Anti-ICE ‘Barrio Walk’ In Bloomfield Marches Through Business District

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Several New Jersey Democratic leaders recently joined a “barrio walk” in Bloomfield, which was held to inform local business owners – and their workers – about their rights in the event of an ICE raid.

Nearly 100 advocates took to the streets of downtown Bloomfield for a march against ICE on Saturday.

The walk began at Berkeley Elementary School, then proceeded down Bloomfield Avenue. Participants stopped at local businesses along the way – several of which are immigrant-owned – speaking with the owners and handing out bilingual “Know Your Rights” materials. The event concluded at The Green at Bloomfield, where advocates called for “solidarity, preparedness and community empowerment.”

Watch video footage from the protest here and here, via Make the Road Action New Jersey.

In addition to activists with Make the Road Action New Jersey, the event saw support from Analilia Mejia, the Democratic nominee to replace Gov. Mikie Sherrill in Congress.

“In this moment of rising authoritarianism, when masked ICE agents terrorize our neighborhoods and target our neighbors, we have to look out for one another,” Mejia urged.

“A rising tide lifts all boats and together, we can win,” Mejia said. “It’s time to abolish ICE and protect our communities.”

Other Democratic leaders who supported the barrio walk included U.S. Sen. Andy Kim.

“We don’t want ICE here,” the senator said. “We don’t want them in Roxbury. We don’t want Delaney Hall. We don’t want Elizabeth Detention facility.”

“We don’t want people profiting off of human misery and threatening our immigrant communities,” Kim added.

New Jersey Sen. Britnee Timberlake, who represents towns including Bloomfield, and Mayor Jenny Mundell also supported the rally.

Mundell said the event was “peaceful and impactful.”

“Now more than ever, we must remain steadfast in celebrating our diversity and ensuring that every neighbor feels protected and supported,” Mundell said. “Our strength lies in our unity and our unwavering commitment to the rights of all.”

Bloomfield Town Council member Tracy Toler-Phillips was present at the event, reporting that “there is a special kind of energy when we show up for one another.”

“Bloomfield isn’t just a place on a map, it’s a diverse, vibrant community held up by the people who call it home,” Toler-Phillips said.

President Donald Trump has claimed that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration. On the first day of his second term, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders.

“Over the last four years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level,” Trump said. “Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing.”

“This cannot stand,” the president added.

Critics of the crackdown have pushed back against the president’s characterization of immigrants – and the presence of ICE in their neighborhoods.

Nedia Morsy, director of Make the Road Action New Jersey, said that “community is the strongest protection we have right now.”

“We all have rights in this country that no one can take away, and we all have each other,” Morsy said.

• See Related: Bloomfield Student Walkout: Photos Give An Inside Look At Anti-ICE Protest
• See Related: Bloomfield Residents On Edge After ICE Arrests In North Jersey, Mayor Says
• See Related: Bloomfield Vigils Remember Renee Nicole Good, Criticize ICE [PHOTOS]

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