📌 Taking Action Against ICE Detention Centers, Part 2
Because no one is illegal
Welcome to How to Resist, a blueprint for resistance based on nonviolence, mutual aid, and community building for ordinary people who want to save democracy.
Dear Resisters,
Last week, I published a post called Taking Action Against ICE Detention Centers which looked at the blueprint left for us from the successful campaign to shut down the Berks Country Residential Center, a family, and later women’s detention facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
But I didn’t want to leave it there, because right now, people across the country are already acting on that blueprint. We see in cities, towns, and campuses that communities are organizing, resisting, and teaching us something vital about how to resist.
One of the reasons I started How to Resist is that I am deeply interested in the mechanics of nonviolent resistance. I’m always curious to know what tactics are being used, what people are involved, where the actions are taking place, what symbolism is present, what is successful in capturing national attention, and which actions are ultimately successful in achieving their aims. And I believe that what is happening right now is giving us critical information on how to fight for democracy in a uniquely American context.
Over the past few months, I’ve been closely following a wave of actions that have emerged in response to ICE raids, detention center expansions, and the broader machinery of immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration.
I think the most profound observation here is just how deeply rooted these actions are in community. We have several examples today of where a single arrest, of a student, a union member, a farmworker, or a mother has sparked local activism. Neighbors, teachers, faith leaders, classmates, and coworkers are showing up not just to protest, but to protect their neighbors and their community members.
The people showing up are showing us just how intersectional these actions are and how much we actually have in common in this moment. We have labor unions, faith leaders, Indigenous organizers, students, and immigrant justice advocates coming together across lines of identity, faith, class, race, and means because of their shared values, which is leading to some really productive, really broad coalition-building.
There’s also a moral clarity to these actions that’s hard to ignore. Protesters are framing their resistance in terms of dignity, humanity, and justice. They’re not just saying “no” to ICE—they’re saying “yes” to a different vision of community. We do have the moral high ground, and we shouldn’t underestimate how powerful a tool that is in recruiting ordinary people to our cause and inspiring them to take action.
Tactically, these actions are still largely in the realm of civil resistance (e.g. protests, vigils, light projections on buildings, banners, protest signs, art) and we have only seen a few examples where the actions have crossed over into civil disobedience; that is, the willful violation of laws and statutes (e.g. blocking entrances, blocking traffic, refusing to disperse), in other words, doing things that can get you arrested.
Are we on the right path? Is civil resistance effective enough in this moment when we are seeing people taken off the streets by unidentified, and sometimes plain-clothed ICE agents and being held in inhumane conditions and deported without due process?
I’m going to leave you with that question. As a librarian, my goal here is not to tell you what to do, but to give you the information you need to make informed decisions. Ultimately, where we go from here will be decided by you and what you choose to do in this moment.
In the rest of this post, I’ve gathered some examples of recent actions against ICE detentions. My hope is that by studying them, we can better understand how resistance works, how we can be part of it, and what we can do next.
M-.
Support How to Resist
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Demonstrators protest $1 billion contract for new ICE facility in NJ
Outside the CoreCivic-run detention center in Elizabeth, dozens of immigrant rights advocates gathered to protest a new $1 billion federal contract for a massive 1,000-bed ICE facility planned in Newark. People shared stories of detainees who had disappeared into the system, been denied basic hygiene and medical care, and punished for speaking out. The protest wasn’t just about one facility, it was about a system. Advocates are now pushing for stronger state protections like the Immigrant Trust Act to limit local cooperation with ICE and expand legal support for undocumented residents.1
Newark’s Mayor arrested, puts detention center in the national spotlight
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a longtime critic of ICE, was arrested during a protest outside the Delaney Hall detention center. Video shows he was on public property when federal agents took him into custody. The protest, which included members of Congress, was aimed at challenging the legality of the facility’s $1 billion contract with private prison operator Geo Group. Baraka’s arrest drew national attention and condemnation from civil rights groups. He was held in custody for several hours and has since been released.2 3 4 5
"Communities Not Cages" National Day of Action
Across 12 states, immigrant rights groups launched the “Communities Not Cages” National Day of Action. Led by Detention Watch Network and co-hosted by the American Friends Service Committee and Immigrant Justice Network, the protests included rallies, vigils, and even a light projections on ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C. Protesters are demanding an end to immigration detention and calling for public funds to be redirected toward community-based support services.6
“[W]e will not back down. We are on the right side of history. We are the moral consciousness of our time.” Laura Hernández, Freedom for Immigrants
Georgia teen released from ICE detention after two weeks of protest
After nearly two weeks in ICE custody, Georgia Gwinnett College student Ximena Arias Cristobal was released. Her arrest sparked a wave of support—rallies, petitions, and public pressure from classmates and faculty. The officer who arrested her has since resigned. Ximena is now back home with her family and plans to resume her studies.7 8 9
Faith leaders arrested after blocking entrance to ICE detention facility in NJ
Just days after Mayor Baraka’s arrest, about 50 faith leaders gathered outside the same detention center. Organized by Faith in New Jersey, Faith in Action, and Pax Christi, the peaceful protest included prayers, chants, and songs in solidarity with detained immigrants. Several faith leaders were arrested for blocking the entrance to the facility.10 11 12
Protesters rally for the release of two Filipino women at Tacoma detention center, one released
