On Feb. 10, the Linfield University Latine Adelante (LULA) started the spring semester by speaking their minds. Due to the recent political events, which threaten to deport immigrants, they took advantage of their right to peacefully protest.
On Monday afternoon, Linfield students lined Adams Street in downtown McMinnville to protest recent governmental policies that have led to family separations and deportation.
“We are the voice of our immigrant families,” Esmeralda Castañeda Felix, committee chair of LULA, said. “Our parents often come to the States to find us a better life, to succeed and get a better education and career.”
The stated intention of the protest was to show that students and McMinnville residents are willing to fight for the immigrant community by “speak(ing) up for those who can’t,” according to LULAs Instagram page.
“With the new president coming into office for the second time, our fear has risen, fear of family separation, deportation and much more,” Castañeda Felix said. “It’s hard to put into words the fear and uneasiness we feel at this moment in time, but as we stick together, we believe our voices will be heard.”
Even though the Linfield community is small, there was a commanding crowd present at the protest.
“It was powerful,” sophomore Ellie Fernando Campos said. “It was freezing out, but the support we got from the residents of McMinnville warmed our hearts.”
Fernando Campos explained that during the protest, the crowd chanted “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” translating to “The people united will never be divided.”
When these students saw there was an injustice, they spoke out. This constant anxiety fuels their protest and activism.
“We speak up out of fear that our family members will be gone and constantly having to worry about their whereabouts,” Fernando Campos said.
While this protest may have come and gone, there are plans for more protests in the future. To receive updates on protests and other methods of activism, LULA has an Instagram page that posts about its upcoming events and actions.
“It’s the biggest privilege we have,” Fernando Campos said in reference to peaceful protests.
