‘Close the Camps’ protests take place across nation, including Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - More than 180 protests took place across the country Tuesday in relation to how migrants seeking asylum in the United States are being treated along the border.

In Lubbock, more than 30 protested outside Rep. Jodey Arrington’s district office. “We’re here to try and ask Jodey Arrington to vote against the camps where these people are being kept who are undocumented immigrants,” said James Kuehl, one of the organizers of Lubbock’s protest. “[They’re] trying to get here safely, the correct way, the legal way, are being blocked, and are being forced into dangerous, unsafe means of getting here.”

The protesters asked to close the camps and defund family detention centers. “If nothing else, it creates a group of people who know each other and who know that we all feel the same," said Kuehl. “Some of the people who drive by may see that other people feel the same as well.”

Congressman Arrington wasn’t in attendance, but protesters did leave a letter at his door, letting him know of their requests.

Arrington released a statement to KCBD Tuesday afternoon on the protests and on his colleagues across the aisle in Washington.

“It’s outrageous to compare our immigration detention facilities to concentration camps where people were tortured and mass murdered, as some in Congress have done in recent weeks. The border patrol and other officials are doing the best they can with what they’ve been given. That’s why I supported a $4.6 billion emergency relief package last week to add more immigration judges, support our state and federal border security officials, and ensure detainees receive adequate and humane care.”

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