On Nov. 2 from 6 to 7 p.m., several DU students and faculty gathered at the GEO Immigration Detention Center in Aurora, Colorado to lead a vigil and protest in solidarity. The goal of the protest was to raise “awareness about detention, depression and a broken immigration system amongst the Latino community and our allies,” said junior Adrian Nava, vice president of Latino Student Alliance (LSA).

The vigil and protest received a lot of support from various members of the community.

“We had about 50 DU and University of Colorado Denver students participate in the vigil. [There was also] support from faculty, staff and community members. There were roughly 100 people in total,” said Nava. “Some important Spanish news chairs were [also] there, like Univision, and we were able to share stories of people who have been in detention before, due to documentation statuses in the U.S.”

According to Nava, there was no direct progress made from the event but Nava believes it helps push awareness.

“Although there is no immediate progress that is made by attending the vigil, it does bring the community together in solidarity and allows for people to talk about their experiences and what we can do to move forward. It also allows for consciousness from people on what they can do in order to see a measurable change,” said Nava. “Although we might not see changes in legislation after one or two vigils, we see generations of progress and shifts in attitudes from community and noncommunity members.”

Nava said previous vigils and protests have had a tremendous effect on his life, as well.

“It was at a vigil and protest that I first realized I wanted to be a lawyer,” said Nava. “I am now in my third year at DU and have worked exceptionally hard in order to make sure that I’ll be accepted into top law schools and create direct change in Colorado.”

For more information, visit DU LSA’s Facebook page. LSA meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Driscoll Suite 1880.