Over 70 protesters gathered along U.S. Highway 40 in front of the Safeway in Fraser on Jan. 31 in peaceful protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in communities across the United States.

The Jan. 31 demonstration was organized by the Grand County Democrats, and some attendees said this was their third weekend spent in protest of ICE since the death of Renée Good, the 37-year-old Colorado-born woman fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.

Between moments of raising signs and cheering back at honking cars, attendees conversed among themselves, sharing their reasons for joining in the protest. Many commented on their discontent with policies of the administration of President Donald Trump beyond the issue of immigration enforcement as motivation for being at the event that day.

“In the 60s, we were demonstrating against the Vietnam War, voting rights and women’s rights,” said attendee Carlene Roberts, who lives part-time in Grand County and in Wisconsin. “And now, all those things we accomplished in the 60s and 70s are being lost.”

Her husband, Cameron, whom she met at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shared her concern about the potential loss of human rights for the younger generation. The couple has six granddaughters, they said, and part of their reasoning for joining the protest was to protect their family’s future.

“We can get voting rights back and women’s rights back, but if we keep damaging the environment, we can’t get it back,” Cameron Roberts said. “And I worry about what that means for younger people and for our grandchildren.”

Fraser Valley local Charlotte Perry said there were “too many reasons” for her participation in the protest. She was a lifelong member of the Republican Party, she said, until Donald Trump became president. Now, she is a registered independent voter.

“This administration got me into activism,” she said. “It’s the one thing I can do, because I feel pretty helpless. It’s just heartbreaking what’s happening.”

At one point during the demonstration, former school board candidate Carlos Galindo drove by, holding a megaphone out the window of his vehicle and expressing his opposition toward anti-ICE sentiment. He repeatedly yelled directly at attendees, calling them “geriatric” and telling the group that “no one supports them.”

Despite the disruption, the protest remained peaceful. Chairperson Liz Newsom of the Grand County Democrats said the event was intended to be nonpartisan and to bring together activists across party lines.

“These protests are not about partisanship; they are about values,” Newsom said in a Jan. 31 press release from the Grand County Democrats.

The Grand County Democrats are hosting a two-part speaker series focused on immigration rights and law amid the ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement.

The first event is a “Know Your Rights” presentation on Thursday, Feb. 5, via Zoom and will be led by Michael Dougherty, Boulder County district attorney and a candidate for Colorado attorney general.

The second event, “Immigration Basics in Challenging Times,” is a nonpartisan lecture on immigration law scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Fraser Library Urban Community Room with speaker Ron King, a Denver-based immigration attorney and part-time Grand County resident.

Community members can request meeting links and register for upcoming events by emailing info@grandcountydems.org.