Author: Chris Riotta
At least 12 demonstrators have been arrested after shutting down operations at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Columbus, Ohio.
Protestors obstructed the ICE offices in response to the federal agency conducting a series of raids across the state in recent weeks. Earth First!, the environmental group which organised the demonstration along with the American Indian Movement of Ohio, described US immigration policies as a “miscarriage of justice” in a statement to The Independent.
“This family separation crisis, along with refusing asylum to victims of violence and US economic policy, on top of the hundreds of thousands of deported people from the Obama, Trump, and previous administrations, amounts to a massive humanitarian crisis and a miscarriage of justice,” said Madeleine Ffitch, a member of Earth First!.
“These communities are suffering from the actions of the same international players that the eco-defence movement is working to shut down. We’re here to show a united front with those struggling for migration justice.”
The ICE facility where demonstrators held their protest on Monday morning, typically processes undocumented immigrants and conducts “check ins” with migrants throughout the week.
Those meetings can sometimes lead to deportations, as many immigrants remain unsure about their status or legal rights while undergoing immigration proceedings.
Demonstrators raised a sign onto the 47-floor LeVeque Tower which read “ICE ruins lives here,” and held other signs outside of the building calling for the abolition of the 15-year-old agency.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-facility-immigration-migrants-where-shut-down-protest-raids-immigrant-centre-a8439376.html
