South Florida rallies for refugees at Mexico border

Thirty community activists gathered at the federal courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale, December 2, to denounce the violent treatment of Central American refugees at the U.S. border. Protesters present demanded asylum for the refugees, the withdrawal of troops from the border and an end to U.S military involvement in the Americas.

The group chanted for an hour on the busy street corner, holding signs that read, “Don’t cage and gas refugees,” “Nadie es ilegal” and “Troops off the border! U.S. out of Latin America!” Once the chants subsided, the group gathered in a circle for a moment of silence and to hear speeches from various organizers.

“The U.S cares a lot about borders when it suits them,” said Tifanny Burks of the Broward Immigrant Justice Coalition, addressing the crowd. “The U.S cares about borders when desperate refugees are fleeing violence, but they don’t care about borders when they invade, bomb and occupy other countries throughout the world.”

The diverse group of activists were united in their denunciation of U.S interventionism in Latin America. They spoke out in solidarity with refugees the world over, from Libya to Palestine. The organizers of the event also meant for it to be a food and resource drive, with people bringing items to be delivered to the refugee caravan.

The rally was organized by several groups in South Florida, including the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Students Working for Equal Rights, and Broward Immigrant Justice Coalition.