YAKIMA, Wash. – A group of demonstrators gathered outside the Walmart on Chestnut Avenue in Yakima, calling for a boycott following an incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE detained Emilio Moreno in the Walmart parking lot on Christmas Eve. Moreno is currently held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
Jamie Ortiz, who shared a video of the incident with NonStop Local, voiced her concerns about the situation.
“He’s [Emilio Moreno’s] from Venezuela. His family fled to Colombia to get away from everything that’s happening in Venezuela. So, I believe that us as a community need to stick up for those that cannot speak up for themselves,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz explained that the issue is personal for her, sharing her own experience with ICE.
“My husband was kidnapped by ICE, and we were in the process of his papers in September. They kidnapped him, and they deported him without allowing him the due process to finish our application for his papers,” she said. “We wasted $14,000 to apply for his residency, and that’s down the hole. We have to start all over. And I think it’s probably safer for him to stay in Mexico because it’s just getting worse here.”
Ezequiel Morfin, a former Toppenish city councilmember, also participated in the demonstration and emphasized the need for community support.
“We need community support right now. We need to address, we need to voice our voices, raise our voices, and we need to create more awareness of what’s going on, we should all be embracing our cultures, our traditions. This right here represents who we are, which is that we love our neighbors. We should love our communities. We should be safe,” said Morfin.
Ortiz urged local business owners to take a stand.
“Do the right thing. Stand up for your community. Members that spend their money at your businesses, help them. This is not okay with what’s going on. If you care about your community, kick ICE off your property and tell them they’re not allowed on your property,” said Ortiz.
A Walmart manager stated that their store does not have an official comment on the demonstration. Morfin indicated that the boycotts will persist until changes are made and better oversight is implemented.
