More than one hundred individuals gathered on Friday at the Federal Building in Bismarck, staging a protest against the ongoing activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Bismarck and Mandan communities. The demonstration was organized in response to recent ICE actions, specifically the arrests of two workers at the Charras and Tequila restaurant located in Bismarck.
The protestors displayed signs expressing their strong opposition to the federal agency's presence and operations. A primary objective articulated by the group was to urge North Dakota’s state delegation to formally communicate to Congress their collective desire for ICE to cease its operations within North Dakota. This call for action targets the state's representatives in Washington D.C., seeking a political intervention to limit or remove ICE’s enforcement capabilities from the state. The sentiment expressed suggests a local belief that state-level advocacy can influence federal immigration enforcement policies impacting Burleigh and Morton counties.
Daniela Aki, a Bismarck resident participating in the protest, shared her perspective on the nature of the arrests that prompted the gathering. Aki emphasized that she considers immigration itself not an illegal crime. She further highlighted that the individuals being apprehended are not involved in criminal activities such as causing harm to people, stealing cars, or committing murder. Instead, Aki pointed out that these individuals are specifically "taken from their places of work," drawing attention to the economic and personal disruption caused by such enforcement actions within the community. Her statement reflects a core concern among protestors that ICE's focus is on individuals contributing to the local workforce rather than those engaged in violent offenses.
Further details regarding ICE's local activity indicate that the Burleigh Morton Detention Center in Bismarck was holding 17 detainees as of Friday. This figure provides a concrete measure of the number of individuals currently under detention in the local facility following immigration enforcement actions in the area. The presence of these detainees in a local center underscores the direct impact of federal immigration policies on residents and families within Burleigh and Morton counties, as well as the resources of local detention facilities.
In an effort to provide a comprehensive account of the situation, officials with ICE were contacted for their comments regarding both the recent arrests at Charras and Tequila and the broader concerns articulated by the protestors. However, as of the time of this report, a response from ICE officials was still pending. The protest at the Federal Building thus represents a significant public expression of local sentiment concerning federal immigration enforcement, catalyzed by specific incidents affecting businesses and individuals in Bismarck. The protestors’ appeal to the state delegation illustrates a desire for local political leadership to address the community’s concerns at a national level, aiming to influence the future scope and nature of ICE operations across North Dakota.
