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Dreamers Gear Up For National Immigrant Day Of Action

Fibonacci Blue via Flickr CC
From a Minneapolis demonstration

President-Elect Donald Trump is still talking building of a border wall and spurring speculation about deportations around the United States. Local civil rights groups are uniting to march for immigrant rights this weekend. 

This year the annual march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Albuquerque coincides with a national immigration Day of Action. The MLK Commission has invited immigrant rights groups to march with them.

Felipe Rodriguez is the coordinator of the New Mexico Dream Team, a group of undocumented students and allies that will be marching on Saturday.

“To me, it’s really important to show that our community is resilient,” Rodriguez said, “that even if we’re under attack, we’re going to be out on the streets and fight back, and we’re here to stay.“

Rodriguez said some students who applied to be able to stay in the U.S. without documentation under an Obama administration program (DACA) are concerned that they could be targeted for deportation when Trump takes office next week.

Advocates around New Mexico are looking for local governments to create policies that offer protections, he said, like keeping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement separate from city police.

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The march starts at the corner of University Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Albuquerque.

Marisa Demarco began a career in radio at KUNM News in late 2013 and covered public health for much of her time at the station. During the pandemic, she is also the executive producer for Your NM Government and No More Normal, shows focused on the varied impacts of COVID-19 and community response, as well as racial and social justice. She joined Source New Mexico as editor-in-chief in 2021.