Hunter
07/30/25
Members of the West Liberty and Muscatine communities marched towards the US District Court Building in Cedar Rapids Tuesday to protest the deportation and detention of two residents.
The Gazette reports Pascual Pedro of West Liberty was deported earlier this month, while Noel Lopez of Muscatine remains in the Muscatine County Jail following an arrest last month in Washington County stemming from a traffic stop a year earlier.
A press release from Escucha Mi Voz, who organized the protest, encouraged participants to bring cans of food as a symbolic protest against government cuts to food assistance and Medicaid while increasing spending on immigration enforcement.
Faith United Church of Christ in Iowa City’s pastor Ryan Downing spoke at the rally, accusing the government of being on a “racist campaign” that they’re funding at the expense of the poor and underprivileged.
Protesters who went to speak with staffers in the offices of elected officials Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst and Ashley Hinson were met at the door of the Federal Building by security, who told them only five people would be allowed to enter. The staffers were asked to come outside to speak with the protesters, but they said they didn’t feel safe in doing so.
A spokesperson from Hinson’s office told The Gazette her office received an email from Escucha Mi Voz organizers the day before the protest and offered to schedule a meeting with them but did not receive a response. A spokesperson for Grassley’s office also stated that his staff agreed to meet with family members of Pascual and Noel.
Escucha Mi Voz plans to join several immigrant families as a “protective accompaniment” when they have their US Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in appointments next week.