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If their true motivations were to organize troops of angry demonstrators to wave signs, shout chants and sing songs, two advocacy organizations hit the nail on the head with their protest Tuesday outside the federal building in Cedar Rapids.
If it was to gather donations of items that could aid people in need, the results were mixed at best.
But if their intent was truly to secure the release of one young man potentially awaiting deportation and the return of another already deported, their effort was likely a failure.
Protesters supporting Pascual Pedro and Noel Lopez gathered Tuesday in front of the federal courthouse where district offices for Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson are located. (Notably, Hinson’s district does not include Muscatine County, where both Pedro and Lopez resided.)
The event was organized by Escucha Mi Voz (Spanish for “hear my voice”), an organization that organizes immigrants and refugees for social action; and Iowa City Catholic Worker, which provides charitable services to immigrants and their families. Attendees of the protest were given the option to RSVP using EveryAction, a progressive left-aligned fundraising and data collection platform that received over $6 million in payments from the Democratic National Committee in 2024.
Interestingly, the...
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. If their true motivations were to organize troops of angry demonstrators to wave signs, shout chants ...