About 200 protesters in Brockton took the streets on Monday just like others in more than 40 major cities in the United States as part of “A Day Without Immigrants.” The boisterous Brockton crowd, including one protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty, was organized by a group called the May Day Coalition.

BROCKTON – They were waving flags of Ecuador and Mexico, and calling for an end to deportation in Brockton.

“Hey hey, ho ho, deportation's got to go,” the crowd in Brockton chanted, before switching it up. “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”

Scroll to the bottom to watch a Facebook Live video of the Brockton protest.

There were no significant labor strikes or boycotts like in other places around the nation, but about 200 protesters in Brockton took the streets on Monday just like others in more than 40 major cities in the United States as part of “A Day Without Immigrants.” The boisterous Brockton crowd, including one protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty, was organized by a group called the May Day Coalition.

“What we really want is for people to stop stereotyping and profiling certain groups of people, especially in this political climate, when people have negative things to say about the immigrant community,” said 25-year-old Natalia Guerrero, a member of the organizing committee for the event and a volunteer with the Coalition for Social Justice. “My entire life, I’ve grown up with undocumented children in Brockton. There’s no way I think they are less Brocktonian then I am.”

This is the second event held to support immigrants in Brockton within the last month, following another City Hall rally in early April. That first event was also held to support state Rep. Michelle DuBois, D-Brockton, who faced backlash for sounding the alarm about a rumored immigration enforcement raid in the city, and her warning for undocumented immigrants to “stay off the streets.” DuBois attended each of the rallies.

Both events have been sponsored by labor groups and other organizations like the statewide Coalition for Social Justice, Brockton Interfaith Community and the Latina Women Association of Brockton. But the latest pro-immigrant protest was much larger than the first, which attracted around 50 people.

"In Brockton, there hasn't been an event like this one,” said Ines Figueroa, director of the Latin Women's Association. “An event ... with many people marching to demonstrate to the city of Brockton, the city councilors, the mayor, and to the many racists that reside here, that here, there is a community of immigrants. That here, we can. That we are here, and that we deserve respect.”

The event was attended by first-time Brockton mayoral candidate Jimmy Pereira, who is the son of two immigrants from Cape Verde.

“We need to do our best to dispel the idea that every immigrant who comes here is a criminal,” said Pereira, who works as a transportation and community planner. “They don’t want to be coupled with criminals. They want a better future for their offspring. ... We need to work to help our immigrants. They too want to be American. It’s our civic duty to get them there.”

Guerrero, the organizer from the May Day Coalition, said the Brockton “A Day Without Immigrants” demonstration was a success. Guerrero noted that there were many tireless youth participating in the Brockton rally, and that they were inspiring others with their passion.

“I think the event was really important,” Guerrero said. “Brockton’s youth was extremely motivating. It was a lot of good, positive energy. ... This specific event wasn’t to support any strike or boycott. It was more so to show support to the immigrant community in Brockton, and to make our voice heard here.”

Look below to view a Facebook Live video of the Brockton protest.