Thousands of people participated in Sunday’s Mega March through downtown Dallas to call for immigration reform.
Shouts of “Si se puede” and horns and percussion echoed as demonstrators carried signs reading “rise up” and “no one is illegal.” Big American flags were carried by the multi-generational crowd.
Dallas resident Malu Piñon Castro, whose parents and siblings were born in Mexico, said current policies are dividing families.
“We want our country to survive. I was born here, my children were born here,” Pinon Castro said. “My parents fought for us to be in this country, and we need to unite.”
This year’s event fell short of the estimated 500,000 people who attended the first Mega March in 2006 – but organizers are still calling it a success.
Jose Araiza, who has lived in Dallas for decades, has been working to get legal status. Araiza, whose children were born in North Texas, said he was expecting more people to show up.
“It’s a shame because I want to know where my people are,” he told KERA in Spanish. “Everything was well organized and publicized, but the only thing missing is people.”
Araiza said it’s possible people didn’t show up because of fear.
Nicole Maldonado traveled from Oklahoma City to participate in the protest. She is the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Young Adults group.
“The reality is that immigrants and undocumented immigrants are the backbone of this country,” Madonado said. “And we need to stop being exploited, discriminated and abused.”
Maldonado said she traveled to Dallas for the protest because immigrants all over the country are struggling with fear as the federal government looks to increase deportations and put in place stricter immigration policies.
President Donald Trump made immigration enforcement a focus of his second campaign, calling it a matter of national security. In recent weeks his administration has deported hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, though many do not have a criminal record as Trump officials have claimed.
Maldonado said this weekend’s event was a call to action.
“We need to participate our democracy because if we don't participate, we just let them do whatever they want with our communities,” she said. “Register to vote, go and vote, organize your communities, be the voice of your communities and become the leaders that you want to see out there.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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