Aurora, CO – Hundreds of protestors marched from the Peoria transit station to the corporate-run GEO Group ICE Processing Center on July 12. The march was led by the Coalition to Close Concentration Camps. The coalition is composed of many local immigrant rights groups and community activists demanding President Trump close the camps.

Marchers chanted, “Close the camps! “Shut it down!” and “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” They also proudly displayed signs reading “Abolish ICE,” “Don’t look away” and “Never again is now.” One leader spoke about U.S. government intervention in Central America, and how war and poverty led to the current humanitarian crisis at the ICE concentration camps.

Upon reaching the ICE detention camp, marchers joined with Lights for Liberty and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) for a candlelight vigil and speeches by immigrant rights groups. 2000 people attended the vigil demanding the concentration camps be closed.

As speeches continued, a small group crossed over the bridge to the detention camp to continue chanting directly outside its doors. This led to hundreds more protestors joining the group rallying closer to the facility while others continued to listen to the speeches with Lights for Liberty and CIRC. Eventually, the group outside the facility took down the American flag flying overhead and replaced it with a Mexican flag.

Despite the difference in tactics, both groups had the same demands to close the concentration camps and grant asylum to all those currently imprisoned. The groups eventually came back together to rally once more.

“Everyone is outraged about what is happening in that facility,” said Mariah Wood, a local organizer for Unite Here Local 23. “Ultimately both actions were meant to demonstrate outrage at the concentration camps”.

The united rally continued until sundown around 9 p.m.

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