Hunter
02/03/26
Over 400 people accompanied seven immigrant families to mandatory ICE check-ins in Cedar Rapids Tuesday morning.
According to a release from Escucha Mi Vos Iowa, the group also documented dozens of immigrants entering and exiting the Department of Homeland Security Investigations office with no detentions.
The large protective accompaniment action follows a legal observer training last Saturday at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids attended by nearly 600 people — a civic education event that the group said right-wing commentators, including Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, mischaracterized and weaponized against immigrant and faith communities.
Hinson claimed on social media that, quote, “law enforcement is working to remove criminals from our streets, and masquerading as a nonprofit to undermine that efforts raises serious questions about retaining 501©(3) tax-exempt status. We need to lower the temperature. These ‘trainings’ do exactly the opposite.”
Escucha Mi Voz Iowa board president Maria Ayala of Ainsworth released a statement responding to Representative Hinson, saying “Here’s how Congresswoman Ashley Hinson can actually lower the temperature: get ICE and Border Patrol out of every neighborhood and town in America; refuse new funding and repeal the $140 billion gift to them last summer; hold DHS leadership accountable, including impeachment or removal of Secretary Noem; support a full, independent investigation into the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti with no obstruction from Trump’s DHS or DOJ; and meet with local faith leaders and Escucha Mi Voz to hear what real Iowans think about Trump’s mass deportation machine.”
The Press-Citizen reports Right Angle News Network posted a 31-second video of a practice simulation at the training that’s been viewed 1.5 million times as of Tuesday.
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church denied reports of backlash for hosting the training session. The lead pastor, Rev. Jonathan Heifner, said he hasn’t fielded any pleas to revoke the church’s nonprofit status. Rev. Heifner said the legal observer training was about harm reduction and was “very clear that there are consequences if people go beyond the limits of legally observing.”