Thousands to Join National "We Won't Be Complicit" Day of Action July 31st to Demand Counties, Companies, and All Institutions End Business With Immigration and Customs Enforcement

On Tuesday, thousands of people will join actions and events across the country to demand our cities, counties, universities and companies stop doing business with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The national day of action is coordinated and supported by Movimiento Cosecha under the banner "#WeWontBeComplicit with ICE's deportation machine: End all business with ICE!"

Over the last few months, young kids on tape crying asking for their mothers, testimonies of parents unable to locate their children, and stories of abuse at the hands of ICE agents, have made their way into American households everywhere. As the #AbolishICE rallying cry gains support, people are asking - how can we stop this?

"We know that ICE relies on so many institutions and companies to function day in and day out. And we know that if our counties stopped allowing ICE to use the jails, if local agencies stopped sharing data with ICE, and if companies stopped selling technology to ICE, it would be impossible for ICE to function," said Maria Fernanda Cabello, an undocumented organizer with Cosecha. "Today, we are rising up to say that we will no longer be complicit with ICE. We will demand an end to county contracts with ICE. We will target companies that do business with ICE. And we will show that the American public is on the side of immigrant families - not Trump and his deportation machine."

"Every year, my county government is paid thousands of dollars to help ICE kidnap members of our community," said Gema Lowe, an undocumented mother and Cosecha organizer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "So many immigrant families have been torn apart and destroyed--we cannot stand by and be complicit in this any longer. That's why hundreds of Kent County residents are telling our commissioners to end the contract now. We went to their meeting in June, we went to their meeting in July, and we will keep making our voices heard until they end the contract." On Thursday, a large crowd of community members attended the board of commissioners meeting to testify and present a petition with over 1600 signatures in favor of ending the contract.

"We know the history of academic institutions enabling human rights abuses -- and we are saying we won't be complicit in this persecution," said Carlos Gabriel, a Cosecha organizer and Boston community member. Hundreds of students, faculty, and community members plan to take action in Boston on Tuesday against Northeastern University, an institution that has a multi-million dollar contract and a student work program with ICE. "We are demanding Northeastern cut all ties with ICE and calling on the community to continue to take action until they do so."

In New York City, Cosecha activists will march to buildings of three tech giants - Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon - who all have contracts with ICE, and plan to take action outside the Amazon store. "Amazon continues to develop technology for ICE and knowingly enables ICE to persecute thousands of families, like my own," said Lucia Allain, an organizer with Cosecha. "If Amazon continues to do business with ICE, we won't let them do business at all". After much pressure to cut ties with ICE, Amazon recently responded by proclaiming unwavering support for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Cosecha activists and local partners will be taking direct, escalated action in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Silicon Valley. Other actions will happen in other cities in California, Ohio, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, and Nebraska, demanding an end to all business with ICE. Organizers and activists are available for interviews.