You may see an immigration-themed rally in Marine Park this evening.
Local progressive activists are protesting President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Obama-era immigration policy known was DACA, or Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals.
The Alaska wing of Our Revolution, an advocacy group borne out of Bernie Sanders’ Democratic presidential run, is organizing the 5:30 p.m. rally at Marine Park.
“They say justice is what love looks like in public,” said volunteer Malena Marvin. “This time of year, Marine Park is a place a there’s a lot of people are around, and it’s a good place to sort of make a statement and share love with fellow community members in a way that is visible and can be seen by a broad swath of the community.”
The DACA policy let certain immigrants who came to the country illegally as youths apply for protection from deportation and work permits.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called DACA “unilateral executive amnesty.”
Marvin said that doesn’t reflect Alaskans’ views.
“We just want to show that the immigrant youth who are in the DACA program and live in Alaska have support, have broad support in our communities,” she said. “We value immigrants and we value the contributions that these people are marking to our state’s economy, and our state’s culture. We want to be really clear that Trump’s position does not represent the prevalent views of people in Juneau and around the state.”
Marvin said she expects the event to be low-key without organized opposition.
