8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 5, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Thousands march in Queens to keep families together
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Th e fi ght for immigration and keeping
families together has not slowed down
in Queens, as over a thousand residents
marched in Jackson Heights and Corona
this weekend.
On Saturday, June 30, several elected
offi cials and public fi gures joined the
attendees of the March to Keep Families
Together. Th e demonstration was one
of hundreds that occurred across the
country, including the main march in
Washington, D.C.
Congresswoman Grace Meng detailed
her trip to the United States-Mexico border,
highlighting the fact that despite
what some have said are “passable” conditions
of the detention centers, the children
were being kept in cages away from
their families.
“I don’t care what you call them — they
were in cages,” Meng said.
At one point, the congresswoman
brought out an example of the silver
blankets that the children are given at the
detention centers and said that the room
was quiet except for the sound of the rustling
blankets.
Jessica Ramos, a state Senate candidate
and mother of two boys, empathized
with the parents whose children have
been taken from them. She added that
the fi ght could not stop until the families
were “reunited and safe from this tyrannical
president.”
“History will judge us for how we acted
when the president of the United States
began tearing families apart — now is
the time to stand up and speak out.
Th ousands of neighbors are marching
together today to make clear: enough is
enough,” Ramos said.
Ramos also spoke on the importance
of making New York a sanctuary state,
while also outlining her commitment to
legislation for immigrants, including the
DREAM Act, the Liberty Act and driver’s
licenses for undocumented residents.
“When you see a crowd here today,
you feel that ICE is melting,” said
Comptroller Scott Stringer at Saturday’s
march, in reference to the fi ght to abolish
ICE (Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.)
Th e debate on whether or not to abolish
ICE has been a hot-button topic.
Many who attended the march have spoken
out against the agency that President
Donald Trump has used to enact family
separations, including Democratic
Congressional nominee Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez.
“So long as there is an eff ort, so long
as there is a fi ght, there is hope,” Ocasio-
Cortez said. “So long as we as individuals
choose to take action, we as individuals
choose to show up, to protect our
neighbors, to stand up for our values,
and stand up for our rights, then we will
always have a United States that we are
proud of. It may be a dark time in this
administration, but I am confi dent and
hopeful that it will not last long — it will
Photos by Dean Moses
not last forever, because of every single
individual who is here on this block
today.”
Other notable marchers included
Councilmen Costa Constantinides and
Jimmy Van Bramer, Assemblywoman
Ari Espinal and Assembly candidate
Catalina Cruz.
Th e marchers started in front of the
Jackson Heights Post Offi ce and traveled
to the Park of the Americas in Corona,
all the while holding signs decrying the
president’s actions and supporting families
reuniting. In addition, there were
marches held nationwide to show solidarity
in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Miami and St. Louis.
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