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San Francisco ICE headquarters was the site of an important action by Refuse Fascism and a range of groups on Thursday, 1/25. Leaks in the press have revealed that ICE is preparing for a major series of raids in the SF Bay Area in coming weeks, aiming to deport more than “1,500 undocumented people,” and “conduct at-large arrests in local neighborhoods and at work sites.” And this is an attack specifically aimed at sanctuary cities – Trump regime officials are threatening to arrest and prosecute mayors and other public officials responsible for Sanctuary policies. Refuse Fascism put out a call – we cannot let them get away with this! THIS MUST BE STOPPED!
On Thursday, activists from Refuse Fascism, Code Pink, SF Occupy, SF Rising, the Women’s March, and a number of other organizations gathered outside the ICE headquarters, first rallying and then a crew stood in front of the gates where the ICE vans go in and out, carrying detainees. The crew blocking the gates declared that they would not let Ice’s business of persecuting immigrants go on – and issued a call to everyone in the Bay Area to take a stand – “if you come for the immigrants, you’ve got to come through us! If you come for the DACA youth, you have to come through us!”
Throughout the action, voices from the bullhorns were urgent and strong – and called on everyone to refuse to accept an open white supremacist regime in power – to refuse to let the regime assault “undesirables”, rip apart families, and target political opponents. That we will mobilize to stop them now, and we will mobilize to drive out the regime: “we need a movement of millions in the streets!”
The people blocking the gates were not arrested – it seemed in part that ICE decided for political reasons not to arrest anyone – for now. Everyone knows this is a beginning. There is a protest called for the ICE building for 12 noon on Friday by Bend the Arc, a Jewish organization, and co-sponsored by Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, and Faith in Action; and Refuse Fascism has called another protest for Monday, 4 p.m., both at the ICE building.
