Strategy Against ICE-Secret Police

 Indivisible at work.

Yesterday, I protested outside an ICE detention facility and visited with an Indivisible member detained there. As I covered last week, with the passage of the Big Bullshit Bill, ICE is now the largest law enforcement agency in the country. So I want to tell you about my experience this weekend because I think a lot of us -- especially us white, native-born Americans -- are going to need to get better acquainted with these secret police headquarters in the weeks and months to come. 

This action took place as part of Washington state’s statewide convening in Tacoma. Across the country, we’re seeing Indivisible statewide groups host these types of statewide convenings to bring local Indivisible groups together, build connections across the movement, and develop strategic plans for coordinated local, state, and federal action. If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at Washington’s agenda. 

At their two-day convening, Washington state Indivisible group leaders heard from their state and federal elected officials, trained on responding to ICE by local immigrant rights groups, and co-designed campaigns to put into place at the local and state levels. I sat in on a campaign strategy breakout session on “demasking ICE” -- when Indivisible groups around the state started planning a local and state campaign to use their blue-state and blue-city power to push back on Trump’s secret police force.

One member of Indivisible Skagit was notably not present: Lelo. You can read about his story in The Guardian. Lelo is a farmworker, organizer, and community leader. He joined Indivisible Skagit to help link the Indivisible world with the farmworker world. But he was detained earlier this year when an ICE agent broke the window of his car with his wife in the passenger seat and forced him out. He’s been held in the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma for the last 111 days. 

While a crowd gathered outside -- singing, chanting, and playing music in solidarity with Lelo -- I visited with him in this privately-run detention center, a dystopian scene in a remote part of Tacoma. I asked Lelo if he had a message to share with those gathered outside and the many more he knew were rooting for him. He did, and it was simple: “Keep paying attention, keep organizing.”

Just as we were getting ready to hit send on this newsletter, we learned that Lelo had opted for “voluntary” departure to Mexico due to the inhumane conditions at the detention center. The cruelty here really is the point.

In a statement today, Lelo committed to remaining in the fight for justice wherever he ends up. And he urged all of us to do the same: 

“I encourage everyone to stay strong and keep fighting. There are many actions that you can be part of, for example show up at a protest, attend your city council meetings. Use your First Amendment right. Talk to your Representatives, let them know your concerns.”

I’m furious at what this vicious regime is doing to Lelo. And I also know they’re doing it to thousands of others. This regime is ripping people away from their families, tearing communities apart, disappearing our parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends to unimaginable conditions in camps here and abroad. 

You can contribute to Lelo's legal fund here. And I hope you’ll follow his advice to keep organizing, and keep taking action. We’ve got a number of to-dos below and I especially want to pull out #2 on the list -- our One Million Rising series on strategic non-cooperation. That’s Wednesday, and we’ll have a special What’s the Plan on Thursday with authoritarianism expert Erica Chenoweth (of 3.5% fame) as a guest. If you’re looking for next steps -- this is it. 

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

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Your weekly to-dos

1. Prepare to march this Thursday at a Good Trouble Lives On Day of Action near you. Each day brings new attacks on our rights as the Trump regime chips away at our democracy. But in the tradition of the late John Lewis, Americans across the country will rise up this Thursday in a mass, nonviolent demonstration for freedom and justice. 
2. Learn the tools of strategic non-cooperation to fight authoritarianism at our One Million Rising training series beginning this Wednesday. There’s no escaping it; Trump and his enablers are becoming bolder and our slide toward authoritarianism is accelerating. With institutions failing to meet the challenge, it falls to us -- the pro-democracy majority -- to defeat fascism. Join this training to help lead the fight within your networks and pass on these skills to others. 
3. Contact state and local Dems to demand action against masked ICE abductions. If you live in a blue city or state with a Democratic trifecta, your Democratic governor, mayor, and lawmakers have the power to stop secret police tactics like abductions by masked ICE agents. Our Blue State Defiance toolkit helps identify who to contact and what to call for.