Yesterday I had my settlement conference in court for my January 5th arrest for demanding that Kent County end ICE holds

I previously reported that Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE held protests at the Kent County Sheriff’s office to confront the Sheriff about why they were holding immigrants for ICE at the jail. The group of five have been involved in the two previous protests and were working with Movimiento Cosecha to do an escalated action at the Kent County Sheriff’s office, where we were arrested on January 5th.

Since then all five of us plead not guilty and at yesterday’s settlement conference I once again plead not guilty and I am demanding a jury trial. I actually didn’t even have to go before a judge, since the court contact my lawyer just prior to my arrival, since my lawyer affirmed my not guilty plea and communicated to the judge that I wanted a jury trial.

My lawyer did inform me that the judge might offer one more settlement hearing, especially since I was only charged with trespassing, in the hopes that I might change my plea. Even if that doesn’t happen it is likely that a jury trial would not happen for months since the case log for my judge is backed up.

I am in no hurry since we are still working to end ICE holds at the Kent County Jail and the campaign that Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE continues to pressure both Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids to adopt the six sanctuary policies they have been demanding since January of 2025.

The six sanctuary policies are:

• Policies restricting the ability of state and local police to make arrests for federal immigration violations, or to detain individuals on civil immigration warrants.
• Policies restricting the police or other county workers from asking about immigration status.
• Policies prohibiting “287(g)” agreements through which ICE deputizes local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration law.
• Policies that prevent local governments from entering into a contract with the federal government to hold immigrants in detention.
• Policies preventing immigration detention centers from being established in Kent County, which would include the use of the Kent County Jail as a detention facility for ICE.
• A policy that will not allow the Kent County Sheriff’s Department to share Flock camera images or any other information gathered by county staff with ICE or any other law enforcement agency seeking to arrest, detain and deport immigrants.

Immigrants continue to be held at the Kent County Jail for ICE, where they will be then taken to the GEO Group-own detention center located in Baldwin, Michigan. Movimiento Cosecha continues to hear from immigrant families who have recently had a family member at the Kent County Jail, that ICE holds are being implemented even after people are posting bond for them to be released.

When Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response briefly spoke with Kent County Sheriff, Michelle LaJoye-Young last November, she refused to answer whether or not the jail was engaging in ICE holds.

According to the American Immigration Council:

• With the funding provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ICE has enough funding to operate upwards of 135,000 detention beds through the end of FY 2029.
• These changes in arrest practices have led to a 2,450% increase in the number of people with no criminal record being held in ICE detention on any given day.

The lives of thousands of immigrants are at stake, since ICE detention facility conditions are horrendous, on top of the fact that families are now economically suffering, along with the trauma that has been inflicted on immigrant families. This Is why I plead not guilty and why I want a jury trial.