AUSTIN, TX- On Saturday, prominent Texas Democrats, including State Reps James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, Ramon Romero, as well as Congressmen Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar, joined forces at a rally in Pan American Park in East Austin to protest ICE. The speakers condemned the killings of Rene Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and called for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be defunded and abolished.
Thousands of people gathered to hear the speakers, many holding signs denouncing ICE, Trump, and DHS. Many attendees held signs that said “No more secret police,” “Bring home Liam”, and held signs that said “Keith Porter Jr, Renee Good, Alex Pretti, who’s next?” During the rally, many attendees called for ICE to be abolished, saying “Fuck ICE”.
Notable moments from the speakers included Congressman Greg Casar and Congressman Joaquin Castro calling for the impeachment of Kristi Noem. Both Casar and Castro have co-sponsored a House Resolution introduced on January 14th, which calls for the impeachment of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Casar also said that he will continue to vote no on any spending package that increases federal spending on ICE and immigration enforcement. Casar also criticized President Trump’s rhetoric, calling Rene Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists.
Furthermore, Congressman Castro recalled his visit to Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old detained by ICE, and his father, who was put into ICE custody at the Dilley Detention Center in South Texas. Both Liam and his father were released from the Dilley Detention Center on Sunday after a federal order on Saturday ordering their release and return to Minneapolis. Castro also went after Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, criticizing the Governor for deploying Texas National Guard troops to assist ICE operations in Texas.
Additionally, Texas State Representative Ramon Romero called for “ICE out” of Austin and Minneapolis, leading the crowd in chants in Spanish saying “Afuera ICE”. State Representative Gina Hinojosa, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Governor, berated Governor Greg Abbott, saying that one of the “many sins of Greg Abbott” is making Texas one of the only states in the country to license detention centers for both children and their parents. Hinojosa also made outlandish claims against Oracle’s Larry Ellison’s takeover of TikTok, saying “American TikTok is more restrictive and more censored than Chinese TikTok” and that billionaires like Ellison hold too much power.
James Talarico closed out the rally, talking about his time as a teacher in San Antonio, teaching undocumented children. Talarico called for full prosecution of ICE officers, and said that deportations were never about immigration, but control, saying “the easiest way to keep a population in control is to keep them afraid”. Like in many of his speeches, Talarico made an appeal to faith and religion, saying one of the most important commandments is “to welcome the stranger”. Talarico also criticized “self-proclaimed Christians” for supporting ICE and immigration enforcement.
After the rally, The Texas Horn interviewed an attendee, who said she came to the rally to be surrounded by like-minded individuals, and said she gained a lot of hope seeing that there were others who were concerned about the controversies surrounding ICE. When asked about her thoughts about the President’s immigration policies, the attendee said that “this is not how humans treat other humans”. Additionally, the attendee said that she appreciated the leaders who spoke during the rally, and that she was grateful that they are speaking up about what’s happening.
The Texas Horn also spoke to a woman with a sign quoting Edmund Burke. The sign read, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke.” When asked whether she knew that Edmund Burke is known for being the father of modern conservatism, she said she did know who Edmund Burke was, let alone a conservative. “I’m not familiar with him. I didn’t know he was conservative. It’s just a quote on my sign and I think its really important to speak out.”
