Protesters take a stand against ICE
The anti-Trump Bridge Brigade was out in force Sunday at the pedestrian bridge over the beltway – this time to protest the murder of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
“We’re here to let our fellow Americans know there are plenty of people who agree that the tactics ICE is using are unacceptable,” said Dorothy of Fairfax. “It’s about communication, community, and solidarity.”
Despite the extreme cold, people were packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the bridge between Wakefield Park and Americana Drive in Annandale, amid the constant blaring of horns on I-495 below.
Braddock Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer said she was heartened to see “so many people on the bridge standing up for democracy and human rights. We should never have federal agents murdering innocent people exercising their First Amendment rights.”
For Erica of Centreville, protest is “part of American citizens’ responsibility for redress, as stated in the First Amendment.”
“We need to stand up for everyone in the country being harmed by a fascist regime,” said Mary of Chantilly.
“What ICE is doing is cruel; it’s wrong. ICE is really bad for the county,” said Richard of Falls Church.
“We’ve got to show the rest of the nation we care,” said Ed of Kings Park. ” We’ve got to get people energized and angry about what Trump is doing, especially with regard to out-of-control ICE agents.”
Related story: Local residents turn out in force for No Kings rally in Annandale
Thanks for standing up against ICE and fascism. I honked for you as I drove under there on Sunday!
Vilifying ICE appears to be the sanctuary crowd’s latest strategy for reinstating the Biden administration’s policy of nullifying immigration enforcement. They’re perfectly happy to provide millions of illegals with de facto permanent residence. However, they’ve evidently forgotten that Trump was reelected precisely because he promised not to give the sanctuary crowd the last word on this subject. In other words, the laws will be enforced. So, if it’s zero enforcement the protesters are after, they better expect to live with disappointment.
I believe it is more accurate to say he was elected on a promise to lower prices. That is what exit polls on Election Day indicated was on the minds of most voters. But those of you who hate immigrants, especially those from Latin America, will continue to repeat this falsehood. Moreover, it is the TACTICS that ICE is employing that have led to protests. If you are genuinely okay with those tactics, that says alot about who you are.
Protest Matters, but So Does Due Process and Historical Memory
Public protest is a vital part of democratic life, and the demonstrations in Annandale reflect genuine concern within the community. Some of the rhetoric surrounding this incident, particularly from the most strident elected voices, has reduced a complex situation to a simplistic judgment about ICE as an institution. That framing ignores a critical reality. The individuals involved were engaged in the lawful enforcement of federal immigration statutes, and the confrontation escalated when people attempted to interfere with that process.
The irony is difficult to overlook. Many of the same voices now condemning federal agents as authoritarian are the ones who recently occupied bridges under banners declaring “No Kings.” The slogan resonates emotionally, but it reflects a selective reading of history. Americans rejected monarchy in 1776, and we also built a constitutional system grounded in the rule of law rather than the rule of sentiment. That system includes the enforcement of federal statutes, even when those statutes are unpopular.
The incident at the center of these protests is still under investigation. There are conflicting accounts, and the available video does not resolve them. A short clip cannot capture an agent’s vantage point, reaction time, or the split‑second threat assessment required in a dynamic encounter. Federal authorities have stated that the agent perceived a vehicle as a lethal threat, and others dispute that interpretation. These disagreements are exactly why due process exists.
It is also important to remember that a moving vehicle is widely recognized in law enforcement and self‑defense doctrine as a potentially deadly weapon. Whether that standard applies here is a factual question, not a political slogan, and it should be answered through evidence rather than assumption.
None of this diminishes the legitimacy of peaceful protest. It does mean that elected officials have a responsibility to avoid framing the situation as a morality play about ICE while ignoring the legal context in which the incident occurred. Enforcing federal law, even when controversial, does not automatically equate to wrongdoing. Interfering with that enforcement is not a trivial detail. It is central to understanding how the encounter unfolded.
If we want accountability, we must also want accuracy. If we want justice, we must be willing to wait for facts. If we want a healthier civic culture, we must resist the temptation to let outrage outrun the truth.
