On Sunday, an estimated 30,000 people marched through downtown Salt Lake City during a rally in opposition to immigration reforms proposed in Congress. This was a historic day, as this was the largest public protest in Utah history. This was an amazing event to witness as the sea of people, almost a mile long, marched toward the state Capitol.

There were also about 200 “Pro America Protesters,” mostly comprised of members of the Utah Minutemen, who actively voiced their opposition to all immigrants. These were some of the most ignorant and racist people screaming hate-filled chants like, “This will never be your country,” “Go back to Mexico and work at McDonalds,” “It’s the United States of Americans [not Mexicans],” “Illegals are welcome when they use [the] door my family used,” “Go home then get a visa,” and “Seal our borders now.”

Despite the large number of people and the great tension between the two groups, this was overall a peaceful demonstration. There were many heated verbal exchanges between the groups, but zero arrests were made.

With the help of the millions of other protesters around the country, I hope this rally can help send a strong message to the government that the nation’s estimated 11-12 million undocumented immigrants deserve a chance to live the American dream.

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