We need people to be part of Rapid Response to ICE work here in Kent County, as requested by the undocumented immigrant community

After the first Trump Administration began in 2017, Grand Rapids did have a an organized GR Rapid Response to ICE group, that could respond to calls from people in the undocumented community and mobilize people in an attempt to prevent ICE from arresting and detaining people. 

GR Rapid Response to ICE always worked in conjunction with Movimiento Cosecha GR, since they wanted to make sure that the ally work, often referred to the defensive aspect of immigrant justice work, was making sure that what we were doing was aligned with what the undocumented community wanted. To read a summary of this work between 2017 and 2019, read the article linked here.

Now, with the threat of mass deportations by the incoming Trump Administration, GR Rapid Response to ICE is getting organized again. GR Rapids Response to ICE will be working directly and under the guidance of Movimiento Cosecha GR to make sure we are always following the leader of the undocumented community.

The goals are to have a new google number that the undocumented community can call when they suspect ICE is at their home, their place of work, the children’s school or anywhere else in the community. Calls will then be taken by any of the 5 people who are on the google number, so that someone can take the message. Once a message is taken, someone will send an alert out through multiple platforms to mobilize people with the intent of preventing ICE from taking anyone. 

When people are mobilized to prevent ICE from taking people, we will also need people who can document what is happening and possibly livestream the intervention against ICE. 

If we are unable to prevent ICE from taking people, then the second primarily component of GR Rapid Response to ICE will be to begin the Mutual Aid component. The Mutual Aid component of Rapid Response to ICE involved providing food, clothing, medical care, transportation or financial assistance to the families impacted by ICE violence. What we know from previous experience is the person or persons taken by ICE are disproportionately income earners, which means that many immigrant families will no longer have an income source. This is why Mutual Aid is so important as the second strategy. 

In preparation for the incoming Trump Administration and the threat of mass deportation, there will be a GR Rapid Response to ICE training on Saturday, December 14 beginning at noon. The training will take place at La Nueva Esperanza church located at 1005 Evergreen Street SE, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. People who plan on attending should plan on 2 hours for the training. For details of this training go to this link. For future trainings, please check the Facebook page of Movimiento Cosecha GR https://www.facebook.com/cosechagr.