KC-area volunteers keep vigil outside Leavenworth, Kansas ICE facility. ‘We’re watching them’ (gift link)
Each week, members of the grassroots group Northland Neighbors United gather to support families visiting their loved ones at ICE’s Leavenworth Midwest Regional Reception Center, run by CoreCivic.
My name is Eleanor Nash, reporter with The Kansas City Star, and I went to Leavenworth, Kansas to see the ICE detention center and meet members of Northland Neighbors United.
On alternating Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings, the group holds what they call “vigils,” meeting outside the prison-like facility to share resources and be a visible presence against increased immigration enforcement.
Sometimes the group’s volunteers offer support in the form of toilet paper, shampoo, mutual aid money; and other times, it’s a person to talk to.
Miranda Richards, a core member of Northland Neighbors United, told me she hopes their vigils let CoreCivic staff know “we’re watching them.”
“We don’t want to be protesting because somebody died here,” she said.
Read my full story to learn about the work of Northland Neighbors United and the experiences of immigrants inside of the Leavenworth ICE facility.