On June 24, 2013, over 80+ people and I marched down to the Suffolk County Detention Center. Claiming immigrant rights and justice for criminalized immigrants, justice was to be served. Or at least that is how we all saw it. Filled with events in honor of deported immigrants, our job was to raise awareness to the public about the impacts these un-justified acts have. While this was only my second vigil, the eventful day was became a rather remarkably inspiring, moving, and poignant moment for me. Filled with passionate activists and supporters, the words expressed moved me.

Never had I seen such passion come together over such a significant cause. From revolutionary songs to guitar strings, to meaningful chants, I was moved by every detail of this event. However, my heart sunk the most not when we were making noise for all of Boston to hear, but when we began having dialogues with convicted immigrants, themselves. Innocent, unwillingly convicted, and stuck in those gates, as we came to find them, they banged on the windows, wrote on those windows, waving their arms from left to right to signify that they were with us in our fight.

I was moved. I was touched. And it felt so good to be in dialogue with them. While their status is the only thing liberating their freedom, they used the little freedom they had beneath those walls to communicate, to translate a message to their supporters albeit us. It was beautiful. So what do we do now? What do we do today? Keep their faces and their movements on our minds, and keep fighting for justice to be heard. Their voices. Their innocence. There may be progressive measures taking place in the State and Senate, but it is our responsibility to decriminalize their statuses and help them reunite with their families. It is the only just thing to do. So let us continue to fight, sin barreras!

Reflections from Boston’s Not1More Deportation Week of Action.