Members of community, labor, religious and student organizations gathered on February 11th to hear from and support workers facing exploitation at the hands of Gillette stadium’s contractor and the outrageous tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in ambushing dozens of immigrant workers.
Earlier this year ICE detained 58 workers who were on their way to work at Gillette Stadium at a roadblock in Foxboro. The workers were hired to shovel snow from the stadium seats in preparation for a New England Patriots game. These hardworking Rhode Islanders now face deportation.
This ICE attack is the most high-profile act by ICE against Rhode Islanders since the raids at six RI courthouses in 2008. It is the largest number of Rhode Islanders detained by ICE since the 2007 raid at the Bianco Factory in New Bedford.
While ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have tried to claim that the raid was directed toward people with criminal records, the vast majority of people arrested had no record whatsoever, and were unknown to ICE at the time of their arrest. According to Juan Garcia of the Immigrants in Action Committee, “This action shows that ICE is not focused on going after people with records – they continue to go after large groups of people just for being immigrants.”
Camilo Viveiros of RI Jobs with Justice said:
Sports fans, community organizations, unions and congregation members are concerned about the welfare of these workers. We demand an end to deportation proceedings and we want enforcement of workers’ rights for all! As Patriots fans we are particularly disgusted by the working conditions that a wealthy corporation has fostered. We stand together with these workers and stand against ICE attacks. We will support these workers who faced many violations of labor laws and severe, inhumane working conditions. Labor law is what needs enforcement at Gillette Stadium.
Watch video from the event on the Providence Journal website.
