Senator Baskin Issues Statement on ICE Targeting Individuals
ICE Patrolling and Intimidating Members of the Community
I have recently learned that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers are staking out individuals in Buffalo neighborhoods and at our cultural festivals. Not only is this outrageous, but it is absolutely unacceptable for our neighbors, regardless of their origin, to be targeted simply based on physical appearance.
We will not stand for this disgraceful behavior in the City of Good Neighbors.
Despite Buffalo’s history of marginalization, we have historically been a safe place that welcomes people fleeing violence and oppression: Enslaved people and the Irish escaped to Buffalo in the 19th Century. Jewish and Italian people came in the early 20th Century. Most recently, Vietnamese, Somali, Burmese, and Iraqi families arrived in Buffalo seeking the promise of a safe, new life. Buffalo is a welcoming city, especially for people who are most vulnerable and in need of protection.
~April N.M. Baskin
