LAKEWOOD – Less than 48 hours after Americans celebrated the nation’s 250th birthday with fireworks, parades and backyard gatherings, a different expression of patriotism unfolded in Lakewood Town Square.
The crackle of a bullhorn echoed across the square as threatening skies sent teenagers scrambling for cover underneath a canopy. The demonstration marked the sixth day of protests following recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that organizers say have left many Latino residents fearful. Only days earlier, they had marched through temperatures topping 100 degrees.
“The rain doesn’t stop ICE,” shouted Rose Marie Varela, 32, one of the organizers. “We don’t stop.”
As the young people gathered to rally, the most striking image wasn’t a protest sign or even the chants that would come. It was a large American flag billowing above the crowd, with a blue crate at its base holding smaller flags representing Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. For many gathered there, those flags reflected their families’ journeys, while the Stars and Stripes represented the country they call home. Varela said the display was carefully planned.
“We decided to actually make the American flag the biggest one in our protest because, at the end of the day, we’re American first,” she said. “Many of us are first generation…it’s okay to be both.”
An honorably discharged United States Marine Corps veteran, Varela said many of the teenagers participating in the demonstrations have struggled to reconcile their pride in the country where they were born with concern for relatives, neighbors and coworkers affected by recent immigration enforcement actions. She believes those identities are not mutually exclusive and said she has encouraged them to embrace both their American identity and their family heritage.
Varela never expected to find herself helping organize daily demonstrations. However, everything changed, she said, after witnessing immigration enforcement activity in Lakewood. While she understands people hold different opinions about immigration policy, she believes everyone deserves dignity and due process.
She said the demonstrations are rooted in the constitutional principles she swore to defend while serving her country. “We pledge allegiance to this flag and its Constitution,” Varela said. “It feels like we’re not being upheld to that allegiance that we pledged.”
All of the protesters interviewed were born in the United States, speak fluent English and many attended Lakewood or neighboring district schools. Demonstrators ranged in age from 13-32 years old.
Preparing Before March
Before the first chants echoed through downtown, the gathering briefly became an outdoor classroom. Gustavo de la Cruz of the Jersey Shore Immigrants Justice Coalition reminded participants that their demonstration would only be effective if it remained peaceful. Rather than delivering a fiery speech, he focused on practical advice, walking protesters through what he described as their constitutional rights and encouraging them to stay calm if they had any encounters with immigration officers.
De la Cruz urged participants to document encounters without interfering with officers, understand the difference between judicial and administrative warrants, and gave them the phone number for the Deportation and Immigration Response Equipo (DIRE), a volunteer network providing legal and community resources.
“We don’t want to create fear,” de la Cruz told the crowd. “We want to create power.”
Among those listening was 17-year-old Moises Mendez, who never expected to become one of the protest’s organizers. Mendez said he initially came simply to support friends before gradually assuming a leadership role, helping organize marches and speaking through the bullhorn.
His parents own a local business frequented by members of Lakewood’s Latino community. Following recent immigration enforcement operations, Mendez said familiar customers disappeared while others hid inside nearby buildings, afraid to venture outside. Watching fear spread through people he had known for years changed his perspective.
“I wasn’t scared to grab the megaphone,” he said. He described organizing the demonstrations as something that grew from concern into conviction.
Among those marching was 17-year-old Kimberly Carpintero, who said she believes many people affected by the recent immigration enforcement actions are too frightened to speak publicly. “For those who can’t speak up, I’ll gladly speak for you,” she said, while pulling out her phone to share a video.
The footage showed workers scrambling to hide after reports that immigration officers were nearby. In one clip, several people climbed into an attic, hoping to avoid detection. “It reminded me of Anne Frank,” Kimberley said quietly.
Those concerns surfaced repeatedly as protesters shared stories of neighbors who no longer felt comfortable reporting to work and parents who worried about being separated from their children following recent immigration enforcement operations.
Many traced those fears to the June 24 enforcement action at Oaxaqueño Supermercado y Piñatas, where organizers said approximately 10 people were detained. Days later, the owners issued a public statement saying they, too, were victims of the situation and asked residents not to direct their frustration toward the business.
“We want to be clear: We did not cause this,” the statement read. “We are victims of this situation.”
The owners said two employees had already been released while promising to provide updates as more information became available. They also urged residents to support, rather than boycott, Latino-owned businesses, saying immigration enforcement operations could affect any business within the community.
Peaceful Demonstrations, Different Perspectives
Although emotions surrounding immigration enforcement have intensified throughout the past week, Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said the demonstrations themselves have remained peaceful. “The participants have been respectful, and our officers have not had to intervene.” He said the department’s focus has been on ensuring the safety of both protesters and motorists as the marches have temporarily affected traffic.
The protesters’ message, however, differs sharply from the position taken by federal immigration officials. Throughout the week, demonstrators questioned whether those detained during recent enforcement operations were receiving due process and objected to what they described as aggressive tactics used during arrests.
ICE did not respond to Jersey Shore Online’s request for comment regarding recent enforcement activity or arrests within Lakewood before publication. The agency’s website says its officers enforce federal immigration law using authority granted by Congress and may make arrests under administrative immigration warrants. ICE also states that individuals taken into custody receive due process through the immigration court system, rejects the characterization that it “kidnaps” people, and says detainees remain accounted for throughout the detention process.
As another week of demonstrations began, those competing perspectives continued to play out in Lakewood.
