Last night, I attended a Stand With Immigrants rally in north Denver. Although it was outside HD32 and past my bedtime, I was compelled to attend given the current atmosphere in America.
America is a nation of immigrants. For over 200 years, its worked great, despite what the haters say. As you know, the Trump Administration is a hateful group, and immigrants are in their crosshairs. ICE is active here in Adams County and across metro Denver. Over 330 people disappeared during a two week period in August alone.
So this is a crisis.
I don’t know how much last night’s rally will help. It appeared to be organized by PSL, a socialist organization. They were long on a list of grievances and short on a list of solutions (a challenge I can relate to).
My takeaway, as a Democrat, was frustration that they view both parties as the same, railing against the “ruling class” over and over. Why? Why are Democrats the same as the hateful thieves currently destroying America from the White House? Because ICE sent out a request for proposal for more detention facilities in September. September 2024, when Biden was President. One bureaucrat in Denver sent out an RFP while Biden was still President, so there you have it. One RFP equates to the same level of evil as the Trump Administration.
To be sure, private prisons are a problem, something I’ve already addressed in this blog. [To reiterate, private prison reform is something the Colorado legislature needs to address. Especially in light of the recent unconstitutional activity by ICE, in conjunction with Colorado’s private prisons.]
Other than both parties are evil – and presumably I too am evil, for being a Democrat, and worse, a capitalist – very little of substance came out of the gathering. [Full disclosure: I had to leave early, it’s an on-going problem for me with evening gatherings and a 3am start time at work.]
The only substance from last night’s meeting I can point to is an upcoming protest over a soon to reopen prison facility in Hudson.
[Side Note: One speaker, an organizer with PSL, brought up AI, to which there were many boos. There was a lot of booing and shouting “No” in general during the first hour. I suspect the anti-AI sentiment is regarding the energy consumption and the fact that its going to “take away all the jobs”. And both are legitimate issues. AI needs to become more energy efficient, for sure. And we need some kind of Universal Basic Income (UBI) to salve the upcoming societal upheaval, an upheaval for which little to nothing is being done to prepare for. Quite the opposite, our social safety net is being decimated by Republicans. But. AI is going to march on whether you like it or not. The Chinese communist party, the Russians, and a whole host of other bad actors who are not out for your best interests are going to be using AI to become a whole lot more productive. I do not advocate for unilateral disarmament on the AI front. Now, back to immigration and the illegal activity of the Republicans.]
ICE has been spotted here in our community. They are targeting our neighborhoods, Home Depots, churches, and parks. They are violating the U.S. Constitution every day, snatching people off the streets and detaining them without due process.
This is real. So what can we do? I mean besides booing, and falsely claiming Democrats like me are equally as evil as Donald Trump.
If you see someone being disappeared:
- Call 9-1-1.
- Call the Rapid Response Team. 844-864-8341
- Video the incident
Here is a link regarding immigrant rights – and everyone else’s too! https://immigrantjustice.org/for-immigrants/know-your-rights/ice-encounter/
Know your rights!
What to do if you’re detained by ICE
There is a chance that you will be detained by ICE. If you have an Apple Phone, use Siri to facilitate communication in a distress situation .
Apple Phone Users:
Here are the steps to activate Siri to notify contacts if arrested by ICE:
Apple iPhone Emergency Contact Instructions (Verified for 2025)
Pre-set Emergency Contacts:
Open the Health app.
Tap your profile icon (top right).
Select “Medical ID”.
Tap “Edit” (or “Get Started” if not set up).
Scroll to “Emergency Contacts”.
Tap the green plus sign to add a contact.
Specify their relationship.
Tap “Done” to save.
Activate Siri (even while locked):
“Hey Siri”: Activate if enabled in Settings.
Press and hold the Side or Home button.
Siri Emergency Commands:
“Call [Emergency Contact Name]”
“Text [Emergency Contact Name] that I’ve been detained by ICE”
“Call my emergency contact”: Calls the Medical ID contact.
Emergency SOS:
Simultaneously press and hold the side and volume buttons (Face ID iPhones) or rapidly press the side button five times (toggle in Settings > Emergency SOS).
iPhone notifies your emergency contacts with your location when you use Emergency SOS.
Android Emergency Contact and SOS Instructions (2025)
To Pre-set Emergency Contacts:
Open Settings.
Search for or go to “Safety & Emergency” (sometimes “Personal Safety” or “Security & Emergency”).
Tap “Emergency Information” or “Emergency Contacts”.
Add your medical info and emergency contacts (contacts must be saved in your address book).
Some phones offer a “Groups” feature in Contacts: Add people to the “ICE – Emergency Contacts” group. All contacts in this group are accessible from the lock screen.
To Display Emergency Info on Lock Screen:
In Settings, search for “Lock Screen Message” and set a custom note (e.g., “In case of emergency, call [name/number]”).
On most Androids, anyone can access emergency info: From the lock screen, swipe up → tap “Emergency” → “Emergency Information”. You can call these contacts even if the phone is locked.
Emergency SOS Feature (Samsung & Pixel Example):
Samsung Galaxy:
Settings → “Safety and emergency” → “Send SOS messages”.
Toggle on, select emergency contacts, and customize (auto-call, attach photos/audio).
Activate by pressing side power button 3 or 4 times. Sends SOS message, location, photos, and audio; can call your contact automatically.
Google Pixel & Many Androids:
Settings → “Safety & Emergency”.
Setup “Emergency SOS”: Often activated by pressing power button 5 times.
Allows auto-call to emergency contacts, location sharing, and emergency info broadcast. Practice to be sure of your device’s procedure.
Practice and Privacy:
Practice using Emergency SOS and lock screen access.
Anyone with your phone can see your emergency info if you enable these features—consider privacy needs.
Be prepared. ICE is detaining anyone they want, and asking questions and giving answers later. White people are also being swept up, don’t assume your racial privilege that has carried you (and me) for so many years will be there when ICE starts storm trooping around. You don’t want to get swept up. From the reports, the conditions in ICE facilities are horrible.