LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As the federal government shutdown stretches on, demonstrators gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Little Rock, calling for the federal government to prioritize social welfare programs like SNAP over immigration enforcement.

Chants of “Fund SNAP, not ICE” echoed as a small crowd stood in the rain, holding signs.

“We are here to stand in solidarity with immigrants in our community, who are being terrorized by ICE,” said Greg Moore, one of the organizers of the demonstration. “That means children will go hungry. Many Arkansans rely on these benefits, and this will be extremely damaging to families.”

Moore said the group intentionally began the protest around 3 p.m., claiming that is typically when buses arrive to

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