Despite the snow, a local activist group took to the street Monday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration over a southern border wall.
Carrying signs with messages such as “No to a Fake Emergency” and “No Emergency, No Wall,” about two dozen members of Greater Haverhill Indivisible rallied at White’s Corner near Market Basket. Catherine Waldron of Haverhill explains why she came out.
“I came here because I am so angry that our president is trying to take decisions without going through the process of working with our elected representatives, and our democracy is supposed to work that way,” Waldron says.
Waldron says people may disagree about whether a wall should be constructed between the United States and Mexico, but the normal political process still must be followed. Retired teacher Jean Sanders says she was happy hearing horns honking in support, but also with the diversity of people who stood out in the cold.
“It’s an important day to be together, and these are people who work through the city on different projects,” explains Sanders.
Organizer Demet Haksever says the president’s order is unnecessary because Congress is already acting. “They are providing funds for 65 miles of barriers, technological improvements….so we don’t think there is any emergency at all. We don’t need the wall.”
Trump announced the emergency Friday, surprising Democrats and Republicans alike. The order, which is expected to face legal challenges from California and other states, would take $8 billion from various programs and instead pay for 230 miles of barriers along the Mexican border.