Protestors have been encamped at the Detroit/Mt. Elliott ICE Field Office (the Rosa Parks Federal Building, in a bitter irony) for the past two days. As of early this morning, all three entrances have been blocked. No ICE officers have been able to get inside.
The demands of the protestors include:
- Closure of this facility
- End to family separation
- Reunification of families that have been separated
- Reparations to those families who have been torn apart
- Abolition of ICE
- Prosecution of those who took part in these separations — acts of genocide
The citizen reporter providing this video, Eric Krawczak, observed that there have been lots of honks as people drive by. Police forces have been restrained so far, issuing only one order to dismiss.
Listen to the video for much more detail, with honks as the background soundtrack.
The protestors invite others to join for solidarity and mutual support.
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2018 · 3:22:31 AM +00:00
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peregrine kate
Statement from #OccupyICEDetroit from a few minutes ago:
Today we shut down the Detroit ICE field office with barricades and bike locks, tents and our bodies.
We shut it down from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
ICE and Customs and Border Patrol Agents could not access the building or parking lot. All check-in appointments, where people are sometimes detained by ICE, were cancelled for the day. We held the line for 6 hours. Then the Detroit police called a police bus and threatened us with arrest (for the third and absolutely final time).
We made the decision to retreat to our tent city rather than take arrests. We didn’t have the numbers needed to keep the office shut down in the face of Detroit Police Department collusion with ICE.
Shamefully, the Detroit Police Department then stated that they would forcefully confiscate our tents and other belongings and throw them in a dumpster if we didn’t abandon our campsite. Despite the fact that the land we were on was federal land and the Detroit police had no responsibility to run us off.
We condemn Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s direction to the Detroit Police Department to side with ICE against the people protesting family separations and child concentration camps. Actively aiding ICE and CBP in their crimes against humanity is a crime.
We remain determined to shut down the Detroit ICE field office on Tuesday. Join us starting at 6 a.m. or whenever you can arrive. The number of people who join us will determine whether our action is a success. This is a chance to affect the lives of Michigan residents being victimized by ICE and a chance to affect national immigration policy. The #occupyICE movement has spread to multiple cities. “Should ICE be abolished?” is now a question discussed in mainstream media.
Thank you to everyone who played a role in this victory. We look forward to fighting side by side with you in the future.