SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Five women from different parts of California gathered to speak out against the planned mass deportations proposed by President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday near the border.
The small demonstration was staged on the beach less than 100 yards from the barrier that separates the U.S. from Mexico.
“It is really important that we stand in solidarity with those who put food on our table, keep our homes, keep our buildings clean,” said Flor Martinez, one of the demonstrators.
Martinez told Border Report she was brought to this country by her undocumented parents and understands the pain of family separation.
“I was brought here when I was 3 years old, my mother is on the other side of that border,” she said. “If we have to stand arm to arm in front of ICE buses, as they try to take our community members away, we will, no more family separation.”
Martinez insisted that those facing deportation are actually a benefit to the U.S. economy and American society.
“We contribute billions of dollars in taxes every single year that goes to everybody else’s Social Security, everybody else’s stimulus checks or unemployment, all these other programs that benefit U.S. citizens, they don’t get to see any of that.”
Martinez believes mass deportations will end up backfiring on the Trump administration.
“So, if Trump is trying to deport all of our people you’re talking about deporting the labor force that feeds this country,” she said. “We are an essential force to this country, and if he doesn’t see that, he’s going to find out and if we’re really trying to better this country deporting essential workers is not the way.”
The demonstrators are planning similar events in other parts of California.
On Monday, they were in Los Angeles.
Some of them are affiliated with the United Farm Workers.
They are also promoting a renewal of the Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 through Senate Bill S. 2606, which would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to, at its discretion, provide lawful permanent resident status to certain long-term residents of the United States, including individuals who are unlawfully present.
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