Friends and neighbors, thank you for joining us on March 1st to grieve as a community for all those lost in the last year at that the hands of ICE and the cruel leadership currently in control of our nation. On Sunday March 1st, we mourned and remembered 77 people who were mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, and more who share one key thing - they didn't deserve to die. Unfortunately, we do not know the names of all 77 of these individuals, and we may never learn them. For those fourteen nameless individuals, and all other unknown people who have died because of ICE, we created a wreath to honor and remember them.  We ask all Iowans to take action to help get ICE out of Iowa. Start locally. Hold your elected officials accountable when they are silent about the injustices that immigrants face from ICE and this administration. 

Are you in a county that houses ICE detainees in the county jail? You should wonder why your county supervisors allow your county to profit off of peoples' pain. Are the detainees living in humane conditions? In Linn County they are NOT! Activists have been working to contact detainees in the Linn County Jail to offer them support.  They have learned that the conditions are inhumane, the jail is overcrowded, people are sleeping on the floor, the phone system is often not working properly, they're not allowed visitors, the temperatures are cold and many are sick, they're not offered translation services, and they don't know what they can do to get out.

If you are in a county that has an ICE office, another way you can show up for immigrants is to gather community members at the office to accompany immigrants to their mandatory check-ins. You can remind them not to sign anything, and you can keep track of who comes back out after appointments and who possibly has been detained. 
Please keep an eye on 50501 Iowa Coalition's Social Media page for information about protective accompaniments, ICE Out Vigils, and more ways to get ICE Out of Iowa. Please also check out Escucha Mi Voz, Iowa City Catholic Worker House, and Advocates for Social Justice for more ways to help protect our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors.

Vigil Recap