Thousands converged in East Austin on Saturday to voice their opposition to the escalating immigration enforcement activities across the nation. The rally, organized by State Representative James Talarico, drew an estimated 3,700 attendees to Pan American Neighborhood Park, where families shared personal accounts of their struggles with immigration enforcement.
Prominent figures joined the protest, including U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar, who passionately denounced the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Casar declared, “No more ICE terrorizing Minneapolis. No more ICE terrorizing Austin. No more!”
Among the demonstrators was Evelyn, a mother who spoke about the anguish her family has endured since her husband was detained two months ago while simply getting gas to head to work. Through an interpreter, she expressed her heartbreak, saying, “ICE destroyed my family. It stole my husband from us, leaving us destitute. My husband is not a criminal.”
Attention was particularly focused on Liam Ramos, a five-year-old boy detained alongside his father in Minnesota. During the rally, Casar provided an update on their situation, revealing that a federal judge had ordered their release. “Austin, I’m glad to tell you that a judge has ordered Donald Trump to release Liam Ramos,” Casar announced.
This ruling came from Judge Fred Biery, who criticized the immigration policy of the Trump administration, describing it as an “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas.” The judge mandated that both Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, be released from the Dilley detention facility no later than Tuesday, February 3.
Castro, who visited the detention center the previous week, shifted his focus to other families still affected by ICE detainment, sharing the story of a nine-year-old boy named Mateo, who had been taken with his family on New Year’s Eve. “He and his family spent New Year’s Eve getting processed into the Dilley Detention Center,” Castro noted.
As the rally progressed, Casar motivated the crowd to remain hopeful, stating, “We cannot bring back Mr. Pretti or Ms. Good. But in honor of their memories, people are rising up to demand a better world. Austin, together, we can build it.”
