The steps of Syracuse City Hall were packed Wednesday with protestors speaking out against the Trump Administration’s ICE raids and detentions. Leaders from Central New York Advocacy groups rallied hundreds of Syracuse residents to support the immigrant community. The New York Immigration Coalition, Mohammad Ali Seraji encouraged everyone make sure immigrants to know their rights in America, if they’re approached by authorities.
“In Upstate New York, we know what to do when ICE is on the way... we get salt and we pour it on the street. These rights are the salt that we need to keep ICE out of our community,” said Seraji.
He says immigrants and everyone should know their Constitutional rights, especially the 4th and 5th amendments. They include the right to remain silent, the right to refuse a search by police, and the right to know why they're being detained.
“If we make more of an effort to make sure everyone of all ages knows their rights, knows that in this country we have specific expectations for our interactions with law enforcement, for our interactions with the detention system. That is the only way that we can keep them from overriding them.”
Those who work personally with immigrants to ensure Syracuse remains a Sanctuary City recounted instances where immigrants were approached by ICE including the Westcott neighborhood. Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY Sal Curran recounted another incident that happened recently to a woman who experienced an accident while driving in Northern New York.
“She hit a deer. Going home and called the police to get a police report so she could file for insurance. Do you know what the police did? They called CBP. You know what CBP did? They detained her and now she's in Louisiana, she's been there for over a month. She can't get home to her family, and she can't get out on bond. What is this world that we’re living in?”
They’re asking the Mayor and other elected officials to join them in protecting immigrants. Some recalled that it was their own families who came to Syracuse as immigrants and they proclaimed they are the sons and daughters of immigrants too.
