Liberty and Justice for All Rally - Dansville

Liberty and Justice for All

Saturday, July 26, 2025

11:00am to 12:00pm

Dansville Village Plaza, 150 Franklin St./Rte. 36 (near I-390 Exit 5), Dansville, NY

Schedule of Events

11:00 am Host/Introductions - Arnie Matlin and Walter Pond

Speakers - Rev. Laurel Nelson, speakers on the Impact of ICE locally, Dr. David Breen on the Big Ugly Bill that passed recently

Musical performance – Mary Lester & others

12:00 pm Conclusion of Rally

NOTE: This is a peaceful, nationwide mobilization organized by a coalition of unions, advocacy groups, faith leaders, and families committed to protecting democracy, dignity, and care. All events are grounded in nonviolence, community safety, and strategic protest.

PARKING: Do not occupy parking spots near the front of open businesses, please.

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All people who come to the U.S. seeking safety from dangerous situations in their home countries must have their human rights respected.

But right now, tens of thousands of asylum-seekers are behind bars in ICE detention centers across the U.S. that are plagued with horrific conditions, including close to home in Batavia, NY where immigrant workers from Livingston and surrounding counties are being held. 

Incidents of detention are increasing in our local area – Livingston, Ontario, Wyoming, and Genesee Counties. Reports include stories of migrant workers being snatched by armed, masked agents upon arrival at an immigration court in Buffalo, at their homes the night before a scheduled immigration court appearance, or from their workplace during broad daylight. Speakers at this rally will provide fresh updates on the actions of ICE in Western New York’s rural and agricultural counties south of Rochester. 

A growing number of U.S. citizens — many of them Latinos — are reporting they were detained for various periods by immigration agents in what critics say were instances of racial profiling and overzealous policing, including farm workers in the rural counties surrounding Rochester.".

Why it matters: U.S. citizens aren't supposed to be arrested or detained unless agents allege they're breaking laws. But reports of citizens of Latino descent being detained — or stopped and asked to prove citizenship — are rippling through Latino communities nationwide.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hasn't released statistics on such detentions in months. Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, told Axios that recent reports of citizens wrongly being arrested are false — and that "the media is shamefully peddling a false narrative" to demonize ICE agents.
• But an Axios review of news reports, social media videos and claims by advocacy groups about raids since President Trump took office found several instances in which U.S. citizens alleged they were wrongfully detained — in one case, for 10 days in immigration detention.

The big picture: The allegations come as ICE continues raids in mostly Latino communities in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Diego areas, cities in Texas, New Mexico, New York and Florida, and agricultural centers such as Central California.

 

Questions? Email info@geneseevalleyindivisible.org.