Hyattsville, Maryland July 31—Today an angry group of 55 students, residents and neighbors rallied again at the METRO 1 building on Belcrest Road to demand NO ICE EXPANSION HERE! This was larger than previous rallies at this site since Prince George’s County had just issued an occupancy permit to ICE to expand into the building’s 3rd floor. This county action is an attack on this multiracial town center that houses social service programs including SNAP as well as part of the Prince George’s Community College. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) friends and members helped lead the rally with chants in English and Spanish and spoke to demonstrators about imperialism, racism, the ongoing struggle against ICE, and the need for communist revolution to defeat fascism. We gave out fliers from Hyattsville Resistance and Greenbelt Resistance Network to let people know how to protest directly to the county government, and distributed CHALLENGE to protestors and onlookers. One main reason so many people came out is that a friend of PLP went to another pro-immigrant rally on Wednesday and told them that ICE had received the permit. Normally these activists protest along a major road instead of coming to the protest in front of ICE offices. Hopefully they will continue to join our Friday rallies/direct actions.
Josh Bernstein is the owner of METRO 1 and has been a major player in real estate for decades in the DC area after inheriting a real estate company from his father. It is not surprising that he leased space for ICE in his building to make money. But Bernstein has a reputation of philanthropy including support for immigrants, sitting on the board of the Meyer Foundation that funds the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. His cover is now blown – he’s a collaborator with fascist ICE!
Beware the press and politicians!
Telemundo and NBC covered this rally, thrusting microphones in people’s faces and diluting the militancy of the rally at times. NBC’s coverage minimized the ICE presence in the building by saying “this is not going to be a detention center, just lawyers’ offices,” missing the key point that the expansion of ICE infrastructure in Hyattsville will lead to more deportations and intimidation. We should realize that our neighbors may well be detained here as ICE aggression expands.
Politicians continue to lurk in these anti-ICE events without making an effort to actually stop ICE in the neighborhood. Once again, Glenn and Jolene Ivey came by to appear concerned. Glenn Ivey is notorious for receiving AIPAC funding and supporting Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, while Jolene Ivey sits on the County Council. Glenn Ivey had also been at a vigil on the previous weekend for Joan and Lorenzo, the most recent residents murdered by ICE. The performative appearances and crocodile tears shed by these politicians only divert us from realizing that we can only rely on ourselves, the working class, to confront fascism, and not be distracted by politicians’ empty promises.
Public protests and conversations with our friends and neighbors about ICE expansion have led them to challenge the city mayor, the chief of police, and officials working with immigrants in the city. The local bosses are feeling the heat from our protests and widespread anger against ICE. They were forced to issue a statement to justify approving the permit for ICE expansion by claiming, like NBC news, that ICE will only house lawyers in the building. And what will these legal beagle ICE agents do? Try to deport our neighbors! No thank you! ICE out, root and branch!
Fighting racism
Racism is central to the fascist trend in the U.S. as demonstrated by ICE murders of Black, Latin, and white workers. Haitian workers, predominantly Black, have lost Temporary Protected Status (TPS), are losing jobs and face immediate deportation. Meanwhile, Trump appeals to his base to build a white country with white immigrants from South Africa and Scandinavia. Black workers and women have been the main victims of government layoffs, but racism and fascism hurt all workers. Workers of all races in agriculture and construction, nursing and nursing homes, transportation and education are under attack. Most importantly, racism keeps us from the multiracial unity of the working class needed to destroy the capitalist system and replace it with communism and workers’ power.
