The iconic Statue of Liberty came into the limelight on Fourth of July because a woman tried to scale the monument. She wanted to register her protest against Donald Trump's controversial US-Mexico border policy that has separated children from their parents. The protester was removed after a group of people were arrested for unfurling a banner at its base.
Sky News reports that there have been a number of protests since the authorities responsible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the border began to separate children from their parents.
They were attempting to cross over the Mexican border illegally and it resulted in the separation of thousands of children from their families.
Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom
The protesters chose Independence Day to register their protests against the background of the Statue of Liberty because both represent freedom. There was an action group, Rise and Resist, that organized a protest at the iconic monument. In the opinion of one of its members, Leon Kirschner, ICE should be "abolished" because it was "a threat to our liberty and way of life." They criticized the border policy and the method employed by ICE to detain people, especially children, at the border.
That's probably why the woman attempted to scale the Statue of Liberty.
It happened after seven people were arrested for unfurling a banner that said "Abolish ICE." Incidentally, due to the uproar about the issue of separation of children at the border, the president has already signed an executive order to stop the practice.
The woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty
The woman who decided to register her protest at the Statue of Liberty has been identified.
According to the BBC, she is a 44-year-old immigrant from DR Congo, and she was believed to be protesting the zero-tolerance policy on immigration. Before she came on the scene, a number of people belonging to an activist group were arrested for holding a protest at the venue. The protest was against ICE and the implementation of the border policy.
The actions of ICE targeted undocumented immigrants and separated the children from their families. It was revealed that the woman was associated with the activist group.
Fourth of July was a holiday and tourists had arrived at Liberty Island, Sky News reported. But they had to be evacuated due to the protesters and the long stand-off with local and federal authorities. The statue is a national monument and a symbol of American acceptance of immigrants. Attaching any item to it is strictly prohibited.
