Ulster Rapid Response is calling on our community to support an Ulster County family who has been impacted by the uptick in ICE operations. On Thursday, July 30th, in Eddyville, just outside of Kingston, one member of this family was taken as a result of an ICE car stop.

ICE’s actions have severed this family, and now the primary income earner is detained, first at Delaney Hall and then moved under the cover of darkness in the early morning hours to MDC, a federal prison in Brooklyn. This family is experiencing the terror caused by ICE, along with enormous stress and the pain of family separation. Unfortunately, the only viable option for the person detained may be to self-deport and face dangerous conditions in his country of origin, as legal avenues for immigrants to remain in the U.S. shrink and people in detention face months or years of imprisonment in horrible and dangerous conditions.

We are asking for support so that this family, which includes several children, can cover essential expenses. At this moment, we can show up by helping to provide this family with the cash they need to create a small safety net for housing, basic necessities, and travel expenses while they make decisions about whether some family members will self-deport and work to rebuild their lives and find new ways to generate income for those remaining in the U.S.

For the safety and well-being of this family, we are unable to share any more details about this situation.

This is a traumatic and devastating situation, and sadly, it is becoming more common as federal immigration enforcement increases its deportation and terror campaign. In the Hudson Valley and across the nation, we have seen ICE target workers, leading to family separation and pushing many families into dangerous economic conditions. For some, this results in the impossible choice to self-deport in order to survive and in heart-rending decisions that can leave families separated indefinitely.

Please act now on behalf of this family. We will not abandon our immigrant neighbors as they’re being abducted from the community they’ve called home. This must stop, and until then we must come together as a community to support impacted families.

Please support this family in any way you are able!  URR will ensure that all funds raised go directly to this family.