Trump’s second term has been defined by a reactionary offensive that many have found overwhelming. For example, the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife was followed days later by the death of Renée Good. Although the explosive movement in Minneapolis forced Trump to retreat from “Operation Metro Surge” — an initiative that highlighted the limitations of the Trump administration’s offensive — he is continuing his efforts to expand ICE operations nationwide.

The administration’s recent actions have mobilized more people to demand that local and state governments take a stand against ICE’s expansion. These demands, however, face the reality that local and state municipalities are often limited in their ability to restrict federal agencies from operating in their jurisdictions. This has sparked a critical debate within the movement about the most effective ways to combat ICE and whether the focus should remain on local and state municipalities that lack the power to stop ICE’s operations.

In response to Trump’s deployment of federal troops to cities, activists have sought ways to curtail the activities of ICE and the National Guard. Some municipal governments have even enacted laws and ordinances aimed at restricting ICE’s activities. While many of these measures have had significant political impact, evidence indicates that their effectiveness is limited and fails to stop ICE from detaining and deporting people. Some activists question the value of making any demands at all, while others have organized campaigns that emphasize pressuring municipalities to take stronger action. As activists involved in the movement in Detroit, we want to add our “two cents” to the debate, since it affects our ability to formulate a coherent strategy capable of unleashing the movement’s full power.

We Need to Go All Out against Trump and ICE

As revolutionary socialists active in the movement against ICE and for immigrant rights, we believe it is essential for the movement to demand that municipal bodies and local officials take a stand against ICE and impose concrete limitations on its activities in our cities. In fact, we think the movement must make strong, direct demands of these municipalities, many of which have historically failed to firmly oppose ICE’s actions and Trump’s reactionary agenda. As Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”

We also believe, however, that it would be a grave mistake for the movement to rely solely on these institutions as the source of power to stop Trump. The massive movement in Minneapolis demonstrated the power of the working class and the oppressed to confront Trump. That power lies in our collective action and our ability to disrupt society, its institutions, and its economy.

In Minneapolis, we witnessed the critical role of labor in organizing a day without shopping, school, or work. We must continue to demand that labor join the movement and commit its full resources to fighting ICE and its brutal attacks on immigrant workers and the communities they belong to. The area in Romulus, Michigan, where ICE intends to build a detention center, is surrounded by auto plants and the neighborhoods where their workers live. This underscores the particular role that the UAW must play in the fight against the construction of the detention center.

To strengthen our position, we must reject the notion that the movement should moderate its tone to make it easier for local officials to “hear” our demands or that we should focus on technical and legalistic arguments. No, we must articulate our demands in a militant way that shows our unequivocal opposition to ICE. Without such a challenge, the movement risks being ignored and placated.

Co-optation at Its Finest

In the upcoming midterm elections, Democrats hope to gain significant electoral victories against Republicans by positioning themselves as the only option to defeat Trump. But far from being steadfast opponents of Trump’s xenophobic agenda, the Democrats have adapted to Trump, having previously taken steps during Biden’s presidency to “secure the border.” They continue to fund ICE despite increasing calls from their base and left-wing politicians like Rashida Tlaib and independent voters to abolish and defund the agency. Given this reality, it would be a serious mistake for the movement to rely on the Democratic Party or to direct its efforts and resources toward electing them as a means to combat ICE. Doing so would weaken the movement’s progress and leave it vulnerable to the vacillation of the Democratic Party, as well as the reactionary backlash organized by Republicans and the Right.

Having organized as part of the global movement seeking justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, we witnessed firsthand how the Democrats used the fear of Trump to channel the movement’s electrifying energy into the presidential elections and the Democratic Party. This co-optation led to a Biden administration that openly opposed the movement’s demands, while Democrats across the country — from Congress to local municipalities — voted to increase police funding, remaining silent about the ongoing prevalence of police violence against Black and Brown people. Worst still was Biden’s open support for the genocidal policies of the Israeli government against the people of Gaza. In other words, rather than serving as a vehicle for change, the Democrats co-opted the movement’s energy to stabilize the U.S. regime rather than radically transform it.

Our experience with the Biden administration underscores the need to focus our limited resources on an all-out fight against ICE and its expansion in Metro Detroit and beyond, keeping the movement against ICE and for immigrant rights mobilized and active in our workplaces and communities, and the streets.To maintain an organized movement, it is crucial to uphold independent, bottom-up organization and assemblies. This must be the movement’s central task if we hope to halt ICE’s expansion in Metro Detroit and advance the struggle for the full economic, social, and political rights of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.

The post To Stop ICE, We Must Rely on the Power of the Working Class and the Oppressed appeared first on Left Voice.

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