MERRIMACK, NH – As speculation continues over proposed U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in town, on Saturday protesters descended upon Merrimack’s town hall once again to express their opposition to the facility as well as tactics used by ICE across the country.
Protesters lined both sides of Baboosic Lake Road for several hundred feet near town hall in addition to the building’s parking lot despite cold temperatures. New Hampshire State Representative Wendy Thomas (D-Merrimack) was also one of several speakers at the event, reiterating her views from a rally at the same place several weeks earlier that the facility expected to hold undocumented migrants would not only morally offensive but also would harm the town financially.
“Merrimack should not become the place where suffering is hidden behind fences and contracts,” she said. “New Hampshire should not be the state that welcomes this. For our taxpayers, for our infrastructure, for our democracy and for our shared humanity, we must clearly and firmly say, ‘no ICE detention facility in Merrimack. Not now, not ever.’”
Thomas was joined by several other local lawmakers at the protest such as New Hampshire State Representative Nancy Murphy (D-Merrimack). In addition to her role as a state representative, Murphy also sits on the Merrimack Town Council, which has come out in opposition to the facility. She says the town itself has received limited information from the federal government regarding details of the facility, but stated that if the federal government does open the facility that the town would lose $529,000 in annual tax revenue.
“It’s great to see so many people here to show that the town is opposition to this facility,” she said. “(Our loss of tax revenue) would be borne by the rest of the citizens in the community, and the impact to our police, public works and traffic are just some of the impacts to the town that are a concern. For me, beyond that, I think it’s a moral position that we should not be storing human beings in warehouses.”
Many of those gathered had attended multiple protests against ICE, including the January protest.
One of them was Chuck Mower, a former town selectman. Mower felt that this rally and others like it were necessary to send a message to the Department of Homeland Security, which operates ICE, that communities across the country such as Merrimack have been irrevocably damaged due to the actions of ICE.
“I think today is consistent with the previous rally here and rallies across the country. We as an American people do not want to be taken advantage of like this. It’s just not morally correct and it’s not financially in our best interest to have these kinds of operations in our towns,” he said. “What people in Merrimack are saying and what you’re hearing people across America saying is that they’re beginning to wake up. I’m impressed at the number of people coming out and standing up because they feel it’s finally time to stand up and be counted.”
Other protesters, such as Diane Wolfe, did not attend the January rally but has attended other rallies in the area. Wolfe. who has lived in Merrimack for 50 years, said that ICE’s actions have not been humane and have not been effective in addressing undocumented non-citizens in the country that truly impact public safety such as members of the MS-13 gang.
“They’re not looking for actual criminals with a history, they’re just taking anybody they can access. So, we’ve had citizens drawn in and abused in the process,” she said.
In addition signs opposing ICE, others opposed Donald Trump and New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, with frustration over Ayotte’s perceived lack of opposition to the facility.
There were also signs expressing frustration against U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01). Chris Balch, who held a sign on Baboosic Lake Road, has frequently protested outside of the Pappas family-owned Puritan Backroom Restaurant in Manchester due to instances where Pappas supported ICE in the past.
While Pappas now feels that ICE is in need of reform due to its actions, Balch feels that the organization is incapable of reform and must be abolished.
Like Mower and Wolfe, Balch has been to many other protests across the state and praised the organization and turnout of the rally.
“I think this is the largest one I’ve been to so far and I feel like the energy at this one is much bigger than the energy I’ve seen anywhere else. That’s because Merrimack is what caused that energy,” he said.
Balch supports Karishma Manzur, a Democratic primary opponent of Pappas in the race to replace retiring U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and feels that in addition to rallies such as this one, people need to get out to vote and then pressure their elected representatives after being elected as well.
“I really do think that we can make a difference by voting, it’s important to get people to turn out, but it’s also important that we get politicians to listen so once they get elected, they don’t just have free license to say ‘thank you for your vote, now I’m going to do whatever the hell I want,’ we need to really hold their feet to the fire,” he said.
While Balch hopes to hold public officials accountable, the crowd also had candidates for public office seeking to confirm with the crowd that they share their opposition to ICE and the proposed facility.
One of them was State Representative Heath Howard (D-Strafford), who is currently running to replace Pappas as the representative to New Hampshire’s First Congressional District. Like Balch, Howard believes that ICE should be abolished and would pledged to work toward that goal if elected, stating various reported constitutional violations by the organization across the country. Howard says he has been to anti-ICE protests across the state, in addition to the January protest in the same location. He said that this protest on Saturday was more spread out than the January protest and like Balch, said that it had an energy given that the facility has been proposed to be located in Merrimack.
“I think what we’re seeing here is with so many people being opposed to the facility that local input needs to be taken into account and it’s something we’ve seen everywhere given the backlash of ICE’s actions taken in Minnesota,” he said.
David West of Merrimack was the lone counter-protester who said he supports ICE and the proposed detention center, and cited the Castle Doctrine, NH RSA 627, which covers legal protection from intruders in your homes, vehicle, or workplace.
“I think it’s just sad. These people are not looking at the reality of it. When you look at our country like your house, and these people have broken into your house, so what are you going to do when someone breaks into your house? You’re gonna call the cops at least, right, and get them out of your house. So that’s what ICE is doing and I think they’re doing a great job.”
West said he doesn’t like that the federal government would not pay property tax on such a facility in Merrimack.
“I don’t think that’s fair. If the government is going to do that, slide the municipality some money,” West said.
Photo Galleries/Jeffrey Hastings
