Originally published to The Virginia Defender Facebook page on the date given. Reproduced here for archival purposes.

By Phil Wilayto

RICHMOND, VA, Jan. 18 — It was cold, it was rainy, it snowed – but none of that stopped more than 400 people from turning out today to demand that ICE get out of Richmond and the entire state of Virginia.

The rally, held at Richmond’s Monroe Park and organized by Virginia Immigrants for Life, Liberation, Autonomy & Solidarity (VILLAS) and the Immigrant Support Committee of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, was called after activists received information that 180 more ICE agents had arrived in Richmond.

The timing was ominous: This was the weekend that Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, was being inaugurated as Virginia’s 75th – and first woman – governor. The Democrats had also swept the legislative elections, holding the state senate and retaking the House of Delegates.

That puts Richmond, Virginia’s capital city with a “majority-minority” population, whose mayor, Danny Avula, is not only a Democrat but also an immigrant, in the group of Democrat-led cities targeted by the Trump administration for mass immigration arrests and deportations.

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has been in Richmond for many years and has been more active since Donald Trump was reelected president. But an increase of close to 200 agents represents a major escalation, presenting greatly increased dangers for the local immigrant population.

In fact, the vice chair of the board of supervisors of neighboring Henrico County has just posted on social media that ICE agents are going door-to-door in the Short Pump area of the county.

In response to news of the influx of ICE agents, there was a flurry of organizing meetings and then a public call for the rally. The word went out through a press release, a mass email, social media, encrypted chats – all within less than 48 hours.

The demands of the rally were similar to those that VILLAS and the Defenders had raised at a press conference and rally held Aug. 11 in front of Richmond City Hall, that basically called on the city government to do more to protect local immigrants, while declaring the community’s determination to provide that protection itself. (See the demands listed below)

Today’s rally, chaired by Fern Diaz-Castro, who heads up the Defenders’ Immigrant Support Committee, included as speakers Gustavo Espinoza of VILLAS, who shared words from a detained community member; Victoria McCullough with VILLAS and the Richmond chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA); and Kaylin Cecchini of the Richmond Community Legal Fund.

Solidarity messages were read from the Rev. Rodney Hunter, pastor of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, a historic Black congregation in the city’s East End, and Lillie “Ms. K” Branch-Kennedy, a longtime prisoner advocate and founder of Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged & Disenfranchised. There also was a solidarity statement from a member of Richmond’s Palestinian community, who, for security reasons, asked not to be named.

Finally, a song and poem were performed by the cultural worker Steller.

News media covering the rally included the Richmond Free Press, Style Weekly, Commonwealth Times, RVA Mag, Richmond’s Channel 6-CBS and Channel 19-CBS, which sent a crew from Charlottesville, 70 miles away.

Across the city, several organizations are promoting new networks and collective efforts to respond to this increase in attacks on the immigrant community. The message from today’s rally was that our immigrant communities will not stand alone.

To get involved in the expanding efforts to support Virginia’s immigrant communities, email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com or call or text 804.644.5834.

ICE OUT OF RICHMOND DEMANDS:

• We need to pass policies banning and ending all local and state collaboration with any federal immigration enforcement agencies, including but not limited to all 287(G) contracts.
• We need to ban masked and unidentified policing.
• We must ensure that Richmond does not renegotiate any contract with Flock surveillance cameras and/or any other surveillance technology.
• We need to ensure legal and financial support from the state and the city for those detained.
• We need to shut down all detention centers in Virginia.
• Elected local and state representatives must accompany their constituents to immigration court hearings to protect against ICE kidnappings and ensure public accountability during proceedings.
• We need sustainable sources of funding for the groups and organizations that have always filled in the gaps between our immigrant communities and local & state governments.
• We demand that if our city and state leaders fail to act, all Richmond and Greater Richmond residents step up and protect our neighbors from detention, deportation, and police violence. We have no other choice.