MONITOR
We Need to Pay Attention to Organizations Shutting Down ICE
Whether it’s a detention center or concentration camp, the goal is clear: disruption
Last week, a judge in Houston dismissed misdemeanor charges (contingent on community service) against five Jewish protesters with Never Again Action for blocking Emancipation Avenue near Casa Sunzal, a year-old Southwest Key nonprofit detention center that houses unaccompanied teenagers. The protesters, who had organized an Aug. 12 action in honor of Tisha B’Av, the Jewish holiday of mourning, could have received up to six months in jail.
Their dismissals come on the heels of a newly released report that found over 50,000 immigrants are currently in custody — 10% in detention centers run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 20% in state and county jails, and the rest in private-run detention centers. Under President DonaldTrump, ICE, as well as Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), have only grown in power and magnified their terrorist tactics. What’s more, widespread abuse in ICE facilities, according to a report by RAICES, continues.
Protesters physically block entrances and exits to buildings in order to temporarily shut them down.
