While sitting in class, 15-year-old high school student David saw a social media post about immigration officers arresting people around his neighborhood in Overland, Missouri
“I had gotten really scared,” said David, whose father was deported when he was younger. “Fear and anxiety shooting through the roof.”
Worried for his community, he decided to organize a protest with the help of his friends. Local organizations reached out to provide David with resources such as people to lead the protest and extra hands to protect the crowd. On Jan. 25, nearly 200 people came to march in Overland in support of immigrant rights. The protestors oppose deportation efforts and say it is a violation of human rights.
“I want to see what I can do for the community. But really just, I want freedom for the people,” David said.
The protest flier was first shared by Voice of the People News, an independent news source operating in St. Louis. The flyer was later endorsed by six other community organizations including the Occupy SLU Coalition at Saint Louis University.
Protestors started gathering on the corner of Marlowe Avenue and Woodson Road around 1 p.m. As more people filled the streets, Overland police officers blocked streets and redirected traffic.
More protestors joined the march as it continued through Midland Boulevard. Diana Cervantes, who graduated from SLU in 2022, chanted with the crowd as she pushed her baby in a stroller.
“We decided to come out because this is an issue that’s very close to [our] heart and even if it [does not] affect us directly, there’s still no reason why you shouldn’t be supporting and having empathy and compassion for people being ripped away from their families,” Cervantes said.
The protestors marched towards Overland City Hall where they stopped to give speeches in English and Spanish.
Kelly Lu, an organizer with the Community Liberation Network, helped organize the protest because she is scared for her family members who don’t speak English.
She said one of her family members, who has legal status, was stopped and interrogated by an ICE officer on St. Ann. She has since told her family to carry their passports with them out of caution.
“It just puts a lot of fear in my community and fear for the people in my neighborhood who might be separated from their families,” Lu said. “This random interrogation shows that they’re literally driving around racially profiling people and targeting anyone that they think could be an immigrant.”
Lu’s concern of racial profiling is not unfounded, as there have been reports across the country with similar encounters of U.S. citizens being questioned or detained by federal officials.
Immigrant advocates are spreading “Know Your Rights” fliers and social media posts to educate people on how to safely interact with immigration officers. Advocates in St. Louis have also advised residents to be detailed when reporting any ICE sightings to prevent chaos.
On social media, local organizers also encouraged Missouri residents to speak out against two anti-immigrant bills introduced in the state legislature: SB 72 and SB 58. The Missouri Senate heard testimonies about SB 72 which incentivizes Missourians to report on any undocumented immigrants for a reward of $1,000. SB 58 would encourage states to work together for border security and would fine $10,000 to any undocumented person who enters Missouri.
Dozens showed up at the committee hearing on Jan. 27 to testify in opposition to the bills. The hearing was extended until Tuesday, Jan. 28 and as of Jan. 30, no decision has been made.
As the Trump administration ramps up deportation efforts, David said he will continue to protest.
“I would love to sit down one day and make laws so that people like my father can walk around freely, with no worries,” David said.
President Donald Trump signed multiple anti-immigrant executive orders on Jan. 20, including the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” which instructs government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security to increase the deportation of people without legal status.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has yet to communicate how many people they have detained in the St. Louis area.
The same organizers have scheduled an “Immigrants make America Great” protest on Feb. 1.
