It may be the beginning of something like what this country saw in 2006, when millions of immigrants took to the streets in peaceful marches to demand reform to the country’s broken immigration system.

Across the country this summer, immigrants and activists are beginning to organize protests and high-visibility responses to the wave of immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In Providence, Rhode Island, hundreds of immigrants and activists protested in front of ICE offices after the arrest of some 30 immigrants employed as maintenance workers in state court buildings. By 8 p.m. on July 15, a crowd had gathered and quickly swelled to 200 people.

Website Immigration News Briefs published an account of the Providence protest on July 20:

News of the raids spread rapidly as courthouse workers phoned relatives, friends and community leaders, who in turn called other supporters through a phone tree. By 8pm, activists and community members—including relatives of those arrested in the raids—had begun an emergency demonstration outside the ICE office in Providence. Young people ages six to 16 led the chanting, according to an email from activist Shannah Kurland. The protest quickly swelled to more than 200 people at its peak. Participants included clergy and at least one state representative, Grace Diaz.

Police officers arrived and the situation became tense; the crowd divided and protesters rushed to doors at the front and rear of the building. Witnesses said demonstrators sought to block ICE vans from taking the workers to detention centers. The police pushed a line of protesters across the parking lot. (ABC 6 News 7/15/08, 7/16/08; Providence Journal 7/16/08, 7/17/08; ...Patrick Crowley report on Daily Kos 7/15/08]

Rhode Island state police participated in the raid, which is not surprising given an executive order signed by Governor Don Carcieri in March—the order deputizes state police with certain immigration enforcement powers, and also requires that all state contractors and employers verify the status of their workers.

In Colorado, immigration advocates promised a protest at the National Democratic Convention in Denver Aug. 25-28 after raids in Loveland (July 17), Greeley, Westminster, Monte Vista, and Pueblo, Colorado. In Loveland, The Border Patrol’s air branch provided support in an operation that netted 18 workers.

In Postville, Iowa, where nearly 400 workers were arrested in what was the largest immigration raid in recent memory, immigrants, advocates of immigration reform, and Midwestern religious leaders will be present for a rally on July 27. According to organizers, the raid in Postville exemplifies everything that’s broken with the immigration system, and reveals the need for reform.

The day before, Illinois U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, a Democrat, will lead three other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to Postville. The press release states, “aftermath of largest-ever ICE raids leaves employers off the hook & nearly 400 families devastated, emphasizing need for immigration reform.”