent this week after being detained in Minnesota. Aerial photographs showed children and parents gathered at the South Texas Family Residential Center, wearing jackets and holding signs that read 'Libertad para los niños' (Liberty for the kids).
Families were heard chanting 'Libertad!' (Let us go), as immigration attorneys present emphasized their call for humane treatment. Maria Alejandra Montoya Sanchez, who has been detained with her daughter since October, stated, 'We’re immigrants, with children, not criminals.' The detention of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father has ignited national debate over immigration policies, evoking contrasting narratives from officials and advocates.
Earlier, a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, igniting further protests and escalating tensions in the city. Families at the detention center, exhausted by prolonged detention, organized the protest to speak against the inhumane conditions that include reports of poor food quality and insufficient medical care. 'That children and their parents would risk retribution underscores how abysmal the conditions are,' stated Eric Lee, an immigration attorney. With hundreds of children allegedly held beyond court-mandated limits, activists are calling for comprehensive reform in the immigration system.
Families were heard chanting 'Libertad!' (Let us go), as immigration attorneys present emphasized their call for humane treatment. Maria Alejandra Montoya Sanchez, who has been detained with her daughter since October, stated, 'We’re immigrants, with children, not criminals.' The detention of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father has ignited national debate over immigration policies, evoking contrasting narratives from officials and advocates.
Earlier, a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, igniting further protests and escalating tensions in the city. Families at the detention center, exhausted by prolonged detention, organized the protest to speak against the inhumane conditions that include reports of poor food quality and insufficient medical care. 'That children and their parents would risk retribution underscores how abysmal the conditions are,' stated Eric Lee, an immigration attorney. With hundreds of children allegedly held beyond court-mandated limits, activists are calling for comprehensive reform in the immigration system.
