Amherst Town Council takes a stand against ICE

AMHERST — In recent weeks, at least five families whose children are in the public schools have had loved ones detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, according to District 1 Councilor Jill Brevik.

The harms being caused by ICE agents, and possible violations of state law through their conduct, is prompting the Town Council to adopt a resolution demanding these federal employees be held criminally liable by the state attorney general and district attorneys.

“When members of our communities lose their rights, all of us are affected and none of us can take those rights for granted,” Brevik said.

Working with Free Speech for People, a national civil rights organization whose president is Amherst attorney John Bonifaz, the resolution, “calling for federal immigration agents to be held accountable for violations of Massachusetts criminal law,” was passed unanimously by the Town Council Monday, though two councilors abstained from the vote and two were absent.

Brevik, as the lead sponsor, said she was honored to introduce the resolution as a way to do something meaningful to respond to human rights abuses and fight back against violent crimes by federal employees.

“This was really an effort for the community, by the community,” Brevik said, applauding those who have supported the resolution.

The issue is not abstract or distant, she said, with criminal behavior in Massachusetts, racial targeting, defiance of court orders and people being starved and physically assaulted, including children.

Only District 3 Councilor George Ryan and Council President Mandi Jo Hannake abstained from the vote.

Ryan said he was concerned that passing the resolution, the contents of which he agrees with, would make those who are vulnerable in Amherst less safe. Ryan said the state’s federal and state representatives are already standing in solidarity with what the resolution asks.

Other councilors disagreed with his viewpoint.

“If we don’t speak up, we are complicit,” said District 3 Councilor Heather Hala Lord.

District 2 Councilor Amber Cano-Martin, who cosponsored the resolution, said state officials need this pressure from the public. Quoting poet Audre Lorde, Cano-Martin said “‘your silence will not protect you,’ so let’s all keep that in mind.”

The resolution doesn’t mean Amherst residents face a greater risk, said District 4 Councilor Jennifer Taub, and that it’s not a radical position but rather articulating the values of the community.

“I think history has shown that nothing good really comes from remaining silent,” Taub said.

At-Large Councilor Andy Churchill said he supported the resolution once it no longer contained instructions directed at Police Chief Gabriel Ting, but instead made those demands of Town Manager Paul Bockelman.

Several of those who spoke publicly advocated for the resolution.

“It is not merely symbolic,” said Josna Rege of District 1. “It calls for actions that can make a real difference in the lives of our residents, many of whom are in crisis, afraid to speak up for fear they will become the next target.”

Leyla Moushabeck of District 1 referenced the attempt to deport Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk because of an op-ed piece she wrote about Israel committing a genocide in Gaza, and compared this to the University of Massachusetts calling on Amherst police to help break up the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in spring 2024.

Moushabeck said that no one is safe when the rights of some are prioritized over others.

“What they will do to a child in Gaza, they will do to a 5-year-old seeking asylum in Minnesota,” Moushabeck said. “What they will do to a Black American father they will do to a queer American mother in an SUV.”

“I never thought I’d see the day when my citizenship status would be endangered,” said JuPong Lin of the Echo Hill area of town, who along with her parents are naturalized citizens from Taiwan. “I’m appalled by the current administration’s utter disregard for the laws protecting the rights of immigrants and the rights of all citizens to protest against government agents defying the law and democratic process.”

Isabel Espinal, daughter of immigrants, said the least Amherst could do was to come together to support the community. “We need to support everyone, and people are so scared,” Espinal said.

Bonifaz explained his motivation for helping to draft the resolution.

“ICE is now operating as a secret police force for Donald Trump and terrorizing communities across the country, including here in Massachusetts,” Bonifaz said.

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