Kenner, LA – On Saturday, January 10, about 150 protesters gathered in North Kenner Recreational Park to oppose ICE’s presence in their communities and to demand the local police end their collaboration with ICE. This protest was also to demand justice for Renee Nicole Good who was killed by ICE justthree3 days before. The protest also demanded justice for Keith Porter and Silverio Gonzalez, who were murdered by ICE agents.

This action was the latest Saturday protest in Kenner, which have been weekly since the beginning of Custom and Border Patrol’s “Catahoula Crunch” operation in early December. Protesters chanted “Landry hear us loud and clear, immigrants are welcome here.”

“Trump’s office is claiming that Renee Good is the domestic terrorist in this situation, for standing up for her community members,” said Vonne Crandell, a cochair of the New Orleans chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “We know that ICE are the terrorists, that the National Guard are the terrorists. They have been reigning terror in our community, trying to kidnap and kill people off these streets.”

Protesters marched down Martinique Avenue to West Esplanade, continuing onto Williams Boulevard to rally again in front of the Burlington shopping strip chanting “Free our city, tell me how? ICE out of Kenner now!”

Toni Mar, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke about the news the night before the action. They described a FOX livestream showing thousands in Minneapolis taking the street, while Trump held a private meeting with oil executives to talk about Venezuela.

Mar stated, “That split screen tells us everything we need to know, there are two sides to this equation. On the one side we have Trump and the billionaires and the ruling class and on the other side we have the masses of people who actually make this country move. They do not care about us, we have to make this country ungovernable and make them care!”

Protesters chanted for hours on the sidewalk to show their solidarity with the immigrant community and make it known that the people will continue to protect each other in the coming weeks, months, and years, as the Trump administration’s crackdown on the working class and oppressed peoples continues.

As hours passed, protesters chanted “Johnathan Ross is a killer cop! We want justice, lock him up!” and “No more deportations, stop the family separations!”

#KennerLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #ICE #FRSO

Kenner, LA — About 60 people gathered at the North Kenner Recreational Center on Saturday, December 27 to demand an end to the city’s collaboration with Border Patrol and continued ICE raids in the region. Just two days after Christmas, the coalition of protesters showed up in solidarity from around the Greater New Orleans region, to stand with the immigrant community of Kenner.

“We stand by our immigrant brothers and sisters,” declared Vonne Crandell of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to the crowd. “We know that the Kenner Police Department is corrupt because they collaborate with ICE.”

“The 287(g) agreement is criminal,” said Naomi Retherford of the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP). Retherford further stated, “The attack on our immigrant siblings is related to the attack on [the LGBTQ] community.” Trump’s slew of reactionary attacks have brought together many from disparate backgrounds to unite together against his agenda.

Cristine Farah, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, noted that her neighbors fear for their lives every day, and she is determined to continue showing up.

“Every week we have been coming to protests and city council meetings,” Farah reflected to the crowd. The coalition has so far taken part in weekly protests, some in the city and some in Kenner. City council leaders in Jefferson Parish have offered few words of sympathy and even less action. Farah concluded, “This entire system is not responsible to us. It can’t keep us safe and was not designed to. It is rotten and needs to change.”

Before protesters took to the streets, they heard from Kaylin Ramirez, a 21-year-old Latina recent college graduate with a degree in criminology. Ramirez thanked the crowd for their support and stated she was offered a job with Customs and Border Patrol after graduating. Ramirez turned it down when she realized that they were not helping the community.

The growing “No Troops” coalition aims to make conditions more difficult for Border Patrol and to show community opposition to their presence. As the crowd marched down Martinique Avenue, a street that had recently been visited by Greg Bovino, neighbors stood on their balconies to wave in support.

“We are going to be here as long as ICE is here,” promised Crandell. “This is not the end.”

#Kenner #KennerLA #NewOrleansLA #ImmigrantRights #CBP #ICE

Kenner, LA — Forty people gathered at North Kenner Recreational Center on the afternoon of Saturday, December 20, to demand ICE out of the greater New Orleans area. Some protesters drove from nearby New Orleans to show solidarity with their neighbors in Kenner, which has been a target for ICE raids in recent weeks.

“Kenner police are under an agreement called a 287 (g) that allows them to be deputized to work with Border Patrol and ICE. We demand an end to this collusion, and we will not sit by while they torment our people,” explained Sable Murphy of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

“As a naturalized citizen, I was arrested wrongly by ICE agents; it was purely based on racial profiling. They detained me, they threw me to the ground, they piled on top of me, they handcuffed me and beat me up,” said Alfredo Salazar, a first generation Mexican-American and organizer with immigrant rights organization Union Migrante whose speech was translated from Spanish.

“Whether it's in New Orleans or Kenner we need to make this country ungovernable for Donald Trump,” added Mat Ricciardo of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Ricciardo continued, “Politicians aren’t going to kick ICE out for us. We are the only people who will plunge our hands into the fertile land of this country and rip out the poisonous weeds like ICE and Donald Trump.”

The fired-up crowd marched along the sidewalk down Williams Boulevard and rallied outside a strip mall in front of the Burlington store where anti-ICE rallies have popped up the last two Saturdays. Cars passing by honked in support and drivers rolled windows down to cheer, pump their fists and give thumbs-up. Some even stopped to join the protest.

The crowd continued calls for Kenner city council to end the 287(g) agreement, chanting, “City council, grow a spine! Immigrant lives are on the line!” and “Fuera ICE!”

#KennerLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Kenner, LA – On Saturday Dec 13, another pop-up protest in Kenner, Louisiana on Williams Boulevard rallied opposition to President Trump and Governor Landry’s attacks on immigrants. The crowd began as about 20 people, ballooning to almost 100 before the evening ended.

The protest featured signs, whistles and many waving and wearing Mexican, Honduran and Dominican flags on their backs and on long poles – some of New Orleans largest Latino immigrant populations. The crowd chanted “Fuera ICE!” and other chants in Spanish, as well as “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!”

The action lasted for about four hours, from about 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. The crowd remained on the sidewalk near the busy street. Some even pulled out lawn chairs or stood in the back of their cars and trucks. Most attendees were Latinos, both immigrants and children of immigrants.

Kenner and Metairie have been hot spots of so-called operation “Catahoula Crunch,” also known as “Swamp Sweep,” in the New Orleans metro area. Many police departments in Jefferson Parish have 287(g) agreements which deputize local law enforcement to carry out ICE operations.

Drivers honked their horns and pumped fists in the air in solidarity. Occasionally, supporters stood out their sunroofs or jutted out passenger windows brandishing flags.

The crowd will likely return again next Saturday, at the same time, in front of the same location in front the Burlington Coat Factory parking lot in Kenner.

#KennerLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #ICE