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ICE in MN: Haven Watch still helping released DHS detainees
Haven Watch, a volunteer group that helps Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees when they're released from the Whipple Building, says it remains busy even amid the agent drawdown. Josh Wabaunsee, a Haven Watch volunteer, joined FOX 9 All Day to talk about their efforts.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Haven Watch, a volunteer group that helps Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, says it remains busy even amid the agent drawdown.
RELATED: Volunteers help ICE detainees find rides, phones and comfort in MN
Haven Watch remains busy
What they're saying:
Haven Watch posted on Facebook on Feb. 24, reflecting on the last six weeks of ICE in Minnesota.
Here's what the volunteer group had to say, in part:
"Exactly 6 weeks ago, I came to Whipple in Minneapolis to hand out snacks, water, and some 3-D printed hearts and whistles to protesters with my sons. My older son noticed people being released with no coats or phones and invited them to warm up in our car. That night, we learned that it was standard practice for people to be released without a ride, appropriate clothing, a phone, or any way to get out of the cold and home to their families. Since then, we have committed to supporting detainees at the gate and beyond. To say that 6 weeks has felt like a year is an understatement.
We continue to be overwhelmed by the support and the road in front of us. Many have asked if Haven Watch has seen evidence of the draw down of DHS occupation in Minnesota, and our best answer is no. Things have evolved, the tactics of the agents have changed slightly, and the people being released seem to have been held for longer in many cases, but our presence and need at the gate has not changed."
The backstory:
Sarah 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.
READ MORE: Volunteers help ICE detainees find rides, phones and comfort in MN