San Francisco fourth graders among hundreds marching during 'Close the Camps' protest

Monday, September 16, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As hundreds marched with signs that said, "close the camps, close the camps," fourth graders from Buena Vista Horace Mann in San Francisco joined the march alongside their teachers and some of their parents.

"You're so passionate, why?" we asked.

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Liliana Rodriguez answered, "We want to say that immigrants are sleeping in hard grounds and they sleep on the soil. We want to save the immigrants."
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For 10-year-old Jonathan Espinal talking about the imagery of kids his age in detention centers is personal.

"I feel like they should have a better home and a better life," said Espinal.

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His Mom was once detained in one of these centers: "When I came here, I was in one of those. Do you tell him about that? That's why he's kind of sensitive," said Gisele Licona.



Activists from dozens of nonprofits marched from 24th Street in the Mission District to City Hall, where San Francisco Mayor London Breed reinstated her support to the immigrant community.
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"When it comes to protecting our immigrant communities there are no differences," she said. "We stand strong and we stand proud."

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Around three months ago, the Trump administration announced that it will allow for officials to hold families in detention centers indefinitely while their cases are being reviewed by a judge. John Dennise, the chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party, agrees.



"Well, we have two choices," he said. "We can leave them in the camps while they're adjudicated or we can send them back into Mexico. If we want to give them the due process that people want then we have to keep the camps open."

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the crisis at the border.
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