Emily Blanco, 5, daughter of Ruth Blanco of Asheville, holds a “No more raids!” sign at the Dec. 18 immigration protest in Asheville.

A recent immigration raid in which 12 workers — allegedly in the United States illegally — were arrested at Shogun Buffet in Asheville triggered a Dec. 18 protest in downtown Asheville.

Despite chilly weather, the midday gathering drew about 100 people to the Vance Monument area in Pack Square.

The program began about 35 minutes late and featured several speeches. Then, the contingent marched around the downtown streets, chanting “No more raids” and various other slogans. Among the signs they carried were “Justice for the Shogun 12” and “ICE out of our communities.”

The marchers paused twice — at Pritchard Park and at the Buncombe County Courthouse.

Among those present at the protest were some of the arrested workers, including Audencio Diaz, 23, of Asheville. He marched with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. The Guatamala native was a cook at Shogun and, in various media reports, expressed fear about how he will provide for his family. After being jailed in Hendersonville for four days prior to his release, Diaz will face a deportation hearing in Charlotte at an as-yet-undetermined date.

The Dec. 1 raid of the Brevard Road eatery was staged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Some protesters said the raid ran counter to a recent Obama administration policy change focusing immigration enforcement on criminal activities and threats to the public.

The protesters were asking for an end to deportation hearings against the Shogun 12 and for humane immigration reform.

Of the 12 arrested, nine have posted a $2,000 bond each, allowing for their release from the Henderson County Jail, which is the local ICE holding center. The remaining three workers are being held at the regional ICE facility in Georgia.

An elected official attending the protest rally — and marching — was Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell, who told the Daily Planet in an interview, “I think our immigration laws and immigration enforcement is misguided. There are people who have waited 15 years to move through our immigration system.”

Bothwell, who also is running for the seat now held by Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, added, “There are people who want to work and jobs needing to be done. We should speed up the process ....

“Give green cards immediately,” he said. Bothwell then slightly modified his answer to say that green cards should be approved “as soon as possible.”

He also called for “a reasonable fast-track to full citizenship.” On the critical side, Bothwell said, “Something should be applied against employers who violate the law — not the workers. He also said that, “in this raid,” the workers should have been issued a “warning” before being arrested.

“Illegal workers are usually willing to work cheapr because they do not have legal recourse” with their employers, he said.

As for contentions that illegal workers are taking jobs away from American citizens, Bothwell said, “Farm and restaurant jobs are available to Americans (too). They should go apply” for those jobs.

“The truth is, there haven’t been enough U.S. workers who want to work on farms and in restaurants,” Bothwell added.