Solidarity and resistance against ICE

After the National Guard shootings last week, President Donald Trump stopped all benefits for immigrants and, prior to that, had ordered an end to temporary protected status for Haitians, Somalis, Afghans, Venezuelans and others. At the same time, Trump has encouraged the emigration of 7,500 white South Africans with privileges to the U.S., a racist slap in the face to the African National Congress coalition-led government of South Africa.

On a grassroots level, the resistance against masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) thugs targeting migrants — with or without papers — continues to grow and intensify throughout the United States. There are too many instances to mention here, but two cities in particular deserve a special shout-out.

In New York City’s Lower Manhattan on Nov. 29, some 200 protesters blocked a garage near Chinatown where ICE agents had gathered for a surprise illegal raid. The protesters found out about the raid ahead of time reportedly from their on-the-ground surveillance team and networking.

Not only did the protesters use their bodies to block the garage entrance, but they also stacked up piles of garbage behind them to fortify the standoff which lasted for an hour. Despite the arrest of several protesters by the New York police, ICE was forced to back down and call off the raid. 

The resistance did not stop after this victory. Once the ICE agents fled from the garage, protesters chased them down Canal Street, hurling garbage cans and planters at their vehicles. The protesters were equally angered by the presence of the police, who physically assaulted them, including spraying the crowd with chemical weapons.

In October ICE agents carried out a similar raid in New York City on Canal Street, arresting West African vendors with the false pretext that their merchandise was counterfeit. Following the raid, a spontaneous crowd of protesters chased agents down Lafayette Street as the agents were returning to ICE offices at 26 Federal Plaza.

With each new ICE raid, community networking is becoming more and more effective throughout the New York boroughs in terms of anticipating planned raids before they happen. One protester stated: “We’re going to have to keep improving tactics, and we’re going to have to do what communities all over the country have done, which is to stand up. This did not end up being a great photo op for ICE. If they were planning on doing something on Canal Street, they did not get that opportunity.” (New York Times, Nov. 29)

North Carolina shows the way

Various sectors of Charlotte, North Carolina, with a population of over 960,000, have been organizing resistance to ICE’s operation, “Charlotte’s Web,” in the most populous city in the state. The racial makeup of Charlotte is 39% white, 34% African American, 17% Latine and 6% Asian. 

According to reports from Alt National Park Service, a coalition of progressive activists created during Donald Trump’s first presidency in 2017, students have been the heart and soul of the resistance to ICE.

On Nov. 20, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district reported over 30,000 absences across the district as ICE activity intensified. Entire schools experienced dramatic drops in attendance, with walkouts, absences, rallies and other coordinated actions happening at multiple high school campuses.

Teenagers organized citywide through group chats, campus clubs and social media, linking up with parents and local advocacy groups. Students marched to district buildings, rallied outside their schools and filled athletic fields carrying handmade signs to defend their immigrant classmates and their families.

Some schools formed “support circles” to check in on families who felt unsafe leaving their homes.

The Charlotte student walkouts have inspired other similar student-led walkouts throughout the state in Durham, Greensboro, Oxford, Raleigh, and elsewhere.

Countrywide campaigns have been organized to disrupt customer service in big-box stores like Home Depot for allowing ICE agents to conduct raids against unsuspecting migrant workers and shoppers. 

Despite Trump’s ongoing war on migrants, Workers World applauds the examples of New York City and Charlotte to reflect that political solidarity is growing by leaps and bounds for migrant communities — not only in cities, large and small. Activists are showing heroic militancy and determination as tactics and strategies are being developed, with the use of social media and networking, to resist ICE terrorism.