Amid signs vowing to fight the deportation of immigrants and criticizing the policies of President Donald Trump at a rally was one held by a young man putting the effort on a highly personal level.
Signs and Mexican flags were held throughout the crowd. Some of the signs read, “No Raids, No Deportation,” “People United Will Defend Immigrant Rights.” “The People Will Defeat Trump’s Far Right Agenda” and “Know Your Rights.”
There was also one held by Jose Ocampo of Waukegan which read, “My parents fought for my future, now I will fight for theirs.”
Born and raised in Waukegan, Ocampo was educated in its public schools, graduated from Waukegan High School in 2020 and now works in the community earning a living and paying taxes. His parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico and remain undocumented.
“My parents came here and did everything for us,” Ocampo said. “They made a life here. They worked hard. Now my job is to help them because they’re undocumented.”
Ocampo was one of more than 300 people who rallied for immigrants’ rights and marched two miles together with a police escort carrying signs of support and protest Saturday in Waukegan criticizing the president’s deportation efforts.
Organized by Lake County leaders of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, party organizer Alithia Zamantakis said after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began their blitz of arrests in the Chicago area a week ago, it was necessary for people to take action.
“People have to know their rights and demonstrate,” Zamantakis said. “We have to hold Trump accountable. If we don’t, after they come for the immigrants, they will come for the rest of us. We have got to keep coming.”
Aviva Levine, another member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation said he was demonstrating because along with making an effort to deport people from the United States, Trump’s policies are hurting many other people, too.
“Trump’s far-right agenda is hurting working-class rights,” Levine said. “He is attacking DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). He’s attacking transgender people. What we’re doing in Chicagoland is making it harder on ICE.”
As the rally started, Julii Upright, another organizer, led the crowd in a variety of chants critical of Trump’s immigration policy. The crowd waved their signs and flags while responding to Upright’s prompts.
“We say, ‘we want justice,’ you say, ‘no justice, no peace,’” Upright said.
After a few choruses of that, the crowd chanted “no justice, no peace” numerous times, as well as “end the deportation now,” “enough is enough,” “peace to the people” and “all power to the people.”
Jordan Esparaza of Waukegan praised those in the crowd for participating and making their voices heard. He told them to take their activism a step further, bringing it into the voting booth on Feb. 25 and April 1. He was clear about his choices in the upcoming elections.
“Get involved,” Esparaza said. “See what people are running and learn about them. (One person) is trying to divide people against each other. That’s not my choice. That’s not what we need in our community.”
With dozens of signs urging people to know their rights, Giselle Rodriguez, the executive director of Illinois Workers in Action, urged people to know their rights and communicate those entitlements to others.
“Do not open the door unless ICE has a warrant signed by a federal judge,” Rodriguez said. “Once you open the door, either in your car or home, it allows them to enter. Be silent. You don’t have to talk to them. You have the right to an attorney, get one.”
Brandon Jaimes, another leader of the party, said many people arrested by ICE when the raids started on Jan. 25 and 26 had no criminal background. He criticized Trump’s policies, including the spending freeze implemented on Jan. 27 and his halt to foreign aid. He sees class warfare.
“With the new Trump administration coming into office, serious attacks are being waged against our immigrant communities,” Jaimes said. “We will not let Trump’s war on immigrants go uncontested.”
