Austin community demands city council stop police and ICE collaboration

Austin, TX – On Thursday morning, May 7, community members packed the Austin City Council meeting to demand that the city take action to stop local police collaboration with ICE. Jesse Valdelamar, of La Frontera Unida, gave public comment on this issue as supporters packed the room with signs with messages such as, “ICE out” and “Legalization for all.” After the public comment, around 25 people rallied outside City Hall.

In his speech, Valdelamar said, “On April 24, this city government shamefully capitulated to the racist demands of Governor Abbott and updated police orders such that officers ‘should, when operationally feasible’ contact ICE over administrative warrants.”

Just before this, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withdraw $2.5 million in city funding. Valdelamar said, “If this was really a money issue, we should be talking about cutting back on the millions of dollars in handouts to big business that this city gives out on a regular basis rather than risk sending any of our community members to their deaths in a concentration camp.”

Sameeha Rizvi of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) spoke on how the Trump administration is making claims about ICE taking criminals off the streets. Rizvi said, “I mean so far, if that’s the reason we are going to use, how come we have so many Muslim immigrants who have been detained just because they spoke up on Palestine?”

Rizvi continued, “Let’s be clear. ICE does not make our neighborhoods safer. Agencies that exist to tear families apart have no place in our communities.”

Jake Holtzman, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “These racist politicians are a product and a symptom of a whole rotten system. And that is the system of monopoly capitalism. The capitalists are waging ICE terror, mass deportations and tearing families apart, all to line their own pockets. Shame!”

Holtzman continued, “We need a revolution to kick the capitalists out of power and put working and oppressed people in charge. And our demand is national liberation and self-determination for the Chicano nation here in the Southwest, and full equality for all Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans in the U.S..”

#AustinTX #TX #ICE #ImmigrantRights #LaFronteraUnida