Community rallies for migrant rights after Trump’s victory

About 70 people gathered in front of the Princeton Public Library for a protest organized by Resistencia en Acción New Jersey on Wednesday, November 6, following the re-election of Donald Trump.

Many spoke of their concerns about a second Trump presidency, especially the impact it could have on undocumented immigrants. On almost everyone’s mind was the July ICE raid that… brought in detaining a Princeton man and boosting immigrant rights activism in the city.

Translating for a community member named Andrea, Resistencia director Ana Paola Pazmiño said: “She is a mother. She’s a single mother with a one-year-old child and she’s afraid of what’s going to happen… what’s going to happen to (her) son if (she’s) deported?”

Trump has promised an immigration overhaul that would lead to workplace raids, the use of the US military to carry out mass deportations of millions of people, and the abolition of birthright citizenship.

Speakers called on community members to come together to protect each other. “We had a very sad moment last night,” Pazminho said. “But you know what? It makes us stronger.”

The Rev. Erich Kussman of St. Bartholomew’s Lutheran Church said, “It’s about welcoming immigrants. It’s about welcoming our neighbors. It’s about welcoming people made in the image of God, no matter what rhetoric comes from the top leadership of this country.”

“Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo,” said Jorge Torres, coordinator of the network of national holiday organizations. “We will be saved.”

Torres specifically called on the university and local government to support migrants in Princeton, urging, “We need to continue to work together to protect ourselves, to educate ourselves, to continue to push for Princeton University to recognize that there is a community of undocumented people in Princeton.” of this city, for the mayor, for the neighborhood to recognize that they have to protect us.”

In interviews after the rally, Kussman and Pazmiño urged students to get involved in local organizing in the wake of Trump’s victory.

“Turn it off. Don’t go to class. This is what I would ask you to do. Have a sit-in,” Kussman said. “I hope the university can make more public statements and take action.”

Pazmiño emphasized the solidarity between community members and students, noting, “I think we have a lot in common. We just didn’t see them because we were so isolated.”

Nils Dahlin, a volunteer with Trenton’s Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA), encouraged students to get involved with local organizations. “It’s very important to take to the streets now,” he said. Dahlin noted that he was not speaking on behalf of ESWA.

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Numerous speakers at the rally mentioned the July ICE raid.

“We have to continue to show this message of hope, this message of love, even if it offends the other side, no matter what. When we see our brothers and sisters in trouble; we must stand between this violence. When ICE comes, our job is to put our bodies on the line so our brothers and sisters can be freed,” Kussman said.

Chants included “sin papeles, sin miedo” and “ICE out of Princeton.” The rally was met with occasional critics, including a truck with a Trump flag that honked its horn as it drove down Witherspoon Street.

While speakers condemned Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric, many also highlighted criticism of both major parties over their immigration policies.

Bryce Springfield ’25, leader of the Princeton chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, said, “We cannot expect either side to defend migrants when we have seen first-hand the brutal repression that has occurred in Princeton under Democratic administrations. levels of government.”

Regardless of the election results, Springfield said, “either way they are going to call for militarism on the border, militarism in our communities, with policing and genocide abroad.”

Likewise, history professor Vera Candiani called Trump and the Republican Party oppressors. “In the same way, the Democratic Party is a genocide and an imperialist,” Candiani said in Spanish.

“We’re going to not only mobilize to protect our communities, protect our unions, protect our students who are under attack right now, but also form organizations that mobilize us and unite in the fight against the system,” she initially said. in Spanish.

Springfield called on community members to form a multiracial coalition, saying, “We need to organize in our communities. We have our role. We have the power to fight back. We have the opportunity to reject the division of the working class that Trump wants to see.”

Before leading protesters toward Palmer Square and back to Hinds Square, Pazmiño concluded the rally by inviting participants to attend the next Resistance meeting on Monday, November 11.

Annie Rupertus is the chief news editor of The Prince newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which frequently covers activism and campus governance.

Christopher Bao, Miriam Waldfogel and Charlie Roth contributed reporting.

Please send any corrections to corrections(at)dailyprincetonian.com.