BATON ROUGE — Multiple protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations took place around the capital area Saturday.

One of those protests took place in Gonzales, with protesters meeting in front of Ideal Market, where border patrol agents detained an individual several days prior.

“It’s important to represent that we are citizens despite our color, we’re tired of being racially profiled, and honestly, why are we hiring more ICE agents instead of bettering our system?” Leslie Barro, a protester, said.

In Baton Rouge, protesters rallied in front of the state capitol building, calling for transparency from officials.

“One of my biggest concerns with this operation is that people in Baton Rouge do not know what’s happening in our streets. The community thinks this is only happening in New Orleans, Gretna, and Kenner, but the reality is our own community members in Baton Rouge are suffering,” Protester Marcella Hernandez said.

The protests featured people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

“We’re not surprised by the turnout because we know how upset people have been about the violence of these raids and arrests that are happening. We know people are outraged, and that’s why they’re here. They want to show support for their immigrant community members, for their neighbors and friends,” Protester Jade Woods said.

Many protesters told WBRZ that there is a lot of fear being felt by the Hispanic and Latino communities.

“Seeking safety is not a crime. These people just come to this country because they’re either in danger or going through extreme poverty in their country. If you were to be living in that poverty, you would do what you have to do like everybody else,” Protester Yasmin Garcia said.

WBRZ reached out to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office for comment. It said that Murrill supports operations by border patrol and that law enforcement has to cooperate.

Earlier this month, Murrill sent a statement to WBRZ, saying that anyone who interferes with federal immigration agents will be “prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

WBRZ also reached out to spokespeople with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a statement. It has yet to respond.