Flint, Mi –
On Saturday, February 21, the Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights (FAIR) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) hosted a community teach-in at the UM-Flint Kiva Theatre focused on immigration rights, recent successes, volunteer opportunities, upcoming important dates, and local policy concerns, featuring surprise remarks from U.S. Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
The evening began with opening comments from Regina Laurie, who welcomed the crowd, outlined the purpose of the meeting, and set the stage for Lucine Jarrah. Jarrah provided several updates before introducing El-Sayed, sharing a few of his recent quotes to prepare the audience for his remarks.
“Make no mistake: This has never been about border security or even immigration. This is about normalizing a paramilitary force on peaceful streets. As ICE appears to be ramping up to do Michigan what they did in Minnesota, it’s hard not to connect the dots between this and Trump saying he wants to ‘nationalize’ elections in Detroit. So I speak for all of us who believe in freedom and democracy when I say this: ICE needs to get the hell out of Michigan.”
“Even back in 2018, we could see the writing on the wall. We must abolish ICE; no amount of retraining or reforming will address this rot.”
He described his experiences witnessing enforcement practices in Minneapolis, which he said he never expected to see in the United States. El-Sayed distinguished between lawful arrests and “kidnappings,” emphasizing that transparency, identification, and adherence to constitutional protections separate legitimate law enforcement from abuses of power.
He also shared a personal story from his childhood, recalling how his U.S. passport protected his freedom of speech while living roughly 3,000 miles away:
“My American passport protected my freedom of speech as a 13-year-old boy in 1998, 3,000 miles away.
And if you want to understand how far we’ve fallen, ask yourself whether that same American passport would protect your freedom of speech in your own country here today.”
Following his remarks, organizers recapped January’s meeting and highlighted their role in securing the release of Juan Miguel, a local resident who was detained in Detroit at work in an ICE raid before his legal status had expired. He was held for 109 days at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan. Speakers described how coordinated advocacy, legal outreach, and community mobilization contributed to his release.
The meeting also covered volunteer opportunities, rapid-response network needs, and upcoming protests. A major topic of discussion was the use of FLOCK Safety’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. Community members raised concerns about privacy, data retention, and the potential use of the cameras in immigration enforcement, warning that the technology could be used to track individuals without a warrant or due process.
Organizers urged residents to attend the Genesee County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 11, when the Flock contract renewal is expected to be discussed, and to hold city officials accountable. They emphasized that this is an opportunity to promote transparency, civic engagement, and meaningful participation in local policy, an area where Genesee County can have a direct impact today.
In addition, FAIR announced a mutual aid fundraising effort to support Kolvin Lisandro Alfonso Urbina, a Venezuelan resident of Flint who was recently detained by ICE while leaving work. The organization is raising funds to assist Urbina with legal costs and basic needs during his detention, encouraging community members to contribute and share resources to support him and his family.
FAIR’s mutual aid request can be found here on their Instagram.