Hidden within your lofty rhetoric and history lesson is a sentence that reveals your bias:…” the confrontation escalated when people attempted to interfere with that process.” if you’re referring to the situation in Minneapolis, even you acknowledge that the facts are not all in, yet you are drawing a conclusion about that. And, indeed, we are unlikely to ever have those facts because the Trump administration has refused to allow state and local investigators to be involved in any investigation. How can anyone expect an unbiased result from a federal investigation when they drew firm conclusions about what happened within minutes of the shooting? And I am sorry to say your call for due process rings completely hollow. This administration has completely ignored due process as it has rounded up people, many of them here lawfully, and a number of them US citizens. As for law-enforcement perceiving a moving vehicle as a lethal weapon, I will agree with you on that, and that is exactly why they are trained not to get in front of a vehicle. But the ICE agent who shot the woman in Minneapolis wasn’t in front of the vehicle. He was standing near the front corner of the vehicle and he shot her at point blank range. I also don’t agree with you about what the available video shows. I suspect you haven’t studied any of it because it might force you to come to a conclusion you aren’t willing to accept.
The Bootlickers have discovered ChatGPT. More words, same unprincipled and empty defense of unconscionable and reprehensible behavior by agents of the state.
Looks like you could use ChatGPT.
“A “state” is a political entity with a people, defined territory, and a sovereign government that holds a monopoly on legitimate force within its borders.”
If you had it your way, there would be no state, just anarchy, and eventually global governance.
I find that Anti-American.
Glad to see a good turnout for this event. I couldn’t make it but was there in spirit!
This is estrogen fed lunacy. If you hadn’t supported open borders in the first place and just stop refusing to honor ICE detainers, this wouldn’t be happening.
Follow the law and you can go home—simply honor detainers and all enforcement action will be at local jails as the law designed.
Typical toxic male comment. If only all you had to do was “follow the law”. But due process is being ignored and people are being taken to these facilities without due process. Every person has that right, whether they are a citizen or not, please refer to the Constitution. Or maybe you have no idea what that is. Please stop listening to right wing propaganda and Trump. And enough with the open borders comment. Move on.
Arresting American citizens for no reason is not legal. ICE is out of control. They are not following the law. A great deal of the immigration problem was caused by Trump decreasing the number immigration judges. Trump has the habit of causing problems and then blaming others for what he has caused
Easily triggered are ya? But seriously, you and yours are being played. This has been going on since before Trump came on the scene.
Due process is built into the Federal law and is in large part being pre-empted/blocked by states & localities (like Fairfax County) refusing to honor ICE detainers for one example. In turn, federal authorities are forced to go into the neighborhoods and elsewhere looking for those who have violated the law.
But again, you’re being played, forget Trump. This problem waay predates him and you know it–the due process you should be most worried about is the one folks need to follow to come to the US legally in the first place.
You are probably the same kind of fake alpha male who says things like, “women can’t be president, they’re too emotional”. Meanwhile, you happily cheer on the thin-skinned Orange toddler (another fake alpha) who throws ketchup at the walls and acts on his slightest whims. Who said dinosaurs are extinct?
I get the sense that some people on this blog, GRS included, do not understand what the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment applies to. The links below will clarify if you will bother to read them. I tried my best to find something short. I realize it is easier just to regurgitate what you hear on Fox News, but good citizens do their best to educate and inform themselves by reading from a variety of reliable sources. These links will clarify if you will take the time to read:
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-3/ALDE_00013743/
This link addresses ICE detainers and the serious constitutional issues they raise:
https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/ice-detainers-constitutional-not/
LindaE, yes, dear, I do understand, but who’s regurgitating what? Why do you suppose not all justices, judges, courts, and lawyers agree with you Has your Fox News boogeyman poisoned them too? Or, are there other legitimate opinions? Here’s one…follow the law, protest peacefully if you wish, but don’t interfere with law enforcement, then litigate and tell it to the judge. Now, you’ll say, but there’s the rub, some never get before a judge. I’ll take your point, therefore it’s all the more important to follow the law. Always is.