Bearing Witness at ICE, One Wednesday at a Time

Thirteen weeks ago, organizers Laurie and Jared Berezin stood outside the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Boston Field Office alone. On July 9, the Maynard couple amassed a crowd of over 250 people—and that metric grows by the week.

Bearing Witness at ICE was a grassroots effort born out of a simple Google search.

“My husband, Jared, and I were just feeling really heartsick about what was happening here, and happening in our country. And so Jared actually looked online and figured out that, wow, the ICE Enforcement and Removal Office was right in Burlington,” said Berezin.

The relatively unmarked field office is an administrative space turned detention center just blocks from the Burlington Mall. Detainees sleep on a concrete floor, are deprived of daylight, given little to no food, and have no access to sinks or showers. Not only are the conditions inhumane—the center is not zoned for overnight detention. The Burlington Select Board stated in a press release that “it may now be operating in a capacity inconsistent with zoning approvals previously granted,” and is evaluating whether any permitting conditions have been violated.

“The very worst things that we do to each other are not done with handcuffs and they’re not done in cells,” said Cameron. “They’re done in office buildings.”

Gracie Gilligan, a political science student at American University, started attending Bearing Witness after learning about it at a No Kings Day protest. She urges locals to recognize that the unlawful detention and deportation crisis is here and now. “It’s our neighbors. It’s people we see everyday… it’s happening, and it’s a five-minute walk from the mall that most of my friends go to.”

Every Wednesday, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, the Berezins invite protesters to stand in solidarity outside the facility. Their mission? To show love and support for immigrants, direct collective shame toward ICE, and to bear witness to unconstitutional government action. Bearing Witness kicks off with a welcome chat and opportunities for sign making. Protesters peacefully line the sides of District Avenue, and later go for a brief march. Throughout the rally, all are welcome to step up to the mic to recite ICE’s constitutional violations.

The interfaith couple got Bearing Witness off the ground with the help of a few local religious leaders. Practicing at Temple Shalom Emeth since 1984, Susan Abramson is the longest-serving female rabbi in the state of Massachusetts. Abramson has been a fixture since Bearing Witness’ inception. She described an early scene where protesters saw the aftermath of an ICE arrest.

“The second or third week we were here, a woman jumped out of her car crying hysterically, because her husband had just been taken by ICE on his way to work,” said Abramson.

“She had no idea what was going to happen to him. He had no clothes. He had no anything,” said Abramson.

The woman had planned to deliver her husband’s clothes at the facility, but, according to Abramson, “They took him and [eventually] sent him to a prison in Ohio, leaving her alone with their 8-year-old daughter.”

Rabbi Abramson sees history repeating itself. Alongside fellow clergy members, she led monthly “Jericho Walks” to rally against ICE during the first Trump administration. Still, as anti-immigrant sentiment grows, so does protesters’ energy.

“It’s been awesome to see the support from a lot of different age groups and a lot of different communities who have been out here… I think that this issue has been a uniting force for a lot of people to come out and make their voices heard,” said Gilligan.

Immigrants and passersby along District Avenue express their support for Bearing Witness. Families have waved, “Thank you” in the office parking lot, and drivers enthusiastically honk their horns.

The outrage for the ICE facility extends beyond the local level. U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) visited the facility upon teenager Marcelo Gomes Da Silva’s release, attesting to its grim conditions. The Berezins have since been in touch with Rep. Seth Moulton’s deputy chief of staff, and have discussed a continued need for representatives’ physical presence at the Burlington facility. Within the community, the Berezins hope to see the Town of Burlington enforce the zoning laws that will prohibit ICE from using the field office as a detention center.

“We know that at least some members of the select board are working to get access to the building,” said Laurie Berezin.

At the July 2 rally, immigration attorney Matt Cameron warned locals not to be deceived by the Burlington facility’s innocuous exterior.

“The very worst things that we do to each other are not done with handcuffs and they’re not done in cells,” said Cameron. “They’re done in office buildings… People just signing memos and sending emails and showing up to meetings, and that’s all it takes to kill people. That’s all it takes to destroy families.”

With a standing protest every Wednesday, the Berezins have no plans of stopping anytime soon. “We’ll be here until we see change,” said Laurie Berezin.

All demonstrators with an interest in upholding due process are invited to offer peaceful support.

An earlier version of this piece was published by Massachusetts Peace Action.