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Protestors demand ICE to be abolished following deadly shootings across U.S.
Demonstrators gathered in downtown Phoenix to demand the abolition of federal immigration enforcement. The protest follows two fatal shootings involving agents in the past week. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen reports.
PHOENIX - Demonstrators gathered in Downtown Phoenix to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), marking the third such demonstration in Phoenix within the past seven days.
What we know:
Protesters are demanding that the federal agency be abolished. They are also calling for the arrest and prosecution of the officers who opened fire during recent vehicle stops.
More than 50 people gathered at Civic Space Park in downtown to protest the recent deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo from Houston and Johan Sebastian Duran from Maine.
"Things that we have to follow when we go overseas, and we're fighting an actual war, none of that is being followed right now by ICE," said Ricardo Reyes, the executive director of VETS Forward.
An organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation stated that the nation's immigration system needs to be reformed.
"We're here to demand full legalization for every single person that comes to this country," said Lexsiri Coronado, an organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Big picture view:
The demonstration comes a day after the federal agency paused traffic stops following the deadly shootings. President Donald Trump ordered the agency to continue the vehicle stops, calling them an effective crime-fighting tool. Under the directive, officers were told they can conduct traffic stops if at least one officer wears a body camera.
Reyes questioned the efficacy of having only a single officer equipped with a camera.
"There's always the excuse of oh I forgot to turn it on, oh it malfunctioned, so unless there are multiple cameras at every single stop, where multiple people are being held accountable, I don't see how just saying at least one person is going to have it on is going to help," Reyes said.
What they're saying:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on July 16 that more than half of the agency's field officers have body cameras, and the remaining offices will receive them within 60 days.
"Our law enforcement professionals, God bless them, are arresting criminal illegal aliens across the country, including those convicted of the most heinous and violent crimes," Leavitt said.
Tom Homan, who serves as the border czar, noted the necessity of the practice during field operations.
"You can certainly arrest the alien when he parks the car when he gets to where he's going but there's going to be situations where they need to do vehicle stops," Homan said.
Dig deeper:
Protesters maintained that both political parties share blame for ongoing deportations.
"We're here not just to fight against ICE, but we're here to fight for a better world," Coronado said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, assaults against federal immigration officers are up.
What's next:
A Phoenix ICE building was hit by gunfire this week and the incident is currently being investigated by the FBI.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Ricardo Reyes, Lexsiri Coronado, President Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt, Tom Homan, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI.