Thousands of Albuquerque protesters fill Civic Plaza to condemn ICE killings

Thousands of protestors filled the streets of Downtown Albuquerque on Friday to condemn the killing of two people in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents this month, joining a nationwide movement that saw people from across the country walk out of school and work.

A sea of signs with messages such as "Fight ignorance, not immigrants" and "ICE in my coffee, not in my streets" waved above the crowd in Civic Plaza. Immigrant rights activists of all ages spoke out in fear of ICE agents harming immigrants or citizens in New Mexico.

Activists nationwide called for supporters across the country to skip work, school and shopping. The protest came as state legislators in the House passed a bill to ban counties from working with ICE.

"Our demand is to abolish ICE; this starts by closing all detention centers, halting the Department of Homeland Security funding and supporting House Bill 9, the Immigrant Safety Act,” said United Graduate Workers of UNM member Dominic Oddo in a news release.

Among the participants were married couple Michael and Patty Rhoderick — along with their daughter and granddaughter — who said they came to protest what they believe was violent and hateful enforcement of immigration laws across the country.

"I am here to support humility and civility and I am against violence and stupidity," Patty Rhoderick said. "I remember when there was tact and diplomacy in our administration and even when people had different points of view, they were willing to work together and find common ground. That's all gone now."

Michael Rhoderick said that while he supports oversight of the border, it did not need to be done in such a "violent, ugly and hateful way."

Students from Albuquerque High School — among other schools in the city — walked out of classes to show their support for the cause. Some students spoke of their hopes that all would be treated equally across the country while other students held signs that read "We are skipping our lessons to give you one."

Businesses in Downtown Albuquerque closed early for the day in anticipation of the protest, with the Metropolitan Detention Center pausing on releasing detainees to a Downtown center and Alvarado Square closing early due to heightened activity in the area.

Other local businesses, such as La Finca Bowls and Books on the Bosque, pledged to donate 20% of all sales for the day to various mutual aid groups in Minnesota that are dedicated to offering financial support to the state. 

The high desert sun shone down brightly onto the crowd as they shouted and banged on drums, blew into whistles loudly and played rhythmic melodies on saxophones.

As the Legislature continues to work its way through dozens of bills, marchers at the protest were hopeful that House Bill 9, the bill that would shutter immigration detention centers in New Mexico, would be signed into law at the end of the legislative session. 

"I want to tell our politicians to keep that bill going and try to get that to pass and be a little more active and outspoken and to make that (bill) a priority," said Valerie Chavez. "We want to make sure that we're protecting everybody here, especially our undocumented people who are living here." 

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.