Volunteers help ICE detainees find rides, phones and comfort in MN

Group helps detainees after ICE release

One group is offering support to those detained by ICE agents, offering them transportation and other necessities upon release. FOX 9’s Maury Glover has the details.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - ICE detainees are released at all hours of the day from the Whipple Federal Building and a new group is trying to be there to give them phones to call loved ones and transportation.

A passion project

What we know:

Every day, demonstrators gather outside the Whipple Federal Building to protest ICE's presence in Minnesota. But in the middle of the crowd, there are people wearing orange vests, hoping to provide a haven for recent detainees.

"So many of us were sitting at home doom-scrolling, watching it on the news wanting to make a difference and this was a way to do that." said volunteer Sarah Haraldson.

A mix of emotions

The backstory:

Haraldson is part of Haven Watch, a group of volunteers who keep an eye out for people released from the ICE detention center, often without their phones or winter coats.

The volunteers offer them burner phones, a place to warm up and even rides home, as well as anything else they may need to get back on their feet.

"Most people are upset, no matter how long they were in there and why they were taken in. I have had more grown men cry in my car in the last week than anyone should see," said Haraldson.

Haven Watch is also collecting donations to help recent detainees with everything from food and car seats to rental assistance.

For Haraldson, the group's mission hits close to home.

"I have a 20-year-old son that we adopted from Ethiopia as a baby and he is a naturalized citizen and it scares me every day when he is out that they could pick him up and put him in that building based on the color of his skin and nothing else," said Haraldson.

Bridging the gap

What they're saying:

Haraldson says while the chaos and confusion caused by Operation Metro Surge can seem overwhelming, if everyone does just a little bit, they can make a big difference.

"We want people to know as they come out of that building that we love them, and they are our friends, they are neighbors, they are family, and people love them and want to support them," said Haraldson.

Haraldson says Haven Watch, which was originally called Safe Havens, needs more volunteer drivers.

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