Moundsville, WV — MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The West Virginia Mountain Party gathered in Moundsville today to protest the detention of immigrants at the Northern Regional Jail. The protest comes in response to recent agreements signed by Governor Patrick Morrisey between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and West Virginia law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws.
Dylan Parsons, Executive Director for the West Virginia Mountain Party, expressed concerns about the increased rate of detentions.
“The truth is crossing the border illegally is a misdemeanor, being in the country undocumented is a civil offense, no worse than having an expired tag on your car,” Parsons said. “And people are treating it like it’s this felonious evil thing and we don’t believe that.”
Parsons urged the community to recognize the injustices faced by immigrants.
“We are hoping our fellow West Virginians will wake up to the injustices that are happening,” he said. “These are our neighbors, these are members of our community, they work in our local shops, restaurants, and what have you.”
Other protests on this issue are occurring throughout the state. Governor Morrisey’s office has authorized the West Virginia National Guard and State Police to perform certain immigration officer functions.