Anti-ICE protestors replace US flag with Mexican flag, vandalize 'Blue Lives Matter' flag outside detention facility
An American flag had to be restored to its place in Colorado on July 12 evening after protesters demonstrating outside an ICE facility pulled it down and flew the Mexican flag in its place.
Authorities had to restore the star-spangled banner outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and reported that the 'Blue Lives Matter' flag honoring the law enforcement was spray-painted with the words "Abolish ICE". The local media reported that the protestors had then raised the flag upside down on a pole right next to the Mexican flag.
Fox 31 Denver reported that protestors had gathered in the hundreds outside the Aurora, Colorado, federal facility that holds illegal immigrants. Their demonstration was to protest against ICE raids that are scheduled to begin Sunday, July 14, in Denver and other major cities in the US. Aurora police Chief Nick Metz also mentioned that the majority of these protestors decided to remain peaceful, with some of them even thanking authorities for their efforts in the evening.
A large group has gathered in Denver to protest the migrant detention centers. They plan to march from the Peoria RTD station to the ICE detention center in Aurora #9News pic.twitter.com/JRoD188cIo
— Jennifer Meckles (@jennifermeckles) July 13, 2019
The protest was part of a network of #LightsForLiberty events, which has also been dubbed as the "March to Close Concentration Camps". They have called for detention centers like these all along the US-Mexico border to be shut down, also demanding all immigrants detained at these locations be granted entry to the US, details the event's official Facebook page.
From this July 14, ICE agents will reportedly be beginning work to round up thousands of illegal immigrants all across the US. President Donald Trump had delayed the operation by two weeks to allow the Democrats to propose a bipartisan solution to the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico borders. Speaking to Fox News during his visit to the border on Friday, July 12, Vice President Mike Pence said the upcoming ICE raids won't be done randomly and will be focused on "removing those deported by courts."
The raids are expected to take place in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Raids scheduled for New Orleans might be delayed due to Tropical Storm Barry, KCNC reported. Other #LightsForLiberty protests also took place all over the US on Friday, including in San Ysidro, California; Portland, Oregon, and New York City.