Silence in the Face of ICE Is Complicity
Before I ever thought about running for mayor, I stood in front of Woodstock City Hall, looked our leaders in the eye, and asked:
What are you going to do if ICE comes here, starts launching raids against families who live and work in Woodstock?
I begged them to tell me what the plan was. And they gave me nothing but silence.
That silence is what convinced me Woodstock has a leadership crisis. If you won’t stand up for your neighbors when they’re being targeted, you’re not neutral — you’re complicit.
This weekend, I helped organize and joined neighbors at the first Melt ICE event. We stood on the sidewalks, waving signs, chanting, drawing attention to the cause. We wanted victims of raids to know that someone will fight for them. We wanted our community to know they are not alone in finding ICE’s tactics despicable.
And the threat is no longer hypothetical. Trump’s Gestapo-style raids are already spreading across the country. A Venezuelan construction worker in Texas was deported over the shoes he wore. Food delivery drivers in Washington, D.C. are being branded “gang members” with no evidence. ICE’s own data shows nearly three-quarters of the people they’re detaining have no criminal record at all. That’s not law enforcement — it’s authoritarian theater straight out of the Nazi playbook.
Why This Matters for Woodstock
Immigrants aren’t outsiders. They are Woodstock.
Housing & workforce: Our housing market study shows that immigrant workers are essential in construction and maintenance — the very industries building Woodstock’s booming neighborhoods and keeping housing costs from rising even faster.
Economy: Local revenue reports confirm that sales tax, occupational tax, and business licenses — all of which fund our police, parks, and roads — rely on immigrant-owned and immigrant-staffed businesses.
Culture & community: Families who speak Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and beyond live here, shop here, worship here, and contribute to the music, food, and culture that make Woodstock unique.
Schools & future: Our classrooms are filled with kids from immigrant families who are learning, thriving, and building Woodstock’s future.
Strip those families away, and Woodstock’s growth and prosperity collapse. Protect them, and we protect Woodstock itself.
What the Mayor Can Do
Woodstock has a weak-mayor system, but the microphone still matters. The mayor can:
Demand transparency on police cooperation with ICE.
Call for council action to protect immigrant families.
Use the budget debate to expose any city resources tied to raids.
Protect civic space so immigrant neighbors aren’t silenced in public meetings.
What the City Council Can Do
Council has real power. They can:
Pass ordinances preventing voluntary ICE cooperation without a judicial warrant.
Guarantee schools, parks, and public facilities as safe spaces.
Deny funding or contracts that support raids.
Pass resolutions affirming due process for all Woodstock residents.
Immigrants build Woodstock’s homes. They run our restaurants and shops. They pay taxes, send their kids to our schools, and keep our local economy strong.
So if City Hall refuses to stand up when families are threatened, that’s not leadership — that’s complicity.
That’s why I’m running: to turn up the volume on democracy, give the people a mic, and make sure Woodstock never meets a plea for justice with silence again.
