Dozens of protesters raise awareness about number of deportations in a day

More than sixty protesters lined Church Street in Las Cruces, raising awareness of the number of undocumented immigrants who are deported every day.

“It’s highly efficient,” said Cristan Ismond, the board president for Communidades en Acción de Fe. “They do a very good job at getting these people through: 60,70 a day. We wanted to put a hiccup in it.”

Protesters held signs that read “no human being is illegal” and “hope, not hate.”

“They’re not being treated as humans; it’s almost like a cattle drive,” Ismond said. “They take them in through the garage and they’re shackled during the entire process.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has arrested 41% more undocumented immigrants this year, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained by CNN. However, deportations have actually decreased by 13% from 2016 to 2017.

“I would like the people of Las Cruces to know that this is happening. If the people in Las Cruces decide this is fine, that they like this process, well, at least they know about it. At least they’re informed of what’s going on.”