LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla— — More than a hundred people showed up to First Congregational Church in Lake Worth Beach Friday night with one message; the treatment of detained children and families is simply inhumane.
“I think the U.S. is an incredible country, it’s a beautiful country, but we’ve had our hand in a lot of political conflicts and we are partly responsible for some of the violence that some of these folks are escaping and it makes me incredibly angry,” said Flose Boursiquot.
Boursiquot fled Haiti with her family when she was 8-years-old.
“I definitely felt welcomed and this is why stuff like this breaks my heart,” said Boursiquot.
She has spent years channeling her frustration into poetry, which she read to the group gathered at the Light for Liberty event.
“I’m here because I believe in the power of pray and believe a group of people coming together for one cause is incredibly powerful,” said Boursiquot.
The event was one of thousands held throughout the country Friday at 7:00 p.m. including a similar one in Martin County.
“When you deal with a human being it doesn't really matter what the circumstances are,” said Holocaust survivor Max Heppner.
Heppner says he recently became outraged after learning about the conditions described by elected leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who is known to have compared the detention centers to concentration camps.
“We don’t want camps of any kind regardless of who is putting them up or what the justification is there is no justification for putting people in camps,” said Heppner.
As many gather to call for changes to the immigration system, those who join together not only look to raise awareness but also find strength in numbers.
“ I feel almost not quite obligated but I feel like it should go help others who are now facing some of the same things that I’ve faced and my race has faced,” said Angel Wilson.
The event lasted 2 hours and was over by 9:00 p.m. As of now no other events are scheduled in the coming week but many in attendance said they are praying for everyone involved in scheduled ICE raids expected to begin Sunday.