On Saturday, November 16, dozens of Ohio college students, activists and immigrant advocates will go to Morrow County Jail in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, to protest the county’s contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstration will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. and will involve testimonials from those personally affected by ICE actions.

Corrections Facility Administrator Captain Sara Fulk emphasized at a Morrow County Commissioners meeting that expenses are increasing. “The cost of everything is up,” said Fulk. “The costs of meals, utilities, and wages have all increased.” ICE brings detainees from many central Ohio counties to the Morrow County Jail. A Kenyon College student involved in organizing the protest stressed that Morrow County residents should know that their municipal tax dollars are subsidizing ICE operations in Ohio.

The protest comes just days after Supreme Court justices expressed a willingness to allow the Trump administration to end a program known as ‘Dreamers’ which protects 700,000 young undocumented immigrants. Last week, sixteen Kenyon College students traveled to New York City to attend the asylum hearing of a Kenyon alum and immigration rights activist, Marco Saavedra. Saavedra has been in the United States since he was 3-years-old, and he fears that if he is deported to Mexico, he will be persecuted for his activist status. The trial will conclude in January, giving both sides time to gather more evidence. A student who attended the trial commented on the importance of ongoing action. “We shouldn’t just be doing this for him because he is a revolutionary activist and a member of the Kenyon community,” she said. “We need to extend that same empathy for people who aren’t in that situation.”

For more information email ASHES@Kenyon.edu.