MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Manhattan residents joined other Americans Friday in protest of federal immigration operations in their local community.
The protest on Feb. 6 followed recent confirmation that agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out operations in Manhattan. Protesters gathered on the corner of Griffith Ball Park and aired their frustrations with the way ICE has been enforcing the law in other cities. They worry that similar actions may be taken in their own community.
“ICE needs to follow their own protocols,” said Amber Starling, a member of Indivisible MHK, the organizer of the protest. “They are breaking their own use of force guidelines every single day. They are acting well outside of their intended purpose and are being weaponized against U.S. citizens, including protesters. It’s not that I think ICE shouldn’t exist, it’s that I think they should be held to some standard, and they’re not.”
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Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement at the statehouse on Thursday, Feb. 5 that she wants ICE to follow standard protocol, and coordinate with Kansas state and local law enforcement. Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete recently talked about the impact of the ICE operations in the Little Apple on Feb. 6.
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