University of Rhode Island students gathered in front of the Robert L. Carothers Library on Friday to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions in Minneapolis, Minnesota, organized by the Young Democratic Socialists of America.
YDSA members spoke about the impact ICE has on the United States, such as the shootings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti. They condemned the deaths of several individuals in ICE custody and racial profiling of citizens.
“Plunder, sanctions, assassinations, terrorism and genocides are the scars left by the United States and its western allies upon the world,” Ethan Major, a graduate student at URI and retired member of the YDSA, said. “People call it imperialism, but when the empire starts to buckle under the weight, the tactics still remain.”
Fascism is everywhere, appearing when politicians serve capital, putting profits before people, according to Major.
“When capitalism can no longer maintain itself under the mask of democracy, that boomerang comes home and the knife is at your throat,” Major said.
Facism also appears when the ruling class finds politeness and civility more important than people’s needs, leaving marginalized groups who are vulnerable, unprotected and are facing police brutality, according to Major.
“Everything the administration has done that has hurt others across the globe caused disruption in the U.S.,” Major said.
By standing together, people can work to fight against, according to Major. One strike won’t work unless people commit and make those in power scared.
“When working people turn up the heat, ice melts and fascists burn,” Major said.
YDSA asked the protesters to shout the victims names, while the members read them off to eulogize them.
Renee Good, one of the victims shot by ICE, was described as someone who brought joy to every person she encountered, according to Nina Lima, a fourth-year and the chair of YDSA. She is remembered by her family as a beautiful light. Alex Pretti, another victim shot by ICE, was described as an outdoorsman who loved nature and going on adventures with his dog.
The next six names were men who were kidnapped by ICE and killed in their detention facilities, according to Lima. Finding information about them was difficult, but finding information that described them more than their deaths was even harder.
Language is powerful, and the government is trying to convince people that they aren’t human, according to Lima.
“They’ve called us aliens, animals, but we are none of those things,” Lima said. “We are your brothers, your sisters, your siblings, your mother, your father, your parents. Any life lost, every single family [is] torn apart.”
Protestors walked a lap around the quad, shouting “keep ICE off our streets” until they reached the Memorial Union where flyers with the ICE action hotline number were passed out.
Hotlines run by the Immigration Coalition of Rhode Island are important actions to take and the way they work is simple, according to Jamie Fresher, a second-year student and the secretary of YDSA. Reports called into the hotline are collated, and then verifiers are sent to the scene to alert community members. The Rhode Island hotline number is 401-675-1414.
“There are countless organizations working against the administration and I challenge you to find one and get involved,” Fresher said.
