Quincy, FL protesters rally against proposed ICE processing center
Quincy, FL – On Tuesday, April 29, about a dozen community members gathered in front of the Gadsden County Courthouse to rally against increased ICE activity in their neighborhoods. The rally was hosted by United Voices of Gadsden (UVG), a new local group advocating for immigrants’ rights.
Facing the main road, attendees chanted “Say it once, say it twice! We will not put up with ICE!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for mass deportation!” Many passersby honked their horns and waved out their car windows in support of the demonstration.
Aracely Cruz, one of the founders of UVG, led the event. Cruz stated, “We’re here to say that immigrants are welcome in our community. The city is trying to get a grant for $1 million to build an ICE processing center in Gretna. This is not who we are – we need to stand against the racial profiling and attacks on our community.”
Gary Russ-Sills, mayor of Gretna, stated in January that ICE was welcome to use a former elementary school building as a processing center. Mayor Russ-Sills claimed that the city needed at least $1 million to renovate the space. Gretna is a rural town about 25 minutes away from Quincy with a population of about 1300 people, meaning this processing center would impact the surrounding towns and cities as well.
Members of the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA) drove over to Quincy to offer their support. Aedan Bennett, a member of TIRA, drew connections between the two groups: “Trump and DeSantis’s racist agenda is impacting all of us – in Tallahassee the police have voluntarily signed into a 287(g) agreement with ICE to target immigrants. They want to spread terror and fear, but it won’t stop us from demanding justice. ¡Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos! [We’re here, and we’re not leaving]”
Anthony Diaz, who is also a member of UVG, stated “Before this year, there hadn’t been a protest in support of Latinos in Quincy since 2006 – there was enough people marching down the block to fill the entire lawn. We’re small now, but this is a big step. Hopefully we can show locals that we are here for them and they can join us.”
Follow United Voices of Gadsden and the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance on Instagram and Facebook for information about upcoming meetings and events:
Instagram: @UnidosQuincy and @TLH_IRA
Facebook: United Voices of Gadsden and Tallahassee Freedom Road Socialist Organization