Candlelight Vigil in Milford to Honor 'National Remembrance Day for Victims Killed By Illegal Aliens'

A candlelight vigil will be held in Milford next weekend in honor of “National Remembrance Day for the Victims Killed by Illegal Aliens,” according to a Facebook event page launched this week.

The vigil will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Draper Memorial Park, located at the corner of Congress and Main streets in Milford.

The vigil is being aligned with efforts of The Remembrance Project, a nonprofit meant to “honor and remember Americans who have been killed by illegal aliens” and that aims to educate and raise awareness to support American families, according to theremembranceproject.org.

The announcement of the vigil was posted to the Facebook page “Justice for Matt,” which was established in memory of Matthew Denice, Matthew Denice, who was struck and killed by a truck in 2011 while riding his motorcycle. Nicolas Guaman, the driver of the truck who was accused of killing Denice, was found guilty of manslaughter in Worcester Superior Court last May and was sentenced 12-14 years in prison.

Guaman is an Ecuadorian citizen who was reported to have been living in the U.S. illegally; his case also sparked debate locally in regards to a “ Safe Driving Bill” that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. Supporters of the bill said it would make drivers safer because illegal immigrants would have to be trained in the rules of the road and pass written and road tests before getting a license.

But the bill also received widespread opposition, with one Milford resident starting an online petition against it. Maureen Maloney, Denice’s mother who recently traveled to Iowa’s Minutemen 9th Annual Rally and Forum on Immigration, told Milford Patch prior to Guaman’s trial that she was also strongly opposed to the bill.