SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of people met at Washington Square Park on Saturday afternoon to walk in unison to the Utah State Capitol, saying they hope for change.
Utah March and other groups organized the protest, geared toward immigration rights.
“This is our La Gran Marcha. It’s a march and protest, and so today we are really trying to honor the big march that happened in 2006,” said Avery Singleton, the founder of Utah March who helped organize the event. “Trying to bring attention and awareness to what’s happening, and that immigrants, each and every single one of them, is a person. They’re not just numbers in a statistic and that these laws are actually affecting real people."
Samantha Sepulveda, another protester, explained why she continues to support the cause.
“I really hope we can stop this deportation and being able to separate families. It’s been affecting a lot of our immigrants or a lot of our people that are Hispanics, or maybe all different cultures,” she said.
Abraham Joseph Pal, who was visiting the Capitol, has different opinions than those who were protesting.
“I believe in the system. Come legally, enjoy the system. It takes time, but if you’re really persistent... like any other country,” he said.
VIDEO BELOW: 100+ demonstrators gather for 'Protect Your Parks' protest at Arches
Pal said he spent years going through the citizenship process, which is something he believes in.
“I did what I needed to do, I paid my dues and it’s a great system,” said Pal.
He shared a message of encouragement: “If you really want something, go pursue it. I wanted to come here to the United States. I believe it’s a beautiful country."
Regardless of people's political opinions, they both spoke about connecting with others.
“Just to have that community and to know that we are not alone,” said Singleton.
And Pal shared a good reminder to always be kind.
“You know, we are all brothers, and we are all connected to each other,” he said.
