ICE has its claws in New Hampshire, even if not as obviously as in some other places. The secret police force has abducted people on multiple occasions. Local politicians are collaborating with ICE in exchange for a little federal money. But New Hampshire residents are pushing back. A new movement called Sanctuary Communities is forming to protest and monitor ICE’s brutal actions.
In my area is the Seacoast Interfaith Sanctuary Community. I’m still finding out what it’s all about, but it looks interesting. It’s been around since 2017 and says its members are “working together to support people facing the threats of immigration detention and deportation.” I’ve sent an email asking to sign up for their mailing list, and I’m still waiting for a reply. Hopefully the person running the list was just away for the weekend. (Update, Nov. 18: Yay! I’m now on the mailing list!)
These groups have been targeted by a campaign of lies. New Hampshire has a law against “sanctuary cities.” It requires law enforcement in every municipality to cooperate with federal immigration officials. The MAGAs are trying to claim it bans private activity protected by the First Amendment. If it did, that would just make the law null and void. Americans’ freedom to gather information and speak out takes precedent over Trump’s wishes.
Governor Ayotte has resorted to threats: “Threats to law enforcement or efforts to obstruct them will not be tolerated in New Hampshire. We are not a sanctuary for criminals who have come into this country illegally, and the law I signed earlier this year reinforces that.” But observing and recording ICE’s activities is not obstruction, the people it grabs are mostly not criminals, and any law which prohibits activity protected by the First Amendment would be null and void. The law she seems to be talking about doesn’t prohibit information gathering or protesting. Ayotte, after straddling the line for a while, has become a full Trump puppet.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Sweeney of Salem has taken on the role of schoolyard bully, pretending to be the state’s gatekeeper: “If you are here illegally, you are not welcome in New Hampshire, You cannot hide. We will find you and deport you.”
The sanctuary communities’ grass-roots activity offers hope in a situation where hope is scarce. It’s neighbors working with neighbors, showing that this is an American cause, not a partisan one. The aspiration to “liberty and justice for all” have been severely damaged, but it isn’t dead. Even if these groups can’t change policies, they can mitigate some of the damage done.