As of now, many groups like Mass 50501 have been protesting against the violence that many have endured against ICE, and thousands of people in places such as Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, and Boston have rallied together against ICE and the Trump Administration.
On January 31st, a massive rally led by local advocacy groups such as Mass 50501, Mass Action and Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA) was held in Boston, where organizers and advocates dubbed the protest as the “ICE Out of Everywhere” rally, with some residents providing comments on ICE.
An anonymous Massachusetts resident expressed their thoughts regarding the incidents that occurred in Burlington’s ICE facility, sharing that “it is breaking the law, breaking rules and constitutional rights.” Having participated in Pride parades in the past, they used that as inspiration to create a bold statement by carrying an upside-down flag of the United States to share dissatisfaction with the current administration.
Another anonymous resident of Massachusetts shared a similar sentiment with the previous local, stating, “It is a complete embarrassment, and not the way we do things around here.” Furthermore, he advocated for his students in Ukraine, with his sign paying homage to them while protesting ICE.
The situation in the US reached critical mass, with protests, outward cries against ICE being planned and acted out in different states, and across social media sites. With this situation growing more than ever, we can see it bleeding into our very own school life; the January 30th general strike being a key example of this, when dozens of faculty and students partook in not attending school or shopping.
Many students and teachers have shown their disapproval of ICE and the current administration with these acts of defiance.
As characterized by an anonymous student, who speaks on why they disapprove of ICE, saying what sparked their anger was “Hearing about a 5-year old boy, Liam Ramos being detained and taken to a detention facility. There’s really nothing justifiable about this…” furthermore adding, “A plethora of my friends are people of color and have been affected by ICE, my heart breaks for them knowing they fear for themselves and their families.”
Adding on to this, an anonymous teacher had also extended their opinion on ICE, saying “ICE is a terrible organization” and that the agents are “poorly trained.” This opinion is echoed through channels like PBS Kids, with a former ICE Lawyer stating the organization has cut back on training hours for recruits and is directly violating the Constitution.
ICE Officers have also been seen detaining children as young as two months old being under custody, with one eighteen-month-old in Texas being hospitalized for respiratory failure and pneumonia. And as described by People, “Federal Agents brought her back to the center – where she allegedly given PediaSure in place of the medication doctors had prescribed her.”
With ICE Agents willingly disregarding the physical well-being of numerous people within their custody, and killing non-violent protesters. There is no question as to why citizens of Massachusetts, will continue to speak out against this institution.
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