Houghton to discuss ICE access to County Property: Monday 10 am
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Monday, 10 am: Speak up to protect Houghton County residents from ICE!
Monday, March 2 at 10 am Katie LaCosse will present to the Houghton County Commission to "A Resolution Protecting Equal Access to Public Services, Ensuring the Security of K-12 and Michigan Technological University Students, and Governing the use of County Property for Civil Immigration Enforcement."
Provisions include:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Houghton County Board of Commissioners hereby prohibits the use of county-owned, leased, or managed property, including airports, administrative buildings, parking lots, and parks, for the purpose of staging or conducting civil immigration enforcement operations without a valid judicial warrant signed by a state or federal judge
Full text below.
These Houghton County work sessions are where most of the discussion occurs, though not votes. This is the best time to influence the commissioners. There will be two public comment periods during the meeting. Call your commissioner if you can't attend.
In addition, they will begin discussing concerns about data centers, based on a resolution from St Joseph, MI. (see the comm packet for details).
The City of Southfield Michigan has passed a similar resolution. In Jackson, Michhigan 100s of people came out to oppose partnerships with ICE. Marquette County is also considering a resolution to limit ICE. Speak at their meeting on March 3rd, 6 pm.
Detentions
Illegal detentions by federal agents have resulted in an avalanche of Habeas Corpus lawsuits, which are clogging the courts and diverting government lawyers from pursuing actual criminal cases. According to ProPublica's tracker, 22,851 Habeas cases have been filed since January 2025; 922 cases are in Michigan.
The writ of Habeas corpus is one of the most fundamental to western law, dating back to the Magna Carta of 1215. It basically says that people have a right to know why they have been detained by the government and to challenge detention in court. (This is the same habeas corpus that Kristi Noem was famously unable to explain in a senate hearing last spring.)
U.S. Constitution, Article 1, section 9
Clause 2 Habeas Corpus: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
When these cases make it to court, the government is not winning. Just since October judges across the country have ruled that over 4,400 people were being held illegally and must be released. Reuters
And the government is blatantly ignoring many court orders until government officials are threatened with contempt, as explained by Patrick J. Schiltz, Chief Judge of the United States District Court of Minnesota in a ruling last week. Austin Kocher, The soft Suspension of Habeas Corpus
If anything is “beyond the pale,” it is ICE’s continued violation of the orders of this Court. Increasingly, this Court has had to resort to using the threat of civil contempt to force ICE to comply with orders. The Court is not aware of another occasion in the history of the United States in which a federal court has had to threaten contempt—again and again and again—to force the United States government to comply with court orders.
Beyond the legality of detention is the deplorable state of detention facilities, many run by private prison contractors. Nearly 75,000 people are in detention. Most have no criminal charges or convictions. People who had been working, contributing to the economy and paying taxes are instead being imprisoned at a cost of $5000/month, much of which goes straight to the GEO Group and the like.
Multiply the image of little Liam Conejo Ramos in his bunny hat by 3,800; that's how many children were arrested and detained between January and October 2025. More than 1,700 children are being held in family detention facilities, mainly in Dilley Texas. Conditions are appalling, with bad food, bad water, poor medical care, no meaningful education, and 24-hour lights. Some kids have been there for months (NYT, gift link). ProPublica reports that guards have been confiscating letters and drawings by detained children to prevent theeir stories from getting out.
Americans recognize a concentration camp when they see one. Hundreds of people showed up to oppose plans for an ICE site in Romulus, Michigan. In response to the protests, the Romulus city council unanimously passed a resolution against the facility. Indeed, protests are erupting across the country wherever ICE tries to buy warehouses to convert into human warehouses. A list of 23 locations includes "smaller" sites like Romulus, planned capacity 500, and mega prisons holding over 9,000 (Bloomburg, ICE begins buying 'Mega' warehouse detention centers across US). While townships may not be able to prevent ICE from buying a warehouse, they may be able to block additional utilities, roads and other infrastructure.
How to help Minnesota
ICE and CBP action continues around Minnesota. And resistance continues as well. Check out the Singing Resistance.
