A powerful narrative from a volunteer with GR Rapid Response to ICE illuminates the systemic violence inherent in US immigration policy and how we can resist

One of the many amazing organizers with GR Rapid Response to ICE sent me the narrative below. This narrative is based on the resistance work that GR Rapid Response to ICE is engaged in.

Some of the resistance work that GR Rapid Response to ICE does includes responding to calls from their hotline (616-238-0081), doing accompaniment work for people who have appointments regarding their immigration status, patrols in neighborhoods where ICE has been seen by members of the immigrant community, and work that furthers the political demands of Movimiento Cosecha.

Lastly, this group does Mutual Aid work, which involves providing legal support, resource support, financial support, transportation and sanctuary, if the family no longer feels safe where they live.

Besides working directly with Movimiento Cosecha, GR Rapid Response to ICE also collaborates with No Detention Centers Michigan, which primarily focuses on the GEO Group-owned ICE detention facility in Baldwin, MI. This is the context of the following narrative.

The fact that it was only a few weeks for me, is the most startling realization looking back on it all now. 

His family had been living with the stress, horror, and anxiety for three months. 90 days of trepidation, 90 nights of not knowing if they would ever see him again. What did they do to sleep at night, how do you lay your head on your pillow imagining all kinds of unknowns, and find rest?

He lived inside of that horror, carted around the country at the whim of… who? for the purpose of… what?

I imagine for him it was sheer exhaustion that allowed him to sleep at night, and I know that it wasn’t every night.

 After meals laced with iodine, maggots and worms, you know none of our Friends rested with full bellies.  

I originally got the message that a Friend needed a ride from Baldwin Concentration Camp four weeks ago, he was set to go in front of an immigration judge! We were sure he would be released! He has secure status, no record of anything untoward, a whole loving family and job, zero reason for him to be in a Camp.

Denied. 

I was disappointed, but not surprised. 

The cruelty is the point. 

I am sure he and his family were beyond devastated.

How do you find rest after that kind of blow?

Three more times this happened, each denial or failure of our system became more horrifying, more pointed, more evidence that our immigration policy is built on lies, deception, and cruelty. 

Every night and morning (ok every 15 mins) I checked my messages to make sure I didn’t miss the call to drop everything and snatch him away and rush him back to his family. A faint whisper of the anxiety that I know he and his family was going through. If it was whispering in my sleep, HOW were they finding any rest?

It finally happened last Tuesday, he was getting out, could I go? YES! Standby for release time. the minutes and hours ticked by, the facility was not cooperating, another night of unknowns.

Wednesday I went to work as usual. 

At 10:42am the facility says he will be out in 45 minutes.

So began the chaos of a situation we had all been hoping for, but had no idea what to expect.

A call went out from me for a ride along buddy. Grabbed that Friend and off we went. An hour into the drive the facility calls and says “where are you? He is ready! Go to the front door with the three flags.” His family has been waiting for THREE MONTHS, you can hang on another 20 minutes.

Going in the front door, the receptionist told us to go to the sally port, “but I was told to come here… “

“Ok, yup, now go to the sally port”

As we drive up to the sally port the guards start yelling at me to go in the door with the flags, park in the lot! 

“We did, they sent us here”

 “oh fine, he is ready anyway”

The absolute confusion of the pick up process speaks to how many have been released from the inside. Three so far. Deportation happens three times a week, over 900 in the five weeks our Friend was there. 

His face remained stoney calm as he walked toward us, but as soon as he crossed the yellow line, the tears flowed freely. I embraced him and said let’s get you the hell out of here, you are safe with friends. He just kept repeating “three months” as we raced off to get him home, where he belongs. 

The next hour was consumed with calls to family, McDonalds, facetiming with his mom who sobbed and thanked us and made us uncomfortable by being thankful for us. Feels dirty that transportation and a couple hours of our time could bring such feelings of gratitude, which  should never have been necessary.  

We had the honor of facetiming his son, wife and darling little granddaughter who sobbed and squealed “PAPI PAPI PAPI” over and over. So many tears evaporated flying down that stretch of highway. Our Friend commented several times through tears and laughter how beautiful our state is. Lady Fall was showing out in full color, just for him. 

The last 20 minutes of the ride was him doing his best to fill us in on his three month ordeal. 

Shuffled from Virgina, Lousianna, Ohio and then Michigan. Ohio was the worst, rotten maggot food, housed with a rapist and a murderer. The rapist was stabbed while he was there. 

He was shackled hands and feet for indeterminate amounts of time. Iodine in the food and water, he is going to make an appointment with his family dr when he gets home, he does not feel well. 

As we were reaching the bus pickup location, we realized he only had a phone and a clear garbage bag with a few papers and some napkins. We didn’t bring cash or anything! How is he going to be able to eat or charge his phone on the 15 hour plus bus ride??

We don’t know what we don’t know, so we sent out a call for mutual aid to meet us at the bus location. Our community did NOT disappoint! 

By the time he got on the bus he had a whole crowd sending him off with hundreds of dollars, hugs and a backpack filled with fruit, drinks and homemade cake. 

This is what community looks like. 

The question remains heavy on my mind, how do you rest, how do you ever feel safe again after being kidnapped?

This is generational trauma. 

It reaches far and deep. 

In order to sleep at night, we build community, we stand up for those who are persecuted, we use our voice, our privilege, to serve, protect, and stand on love.

This powerful narrative not only illuminates the structural violence of the US immigration system, it shines a light on how we all can concretely resist US immigration policies, from ICE arrests, to detention and deportation. This is what resistance and solidarity looks like!