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Hundreds rally against ICE raids at Arlington protest and rally

Hundreds rally against ICE raids at Arlington protest, rally
Hundreds rally against ICE raids at Arlington protest, rally 02:14

ARLINGTON — Demonstrations continued for a second weekend throughout North Texas against the Trump administration's effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Arlington City Hall Sunday afternoon holding signs and flags as some cars honked with their support.

"As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, obviously, this is a very important personal subject to me. I wanted to put together a rally and protest with calls for action. I wanted to give a safe space community to build and gather," organizer Marisela Aramino said.

Marie Esquivel said her father was deported to Mexico when she was a baby.

"It's very hard. Even now, I don't really have a connection with my father," Esquivel said.

Esquivel said she came to the protest to give a voice to those in her community.

"Nobody really wants to go out anywhere where they used to go. Nobody wants to go to school," Esquivel said.

The Tarrant County Democratic Party organized the event in response to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

"We have to get people out of their houses or complaining on social media or in the media but not actually getting out and doing things. We need to connect with our neighbors," Tarrant County Democratic Party executive director Candice Sublett said.

CBS News Texas asked organizers their response to opponents who say undocumented immigrants should have come into the country legally.

"We have to help find a way to live with one another," Aramino said. "This is a human rights issue. It's not okay to just try to rip people apart from each other."

The organizers said the rally is just the beginning of their efforts. They have many future plans and ideas across North Texas.

"That was one of the critical critiques that we've had as a county party is that we are not in the community enough, so we are going to make sure that we are in the community," Sublett said.

An average of more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested each day since President Trump was sworn into office, according to ICE data.

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