Identities are purposefully left hidden. It is not my purpose to dox anyone, but only describe what I observed and some of my own thoughts.
Tensions were high as a peaceful rally turned into a yelling match between two passionate sides of the heated topic of illegal immigration.
One gentleman holding a Palestinian flag said, “The racists over there aren’t even smart racists, otherwise they would use the immigrants for cheap labor.” He also said that he was upset about president Donald J. Trump’s border policy and was protesting against the recent activity of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the area.
The two sides were on opposing corners in the Five Points area separated by Whittier and Washington Boulevards in the city of Whittier. The first group, which I will call the America First Agenda (America First) supporters, were gathered on the southwest corner of Washington boulevard and Santa Fe Springs Road, the other, which I’ll refer to as an anti-ICE group, was on the northeast corner of Whittier Blvd and Santa Fe Springs Rd.
An unidentified anti-ICE protester crossed the street and stood in the middle of the America First group holding a tall pole with a Mexican and a United States combination flag. An unidentified America First supporter began arguing with the anti-ICE protester. She told him to return to his side of the street. He stood still, holding the flagpole without talking.
“I’ve been to many of these protests,” he said to me, “and it is always the Trump supporters, the MAGA, that are violent, then we get blamed for it. Social media lies.”
I walked across the street after spending time with the America First group and spoke to a couple of people on the anti-ICE side, who had similar things to say about the “MAGA” groups, as they called them.
The truth is that immigration is good for our country. But it must be legal, for good reason.
- Higher wages. A United States citizen makes more money than an undocumented worker. Some statistics say up to 81% higher than an undocumented worker.
- Less exploitation. It is very easy to manipulate and sway people who are in fear. It is an even greater probability of manipulation if the victims do not know the language of the country they reside in.
- Human Trafficking. The sex and labor slave trade is huge among undocumented aliens coming across the border.
These are just a few of the reasons.
After engaging with the anti-ICE group, I noticed a different group of protesters began to show up.
An SUV with masked men and blue lights on the front grill began driving around the America First group and arguing with them. They were dressed similar to ICE officers and their SUV seemed like something ICE would drive.
Another woman drove by several times with a bullhorn shouting through her passenger side window all sorts of obscenities at the America First group and acting very aggressive.
The organizers of the America First group said they were scheduled to stand on the bridge and the corner in Five-Points from 5pm to 8pm. At 8pm, the group began to disperse. When the anti-ICE group saw them leaving, they crossed the street and began to harass the group. They began filming license plates and taking pictures of the faces of the America First members to intimidate them.
The anti-ICE group then became violent as they went up an embankment toward the bridges over Whittier Blvd and Santa Fe Springs Road. There was pushing and shoving which resulted in two anti-ICE protesters being detained by the Whittier Police department.
To quote the president, I experienced “good people on both sides.” I may not necessarily believe what they believe. In fact, I believe there is truly evil in this world and as a believer in Jesus Christ, I stand against it. Human trafficking is a horrific crime. The sex and labor trade must be abolished. There are so many evils in this world. As Americans, we must get along and stop believing the propaganda on both sides. We need to talk to each other, find out where we stand, see if there is anywhere we can agree and then debate the things we disagree on. Stop the violence.
StMarq (Steve Marquez) is a pastor, stage 4 cancer survivor, husband, dad, and co-founder of Stage4 Ministries.
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