Politics & Government
1,000-Plus Assemble Downtown For 'Day Without Immigrants' Rally
Guadalupe Plaza was full of flags, signs, and immigrants worried about being deported.
HOUSTON, TX — Immigrants from a variety of countries gathered downtown at Guadalupe Plaza on Thursday to observe "A Day Without Immigration" at a rally that concluded without violent incident.
"It hurts," Marisol Gamboa, a student at the rally, told KHOU. "Why do they think we're criminals? We just want to work, and I don't know why they are treating us like that."
Gamboa, who attends Houston Community College, is a single mother who works as a graphic designer. She is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and is in the U.S. on a permit.
Find out what's happening in Midtown Houstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Happening now: Immigrant rally at Guadalupe Plaza near downtown Houston on #ADayWithoutImmigrants #khou11 https://t.co/lOm1eswxzX pic.twitter.com/Ecj6BFu8uQ
— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) February 17, 2017
A number of restaurants in Houston closed on Thursday, as their employees observed the nationwide protest, which was in part sparked by the Trump administration's travel ban order and ICE activities around the nation.
On Friday morning, the AP reported that the Trump administration was considering calling up 100,000 National Guard troops to take part in immigration raids.
Find out what's happening in Midtown Houstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
— Image courtesy Shutterstock
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