“It was a frightening experience for my kids in particular and my wife.”
Republican Ben Greene, Chair of the Kent County Board of Commissioners, was spring cleaning with his family Saturday at their Plainfield Township home.
“I saw actually on social media, this group was live streaming that they were around the corner from my house, headed to my house. A couple of minutes later, sure enough, they were on my front lawn and came up and banged on my door.”
Greene says he recognized some members of immigration advocacy groups Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE.
The organizations have repeatedly demanded local leaders adopt sanctuary policies they say will protect immigrant families from law enforcement.
“I think when you show up at somebody's home, it crosses a line that we should be more respectful of. People have a right to do it. Just because you have a right to do it doesn't make it the right thing to do.”
Greene says he’s sensitive to the challenges immigrant families face but that local governments can’t change federal policy.
He welcomes debate on the issues but emphasizes there’s a difference between challenging an elected official and “bringing a mob to his front door.”
“It's going to become increasingly harder to get good people to run for public office, particularly at the local level where we really need good critical thinkers, when this is the kind of behavior that they might expect.”
WGVU reached out to Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapids Response to ICE but have not yet received a response.
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