This system retains monitor of immigrants at numerous levels of the immigration course of and releases people again into their communities whereas their courtroom hearings proceed.
Critics of ICE’s operations say that focusing on immigrants who’re cooperating with authorities is misleading. At Friday’s protest, District 5 Metropolis Councilmember Peter Ortiz characterised the federal administration’s actions towards immigrants as “home terrorism.”
“They’re focusing on residents, law-abiding residents, for nothing greater than merely not having papers, for not having citizenship. That’s disgusting. That’s issues that we see in fascist governments, and it’s occurring right here in our very personal yard,” Ortiz stated.
On Friday, Ortiz additionally issued a memo asking his metropolis council colleagues to approve allocating an extra $1 million within the upcoming metropolis funds towards emergency assist for immigrants and undocumented residents, along with the $500,000 Mayor Matt Mahan allotted in a draft funds.
“It’s already obvious from these final two weeks that ICE exercise has been rising. We’ve seen greater than ten folks detained final week; we’re seeing extra detained this week. Our neighborhood can’t wait. Our gente can’t wait,” Ortiz stated.
“They’re underneath assault, and it’s town’s job to be sure that the folks of town of San José are protected, no matter their citizenship.”
In an emailed assertion, an ICE spokesperson appeared to push again on the characterization of the arrests by advocates, however declined to supply specifics concerning the folks arrested.
“These arrested had executable closing orders of removing by an immigration decide and had not complied with that order. If you’re within the nation illegally and a decide has ordered you to be eliminated, that’s exactly what is going to occur,” the assertion stated.
The supervision program “exists to make sure compliance with launch circumstances. All unlawful aliens are afforded due course of,” the assertion stated.
District 2 Metropolis Councilmember Pamela Campos, who represents the world the place the protest befell, stated town of San José is gorgeous as a result of it was constructed on the energy of a various immigrant inhabitants.
“And so each single day that we’ve got a federal authorities, a federal administration that tries to problem that, that tries to threaten our immigrant neighborhood, we’re going to rise up and combat again,” Campos stated through the protest.
Dozens of volunteers and activists held indicators outdoors the USCIS workplace that learn “No Deportations!” and “ICE out of San José.” They chanted slogans like “Get up, combat again,” and “Si, se puede.”
The protesters then marched from the USCIS workplace down Blossom Hill Highway to proceed their motion outdoors a neighborhood ICE workplace, with automobiles honking all alongside their route.
The group entered the workplace constructing that homes an ICE workplace, which was closed, after which exited.
They then rallied outdoors of Chavez Grocery store on Blossom Hill Highway, the place ICE brokers had been reported to have been conducting arrests earlier within the week in unmarked vans and automobiles.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong, who represents District 2 — the best focus of immigrants within the county — thanked the protesters for talking up for individuals who can’t converse for themselves.
“It’s harmful proper now on this present political local weather, towards the backdrop of federal laws which is unduly burdening immigrants and focusing on immigrant communities,” Duong informed KQED. “These are of us who say, ‘We is not going to again down. We are going to shield our neighbors and our mates and our neighborhood members.’”
Uriel Magdaleno, an organizer with the Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, stated a part of the objective of protests like these is to encourage native residents and activists to “out-organize ICE” via efforts like barrio walks.
“What we search to do is go door to door, letting folks know of their rights, passing out ‘Know Your Rights’ literature, participating with the neighborhood,” Magdaleno stated.
“Letting the neighborhood understand how they’ll rise up towards ICE — how the neighborhood can intimidate ICE as a substitute of ICE intimidating us.”
