By Aimee Green
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — Organizers of a rally say Latinos and their supporters will gather Monday outside the Portland offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to protest against a federal “campaign of terror.”
The rally comes after what organizers describe as “weeks of ICE raids in Oregon.” Organizers say they want immigration agents to feel unwelcome in this state.
“ICE agents are leaving children without their parents, ICE agents are terrorizing neighborhoods, ICE agents are terrorizing businesses, and ICE agents are creating an environment of fear,” read a news release sent out by rally organizers Sunday.
One of the main organizers of the protest is the Woodburn-based group Voz Hispana Cambio Cumunitario -- Hispanic Voice for Community Change.
The group is urging Mayor Ted Wheeler and the City Council to “declare ICE a non-grata federal agency in Portland.”
As recently as February, the federal immigration agency said it still has been operating under the same directive set forth by President Obama -- and not a new agenda set forth by President Trump, who took office Jan. 20.
“President Trump and ICE continues enforcing the same inhumane and failed immigration policy of RAIDS AND FAMILY SEPARATION of the last eight years without a pathway to legalization to the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States,” reads the news release sent out by rally organizers.
The rally is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. at 4310 S.W. Macadam Avenue.
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©2017 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)