An activist group in Grand Rapids is raising funds to post bond for illegal aliens who are held on federal immigration violations.
The group is called the Kent County I-BOND Fund, according to their Twitter page.
“Immigrant Bond for Our Neighbors’ Defense is a bond fund for people in Kent County facing detention on immigration-related charges,” the group’s Twitter states.
The Kent County I-BOND Fund does not seem to be a fan of the United States, as they tweeted on July 3:
“This July 4th, we won’t celebrate a carceral state built on stolen land. With other bond funds around the country, we’ll continue to raise money to free migrants and honor the world we know is possible.”
This July 4th, we won't celebrate a carceral state built on stolen land. With other bond funds around the country, we'll continue to raise money to free migrants and honor the world we know is possible.#FreedomDay#CloseTheCampshttps://t.co/UjCgp04hhNhttps://t.co/mQHVGNyaMb pic.twitter.com/xNZZX4ITo3
— Kent County I-BOND Fund (@KentCountyIBOND) July 3, 2019
They also have a GoFundMe page started where they say:
We believe that all of our immigrant neighbors are welcome and important in our community and that ICE detentions and deportations are an affront to human dignity. This fund is a way for us to take a stand against injustice and to have our neighbors’ backs. We want immigrant members of our community to have the greatest chance to stay here and to be free.
A large percentage of immigrants held in detention have committed no crime other than being underdocumented in the U.S. Even those with a so-called criminal record often have old, minor, non-violent offenses such as driving without a license—and the laws in Michigan can make obtaining a license impossible.
However, that does not tell the whole story. Wood TV News 8 reported on immigration lawyer Richard Kessler, one of the group’s organizers, and said:
Marilu Parra-Velazquez, one of Kessler’s clients, was arrested earlier this year. She was a passenger in a vehicle with her son when their car was stopped and he was arrested. Her son Brandon Reyes had recently been released from jail following a drunken driving arrest. ICE arrested Parra-Velazquez, too.
Kessler blamed President Donald Trump for increasing the number of arrests as well as the cost of bonds from $1,500 to $5,000 or $6,000.
Grand Rapids officials have turned the city into a sanctuary for illegal aliens, The Michigan Star reported Tuesday.
The city announced a policy saying Grand Rapids Police Department officers will not check a suspect’s immigration status, except for “legitimate law enforcement needs.” Those do not include questioning a subject based on “actual or suspected violations of federal civil immigration law.”
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Kent County I-Bond Fund” by Kent County I-Bond Fund.
