Around 150 students and community members from the University of Illinois and Champaign-Urbana gathered on Saturday for a rally in support of the local migrant community, in response to recent changes in federal immigration policies.
The group marched from West Side Park to downtown Champaign, blocking traffic while chanting and playing music. The event, titled “RESISTENCIA!”—meaning “resistance” in Spanish—was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), the Prairie Liberation Center, and Students for Socialism at UIUC.
Derek Briles, an organizer with the PSL, said the rally was a chance to protest the Trump administration’s policies targeting and deporting undocumented immigrants.
“This country was built by immigrants,” Briles stated. “This country runs on immigrants and migrant labor. They deserve to be here. They deserve to be safe. They deserve to be welcomed, and that’s what we’re here for.”
Protesters chanted slogans condemning recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in cities such as Chicago, while also educating immigrants on their rights. One chant echoed, “Up-up with liberation, down-down deportation.”
The group, led by a red pickup truck, temporarily halted traffic near Champaign City Hall and the Christie Clinic on University Avenue before marching past businesses on North Walnut Street. After about 30 minutes, the protesters returned to West Side Park for speeches from event leaders, who shared their personal experiences with migrant communities.
Jason Farias, a PSL member, emphasized the importance of action over frustration. “We’re not going to agonize,” Farias said. “We’re going to organize.”
The rally concluded with music and community discussions, with Briles highlighting the importance of collective action.
“We can’t just sit at home and complain online about how bad things are,” he said. “You have to take action and make it visible. You can’t let people operate business as usual.”
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