Video: Keep ICE out of the Rockingham County Jail

We were told that immigration authorities would only arrest and deport convicted criminals. That was a lie.

Dozens of activists showed up at the Rockingham County Commissioners meeting on Thursday to speak out against a proposed contract with ICE to use the county jail to house immigrants detained by ICE.

Meanwhile, 75 miles from Rockingham County, in Maine, ICE agents recently detained a Cumberland County Corrections recruit. They literally yanked him out of his car and left it running in the street.

Incidents like this are happening all across the country as ICE terrorizes entire communities, tramples on our rights, and kills people.

That’s why I’ve called on everyone to stand up in our communities and demand that our local and state officials refuse to collaborate with ICE, and that’s what I did when I showed up on Thursday to testify before the county commissioners.

Commissioners in Cumberland County entered into a similar agreement to hold ICE detainees in jail because their contract with the federal government was a “crucial source of funding” — but two weeks ago, county officials confirmed that they haven’t received a dime from the federal government.

So if the federal government hasn’t been paying Cumberland County, what makes Rockingham County Commissioners think that they’ll pay us?

Beyond the fact that the federal government can’t be trusted to uphold its end of the agreement, what’s happening with ICE right now is morally reprehensible. Agents are showing up in neighborhoods wearing masks and snatching parents away from their children, imprisoning students for things they’ve written in the college paper, and deporting people to countries they never set foot in.

I’m hearing from people all across the district who are angry, scared, and worried about whether ICE will ever face accountability for their actions. They don’t want their local and state officials to be complicit in ICE’s violence and lawlessness. They want their leaders to stand up and fight for a future where everyone is treated with justice, respect, and dignity.

Showing up matters. Speaking out matters. The Trump administration wants us to be silent, demoralized, and divided, but I will continue to join people all across New Hampshire in the fight to ensure our local elected officials stand up against the horror and injustices that ICE is carrying out in our communities.