Rochester to hold protest condemning rising ICE activity
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Protesters are planning to gather outside the Olmsted County Government Center in downtown Rochester, Minn., Saturday, to voice opposition to the increased federal immigration enforcement actions that are taking place in Rochester and all across the state.
The protest and march, organized by the nonprofit Isaiah’s Muslim Coalition, will start at 2:30 p.m. It’s one of several protests that have taken place across the country since the killing of Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis last week by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Muad Ali, 18, is one of the organizers. He noted that the protest is being planned by young people, mostly high school students, with the Muslim Coalition. He said it was important for him to speak out against the surge in ICE activity and stand in solidarity with Rochester’s immigrant communities.
“The protest is (mostly) to show that we have each other's backs,” Ali said. “If no one else will, we'll all stand together no matter the fears that we face. We want to get ICE out of Rochester…and we want them to know that we are just as much in this community as they are.”
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There’s been a lot of fear in the community since ICE ramped up operations in Minnesota.
At least eight local restaurants in Rochester are closed or have been forced to reduce their hours this week because even staff members who are in the U.S. legally are worried about being profiled or detained by ICE.
Ali said his friend who teaches students who are English language learners told him that most of her students are staying home from school because they’re too scared to leave the house. And the increased ICE sightings have a lot of people on edge, even those who are U.S. citizens, as he is.
“This is my hometown. I was born and raised here,” Ali said. “And I've seen people that I know getting picked up, like out of nowhere, out of the blue, getting put into trucks where they didn't even know what was going on. It brings most of us down. (We’re) scared to leave our houses, (and it’s difficult) seeing my mother’s face as she’s telling me, ‘make sure you have your passport with you as you’re walking down the street’.”
Ali said constitutional observers and immigration lawyers will be present at Saturday’s protest in Rochester in case anyone needs their help or support. And he cautioned protesters to be careful, but added that he believes it’s essential that they stand in support of the immigrant community.
“The youth that are leading this are scared as well, but we're doing it for the greater good,” Ali said. “We're doing it for each other. We're doing it for everyone that needs something to be done.”
