"There's a way to have immigrants here and have everybody win. We've got to change our mindsets."
Ben London was carrying a sign that read "Stop pretending your racism is patriotism," as he walked around the Campbell County Detention Center Sunday. London was taking part in a nationwide series of demonstrations against the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
He moved to Newport from Minneapolis recently. He says he regularly shopped at the Target store where federal agents arrested two employees Thursday.
"I think standing up for our country means standing up for the people," he says. "And the people who are not white and do not look like me are also part of this country."
Weekend demonstrations were organized by the group 50501, and called for the abolishing of ICE. Newport's event was at the Campbell County Detention Center, which has a contract with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees.
Ron Williams of Crittendon says he's bothered by how ICE has been operating.
"Anytime you set quotas for how many people to arrest, rather than saying 'Let's go out and find all the ones who are undocumented' and then treat them appropriately," he says. "When Stephen Miller says it's all about power, if you have power, use it," he says. "I think when you have power you need to show restraint. And there's very little restraint in this administration."
Williams says he doesn't like open borders, but lawful immigration should be encouraged.
Josh Hill of Montgomery also has problems with how ICE is enforcing immigration policy.
"The seeming lack of oversight, the indiscriminate snatch and grab tactics of citizens and non-citizens alike," he says. "Where's due process? Where's anything this country stands for?"
Many people in the Newport demonstration carried signs recognizing Renee Nicole Good. The Minneapolis woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer Wednesday. Others mentioned Keith Porter, the Los Angeles man killed by an off-duty ICE agent New Year's Eve, and two people shot in Portland, Oregon.
Karen Huelsman of Cincinnati carried a sign reading "Violence is not an immigration policy." She says laws need to be enforced, but how that is done is important.
"Shooting a woman who is just in her car, dropping off her kids from school, trying to get out of the way. I'm just so upset about it," she says. "I, as a privileged white woman with resources, I don't feel safe right now. I feel like what happened in Minneapolis could happen to me, and that's extremely frightening."
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