Hi Neighbors,
Earlier this week the story broke that ICE is planning to expand operations in 20 cities, including Grand Rapids. According to news sources, ICE is looking for office space.
I want to emphasize that for now, this is all we know. There are a lot of rumors as to when to this will happen and where. There rumors as to why Grand Rapids was selected. But as of right now, the information in this WOOD-TV article is all we know.
In the past few days, GPNA has met with 1st Ward City Commissioners and Mayor LaGrand. GPNA has also reached out to the City of Grand Rapids Office of Oversight and Public Accountability (OPA).
The OPA has run two Know Your Rights trainings for GPNA residents in the past year, and it is likely we will schedule two more relatively soon. One session will be for allies and one session will be for the affected population.
The OPA gave us this good reminder:
“The Mayor and Chief Winstrom have emphasized that the City’s role is to ensure public safety for everyone who lives here, not to enforce federal immigration. From our side at the OPA, we’re focused on being a resource to help reduce harm for our community members. That includes our oversight role to make sure that important protections such as the City policies that limit cooperation with ICE (like Commission Policy 600-17 and GRPD Policy 9-12) are understood and followed.”
If you live, work, play, or worship here, you are our neighbor. GPNA is committed to protecting and promoting the safety of residents in whatever way we can. The tip sheet below was distributed by Brookside School last year. You are encouraged to share it with anyone in your network who might benefit from the information.
Some heroes wear capes. Others know their rights and love their neighbors. We’ll talk more soon—your feedback is always welcome.
