Above Photo: From Mynbc5.com
Hundreds march through rain to oppose detention centers, family separation
WILLISTON, Vt. —
Hundreds marched through the rain Sunday afternoon to protest outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Williston.
The demonstration was put on by the combined force of dozens of local activist groups including Women’s March Vermont, Migrant Justice and the Peace and Justice Center.
“If you’re taking children away from their mothers and leaving them in a room with no one to care for them, you need to quit your job,” said Bob Fishel, of Burlington.
Fishel said he felt compelled to oppose ICE after reflecting on his Jewish heritage.
“We need to combat this because we want there to be people left to speak for us so we are going to be here and speak for the immigrants everywhere,” he said.
The federal facility, located on Harvest Lane, serves as a communications and data hub for the agency.
Will Lambek, a member of Migrant Justice, said many undocumented farm workers in Vermont have become targets of deportation.
“This isn’t just something happening elsewhere,” Lambek said. “Our immigrant neighbors are also being criminalized, targeted, detained and deported.”
The protesters called for migrant detention centers to be shut down, the practice of family separation to be abandoned and for Vermont law enforcement agencies to cease cooperation with federal immigration officials.
A small group of counterprotesters arrived outside the facility early to stand behind the agency and their work.
“My only goal today is to show ICE that there are people who support them and other law enforcement,” said John Virginio, of Lincoln.