Protesters hold Christmas Day vigil outside Broward immigration detention center
About two dozen protesters gathered outside an immigration detention facility in Broward County on Christmas Day, holding a vigil under the slogan, "Injustice doesn't take a holiday. Neither does resistance."
The demonstrators said they came together to call attention to what they describe as a nationwide crackdown on immigration enforcement and to stand in solidarity with people being held inside the facility.
The protest took place outside the Broward Transitional Center located along Powerline Road. According to The GEO Group, the for-profit company that operates the site, the facility has the capacity to hold up to 700 detainees.
Three South Florida organizations — Joyful Resistance, Resist Wilton Manors, and Wilton Manors Indivisible — organized the Christmas Day vigil, which lasted about an hour.
"We are here on Christmas Day to stand in solidarity with the detainees inside," said Christine Bleeker with Joyful Resistance. "A lot of people don't know that the Broward Transitional Center is now an ICE detention facility."
According to The GEO Group's website, the facility's primary client is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE.
Protester Rony Dembo said she and her colleagues chose to spend part of their holiday outside the detention center to send a message of support.
"I can spend one hour, hopefully giving them the vibe that there are people that care and do not like this kind of situation," Dembo said.
Several protesters claimed they were speaking out on behalf of immigrants who showed up to routine immigration appointments and were detained by ICE agents. Others said loved ones were taken into custody during enforcement raids.
CBS News Miami attempted to contact the facility for comment. A call was answered, but after questions were asked, the call was placed on hold and no one returned to the line.
"I'm hoping that people will see that they are human beings inside and that they are deserving of due process, not incarceration," said Trisha Bordenkircher, another protester.
She and others argued that immigrants are being detained in places they least expect.
"They're grabbing them out of courthouses, they're grabbing them from jobs," Bordenkircher said. "They deserve due process. We all do."
As the protest continued, deputies with the Deerfield Beach Sheriff's Office approached the group to discuss safety concerns.
"You can't block the right of way. You cannot obstruct someone from using the public right of way," a district captain told protesters, adding that traffic could not be obstructed.
Protesters said deputies ultimately told them they were entitled to exercise their right to protest.
Organizers told CBS News Miami they plan to return to the same location in two weeks. The next protest is scheduled for Jan. 11, the second Sunday of the month.