Government

Week of Action announced to resist municipal and regional ICE agreements

ICE’s 287(g) agreements set to expire on June 30th Activists are calling for a “Week of Action to #ShutDownICE” from June 23-29th. The Week of Action is timed with the June 30th expiration of United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) 287(g) agreements across the country. Organizers are calling on municipalities and law enforcement agencies to refrain from renewing these

Rhode Island News: Week of Action announced to resist municipal and regional ICE agreements

June 6, 2019, 8:27 am

By The FANG Collective

ICE’s 287(g) agreements set to expire on June 30th

Activists are calling for a “Week of Action to #ShutDownICE” from June 23-29th. The Week of Action is timed with the June 30th expiration of United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) 287(g) agreements across the country. Organizers are calling on municipalities and law enforcement agencies to refrain from renewing these agreements and cut ties with ICE after their expiration.

287(g) agreements with ICE allow law enforcement agencies to question people about their immigration status, detain people on immigration charges and carry out the duty of ICE officers. Currently, 80 law enforcement agencies in 21 states have 287(g) agreements with ICE. Every year thousands of people are detained and deported by ICE through the 287(g) program.

In May, ICE announced an extension of the 287(g) program called the Warrant Service Officers (WSO) initiative. It allows participating agencies to arrest and detain people who have been issued warrants by ICE, even if local measures aimed at limiting the power of ICE in the area, such as “sanctuary city” policies, are in place. 10 counties in Florida and Georgia have already signed up for the new program.

“With 287(g) agreements expiring across the country, and with ICE attempting to expand the program, now is the time to take action and end 287(g) and defend our communities from ICE’s violence,” said Arely Diaz of the FANG Collective.

The FANG Collective, a direct action and community organizing group based in Rhode Island, has been organizing to end 287(g) agreements between ICE and Sheriff Departments in Massachusetts. The campaign has focused on the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department which is led by Thomas Hodgson, a close ally of President Donald Trump.

In August, 2018 four members of the FANG Collective were violently arrested after peacefully blockading the entrances of the Bristol County House of Corrections in solidarity with hunger striking ICE detainees being held at the facility. One FANG member, Holly Stein, is currently serving ten days in jail for their role in the action, the other three people who took part in the action are going to trial in July and are potentially facing jail time.

“We can only hope to change the world by staring injustice in the face and forcing ourselves out of our comfort zones,” said Stein. “As walls are built and people are caged it is our obligation to stand in solidarity with the most active impacted people to that they know we see them and that their voices are heard.”

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The FANG Collective is encouraging people to visit ShutDownICEnow.org for more information about their campaign and the Week of Action.

From a press release.