Photo Gallery: Hundreds gather in Pocatello to protest US immigration enforcement
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POCATELLO — Hundreds of people gathered in Pocatello Saturday morning to show their opposition to the way federal agents are enforcing immigration laws across the country.
The crowd, estimated to be between 750 and 1,000 strong, gathered in Caldwell Park prior to the “We Walk with Minnesota,” which began at 11 a.m.
Elmer Martinez, a rally organizer with Southeast Idaho Citizens for Democracy, said he wanted people in Pocatello who oppose the current practices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to know they’re not alone in that belief.
“In Idaho, people need to see that there are people who care, and who care about their neighbors. … That’s a humanistic response, that many people, all over the country, don’t like seeing somebody get hurt — or kids taken from their parents, or women and children being put in detention centers,” Martinez said.
Immigration enforcement has turned violent this month in Minneapolis, where clashes between protesters and federal agents resulted in the shooting deaths of two citizens.
A rally similar to Pocatello’s was also planned for Saturday in Idaho Falls, and a group in Boise will rally in support of federal ICE agents.
Check out our photo gallery below to see the highlights of the Pocatello protest.
