Latino Students Protest Immigration Agency
Protestor holds up sign during Front Campus demonstration against immigration policies
(Milledgeville, Ga) -- The Georgia College Latino Student Association (L.S.A.) held a demonstration on Front Campus Wednesday to protest the policies of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E.).
The usual sounds of screeching brakes and humming motors were tempered with chants of "abolish I.C.E." and "I.C.E is not nice."
Around 20 students gathered near the flag pole on Front Campus to raise awareness about what they say are the many harmful practices the agency is using.
WGUR's Joel White reports the students held signs that read "close the camps" and "reunite families." Referring to the agency's policies of detaining illegal immigrants in camps and often separating families.
Protestors also raised the recent reports of "forced hysterectomies" being performed in I.C.E. facilities. A nurse who worked at a privately-run center in Ocilla, Ga, filed a whistleblower complaint last month claiming several women told her they had gynecological procedures without full knowledge or consent.
In recent years, the agency has been in the crosshairs of politics. During a 2018 Senate hearing, California Senator and current Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris compared I.C.E. to the Ku Klux Klan. President Donald Trump has defended the agency's actions, lauding them as protectors of America's immigration laws.
L.S.A. protestors say they hope their demonstration leads more people to become informed on the issues ahead of the November election.