Bobbi Althoff Joins Immigrant Rights March After Family Friend Detained By ICE

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Bearing these problems in view, here is podcaster Bobbi Althoff at a major march for immigrant rights held in Los Angeles, giving a story about the detention of a family friend by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Hundreds assembled to make their voices heard against illegal actions of the federal government in last-minute protests organized by the Immigration Defenders Law Center. Althoff’s teary testimony gave a face to the constitutional violations caused by these dreadful policies; such violence undoubtedly kindled a parliamentary debate even across driveways.

A lone podcaster added her voice to the chorus of hundreds chanting for justice in Downtown Los Angeles. Like most of the participants, Bobbi Althoff carried a burden deeply personal to her heart at the We The People Rising March and Rally. She spoke openly about a close family member being taken from, a Home Depot and believed to be detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center. “I’ve always been passionate about this – but today it’s different,” Althoff said to the organizers. “I’m angry.”

Together with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, the organizers made sure that Althoff was able to tell, in gory detail, her witness of seeing someone very close to her and somebody she loved taken away, even though he had no criminal record. Althoff spoke of going to the facility and seeing her friend somewhat “a little defeated in spirit” after what he had gone through. As they put it, this was the outstanding picture of “the heartbreaking reality for thousands of families across Southern California.”

The rally was called so as to become a rallying point for public pressure against recent ICE maneuvers and the immigration policies of the Trump presidency. They harnessed the fury of this massive crowd, turning it toward action while providing resources to those affected by immigration enforcement. It stood for the mounting hue and cry against federal immigration maneuvers that have almost become synonymous with the mass separation of families in the area.

With Althoff’s participation, the online world was split on public opinion about immigration enforcement. Many questioned the circumstances of the detention, one stating: “If he was there so long and working and living a normal life…he would’ve had lots of time to apply for citizenship. Why didn’t he?” This side spoke the usual refrain about the ways of legal immigration.

The tone of others was very menacing: “…Come legally or be ready to face the consequences,” one stated. “80 million voted for ICE. Deport em ALL!” The other added with a very polarized debate on immigration. The commentaries became a miniaturized national conversation, almost with no middle ground between the extremes on either side.

Supporters of Althoff’s activism showered praise on her and expressed gratitude for her “showing out for our community.” Other comments speculated on the actual sincerity or timeliness of Althoff’s involvement, with one doubter positing she is “losing relevancy so she’s gotta hop on the bandwagon of what the current hot topic is.” Thus, the semi-split welcome again proved that celebrity involvement in political causes always draws both adulation and scorn.

Her statement pierced many hearts because they viewed immigration enforcement as one that impinged upon real people with lives already entwined in community life. The words of hers about someone “just living his life” before being thrown into detention struck a chord with those pushing for softer immigration laws. Yet, to others, this very story only cemented the argument that enforcement of immigration laws needs to be tougher regardless of individual situations.

Adelanto remains a hub of complaints and investigations concerning detainee conditions and treatment. Since the facility’s curse upon it in the eyes of immigration advocates has practically been lifelong, it is, thanks to its being sited in the middle of nowhere, far enough to discourage any effort by family to drop in for a short visit upon a detainee, making difficult times for lawyers seeking out their clients. Althoff’s grim experience of being denied the near impossibility to see her friend only validated these systemic issues further.

Because of how such personal stories tend to dignify individual faces out of otherwise abstract policy discussions in the current war around immigration, it is with such narratives that one watches with dread as a human being he knows gets taken to detention. It is still a big question whether the goodwill accruing to such horrific experiences will ever be enough to convert the bitterly divided country into working policy.

The Los Angeles march is the testimony of the continued grassroots resistance to present-day immigration enforcement methods. For people such as Bobbi Althoff, the refugee issue has metamorphosed from a politics abstraction into the profoundly personal. As immigration policy keeps changing under this administration, the injured parties and sympathizers refuse to disappear. Much like the march, so does the conversation. Gia Giudice and Sonja Morgan have also been involved in recent public events, while NBC’s The Voice coaches and Reba McEntire continue to make headlines.

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