by Freeda Cathcart
Galax – On Saturday February 21, One hundred and twenty-five people gathered in deep red MAGA country to protest ICE and to stand up for their neighbors. The Galax organizers have a good relationship with the local law enforcement who watched over the protest to make sure that they were safe.
One woman from Mount Airy NC who attended the protest said she felt compelled “to do something” to stop ICE abuses. A man from Knoxville, TN wanted to attend a protest against ICE. The closest one he could find was in Galax so he traveled over three hours to attend the Galax protest.
There are good reasons why people are angry about ICE abusing people’s civil rights that are protected by the US Constitution. A whistleblower, Ryan Schwank, testified at a Congressional forum that ICE officers were being trained to ignore the US Constitution, such as the 4th Amendment that requires a judicial warrant to use force to enter a home.
Schwank said, “I am here because I am duty-bound to report the legally required training program at the ICE academy is deficient, defective and broken… DHS told the public the new cadets receive all the training they need to perform their duties, that no critical material or standards have been cut. This is a lie. ICE made the program shorter, and they removed so many essential parts that what remains is a dangerous husk.”
No Republicans attended the forum and have refused to have a hearing to address ICE abuses. Since Congress is failing to take action to demand the Executive branch to adhere to the US Constitution then it falls onto The People to rise up to keep their communities safe by working with state and local officials.
The organizers of the ICE Out protest, Cindy Rowe and Mark Windraven, asked people to bring food to help Hispanic families who are afraid to leave their homes. They collected two cars full of food estimated to be around 400+ pounds. Even though there haven’t been reports of ICE taking people in the Galax community, some Hispanic families (documented or not) are afraid to leave their homes to work and shop.
Court cases are resulting in orders for ICE to release people back into their communities. Kelly Yu, a small business owner with no criminal record, was released on February 20 after eight months of detention due to a successful court challenge. People can donate money to pay for legal assistance for families who have loved ones who are being held by ICE by going to https://www.hispanicprogress.org/donate.
Rowe, handed out whistles and instructed people to blow them if they saw someone being detained. It’s important to document arrests to record the truth about what happens. The recent murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti prove the importance of having videos to counter the lies from DHS. Anyone who has a cell phone can legally record what they witness as long as they stay clear from the law enforcement perimeter.
There are many examples that the current federal administration is acting unlawfully, including the recent SCOTUS emergency tariff ruling, the Justice Department withholding Epstein files from the public and the thousands of children being held longer than the court required limit of 20 days. People are tired from the lies of the different departments and the attempts to rig the midterm elections for the Republicans because their policies are very unpopular.
Virginians have an opportunity to counter the GOP’s redistricting maps in other states by voting YES on the new, temporary redistricting map. The People need a Congress who will hold the administration accountable for ignoring the US Constitution and court orders. Our neighbors deserve to feel safe going to work, school and the store.
People can “do something” by going to VoteYES.US to learn about the importance of passing the new, temporary redistricting map and joining the effort for its passage. Already Republicans are trying to create confusion surrounding it.
Attorney General Jay Jones immediately responded to a recent Tazewell judge’s ruling block the election by saying, “My office will immediately appeal the ruling issued by the Tazewell County Circuit Court. These arguments are already before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the proper forum to consider the arguments, which has set a schedule for receiving arguments and has justifiably allowed the vote to proceed during this time.”
If you’re tired of the chaos, lawlessness and being ripped off through unlawful tariffs then “do something” by voting YES on the new redistricting map, Encourage others to join you.
