Protests Target ICE Contractor General Dynamics

Bloomington, MN – Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) separating children from their families have recently begun targeting government contractors who profit from implementing ICE policies. One such contractor is General Dynamics, a defense industry giant mostly known for making tanks and airplane parts, but now profiting from the Trump administration’s policy of ripping children away from their parents. Today, eight protesters were arrested and ticketed with trespassing, for standing in a symbolic cage in front of General Dynamics’ office in Bloomington, MN.

See our live coverage below:

General Dynamics is currently advertising one job position seeking to hire people to help the corporation track children taken by ICE as they are moved through federal immigrant internment networks.

Protesters used the symbolism of a cage to represent the families being separated at the border with the new implementation of immigration policies by the Trump administration. The rally host asked the crowd of 50 or so people, “Is this what democracy looks like?” while pointing at the cage.

Several speakers at the action gave reasons as to why they are protesting General Dynamics and why they are against the new policies that are separating children from their parents.

Some of the organizers of the protest told us why they were going after General Dynamics in a press release:

We are here today because General Dynamics provides support services to the family separation and detention process. General Dynamics profits from the caging of children, and we demand that this despicable process ends now. We will not tolerate it. We stand here today because immigration is not a crime.”

In 2008, General Dynamics paid $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the American government alleging that the company “committed civil fraud by billing the government for faulty or untested parts.”

Researchers have looked more closely at General Dynamics in recent weeks. The nonprofit research website LittleSis.org has lots of General Dynamics related power network data. As LittleSis researchers charted, the liberal think tank Center for American Progress’ senior leader, Rudy DeLeon, serves on the board of General Dynamics.

Unicorn Riot interviewed the arrestees after police gave dispersal orders and asked them why they participated in the action, see the video below.

All eight of those arrested have been booked, ticketed, and released.


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