Protesters rallied outside the Northwest Detention Center, demanding the release of two Filipino women—Lewelyn Dixon and ‘Michelle.’ Both are green card holders facing deportation under questionable circumstances. Michelle, a mother of three, has since been released. The protest, part of the national “Defend Migrants Campaign” from the Tanggol Migrante Network, rejected the “good vs. bad immigrant” narrative and called for humane treatment for all.13 14
Immigrant advocates protest inhumane conditions in Baltimore ICE detention facility
Advocates rallied outside the ICE field office, calling out inhumane conditions: people held far beyond the legal 12-hour limit, denied food, water, and medical care. ICE claimed the site was just a “holding room,” but groups like CASA and the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights are pushing for legislation to protect immigrants and end local cooperation with ICE.15 The group is calling for Maryland lawmakers to pass legislation that protects immigrants, such as:
The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (SB828) ensures that immigrants and their families can access schools, hospitals and courthouses without the fear of being detained by ICE
The Maryland Data Privacy Act (SB977) prevents ICE from obtaining access to state and local agency databases without a warrant
The Maryland Values Act (HB1222) ends 287(g) agreements that allow police to act as ICE agents
"ICE is throwing immigrant community members in cages and depriving them of basic human dignity. Presented with the option to release people and monitor them in more humane ways as done in the past, ICE has instead chosen to keep them locked up in an office building not equipped for the holding of individuals." — Ama Frimpong, CASA's Legal Director.
Hundreds protest outside Miami’s Krome Detention Center over inhumane conditions
Hundreds gathered outside the Krome Detention Center to protest overcrowding, lack of food and water, and poor medical care. Despite rain and police pressure, the crowd stood firm. Indigenous leaders, social justice activists, and even a former Miami-Dade commissioner joined the call for humane treatment and accountability.16 17
“In my indigenous culture, Taino, often we pray through song and voice and music. Chants are not only a way to let the world know what it is that we want and what we demand but a way for us to have community solidarity.” Obsidian Tiburon, Taino representative of the American Indian Movement
Unions protest the detention of two of their own
Union members and community activists rallied for the release of two detained workers: Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez and Lewelyn Dixon. Juarez, a 25-year-old Indigenous farmworker and longtime labor organizer, was arrested while driving his partner to work. Dixon, a 64-year-old lab technician and SEIU member, was detained at Sea-Tac Airport after returning from the Philippines. Both are seen as victims of political retaliation. Labor leaders called the arrests an attack on free speech and workers’ rights, highlighting the growing alliance between labor and immigrant justice movements in the face of escalating enforcement.18
“Arresting law-abiding people, including lawful permanent residents, who pose no threat and play important roles in their communities just diverts resources from detaining actual public safety threats.” — U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Nearly 1,000 Rally for Detained Children in Sackets Harbor, NY
Nearly 1,000 people marched to demand the release of a local mother and her three children detained by ICE. The family had lived and worked on a nearby dairy farm. Teachers, veterans, clergy, and neighbors joined the rally, calling for due process and denouncing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The protest ended outside the vacation home of Border Czar Tom Homan, with chants of “Tom Homan took our children!”19
"They're not criminals, there's not gangs running anything. These are just our neighbors." — Betsy McTiernan, Oswego resident
People rally against proposed ICE detention facility in Leavenworth
A coalition of advocates, faith leaders, and former detention staff protested a proposal to have private prison operator CoreCivic reopen the shuttered Leavenworth Detention Center. Former employees described dangerous conditions and chronic understaffing. The city is now suing to block the facility’s reopening.20
“The things that I saw in there, the things I had to do in there, you don't want to subject your spouse, your brother, your son, your daughter, to work in that environment.” — Marcia Levering, former employee at the Leavenworth Detention Center
Demonstrators protest the arrest of two men by plain-clothed ICE agents inside local courthouse
Two men were arrested by plainclothes ICE agents inside the Albemarle County Courthouse. The arrests, caught on video, sparked immediate protests. Both men are now being held at the Farmville Detention Center. Local officials have raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency, the use of plain-clothed agents, and the use of private detention facilities in Virginia.21
Hundreds protest proposal to reopen Dublin women's prison as ICE detention center
Hundreds protested a proposal to reopen the notorious FCI Dublin women’s prison as an ICE detention center. The facility was shut down after a class-action lawsuit exposed rampant abuse. Former inmates warned: “If we as U.S. citizens went through horrific pain in there, what could they do to immigrants?”Activists say ICE has already toured the site and warn that action could come quickly.22 23 24 25
Anti-ICE Demonstrators Protest Outside Geauga Jail
Demonstrators marked three months of protest outside the Geauga County Safety Center, where ICE detainees are being held. Organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Like Minded in Lake County, the rally called for the release of ICE detainees and condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the use of local jails to detain immigrants, often without due process.26
Dozens protest ICE arrest of Framingham man
Dozens of people held a demonstration on the Framingham City Hall steps to protest the ICE arrest of Daniel Orellana, who was arrested despite having no known criminal record.27
Hundreds protest UMN graduate student’s ICE detention
Hundreds of students and union members rallied at the University of Minnesota after ICE detained international graduate student Doğukan Günaydin. Günaydin was taken from his off-campus housing just days earlier. Union leaders condemned the university’s passive response and called for immediate action to protect immigrant students and staff. Günaydin has since been released.2829
Support How to Resist
As a librarian writing in the service of democracy, I’m determined to keep How to Resist free to read and publicly available for everyone; no paywalls, no gimmicks, no locked posts.
