May 17

May 17 Cathartic

Chicago, Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

By now, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s story is well known. Originally from El Salvador, Garcia was returned to his native country by the Trump Administration, where he was “disappeared” into the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Undoubtedly the U.S. courts would find confinement in that maximum security prison to be cruel and unusual punishment if the facility were located in the United States.

Subjecting Garcia to unfathomable cruelty was the whole point behind shipping him to a prison in a foreign country noted for its inhumane conditions. Moreover, the prision’s location means Garcia is unable to consult with his family or his lawyers. Clearly the Trump Administration has violated Gracia’s rights to due process—intentionally so.

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court ordering the Trump Administration to correct an acknowledged administrative error by using “feasible” means to return Garcia to the United States, Trump has refused to take any corrective action to undo the administrative error. His refusal is nothing but racism personified.

Today, 75 people held a demonstration on Garcia’s behalf outside of ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Chicago field office located at 101 West Ida B Wells Drive. Walking south on Clark Street, I was shocked when the ICE field office came into view. The demonstrators lined the sidewalks immediately adjacent to the building. When I have covered past demonstrations at the ICE field office, the Chicago Police Department had kept the demonstrators at a distance from the building.

No worries today. At the corner, the organizers had cordoned off an area for the speakers, who delivered fiery remarks pertaining to Garcia’s deportation and more generally to the Trump Administration’s migrant policies. The demonstrators showed no signs that they intended to rush the building’s entrance or vandalize the facilities. Given that today was a Saturday, I would not be surprised if the front door was locked.

I unfortunately had an appoint with a veterinarian later in the afternoon, so I could only stay twenty minutes. I wasn’t troubled by my inability to stay for the entire demonstration. The demonstrators, who were squeezed together, were anything but photogenic. I didn’t see any television cameras, and I saw no subsequent reports in the print media or on the web.

The organizers may have hoped for press coverage, but at the end of the day, this demonstration served two other purposes. First, building community among the demonstrators. Second, giving the demonstrators a cathartic experience. Each person present could show their anger at and dismay with the Trump Administration, particularly with how it treats migrants.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]