Press release from Mijente:
Henderson Community Throws Farewell Celebration as Sheriff Who Collaborated with ICE Loses Seat in Office
The ‘farewell’ protest is the third stop in the national “Chinga La Migra/ Resist ICE” tour. Local residents accompanied by advocates from around the country will highlight the Sheriff’s role in deporting individuals after losing his re-election campaign in Hendersonville, NC.
WHAT: Surprise farewell party for Sheriff Charles McDonald by immigrant and Latino community from Henderson County. The event will include organizers from around the country visiting Hendersonville as part of a national organizing and media tour, highlighting the harm by immigration enforcement policies and work done against deportations throughout the country.
WHEN: Friday, June 15, 3:00 pm
WHERE: Outside of the Sheriff’s Office, 400 N Grove St, Hendersonville, NC, 28792.
WHO: Immigrant and Latino community members organizing against deportations and immigrant rights advocates, including members from Companeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (CAMI), Southerners on New Ground (SONG), the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), and Mijente. Mijente organizer Alejandra Pablos, whose recent detention for 48 days in an Arizona detention center launched a national campaign, will be present and hosting the tour’s web series.
WHY: Sheriff McDonalds is responsible for maintaining the 287(g) program in our communities, deputizing local Sheriffs to act as deportation agents. Henderson County has had the voluntary 287g program in our community for over 10 years. In addition, McDonalds has made Hendersonville an epicenter of deportation by making the Hendersonville Hold Room as a transfer center to further separate immigrant people from their families.
When Sheriff McDonald lost his re-election campaign, the community saw an opportunity to turn away from the enforcement-first ideology and focus on creating safer communities for everyone. At this Farewell celebration, community members will talk about how the 287(g) program has impacted their lives and livelihood, and will set a standard for the incoming Sheriff.This gathering in Hendersonville is the third stop to a organizing tour by Mijente called “Chinga La Migra / Resist ICE,” an organizing and multimedia tour opposing the separation of families and the increased targeting of immigrants by federal and local police.
VISUALS: Community members rally outside of Sheriff’s Office, banners and signs.
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