A day after school children in Lindenwold ran from their bus stop when they spotted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, about 300 people turned out to protest in support of the South Jersey town’s Latino community, according to organizers.
Community members had planned a protest for Friday before the school bus stop incident. Then, after video footage spread showing 4th and 5th grade students running back into the apartment complex, some of them yelling “ICE, ICE,” more people were likely inspired to show up, organizers said.
“I never want to see a child ever run away from our own government ever again,” said one attendee captured on video by organizers. He carried a large American flag and spoke through tears, explaining he’d never participated in a protest before.
“I’m not gonna stand by and watch my neighbors run away scared,” he added.
According to a man interviewed by Philadelphia’s NBC10, ICE agents were looking for him on Thursday, but they were unable to detain him. He added that he has lived in the U.S. for 21 years and “I don’t have no problems.”
One of the protest organizers, Craig Strimel, said ICE has been “terrorizing Lindenwold for months.”
“Those kids are smart enough to know that ICE can take you,” Strimel said, explaining why the children were so afraid. “This has been happening, and it’s not necessarily whether you’re documented or undocumented.”
Strimel, a member of the Cooper River Indivisible leadership team, said Friday’s protest drew a larger and more diverse local crowd than some of the others the group had helped organize in the region.
Lindenwold, a town of just over 20,000, is home to more than 7,000 Latino residents, according to the U.S. census.
Tatiana, an event organizer who asked to only be identified by her first name, said she hoped people walked away feeling more connected and supported.