DPC Statement on ICE Operations and the Disability Community
The Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) stands in solidarity with immigrant communities across Minnesota and the nation facing violence and overreach from federal immigration enforcement. The fight for disability rights has always been interconnected with other movements for justice; we stand with immigrant communities because our liberation is bound together.
Immigrants are also members of our disability community. Disabled immigrants bear a disproportionate burden of harm from these operations, facing compounded risks of violence and discrimination. They experience greater brutality during apprehension and systemic abuse in detention, including denial of medical care, communication access such as ASL interpretation, and basic needs. At the same time, many of the people who make independence and community living possible for disabled people across the country – our care workers, friends, and family members – are immigrants. When enforcement tears apart families and communities, it destabilizes the entire care infrastructure that disabled people depend on. When parents are apprehended at schools and workers detained at job sites, disabled people lose the supports that make our lives possible.
This violence threatens not only individual lives, but the very possibility of the work we do. DPC's work is grounded in collaboration with policymakers to shape just, equitable policy. This requires functioning democratic institutions, transparent government processes, and the ability to organize without fear. When federal agents operate with unbounded authority, targeting vulnerable people, creating an atmosphere of terror, and retaliating against those who protest peacefully, they undermine the foundation of democratic governance. Disability rights advocacy requires trust in institutions and protection for those who speak out. We cannot build a more just society for disabled people while government agents are throwing people to the ground, separating families, and killing peaceful protesters with impunity.
On a personal note, as a Jewish member of our community, I cannot help but see the echoes of history in these tactics – the use of state power to dehumanize, terrorize, and scapegoat specific populations; the erosion of legal protections; the normalization of violence against those deemed "other." We have seen where this path leads.
So, in response to recent events, we would like to share ways that you can take action to speak out against inhumane federal actions and support immigrant communities nationally, in Minnesota, and right here in Massachusetts.
Reach out to your Representatives: Demand that Congress stop funding DHS and ICE amidst ongoing investigations
Stand with Minnesota: Support local organizations working with immigrants and those affected by ICE actions in Minnesota.
LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts: If you see or suspect ICE or federal agents are in your neighborhood, contact the LUCE Defense Hotline at 617-370-5023.
For more information about rights and communication with federal agents, see the resources below:
MIRA Know Your Rights: Factsheets, trainings, and other resources in multiple languages for immigrants, advocates, and allies.
Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network: A community network that works to reduce escalating harm of the immigration system through legal accompaniment.
National Association of the Deaf Know Your Rights: Resources for effective communication with ICE in ASL.
To immigrants in our community: we see you, value you, and you are not alone. We will not allow fear to silence our voices and prevent our collective action – because fear loses its power when communities act together.
In solidarity,
Harry Weissman
Executive Director