Just four days before the first march, Karen told her brother, “We should do something for the community.” Victor wasn’t so sure. “Those things take a long time to organize,” he replied, not imagining that that conversation would change everything.
Two days later, Karen posted a simple announcement on Instagram: a call for to protest in downtown Asheville against Donald Trump's immigration policies.
That night, when Victor saw the post, it already had more than 150 likes.
They were not prepared for what followed. They were expecting 40 people, but hundreds showed up.
The pamphlets they printed were not enough, nor were there enough voices to lead the chants. In the midst of the crowd, Karen and Victor realized that they had started something much bigger than they imagined.
Fueled by the success of that first protest, they organized a Second march in Asheville.
The response was even bigger, cementing them as youth leaders in a city known for its diversity but also marked by the constant threat of deportations under the second Trump administration.
Raise your voice and fight for the rights of those who cannot do so
Karen and Victor live in Hendersonville, a city in western North Carolina, in a historically Republican county with a large immigrant community.
There they grew up watching their mother work in the apple harvest, facing the difficulties of being undocumented. That experience, coupled with the political context, led them to speak out.
“We wanted our community to be heard,” explains Victor, who, together with his sister, decided to use social media to amplify the voices of those who are afraid to speak out.
They created the Instagram account “Asheville Immigration Alert"and within a few days, they had more than a thousand followers.
In this interview with Enlace Latino NC , share how their parents' story and the impact of immigration policies led them to raise their voices and fight for the rights of those who cannot do so.
ELNC: Being children of immigrants does not always translate into political activism. Where does your interest in social justice and immigrant rights come from?
Victor Quebrada Perez (VQP): A lot of our influence came from social media. Our parents came here to work and live; since they can't vote and don't have certain rights, they were never very interested in politics in the United States. For us, on the other hand, seeing everything that happens in the country on TikTok or Instagram was a revelation. There you find out about the laws, the policies, and the injustices. I would say that's where our inspiration comes from.
ELNC: Seeing Trump's policies against the migrant community is one thing, but deciding to speak out and organize a protest is another. What motivated you to take that step? How did you make that decision?
Karen Quebrada Perez (KQP): It all started a few weeks before. It was just a small idea. I was telling my brother, “We could do something for the community.” But we weren’t sure what or how. A week before, I told him, “We should organize a protest.” Victor replied, “Those things take a lot of time and effort, we’re not sure people will show up.” But I insisted, “We should at least try.” Finally, we posted it on Instagram two days before the event, not knowing what was going to happen. We didn’t know if anyone was going to come or if it was going to have any impact. We thought that if 40 people showed up, we would be happy, because at least we would be supporting our community.
Related: They launch the first Spanish radio station in Asheville
The power of youth in the migrant struggle
Neither Karen nor Victor wanted or imagined becoming the face of a youth movement fighting for the immigrant rights.
“We just wanted to help organize something and spread the word,” they say. That's why they decided to create an anonymous Instagram account, calling it “Asheville Immigration Alert.”
In just a few days, they gained more than a thousand followers. They posted about the first and second protests there. “We only made one post, and people started sharing it. It was surprising to see how quickly the community responded,” they say.
ELNC: Karen mentioned how the idea of the protest came about, but what was it like for you, Victor? What did you think when you saw the post on Instagram? How did you react when you saw that it was starting to have such an impact?
VQP : Well, like Karen said, I wasn’t sure at first. I had told her that it would be better to plan it out properly, because usually these things take time to get organized. I didn’t know that she had already posted it. That night, she came into my room and said, “Remember you told me not to post it yet?” I said yes, and she said, “Well, I already did.” When we checked, the post already had over 150 likes. That’s when we realized that it was having an impact. The two of us started sharing it from our personal accounts and asking our friends to share it too. It grew unexpectedly and a lot of people started joining in.
ELNC: The number of people at the two marches was unexpected. Everyone was surprised by the response. And you? What was it like to see so many people responding?
KQP: We were really proud, actually. We weren't expecting that many people. When they started arriving, we were so proud, both for ourselves and for the community. We were impressed by how they came to support each other and show that we are there for each other.
ELNC: During the first Trump administration, resistance to his immigration policies was led primarily by established organizations. Now, it seems that young people are taking the lead from the grassroots. How do you feel about being part of this change?
VQP: I remember the fear during the first Trump administration. It felt really bad, to be honest. But this time it was different because we saw on social media that a lot of young people are doing the same thing. We can organize on social media, with a post, and it makes it much easier to connect with the community. Also, we think that, being young, we have time. Even though we work, they are part-time jobs. After school or doing homework, we still have the energy to do things like that. And like my sister said, we had been talking about this before and we thought, “We should do something.” We wanted to be that initial force, we didn’t want to wait to see if someone else would take the initiative. So we decided to do it ourselves, with no experience or anything. We just did it, and when we saw that people responded, it motivated us even more.
ELNC: What are your plans for the future? Have you thought about creating an organization or continuing to do this type of activity?
KQP: My brother and I thought about creating a non-profit organization to help immigrants and the Latino community. We want to show the importance of Latinos, what we bring to this community and to this country. That idea was there from the beginning. First it was the protest, but we always thought of something bigger. We would love to create an organization that helps the community and also teaches young people the importance of speaking up. We want other young people to see that they can do something, even if they are young like us.
ELNC: What is the most important message you want to convey? Not only to the Latino community, but also to those who do not speak Spanish or are not familiar with their reality.
KQP: We want to show the importance of the Latino community and everything we bring to this society. With the protests, we want to show that we are not here to do harm or cause problems. That is why the marches were peaceful, so that they see that we just want our voices to be heard.
We also want them to understand that we are here to contribute and to improve our lives and the lives of our families. We are not here to harm anyone or cause problems. We want people to see that immigrants, especially Latinos, are an important part of this community. We just want to be treated with respect and have our voices heard.
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Who harvests your apples?
In Hendersonville, North Carolina, the apples They are not just part of the landscape; they are the heart of the local economy.
This county produces more apples than any other in the state, generating about $ 22 million annually But behind every fruit harvested there are immigrant hands that work from sunrise to sunset.
For Karen and Victor Quebrada Perez, those hands have names close to home. Their mother and uncles have spent entire seasons harvesting apples in Hendersonville, facing the difficulties of being undocumented in a county that historically votes for the party with the harshest policies against immigrants.
“There is a lot of field work here and many people don’t realize who is behind it all,” explains Victor.
When they started planning the first march, one of the first ideas was to make a sign that said: “Who harvests your apples?” .
They wanted people to think about who is behind the products that reach their tables every day.
“Our mother has spent many seasons picking apples… some people only see undocumented immigrants as criminals, but to us, they are our families, humble people who just want to work,” Victor recalls.
The Quebada Pérez brothers are certain that they will continue to raise their voices to fight for the rights of their parents, their family and, above all, for a society that recognizes, rather than punishes, the migrant workers who bring food to their tables.
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