How to Resist ICE
This week has been terrifying in a way that’s hard to put into words. The deluge of ICE arrests we’ve been facing have demonstrated shocking levels of violence, a brazen lack of judicial warrants and due process, and little transparency. ICE attempts to justify these tactics by claiming that they’re targeting criminals when their own statistics contradict this, without even attempting to justify these tactics constitutionally. That is because these tactics are blatantly unconstitutional and cruel. They are intended to scare us into compliance, to scare us into abandoning our neighbors in their time of need, to scare us into abandoning our democracy.
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned this week, however, it’s that being scared doesn’t have to stop us from taking action—we can simply do it scared. This week, Mass50501 helped put together emergency protests in Worcester and Framingham. Communities in Acton, Burlington, Waltham, and more held similar protests. All are asking these cities and the state of Massachusetts to take more aggressive measures to protect our communities against this threat. To see so many of our community members show up with almost no notice to stand up for our neighbors and constitutional rights has given me so much hope that we can stop this.
As I write this, I can almost hear you screaming at me through the screen: “But anonymous writer! How are we possibly going to stop this? What am I even supposed to do? I’m not an immigration expert! Can the state even do anything to keep us safe from ICE?” To help with this, I’ve compiled a list of actions you can take to help resist ICE at the community, city, and state levels—all written by experienced organizers in the field. So, take a deep breath, clear 15 minutes of your time, and take these steps with us, scared or not:
State
Follow our script to call Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and your own mayor or city council.
Sign LUCE’s petition directed at Maura Healey.
Follow Swing Blue Alliance’s call script to call your state senator to support the Safe Communities Act.
Community
Donate or volunteer with LUCE’s ICE watch initiative, especially if you’re multilingual. Can’t volunteer? Save 617-370-5023 in your phone and call to report any suspected ICE sightings.
Donate to the Beyond Bond Legal Defense fund, which helps provide legal and financial support to our community members impacted by ICE.
City
Follow our script to call your own mayor and city council.
Organize your community to help you! Join our volunteer group chat and ask for help getting started to organize your community. We can provide guidance, flyers, protest support, media help, and more. Can’t volunteer? Donate instead.
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