Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Feb. 1, 2025 – Around 200 peaceful protesters lined Highland Drive Saturday afternoon calling for immigration reform and the end of mass deportations.

President Donald Trump has signed numerous executive orders aiming to crack down on “illegal immigration” and begin “mass deportations.” There have been increased reports of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids across the country. The move has spread fear among undocumented immigrants across the country.

KY 3 News reported that ICE detained two men in northwest Arkansas in January, however, there have been no verified reports of any detentions in northeast Arkansas.

Vanessa Hernandez, one of the coordinators, said she saw several protests happening in different cities, so they decided to host one in Jonesboro. Hernandez said the protest had been planned for about a week.

“I thought it was a great idea for all of us to come together and organize something like this for our voices to be heard,” she said. “I want my voice to be heard. I was afraid, yes, I was afraid, but it didn’t stop me from doing this.”

Hernandez added that she didn’t think many people would show up, but seeing the large community support was “emotional.”

Esmerelda Mejia, a protestor, said immigrant families “deserve a chance” to stay together. She said while immigrants who committed crimes need to be held accountable for their actions, many undocumented immigrants are “great providers,” and the process of becoming a legal citizen takes too long.

“They’re at this point; they’re just taking everybody whether they’re good or bad. Most of them are great providers and we would like for them to have a chance,” Mejia said. “There’s people that’s been here 30, 40 years illegally and we would like to see if they would do something for them to become legal. Becoming legal shouldn’t take years.”

Karina Figueroa, a former Paragould School District employee, said she attended for her students.

“I have a lot of families that are scared of this moment. They’re scared to send their students to school,” she said. “The parents are scared to go to the grocery stores. They’re reaching out to people like us who do have a citizenship status, and we are helping them, and we are their voice today.”

A gallery of photos from the protest is below.