On Feb. 9, UNC Asheville students gathered around lit candles at UNCA’s Reed Plaza for a vigil honoring people who have been killed or injured by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or died in their custody. The vigil was held as both a memorial and a call to action against ICE. The event organizers from Unidad Sin Fronteras, UNCA College Democrats, Student Action Coalition and UNCA Young Democratic Socialists of America stepped up to give speeches to attending students.
“I fear every day that, for any reason, simply because I’m Hispanic, I could be murdered by ice,” Marcos Martinez, the president of YDSA said in his speech. “These are people with lives, with love, sadness and joy.”
For Martinez, the vigil was both political and personal. Martinez said as a Hispanic person, what has been happening in the country recently is nothing short of horrifying.
“I’ve realized how much my body doesn’t matter to some people, and how much the bodies of people who look like me don’t matter,” Martinez said. “I want to make it known to people that this is who I am, that this is violence that my people are experiencing, I may experience and people I know have experienced.”
Martinez said he feels immigrant communities are what make this country beautiful and they deserve to be more than just victims of violence in the eyes of the United States.
“What I want to be known is that your Hispanic friends and your immigrant friends need you right now. They need to know that you’re standing with them in what is very clearly an authoritarian, racist takeover of our country,” Martinez said. “Going and posting on your Instagram story is something, but standing in solidarity and helping out those who need help when they need it is what we truly need.”
In his speech, he spoke about how ICE has personally affected people in his life. He said a family friend of his, Willy Aceituno, had his car window smashed by ICE agents, was dragged out of his car and scraped against the pavement.
“Knowing that this happened to someone that I know, that my family knows, is heart wrenching. He is a citizen. It makes me think, what is the difference between him and my mom? What’s the difference between him and me? The answer is nothing,” Martinez said.
Martinez said that the issue has been growing exponentially over the past year and that he has been afraid to go out and show his face. Martinez explained that he is a loud activist and his face is seen a lot because of it.
“I will state these beliefs as much as I need to but It’s also terrifying. I worry for myself, and for my family,” Martinez said. “I always have to be looking behind. As a person of color, I’ve already been fearful of police, but ICE is just another added layer of fear for law enforcement.”
Martinez said the most important thing he can do right now is keep being himself and speak up for those that cannot speak up for themselves.
“My culture is beautiful, my people are beautiful, my people are strong and my people overcome great hardship,” Martinez said.
Martinez ended his speech by listing 12 names of people injured by ICE agents, 8 names of people who were killed by ICE agents, and 19 names of people who died or committed suicide while in ICE custody.
“This is how we are going to go from being frustrated and feeling hopeless to having a plan of action,” Chayton Hall, president of UNCA College Democrats, said during his speech at the vigil. “We have been told one narrative by the current administration that does not correspond with reality.”
Hall said he feels it’s important for students to show up to events like this to help people affected by ICE actions to feel less scared and isolated. He said he feels the vigil is an opportunity for the campus community to take their frustration with the state of the world and get involved.
“There’s a lot going on in the country. I think there are people who are really scared or angry, and I feel having community outlets for those emotions is going to be really important moving forward,” Hall said. “It creates unity on campus to make sure that people know that they are there for each other.”
Hall said people need to participate with their community, protest and hold power accountable, emphasizing that the way to hold administration accountable is by voting.
“The story that is being told is not the same as what is being shown in those videos,” Hall said. “The fact that we have to film to get evidence of these killings is frankly unacceptable, but it’s also the reality that we live in.”
Jay Agrinsoni, Secretary of Unidades sin Fronteras, said because she is Hispanic, the event hits home and she attended the vigil to show support for her community.
“ICE is not keeping our people safe the way it should,” Agrinsoni said. “This vigil shows that there is a community, it shows that people care and we’re not alone.”
Agrinsoni said it’s important for the community to know that there are others around to support them. She said her hope is that people come to these events to show that ICE’s actions are not accepted.
“As a Hispanic person it makes me feel unsafe. There’s been many times where I haven’t gone outside because I was scared of what might happen,” Agrinsoni said. “I’m scared for my family and scared for myself.”
Neely Rogan, UNCA Democrats Vice President, said she thinks ICE has gone too far and organizing the vigil is a way to bring attention to the problem and to recognize the people who have experienced violence from ICE or died in their custody.
“I think people need to keep protesting,” Rogan said. “People need to remember that when we come together, we’re stronger, and eventually, something’s going to change.”
