Todos Bienvenidos - All Are Welcome

The Rapid Response and Immigrant Family Support Network invites individuals to participate in a two-hour informational and training session. Sessions are scheduled for December 11 and December 14; attendees are required to attend only one session.

This non-partisan, volunteer-driven rapid response and targeted support system is now operating in Van Buren as well as western Ottawa and Allegan counties. Recruitment efforts for additional volunteers continue across these regions.

Volunteers who are able to reach an ICE incident location within 20 minutes are encouraged to document such incidents. Others may provide support to affected individuals or families through various means, including transportation assistance, locating detained individuals, or facilitating access to nearby services.

The network offers family support to those impacted by ICE encounters by meeting material or informational needs. Another crucial function of the network is rapid response—witnessing and documenting ICE activity. Volunteers are strictly instructed not to confront ICE personnel or engage in any disruptive actions. A central call line with bilingual dispatchers operating on a secure communication system ensures efficient coordination and communication.

“We are dedicated to maintaining a respectful distance from ICE and law enforcement while ensuring our approach remains nonviolent and composed,” stated a spokesperson for the network. “Rapid Response volunteers are tasked with documenting incidents using photos and video, and reporting their observations via the secure communication platform.”

In situations where a family's primary income earner is detained, the network facilitates emergency support and provides access to legal resources. Family needs may be crowd-sourced and addressed using the secure system.

The organization seeks additional volunteers within Van Buren County for both branches: rapid response and family support. Interested parties must attend a two-hour training and information session before engaging in the network’s activities.

There are two upcoming training sessions in December for the Van Buren Rapid Response and Family Support initiative. Attendance at one session is mandatory prior to activation within the secure communication system:

• Thursday, December 11, in Bangor

• Sunday, December 14, in Paw Paw

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• If you have a Democratic senator, demand that they call for Chuck Schumer to step down as minority leader. Last week’s total surrender shows, once again, that Chuck Schumer is not the right leader for this moment. Senate Dems need bold new leadership to effectively fight the Trump regime, and that starts by convincing Schumer to step aside.

• Cancel your Spotify Premium subscription until Spotify stops running ICE ads. Spotify is running ads recruiting more ICE agents to infringe our rights and terrorize our communities, so we’re calling on users to stop paying for or using the app until Spotify stops streaming fascism. Don’t use Spotify? Support the campaign by spreading the word on social media.

• Sign up to call voters and get out the vote for Aftyn Behn -- a former Indivisible running to flip a red congressional seat! Our next chance to stomp the regime at the ballot box is in Tennessee, where Aftyn Behn can flip a district Trump won by double-digits if we turn enough voters out. You can call voters from anywhere. All you need is a phone and computer, and we offer live training before the shift!