Veterans’ Group Launches ‘Abolish ICE’ Billboard Campaign in Newark, New Jersey
A giant digital billboard in Newark, New Jersey, by a nationwide veterans organization calls for the elimination of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This week, a bright electronic billboard in downtown Newark displayed the message. Chapter 21 of Veterans for Peace, a national coalition of former military personnel who promote peace and civil freedoms, funded the “Ice Out of Our Cities: ABOLISH ICE!” display. Chapter is part of a St. Louis-based network with local clubs across the US, including New Jersey.
The billboard located along River Street and McCarter Highway, a key commuter route along the Passaic River near Newark’s downtown business center. Due to rush hour traffic, thousands of vehicles and commuters see the sign daily. Anti-ICE ads rotate on the digital display throughout the day. Members of the organization say the billboard campaign will last until the end of the month.
Veterans for Peace leaders claim the billboard is part of a statewide effort by multiple chapters to raise awareness of immigration enforcement in American communities. It has publicly condemned recent government efforts to utilize National Guard personnel to aid immigration enforcement in big cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland.
Veterans for Peace’s national executive director, Michael McPhearson, a Vietnam War veteran from Newark, said the group opposes for constitutional reasons. He said many veterans believe immigration enforcement should follow the Constitution, which service members have pledged to defend. McPhearson says the group is concerned about warrantless raids, long detention periods in terrible conditions, and rapid deportations that violate legal rights.
The billboard is aimed to generate public discussion on immigration law enforcement and its effects on immigrant communities, according to campaign supporters. Local activists hope the message will highlight immigration detention conditions and detainee experiences.
Jan Barry, an 83-year-old Teaneck Vietnam War veteran and Chapter 21 member, opposes highly armed federal agents in American neighborhoods. Barry, a former news reporter, said law enforcement measures that mirror military operations in civilian settings worry many veterans.
Not all veterans support Veterans for Peace’s approach. Most New Jersey veterans organizations advocate for healthcare, benefits, and services for former service members, not national politics, according to their leaders.
New Jersey Veterans Network president Michael Boll, a retired Marine Corps veteran who fought in Vietnam, said it is rare for a veterans group to fund a public message like the Newark billboard. Boll believed that most veterans organizations would not directly oppose immigration enforcement. He acknowledged that veterans fought for Constitutional freedoms, including the right to speak out.
Boll also stated that some veterans have worries about immigration enforcement, but they rarely speak out. He said he supports Veterans for Peace’s billboard and position, but he thinks the agency might work better with local law enforcement.
ICE’s mission has been defended by federal officials. An ICE representative stated that the agency enforces Congress-passed immigration laws and conducts criminal and civil immigration enforcement. The agency said its agents arrest criminals and immigration lawbreakers to preserve public safety and the nation’s borders.
The agency will continue operations despite advocacy group criticism, the statement added. ICE says every country has the right to enforce its immigration policy and govern who enters its borders, and the US has the same duty to ensure legal migration.
Newark’s billboard is a few miles from Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in an industrial neighborhood near Newark Liberty International Airport. Detainees are sometimes taken to planes out of the US from the prison.
Local immigration supporters believe the enormous digital display is hard to ignore and may raise awareness of imprisonment and deportation. Some activists believe the sign could spark New Jersey residents’ immigration enforcement discussions.
Veterans for Peace leaders said the Newark display is the sole New Jersey billboard expressing the campaign’s message. It is uncertain how many comparable displays will arise in other states as the nationwide effort proceeds.
Veterans groups, immigration advocates, and federal officials have debated the billboard, but it illustrates the national issue over immigration policy and enforcement in American communities.
Sources
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Veterans for Peace National Organization
Official statements from ICE spokespersons and Veterans for Peace leadership
