This winter residents across Chattanooga are gathering at multiple locations to protest ICE involvement both around the country and locally.
It began on Jan. 28 when around 300 participants gathered in locations across Chattanooga in groups to protest ICE related violence. There were around 150 participants on the corner of Ringgold Road and S. Moore Road in East Ridge. On the other side of the city there were around 130 participants who attended protests on Signal Mountain Road.
“I am protesting because I think the people carrying out [President] Trump’s mission to tackle the immigration crisis are using gestapo methods and are abusing the rights of others,” Kimberly Hays, a protester in Signal Mountain said. “I attended the protests to bring awareness that ICE is everywhere, even on Signal Mountain.
Many of the peaceful protesters held signs to get their points across. “Abolish ICE!” or even in religious terms “This is my father’s world and we are all his children… Did you forget?”
Many of these protests are organized by a group called Democracy in Action, which is a branch of the All In Chattanooga organization whose mission is to connect, inspire, and mobilize communities to build state and local governments that work for everyone. These organizations created protest times and places in wake of the violence in Minneapolis.
“We want to let the people driving by know things are not normal, that they are not crazy for thinking things are dangerous and scary,” Allison Gorman of All in Chattanooga said. “We want the people who feel very threatened right now because they fear for their own safety or their lives, we want them to know we are standing there for them.”
A follow up protest was held Jan. 30 in Miller Park where non-profit group Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence (CALEB) organized the protest.
Along with all the other organized events, there were more than 200 participants who attended the Hamilton County Commissions meeting on Jan. 28 to influence the sheriff to end the county’s involvement with ICE under the 287(g) Agreement. This was also organized by CALEB, a local coalition of unions, non-profits organizations and community leaders.
“We did this to let our county stakeholders know where we stand,” said Jessica Bonham of CALEB. “We do not align with ICE’s tactics and we want to end all collaboration with ICE at the local level.”
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has an agreement with ICE under the 287(g) Program. Anyone who is booked into the county jail or correctional facility is screened, identified and processed to gather criminal history, any outstanding warrants and legal status.
“I do not agree that any person or government should be able to decide that someone deserves better circumstances based upon their birth location or even birth parents,” Elisha Millan, a Chattanooga protester, said.
Participants hope to send a message this winter to local and national leaders to put an end to the violence. With data from the Tennessee District Attorney General Conference, more than 500 undocumented residents were arrested by Hamilton County and handed over to ICE so far this year.
So far in February, 43 undocumented residents were booked by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, 24 by Chattanooga Police Department and 10 from Tennessee Highway Patrol. A handful were arrested by smaller police departments.
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