At least 40 people gathered outside the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center in downtown Tulsa Wednesday evening to protest Tulsa County’s contract agreement with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement to hold immigration detainees.
The agreement, known as 287(g), has been in place for several years thanks to renewals.
“We want them to know that we have our eyes on them as much as they have their eyes on our neighbors that they’re snatching,” said Carrie, a protester with Tulsa Fights Fascism, who did not provide her last name.
“We’re demanding that they end these contracts,” she said.
The 287(g) agreement has been the subject of scrutiny in recent months. In March, a man claimed he had been illegally detained at the jail, suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado. A federal judge ultimately dismissed the suit.
Groups including Tulsa Latinos Unidos and Indivisible Tulsa County have also been staging regular protests outside a second building in east Tulsa they claim is a temporary office location for ICE.
President Donald Trump has expanded funding for ICE and many immigrants with no criminal convictions have been taken into federal custody.
“It’s not a constructive decision,” said Carlos Reyes, who protested outside the jail Wednesday. “[It] puts a level of fear into the hearts of all families, especially the children that have to wonder if their mom or dad are going to come home, or what they’re going to do if their mom or their dad gets taken.”
The Trump administration has recently deployed National Guard troops to cities like Chicago saying it’s to protect immigration enforcement officers.
Editing by Krista Almanzan.
