Members of Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE attended Kent County’s latest commissioner’s board meeting. The groups continue to demand the county adopt six sanctuary policies, including restricting the ability of state and local police to make arrests for federal immigration violations, or to detain individuals on civil immigration warrants. Jeff Smith is with GR Rapid Response to ICE.
“We’ve seen ICE activity increase. We’re getting increased number of calls from immigrants who are being threatened by ICE.”
The groups also want policies preventing immigration detention centers from being established in Kent County, including the use of the Kent County Jail as a detention facility.
“There’s nothing really prohibiting you all from adopting these policies even though we’ve heard over and over again that you can’t because you don’t mess with federal immigration policies, but the sanctuary policies that we’re asking you to adopt are public safety policies.”
County Administrator Al Vanderberg has stated the board of commissioners does not have the legal authority to establish or implement immigration policies.
The commission meeting went into recess while protesters were removed from the chambers, then resumed without incident.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
