Hundreds gather in Greensboro, shut down part of boulevard on Sunday to protest President Trump, ICE deportations

Featured photo: A protest started by two sisters blew up into a celebratory block party on Feb. 2 that took over parts of Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro. (photo by Gwen Frisbie-Fulton)

To watch Triad City Beat’s video documenting the protest, go here.

It started with a simple flyer.

Sisters Jessica and Nancy Villafane were enraged at the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration regarding immigrants — particularly ones that looked like their parents who first came to the US from Mexico in 1999. They had been hearing about the deportation threats and ICE moving into neighborhoods, targeting families.

They wanted to do something. They wanted to keep their family safe.

So at the end of January, the two made some flyers and posted about a protest to take place in downtown Greensboro. The day came, they went downtown and no one had shown up except for three other girls.

But instead of being deterred, they doubled down. They made more flyers, put them up them around town at local businesses and posted about another protest to take place on Sunday, Feb. 2 on TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. And on Sunday at 4 p.m. the protest began.

Over the next few hours, hundreds of people gathered at the intersection of Gate City Boulevard and Holden Road in the city, standing on sidewalks, chanting “Viva México” and singing along to songs blasted through a large bluetooth speaker. By around 5 p.m., law enforcement had shown up to block off the road and allow people to continue protesting safely.

By 7:30 in the evening, the sun had gone down and the temperature had dropped by a few degrees. But that didn’t deter the protesters who continued to show up in trucks, SUVs and sedans, hanging their respective countries’ flags out the windows. Several times throughout the night, a black truck with a makeshift Mexican flag made out of posterboard made its rounds around the block, honking its horn in solidarity.

In the crowd, protester held signs that read “Don’t bite the hands that feed You,” “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “Immigrants make America great.”

With a line built up around the corner and civilians waving traffic through, it was unclear how many of the cars making their way through the intersection were just there by happenstance. But the number of flags, music and honking signified that a majority were there to be a part of the action.

“We had to make a voice and we had to realize that this economy needs us and this country is built on everybody’s backs,” says Jessica, 17. “It’s not just one race.”

The tension between the newly-sworn in Trump administration and immigrants — especially those who are undocumented — has reached new heights as Trump has declared a “war” on the Southern border and initiated ICE deportations throughout the country. While the exact number of people who have been deported through the round-ups is unclear, many immigrant communities are fearful.

“Many of our friends or people online are scared of being deported,” Jessica says. “And we see that they’re forcing their way into houses.”

While the Trump administration has said that it is targeting undocumented people who have committed crimes, reports have found that immigrants who have been here for decades without any interaction with law enforcement have also been swept up in the raids.

“It’s sad because people are building lives here,” Jessica says. “They’re not criminals. not everyone is a criminal. But we can’t walk around the store because we’re so scared someone might call ICE, you know?”

That’s why the show of support has been so touching, the sisters say. When the first posted about their second event, they didn’t expect it to get this big.

“Oh my gosh,” Jessica says. “I was like getting teary-eyed because a lot of people came and I’m glad that we’re not scared, you know? To make a voice for our people.”

Despite the impetus of the protest being one driven by fear, the overall atmosphere of the protest felt more like a block party, a celebration.

Songs blasted through the speaker as teenagers and twenty-somethings bounced up and down and sang along to the lyrics. At one point, a group of close to 50 people huddled together to dance.

The cars also played a part. Many drove through the intersection blasting their own songs and waving their own flags out the windows, often times slowing down to take pictures or video of the protest. While hundreds showed support from the street, they had created their own solidarity brigade.

While a majority of the supporters appeared to be Mexican, evidenced by the flags and the “Viva México!” chants, immigrants from other countries were represented as well.

Flags from El Salvador, Guatemala, and even split flags featuring half of the Mexican flag and half of the American flag, blew in the wind.

“Nobody’s going to be illegal on this land cause everybody came from different places,” Jessica says. “And we need each other for this country.”

The next protest, according to the sisters, will take place on Feb. 23 with the location to be determined. The two said that to find out where and when it will be happening, to keep a lookout on social media.

“I’m just very thankful that a lot of people showed love and care and compassion,” Jessica says. That plays a big part in this country. I’m just very thankful. This has been huge.”

To watch Triad City Beat’s video documenting the protest, go here.