Hundreds of New Yorkers marched through Sunset Park on Saturday to show solidarity with undocumented immigrants, as federal deportation arrests continue nationwide.
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, over two million immigrants have been deported or self-deported, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and over 3,000 people from New York City, according to the Deportation Data Project.
Council Member Alexa Avilés hosted a “Stand Against ICE” march for her neighbors who fear Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, in an attempt to make the large immigrant community in Sunset Park feel less alone, she said.
As New Yorkers marched amid shouts and cheers, there were many individuals who watched from the sidelines with tears in their eyes.
Abby Wendt, a Sunset Park resident of eight years, said she marched to recognize the many street vendors and restaurant workers that are her neighbors.
“The ICE raids are happening, it feels very close to home, and I think that is part of why I wanted to come today,” said Wendt. “The way I was raised, [there was] no prejudice against immigrants, really just human rights focused and the dignity of all people.”
Moving from northern Virginia to New York after the passing of her mother, Wendt said it felt fitting to live in the same place where her German ancestors first arrived.
Her ancestors came through Ellis Island, opened up a German restaurant and created a home for themselves in New York, just like many immigrants do today. But now that opportunity is dwindling, she said.
“It’s really terrifying to me that the sanctuary city status doesn’t mean what it used to mean or intended to mean,” Wendt said.
Avilés said that it is shocking to witness how Mayor Eric Adams allows ICE into a sanctuary city.
“They are going to try to come into our communities and into our cities under the guise that we are not safe. And we know we are safe and we know we keep each other safe,” Avilés said.
The council member was accompanied by City Comptroller Brad Lander and State Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, the first immigrant Peruvian to be elected as a state representative. Lander and Mitaynes were arrested with nine other elected officials last week in a Manhattan federal building that houses ICE holding cells.
“I have a responsibility to the people that I represent, and to speak in your name,” Mitaynes said.
In a tearful speech, Mitaynes told the community how important it was to unite against federal immigration policies and put pressure on Governor Kathy Hochul.
In between loud cheers, she asked the crowd to take out their phones, write down Hochul’s number and swarm her office with complaints.
“She needs to hear from her people,” Mitaynes said of Hochul. “The police force is being deputized to work for ICE.”
