Bearing Witness to Immigrant Suffering at Burlington ICE
ICE processing and detention facility, Burlington, MA. Photo: Indivisible MA Coalition
When I learned last summer that immigrants were being mistreated not only in faraway places like Texas and Florida, but also near Boston, right across from the Burlington Mall, I wanted to make sure my neighbors knew about it. I wanted at least to stand outside the ICE building with a sign. But I was too timid to make the drive from Amherst alone. A few months later, Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice (JAIJ) organized a carpool from Western Mass to join the regular Wednesday standout in Burlington, and I signed up.
The weekly Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. protests were started in April of last year by one couple, Laurie and Jared Berezin, and the crowds have grown to as many as 750 participants. On December 10, fifty of us from western Massachusetts joined 450 local people in Burlington.
Early on, the Berezins contacted clergy from various religious denominations, and clergy have conducted services outside the ICE building on or near religious holidays, including Christmas and Yom Kippur (see video here).
The day I was there, a religious presence was noticeable in some of the signs, and some speakers identified themselves, in speech or by their clothing, as clergy. As a lapsed Catholic who’s a sucker for interfaith events, I was attracted to the interfaith element of the experience—and it was only one small element.
The vigils take place in a grassy area just yards away from the nondescript office building that serves officially as an ICE processing site and unofficially as a detention facility, where detainees are often kept overnight, sometimes for many days.
From where I stood in the crowd I couldn’t see much, but I heard speakers describe the dirty, crowded conditions in which the detainees were held. I had described to me how a group of JAIJ members dressed in black, walked in a circle, silent except for the beat of a drum. One by one, they stepped up to the microphone to read aloud descriptions of the abuse experienced by an individual detainee.Those of us in the crowd were also invited to come to the mic and, facing the ICE building, read aloud a portion of the Constitution. When I attended the standout again on March 18, a young woman with a powerful voice sang, most memorably for me, “A Change is Gonna Come.” I don’t recall the music on December 10, but I believe music is a standard part of the weekly event. I spent some of the time walking around, talking with a friend I ran into, admiring people’s signs and taking photos. I took a break in a mall department store across the street, where I ate the sandwich I’d brought along.
A table at the vigil site displayed statements obtained, according to the posted sign, from news reports, interviews, affidavits, and testimonials, describing the abuse that Burlington detainees had experienced. I took pictures of the accounts and later posted some on my Facebook page, primarily as part of my conversations with MAGA friends. A couple of examples: “’They fastened the cuffs around my legs so tight that I couldn’t move, they hurt so much,’ she recalled, bursting into tears. ‘I begged them to loosen them, but they just said I was lying.’” “The cell had no furniture, no beds, no mattresses. Just a small sink and one exposed toilet amidst the crowd of bodies….There was no soap. Jose was never given a toothbrush, clean clothes, or access to a shower. An intense, bright light shone in the room at all times, day and night.”
The final group event was a procession away from the vigil site, down the block and around the corner, singing and chanting part of the way, where we showed our signs to more people driving by. As I was walking back, a man fell into step with me and said, “I’m not in your position, but I support you.” I asked what he meant by “not in [my] position,” and he explained that he was not an American, but just visiting. We exchanged a few rueful remarks about Trump and said a friendly good-by.
On their website, the Burlington organizers point to some good results of these weekly vigils: after their release, some who have been detained give a wave or thumbs up or come up to thank the demonstrators for their support, and some even tell their stories. Residents of Burlington have said that they had no idea before the protests that they had an ICE building in their midst. Dawn Olcott points out in her blog that local media have taken notice. The organizers believe that their power and influence lie in their large numbers, consistent presence, non-violence, and focus on the experiences of immigrants.
I really appreciated the dominant tone of this gathering. I found the same high spirits and friendliness that I had at other rallies, but fewer jokes and insults on the signs. While I recognize that rude jokes about the administration play an important role in resistance, as a protester, I always—naively—hope that some non-supporter walking by will see a sign and realize, “Oh—these people are in favor of the Constitution! These people support democracy! So do I!” The Burlington organizers emphasize, in their opening remarks and on their website, their commitment to non-violence and their focus on immigrants. Throughout the gathering I felt an overall focus on the suffering of our immigrant neighbors and the claim that makes on our consciences.
Before the trip, I had been nervous about perhaps seeing some ICE action, but there was apparently none this time. Standing so near the ICE building, I felt something of the weight of what goes on inside. On my second trip, though, on March 18, I paid less attention to the building and more to a cousin I was catching up with. As I walked back to the car, a fellow passenger remarked how painful it was to see people entering the building—immigrants, she guessed, showing up for their required check-ins. I was ashamed that the reason I had come had been eclipsed by my little family reunion, and knew that I had to go back.
On Wednesday, April 22, another group from Western Mass will travel by carpool to Burlington to mark the one-year anniversary of the first standout. If you would like information on how to join the group trip, email me at msmith4@bsu.edu. If you plan to travel by yourself to the ICE field office at 1000 District Avenue, in Burlington, please be aware that the owners of the Mall parking lot are not in sympathy with the protests. If you park in that mall lot or by any other business along District Ave, your car may be towed, especially if you’re seen leaving the car with a sign for the protest. We’re invited to use the signs available at the rally to avoid that problem.
