If you want to abolish ICE you should never rely on the state to make that happen

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been terrorizing immigrants since they were founded in 2003.

White people and the politicians they have voted for – both Democrats and Republicans – have been approving billions in funding for ICE since 2003, while undocumented immigrants were being arrested, detained and deported, along with hundreds being killed. You can read about these immigrant deaths by reading reports from Detention Watch Network and the ACLU.

White Liberals are now outraged after ICE shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but more often than not they continue to put their faith in the state when it comes to how to deal with ICE.

For example, in a recent weekly message from Indivisible Greater Grand Rapid, they included the following:

Share the State of Michigan ICE Activity Reporting Form with everyone you know. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel launched an “Immigration Action Reporting Form” encouraging residents to report ICE and Border Patrol activity and warning that some federal immigration actions are putting Michiganders at risk. Other ways to report ICE: ICEActivity Tracker and Stop ICE Alerts and GR Rapid Response Hotline: 616.238.0081 (call, don’t text)

The first link takes you to way for you to report immigration-related matters, but never even mentions ICE. The link does tell people that for “emergencies or crimes in your area to local law enforcement.” The Michigan Attorney General does not support the abolition of ICE. More importantly, the Michigan Attorney General puts their faith in law enforcement, which includes ICE, Customs and Border Patrol, along with state and local cops. We can never rely on the carceral state and violence workers – ICE and cops – to ever bring about an semblance of justice. If you believe that ICE is about justice then you are naively misinformed.

The other two links in the IGGR weekly newsletter are both insecure portals that if used could put you at risk of being tracked by the government, plus amongst Rapid Response to ICE groups across the country, many believe that both of they were created by ICE.

The only information that IGGR includes in their weekly newsletter that does not rely on the state to fight ICE is GR Rapid Response to ICE. However, they only include that groups hotline, without telling people what they do or that people should sign up to take one of their trainings. The GR Rapid Response to ICE trainings provide people with concrete ways to resist ICE in Kent County and they never rely on the carceral state while organizing to resist ICE.