Phoenix-Eloy immigration march nearing last steps
Apr 4, 2014, 2:17 PM | Updated: 2:17 pm
PHOENIX — An immigrant rights march known as “The Trail to end Deportation” will reach the finish line on Friday.
Members of the Puente Human Rights Movement were walking through Coolidge, Ariz. Friday afternoon as part of a 60-mile march that began on Wednesday. It started outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Phoenix and will end at a detention center in Eloy.
Puente organizer Carlos Garcia talked about why the group is walking.
“Some of the families are trying to draw attention to the separation that they’re going through,” he said. “They’re asking for their family members to get out of detention, for ICE to release them and to stop the deportations.”
Garcia said the walk has been very encouraging for him.
“The last couple of days have been tiring, but they’ve also been inspiring,” he said. “People have been getting to know each other. We’re able to tell stories. We’re stopping along the way with people that are sympathetic and want to hear what’s going on.”
Supporters have been periodically walking with the group. Garcia said that about 30 walkers are with the group in Coolidge, but he expects that number to grow as they get closer to their destination.
The group plans to arrive in Eloy by Friday night. They will sleep in front of the Eloy Detention Center before holding a rally there at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
