On Friday, Jan. 17, I sat alongside Nelson Fuentes’s friends in a courtroom during his sentencing hearing. Nelson is a new father, husband and Cosecha member. He recently encountered the police in New Hampshire on his way to work from his home in Massachusetts. Nelson was the passenger of a car with a few others; the driver was charged with driving without a license. Though he had not committed a crime, Nelson was asked about his immigration status and then arrested by police.
Nelson’s public defense lawyer pointed out to the judge that ICE was in the courtroom. The judge ordered ICE not to detain Nelson in the courtroom so that Nelson’s wife and baby would not have to witness Nelson being handcuffed. We watched in sadness as Nelson was kidnapped by the two ICE officers immediately after the judge left the courtroom, with the assistance of the U.S. marshal. It all felt orchestrated. The U.S. marshal handcuffed him while the ICE officers shoved Nelson’s friends out of the way to get through the gates and detain Nelson.
Over 30 community members stood outside the courthouse to show their support for Nelson. While Donald Trump has continued to promise the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, it is time that we all rise up and fight for our fellow man. As the famous meme says: “If you’ve wondered what you would’ve done during slavery, the holocaust or Civil Rights movement, you’re doing it now.”
MELINDA MacINNIS
Concord