Minnesota donation hub:
Hats and Crafts against ICE
The Guardian reports that anti-ICE hats are leading a wave of "rage knitting" inspired by historical Norwegian anti-Nazi headgear. Patterns from Ravelry.
Local Needs
- Boersma Farm suffered a catastrophic collapse of their greenhouses under the huge snowload. The very best 🥕🥕🥕's! Fundraiser continues at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-boersma-farm-rebuild-after-greenhouse-collapse
- Housing Aid: AWAVE and Keweenaw Indivisible are working with the Salvation Army to provide housing assistance. The Western UP does not have a homeless shelter. Please donate.
When and Where to Speak UP
Check the calendar for details.
Here's the list view of Elected Official Meetings: https://calendar.online/electedofficialmeetings.
If you want company, I will go with you. Drop me a line.
On Friday I spoke at the Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees meeting, then at Calumet Township. Notes are here.
Some public body meets somewhere every single week; take 30 minutes to show up and express your opinion. (Sample statements.) And let me know if you go and what you learn.
Why and how to attend local meetings
Events
- March 2, Lake Superior Region Indivisible
- March 11, Houghton, Meet the Candidates, who are asking to replace Rep Jack Bergman in Mi-01. Time and location TBD.
- Community organizations across Michigan’s First Congressional District have launched the MI-01 Meet the Candidates Project, a coordinated, non-partisan series of public forums that will bring congressional primary candidates directly to communities across the district in early 2026.
- March 14-15. Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action (KYCA) and Campus Climate Network (CCN) are offering FREE training sessions! These trainings are focused to help students and activists learn how to run effective organizations and how to make a meaningful impact in your campaigns. More info and register here.
- March 21, 2-4 pm, Marquette, MI-01 Meet the candidates forum in Marquette.
- Mark your calendar: NO KINGS 3.0, March 28, 2026
- Contact Keweenaw Indivisible if you'd like to help organize.
Emma's March Community Calendar
Organizational Meetings
Details are on the CALENDAR. (Organizers: Please send updates when times, dates, locations change!) These groups are all very welcoming. Drop by a meeting to connect with friendly faces. Any level of engagement contributes to making our world better.
Houghton/Hancock
- Yoopers for Ukraine 🇺🇦 Rally at the bridge Sundays at 3 pm.
- Keweenaw Indivisible meets 3rd Tuesdays, 6-8 pm (work groups at 6, general membership at 7) at the KUUF. (Join KI). [Note meeting has been shifted to accommodate the HoCo Commission, which meets on the 2nd Tuesdays.]
- Houghton County Dems meet every 1st Wednesday, 7 pm at the Super 8.
- 4th Wednesdays AWAVE, 6 pm. Gathering at KUU Fellowship Houghton.
- 3rd Sundays, 7-8:45 pm, Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy Monthly Action Committee (KATO). Please register at the link to help with the headcount.
Baraga
- Baraga County Democrats, 3rd Tuesdays at 6 pm, L'Anse Township Hall
Marquette
- Every Tuesday evening at 7pm, Yoopers Unite, a gathering of local pro-democracy groups, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette.
- Visibility Brigade Demonstrations take place regularly in Marquette and Ishpeming. Click here for information and to register through Mobilize.
- Saturday Morning Demonstrations at the Post Office in Marquette: Members of Citizens for Peace and Justice, Lake Superior Region Indivisible, Yoopers Unite, area community members, friends and neighbors gather for a peaceful demonstration at the Marquette Post Office every Saturday from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.
- Subscribe for free to the Lake Superior Region Indivisible newsletter here. Contact LSRI at lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Michigan
- Statewide Indivisible Michigan (SWIM). This page lists various virtual events for statewide connections.
Leaving MAGA resource
- Leaving maga resources by former MAGA folks that might help people speaking with friends and relatives.
Owlets!
Rumored to be two hatchlings. The new camera lets you scroll back through the day to see action. I spotted lunch at 12:15 today, with the chick's fuzzy head just poking up under mom to get a bite. (Sorry, it's rather grizzly.)
Thanks for all your support and all your efforts to promote and expand freedom, justice and democracy!
Stay safe,
Sarah
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