LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Dozens of people gathered on the streets of downtown Lexington to protest new executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, including one against birthright citizenship.
“You might not like us. You might not want us. But you’re gonna respect us," exclaimed one of the protesters as they marched the streets. The protest against ICE and advocating for immigrant rights began at the Fayette County Courthouse Sunday afternoon. The group marched and chanted, holding up signs all across the downtown area. All for united in a time that feels unclear.
“The word illegal. Illegal immigration has a negative stigma. No human being is illegal. There are citizens here in Kentucky and the whole nation who is undocumented," explains Luz Elena Farias, who migrated to the States when she was 11 years old and now works as a registered nurse.
“We are protesting the mass deportation that's going on. We believe that all people are here to provide for this country. We believe that immigrants are what make this country great," explains a protester named Moss.
The order Trump signed denies U.S. citizenship to the children of parents living in the country illegally.
According to Trump, the executive order will not grant a child citizenship if a mother doesn't have legal immigration status or is in the country illegally or temporarily. As well as if a father is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
“An undocumented population is not made up of gang members, rapists or criminals that come here to break the law. It’s hard working people who have built our cities, our states and our nations," explains Farias. “Looking blonde or [having] blue eyes — you’re immediately a target for discrimination for racial profiling. So we’re standing up because it’s not fair that they treat us like we are disposable. We have built cities in the states in the country. Now, we’re treated like criminals. We’re not criminals, we’re families. We are the companies.”
“I want to show people that you are nothing without us. We make up more people in this country than they think and without us America will fall," said Moss.
“What I would like to see happen is for President Donald Trump to do what the Democrats didn’t do for 35 years for all undocumented immigrants who have been here for 10, 20, 30 years. I want the DACA recipients to be freed from the loop of renewing their permits every two years and create a clear path toward citizenship," Farias emotionally calls out.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump's birthright citizenship order because they believe it's "blatantly unconstitutional."
