Chicago protesters rally for immigrant rights

Winter 2017

Chicago protesters rally for immigrant rights

February 27, 2017

By Mengjie (Jessie) Jiang

Hundreds of protesters braved the wind and snow Saturday afternoon to rally at the Cloud Gate in Chicago’s Millennium Park in protest against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and anti-immigrant policies. Earlier this month, the ICE arrested nearly 50 people in Chicago as part of a national operation targeting undocumented immigrants.

Organized by the Chicago Latino Collective, the protest centered on what the organization’s Facebook page termed “the hatred and lies Trump has spread about Mexicans and immigrants.” Protesters, most of them Latino, carried home-made signs showing support for immigrants’ rights.

Protesters arrive at a rally at Cloud Gate on Feb.25. to draw attention to recent anti-immigrant policies and contributions immigrants make to society. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Marianne Anderson (right), a Chicago Public Schools teacher, made fliers for the protest. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Teri Mercer (left), 64, shows a sign that reads “Don’t deport innocent people. Keep families together.” Jessica Kim (right), Korean-American and social work graduate candidate at Loyola University Chicago, says people from other ethnic group should also stand in solidarity or “we are going to fall behind as a people.” (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Latino-American Gesenia Werner(right), whose daughter is a service member, gives a speech on her immigrant family history saying that “we have immigrants serving in our country in different parts, and these are the products of immigrants.” (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

A child cites words from the Statue of Liberty. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

A black man celebrates the diversity of colors. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Melidda Nava, Mexican-American, displays her hand-made Mexican flag and says: “The United States shouldn’t put a price or a quota or requirements for what it means for you to be a good immigrant because that’s wrong. Every human life is important and should not have any requirements to be in this country.” (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Protesters begin to march to downtown Chicago. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)

Photo at top: A protester calls for immigrant rights at Cloud Gate, Chicago, Feb. 25. (Mengjie Jiang/MEDILL)