ICE recently has been attempting contact with undocumented peoples in Flagstaff, Ariz., in collusion with the Flagstaff Police Dept. and other local policing agencies. When questioned by members of the community, the Sheriff’s Dept. disavowed any knowledge that ICE was going to be present in the community. However, one can see in The Arizona Daily Sun’s article published on Aug. 29 that they are on the record as having known beforehand, and were at the ready to “assist” ICE in its operation.
Sheriff Driscoll of the Coconcino County Sheriffs Dept. , Chief Kevin Treadway of Flagstaff Police Dept. and Lt. Col. Ken Hunter from the Dept. of Public Safety are complicit with aiding in the terror unleashed on the community of Flagstaff.
Three people in Flagstaff and three in Sedona were recently detained and arrested by ICE. Two more warrants remain active. In response to these attacks on the community, a demonstration and planned action were quickly organized. The Repeal Coalition called for the protest, with others mobilizing in solidarity, including Friends of Flagstaff’s Future and Party for Socialism and Liberation. After rallying, the group of more than 60 marched on the local jail but were greeted with a small sign stating the jail was closed from five to seven p.m. in response to so-called “security concerns” in an attempt to ignore the protest.
However, the only security concerns being addressed were those being addressed by the people attending this demonstration in support of the safety of their undocumented friends and family. Several speakers expressed their concerns, frustration and anger. A mother and partner of a man who was arrested and facing deportation spoke of her heartbreak and how she is now a single young mother with a child who will never know a father.
The police continue to repress the working people of Flagstaff. The police, particularly in the Sunnyside Neighborhood, routinely stalk, harass and assault Indigenous people at an alarming rate. Now even more members of the community are subject to detention and deportation. We can not and will not tolerate these renewed and ongoing attacks and cultural genocide being perpetrated on the communities in Flagstaff! Our children and our families are our future, and we must free that future! No borders on stolen lands!