Producing How to Resist, however, is not free, and with fewer than 1% of readers supporting How to Resist with a paid subscription, we are still a long way from being fully funded.
If this work matters to you and you’re able to support it, please consider a paid subscription and help keep How to Resist going for as long as it’s needed.
Prefer a one-time contribution? You can donate at ko-fi.com/howtoresist
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/nyregion/newark-ice-protest-arrest-ras-baraka.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/nyregion/ras-baraka-newark-ice-trespassing.html
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-protest-ice-newark-mayor-arrested-5a2b3fefd7da563c48d2f85831cf2194
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/nyregion/trump-deportation-facility-newark.html
https://www.newsweek.com/anti-ice-protests-immigration-trump-2061125
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/officer-who-arrested-ximena-arias-cristobal-resigns-department/6JL5NOCBZFDPTF4HZ65CADQ3RY/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-to-release-georgia-teen-ximena-arias-cristobal/
https://bronx.news12.com/prayer-service-held-outside-of-delaney-hall-days-after-newark-mayors-arrest
https://www.commondreams.org/further/we-shall-not-be-moved-chap-784
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/dozens-clergy-members-protest-outside-newark-ice-facility
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/protesters-rally-release-two-filipino-women-tacoma-detention-center/281-245d6d02-6c02-47af-a07b-6fe7ea960fb7
https://asamnews.com/2025/05/16/deportations-green-card-student-visa-ordered-freed-after-arrest-2/
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-immigration-ice-detention-facility-conditions/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article302845484.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article302845484.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/ice-arrests-spark-protest-at-tacoma-immigration-detention-center/
https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/51544/20250406/nearly-1-000-people-rally-in-sackets-harbor-calling-for-return-of-detained-children
https://www.kmbc.com/article/leavenworth-proposed-ice-detention-facility-protest/64516700
https://www.vpm.org/news/2025-04-26/dominguez-rodriguez-aparicio-marcelino-charlottesville-albemarle-ice-farmville
https://abc7news.com/post/hundreds-protest-trump-administrations-proposal-reopen-dublin-womens-prison-ice-detention-center/15967399/
https://www.ktvu.com/news/activists-protest-fci-dublin-prison-proposed-site-new-ice-detention-center
https://www.newsweek.com/activists-protest-fci-dublin-ice-detention-2038391
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/ice-dublin-prison-immigrants-20190853.php
https://www.geaugamapleleaf.com/news/anti-ice-demonstrators-protest-outside-geauga-jail/
https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/05/09/dozens-at-hands-of-ice-protest-at-framingham-city-hall/83545474007/
https://mndaily.com/293322/campus-activities/hundreds-protest-umn-graduate-students-ice-detention/
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/federal-judge-orders-release-of-university-of-minnesota-student-dogukan-gunaydin/
All this is very important and show that protests work but all these protests would be even bigger if there was a way way to find out about them. A national clearinghouse of info. And yes there are different groups that published some protests (why do they ask people to register for a protest? Do they not realize we are living in a fascist state?) But there should be one place. And the big list of protests doesn't list many protests.
It's heartening to read about the myriad ways in which people are standing up for our collective rights.
For clarification, the image of the Virgin Mary depicted being handcuffed by ICE agents on a banner is not just any image of Mary, as identified in the caption in the original article. It is the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (known as "Nuestra Señora" or "La Virgen"), named by the Catholic Church as the patroness of Latin America and revered for nearly five centuries as the most important religious and political symbol of Mexican national identity and independence.
"Due to her association as a crusader of social justice, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been utilized as a symbol across regions to advance political movements and mobilize the masses." - Wikipedia
Understanding the tremendous significance of "La Virgen" in Mexican - and Chicano - culture helps us understand the powerful symbolism of this banner.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe