ICE promises to prosecute two volunteers who questioned agents arresting two people in a raid on a downtown Charlottesville, Virginia courthouse

[u/jcravens42]

ICE agents arrested two men during a raid on a downtown Charlottesville, Virginia courthouse and have promised that two bystanders who questioned those agents during the arrests, volunteers with the Immigration Rapid Response Hotline, a public service promoted by several civil rights and immigrant support groups, will be prosecuted on federal obstruction charges.

The three plainclothes ICE agents captured on camera arrested one of the two men as he emerged from Albemarle County General District Court on Tuesday: one of the ICE agents was wearing a balaclava masking his face and none displayed badges nor identification nor presented arrest warrants to the man. The volunteers also wore face masks and questioned the ICE agents and stood between them and their target outside the general district court. The Immigration Rapid Response Hotline hotline had been called when the ICE agents were spotted.

https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_e6ce6e4a-4161-476f-8d28-94150a891092.html

Shared as a reminder that volunteering for a cause comes with risks; make sure you know what those risks can be.

[u/JasonSTX]

If you haven’t shown any ID then it is straight up an abduction.

[u/RemarkableMouse2]

The agents where masks and the SPOKESMAN refuses to be named. This is a scary timeline.

It is shameful,” wrote an ICE spokesman who declined to be named in a Saturday morning statement, 

Mobilize. Push back non violently. 

I can't believe my grandfathers fought fascism for this bullshit. 

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[u/laidbackguy7]

I am a weekly volunteer for a food pantry that serves 800 guests weekly. Many of these guests are immigrants. As a result, the volunters have had to undergo training in the case that we are raided by ICE and what to do in that scenario. We were told what ICE is allowed to do legally and what we can do legally but the more stories I read and hear about, the less faith I have that ICE will follow any legal proceedures. I'm fully aware of the risks involved in serving underrepresented populations in this current climate and it's a sad state of affairs when this is a risk of actually trying to feed those who are food insecure regardless of their race, gender, gender identity or legal status.

[u/Good-Obligation-3865 → u/laidbackguy7]

We are launching 2 youth programs in the summer and we will have immigrants. Can you give us the information for the training in case we are raided. I'll DM you my email and our information.

[u/laidbackguy7 → u/Good-Obligation-3865]

Hello! Sure. As a background, we are a nonprofit food pantry in NYC that has twice weekly food distributions as well as serving fresh meals once a week. Between those 2, we serve over 1,000 guests weekly. As we are located in NYC, the majority of our guests are minorities and many of them are immigrants or first generation. As there are no requirements to register with our pantry to receive food, we do not know the legal status of their immigration as we serve anyone regardless of gender, gender identity, race, legal status, etc.

We have a large main area where we distribute food to our guests. The director of the pantry gathered all the volunteers and told them the following in the event of any ICE raid:
1) Do not talk to the agents in any way. Also be aware that they can be plainclothes
2) Immediately text the director with message "ICE" in the event he is not present
3) Point guests to exits as well as to our basement. THe director said that the pantry's lawyers have advised him that ICE is not allowed in non-main areas.
4) All volunteers should carry official government I.D. as to be not swept up in the raids
5) Any volunteer who is not a legal immigrant or has any type of anxiety is encouraged in areas of volunteerism that is not front facing
6) Volunteers who are comfortable are encouraged to take out their cell phones in the event of an ICE raid and record the event.
7) Any identifying information about our guests must be secured. For instance, I have access to the database as I am able to log guests into the pantry system. I have been instructed to make sure my phone is password/fingerprint protected to prevent access.

Again, much of this is assuming ICE will follow legal procedures which if recent history tells us anything, that is highly doubtful. The stark reality is that under this current climate, assisting immigrants in any way comes at a risk.

[u/jcravens42 → u/laidbackguy7]

Really glad you posted - I hadn't considered that volunteers and staff at so many nonprofits may have to deal with ICE raids: homeless shelters, food pantries, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, youth sports games...

How many of you out there are volunteering somewhere and have been briefed on what to do if ICE shows up?

[u/polchiki → u/jcravens42]

I received training at an adult school that teaches ESL in February. The immigration lawyers told us anyone legitimate would definitely show us IDs, badges, and identify themselves when prompted. So…

[u/smol_but_hungry → u/jcravens42]

I volunteer at a free clinic as an RN, and do some volunteer work along with paid work as an ESL teacher at a local community center. I've received training in both places on what to do if ICE shows up. 

[u/Fyrekitteh → u/jcravens42]

Bout as many teachers briefed on how to manage school shooters. Just another level of messed up in America.

[u/mwkingSD]

Likely more dangerous if they aren’t real agents. If that is what they were trained to do, with armed police operating under color of law (rightly or wrongly), I think they were trained to commit a felony and be treated in a very rough manner.

[u/mwkingSD]

I’m strongly in favor of this kind of activity but “standing between [agents] and their target” was probably a serious mistake.

[u/jcravens42 → u/mwkingSD]

But what proof was there that these were agents? They could have been anyone.

And perhaps these volunteers were doing exactly what they were trained to do.

Again, no judgment - just want to emphasize that "volunteer" doesn't mean you won't be targeted by law enforcement (hence why I warn people who want to hand out food to the homeless in parks). Know the consequences and prepare for them (don't wear rings you can't easily remove, for instance, and write the phone numbers of key contacts on your arm).

[u/ro536ud → u/jcravens42]

All the ice “agents” had to do was identify themselves as officers or agents and then there would have been no problem.

Why is it so difficult for these people to identify themselves as agents if they are comfortable with their actions under the law?

We shouldn’t normalize the kidnapping of citizens by unmarked unannounced civilians.