Chants of “ICE out of Boston now,” and “One year longer, one year stronger” echoed through Copley Square as nearly 1,000 demonstrators gathered in opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The “Stop ICE Terror” rally was held on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration this Tuesday. It was hosted by the Boston branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Mass 50501, and the Boston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Michelle Touw, a longtime activist from Concord, Mass., said she believed Americans were in denial during Trump’s first term. “[Trump is] a classic bully, and the more space you give them, the more intense they get,” Touw said. “Having been a teacher for 40 years, I know how to deal with bullies. You don’t give them an inch.”
After chanting on the Boston Public Library steps for nearly 45 minutes, demonstrators marched through Boston Common, ending the protest near the Park Street MBTA station. As protesters moved towards the Common, a large police presence followed the crowd. Officers blocked off the flow of traffic with about 15 squad cars and vans flashing blue and white lights between the Copley and Arlington MBTA stations.
A handful of counterprotesters held pro-Trump signs and booed the rally in several locations along the protesters’ route. But the protesters ignored them and kept marching.
Touw said she attended the protest because she believes the U.S. is on the road to authoritarianism, drawing parallels between the Trump administration and Nazi Germany. Similar accusations have been made throughout Trump’s presidency; politicians such as Bill Clinton’s former vice president, Al Gore, made the comparison during San Francisco’s Climate Week last April.
“It’s happening all over again as it did back in the ’30s,” Touw said. “But this time, we need a different outcome. We need to fight against it. We need to be out here for democracy.”
Blair Heinz, a Brookline resident, attended the protest to implore people of all political backgrounds to stand up for their constitutional rights. He said his outrage was also sparked by the memory of his late father, who fought in Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
“[My father] would be rolling in his grave,” Heinz said. “He was always a conservative guy and a Republican. He’d be incensed by what’s happening in this country.”
Ava Pujado, a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is a first-generation American and the daughter of a Chilean immigrant. While Pujado’s family has not been directly impacted by Trump’s immigration policies, she said that “hateful lies and propaganda” from the Trump administration disproportionately impact people of color, particularly those from South America.
“It’s a racist agenda, and I believe when they come for some of us, they will eventually come for all of us,” Pujado said.
Hundreds of signs were raised at the protest in honor of Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother who was killed by an ICE agent on January 7. Chants of “We stand with Minneapolis” erupted in the crowd; some signs commemorated Good, while others condemned her shooter.
Tensions between protesters and ICE agents have increased nationwide since Good’s death, fueled by a second shooting in Minneapolis just a week later.
Christian Simpson, a Dorchester resident, pointed out parallels between Good’s death and the murder of George Floyd. Nearly six years ago, and less than one mile apart, Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, igniting similar protests against the excessive use of force by law enforcement.
“This is a clear-cut fascist regime that is trying to take citizens off the streets because they aren’t straight white men, especially in Minnesota,” Simpson said. “It took five years and four blocks to go from a black man getting knelt on and killed by a police officer to a white woman getting shot in the face in broad daylight.”
Throughout his second term, Trump and his administration have repeatedly been at odds with major U.S. cities, including Boston. In September, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sued Boston over its sanctuary city laws, which Bondi referred to as “obstructionist.” Trump border czar Tom Homan vowed to “bring hell” to Boston mere days after being appointed in January.
At least 54 people were arrested by ICE in Boston last year, and 24 unmarked vans were recently delivered to an ICE field office in Burlington, Mass. Both incidents have increased worries among local officials and community organizers, as they anticipate increased ICE presence and crackdown efforts in the state over the coming months.
Several anti-ICE protests have now taken place in Boston, including in the aftermath of Good’s death and on No King’s Day in October. Another protest, organized by the Boston Socialist Alternative, is scheduled for this Friday at City Hall.
Jeremy Sacco, an organizer with Mass 50501, the grassroots organization behind the No King’s protest, urged Boston officials to take action.
“I would push them to do more, to specifically not cooperate with ICE,” Sacco said, noting local police departments legally cannot impede ICE operations. “When a military surge comes here, we want to make sure that the Boston Police Department is not helping [federal agents].”
Carrie Hirshberg, a Somerville resident, had a message for the federal administration, waving a flag that said “No justice, no peace,” and calling out to drivers to honk in support.
“Trans lives matter. All lives matter. We all matter. Stop fucking killing us.”
https://berkeleybeacon.com/this-is-a-clear-cut-fascist-regime-protesters-gather-to-condemn-ice-on-one-year-anniversary-of-trump-2-0/
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