POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Outside the walls of the Broward Transitional Facility, nearly two dozen people gathered on Christmas Day with one clear mission.

“To shed light on the fact that so many detainees inside are celebrating Christmas without their families,” Christine Calareso Bleecker of Joyful Resistance said.

People drive by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Pompano Beach every day and “they have no idea that behind these beautiful pink walls is an ICE detention facility,” Calareso Bleecker said.

The demonstration comes as the federal government continues a nationwide immigration crackdown.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that federal agents detained hundreds of undocumented people with criminal records across South Florida.

Demonstrators say detainees are enduring inhumane and cruel conditions and are not receiving proper legal assistance.

“People (who) have student visas, people (who) have working visas are currently being swept off the streets,” John McNeice, with the group Resist Wilton Manors, said.

Calareso Bleecker said, “For so many, they have actually no idea where they are because the system has been designed to literally disappear people off the streets and then disappear them in the system.”

The demonstration lasted an hour. Organizers hope it helps create a lasting impact.

“We’re here in solidarity with them,” Calareso Bleecker said. “Injustice doesn’t take a day off and so neither can resistance.”

Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.