Demonstrators push back against anti-immigrant "intolerance"
{Photo: Antionette Kerr/Davidson Local}
A group of demonstrators with pro-immigrant signs gathered on the steps of the old Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington on Friday evening. Several youth-filled social media communities came together to express their frustration over the perceived threat of ongoing ICE raids and what they described as an anti-immigrant sentiment in Davidson County. Their voices echoed through the rainy streets, calling for justice and solidarity in the face of rising intolerance. Demonstrators did not go on record for fear of retaliation.
"We don't feel safe anywhere, not at church, school, or home," said one young woman who brought her infant to the demonstration. Although she is a citizen, she joined the demonstration to express her fears that her daughter, born on U.S. soil, could be taken from a daycare. "She could disappear in a raid," she explained, noting that she had heard of parents being separated from their children if they could not immediately provide documentation. These claims have not been verified.
Another woman expressed her concerns about the assumptions made in her workplace. "I can't say where I work, but I have to listen to people say all sorts of crazy things. I can't say anything," she remarked.
According to one demonstrator, the protest was initially organized through private social media. The choice of location was influenced by the historic significance of the Davidson County Courthouse. "We feel like it's Black Lives Matter all over again," she said, referring to the more than 100 days of protests that took place during the summer of 2020.
Davidson County law enforcement officials have not provided comments before the deadline for this report and have not released a statement regarding their involvement in gathering individuals without documentation.
Several groups concerned about immigration status in Davidson County have urged officials to raid schools and public locations to make arrests. Lexington City Schools was one of the first institutions to publicly affirm respond, stating that they "do not retain immigration status" for students. The district also mentioned that law enforcement agencies would not be allowed on school grounds without a federal warrant.
This has raised questions about the legality of any school system's approach. When organizers were asked if they had experienced ICE raids or seen people arrested, their responses were that they did not know of anyone personally.
According to a report from the Associated Press on January 28 President Trump's administration's progress in its plans for mass deportations. The report indicated that ICE agents had crossed the threshold of 1,000 daily arrests of immigrants residing in the U.S., compared to an average of only about 300 a day just months earlier under President Biden's administration. "If sustained, those numbers would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records," the AP stated.
