Community members numbering around 100 convened in front of Lake Worth Beach City Hall on Monday night, holding a vigil for the children affected by the recent ICE arrests that have seen their parents taken away. One high school student, Sophia Rodriguez, spoke at the event about the pain of her father's deportation after nearly three decades in the U.S. She told WPBF, "At the end of the day, I’m still a kid. And there’s a lot of kids still affected by it."
In what was described as an emotionally charged evening, attendees lit candles and some laid flowers, while others held signs protesting ICE's actions. One of the teenagers present, referred to as Sindia, expressed a chilling fear that children should not have to encounter, as reported in the same WPBF piece, "A 5-year-old shouldn’t be afraid to go out and come home to a busted door that was knocked down, screaming for their parents just for their cries to be ignored."
This gathering was not just a demonstration of shared grief but also an act of solidarity. According to Mariana Blanco of the Guatemalan Maya Center, a significant number of children in Lake Worth Beach alone have been left without one or both parents due to ICE arrests. As detailed by WFLX, among the crowd were students like 16-year-old Davey, who is constantly haunted by the possibility of losing her parents to sudden enforcement actions.
The Guatemalan Maya Center plays a key role beyond organizing vigils such as this, by assisting families with reunion processes and making sure affected children can maintain some semblance of normalcy in their educational environments. Blanco explained to WFLX that their support extends to connecting children with teachers, school counselors, and caregivers in the wake of these life-altering arrests. Echoing these sentiments, Michael Burke, Palm Beach County School District Superintendent, reassured the community that schools remain a safe haven, a counter to the fears stoked by the threat of deportations.
Rodriguez found solace in the gathering, saying, "It’s beautiful that they did something here for people that are going through this, because nobody ever knows what people go through," she told WPBF.
