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200 gather to protest mass deportations and call for immigration reform

Around 200 people gathered in Jonesboro to protest mass deportations and call for immigration reform on Highland Drive on Saturday, Feb. 1.

On a sidewalk outside the former Turtle Creek Mall, a large group gathered to peacefully protest against executive orders signed by President Donald Trump aiming to crack down on illegal immigration and begin mass deportations.

Karina Figueroa, a former employee of the Paragould School District, attended the protest to represent her students and their families.

"I have a lot of families that are scared at this moment. They are scared to send their students to school. The parents are scared to go to the grocery stores," Figueroa said. "They're reaching out to people like us who do have citizenship status. We are their voice today."

Figueroa said the immigration system is broken and needs to be reformed. Another protester, Esmerelda Mejia, said immigrants and their families deserve a chance.

"We are so afraid of our family not coming home on a regular day. We just want a chance for them to become legal," Mejia said. "Our immigration system shouldn't take that long."

Similar protests gathered nationwide and in the state, including on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol building.

A 2019 graduate of Sheridan High School, Robinson graduated from A-State with a degree in multimedia journalism in December 2023. In January 2021, while working toward her degree, she was named sports editor for The Herald, A-State’s student-run newspaper.