By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
A national call to action on June 6 is expected to see people around the country protesting Citizens Bank’s financing of federal immigration operations and detention facilities, with various events scheduled throughout New Hampshire.
The movement is being organized by De-Ice Citizens Bank, an activist campaign that calls on Citizens Bank to end its financial relationship with CoreCivic and the GEO Group, which are companies that build and operate detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to de-icecitizensbank.org, Citizens Bank has helped the corporations access more than $2 billion in funding.
“It’s a visibility event, because these events enable people to become informed… It’s a chance for folks to say, ‘We’re pushing back,’ and it helps the public become aware that Citizens Bank is complicit,” said Grace Garvey, Co-Leader of Central New Hampshire Indivisible (a grassroots organization that says it works to preserve democracy through peaceful demonstrations).
Citizens Bank did not respond to requests to comment.
According to a press release about the protests from the American Friends Service Committee (an advocacy group that works with communities to challenge injustice and build conditions for lasting peace), 18 people have died in ICE custody this year, with half of them occurring at detention facilities run by CoreCivic and the GEO group.
The times and locations for the various demonstrations at different branches of Citizens Bank in New Hampshire are: Plymouth, 9-10 a.m. and 12-1:30 p.m. at 20 Highland St.; West Lebanon 9-10:30 a.m. at 1 Interchange Dr.; Dover, 10-11 a.m. at 140 Washington St.; Meredith, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 66 NH-25; Wolfeboro, 1-2 p.m. at 70 S Main St.
More information about the events can be found at https://www.mobilize.us/deicecitizens/?country=US&state=NH
There will also be protests outside bank branches in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Garvey said Central New Hampshire Indivisible is partnering with other community advocacy organizations like Protest With Purpose, which is based in Meredith, as well as Wolfeboro Area Peaceful Protests.
“A lot of people have pulled out (of Citizens Bank) … More people are protesting in front of the banks, so I think it’s having a big impact in spreading the word and getting people to say, ‘We don’t agree with your decision, Citizens Bank, to continue to fund these companies that run and build the ICE facilities,’” she said.
She recalled hearing about how several protestors in Andover, Massachusetts were recently arrested at Citizens Bank for approaching customers that were entering the bank and informing them about the bank’s participation with federal immigration efforts.
“I’m really encouraged that there are more protests, because it’s a way to inform the public. Visibility breeds awareness. I’m really encouraged that more protests are happening and that more people are pulling out of the bank, and the pressure’s on,” she said.
CoreCivic, based out of Brentwood, Tenn., has 82 facilities throughout the U.S. listed on its website, where more than 500 ICE officials are stationed. The GEO Group, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, has 51 facilities in the U.S. and three international facilities, per its website.
When CoreCivic was asked to comment, the company referred to its previous comments to IndepthNH.org in April, which noted the company values the relationship it has with its financial partners, and that “while we don’t provide specifics about financial relationships beyond what we provide in our publicly available financial disclosures, it’s important to note that CoreCivic plays a limited but important role in America’s immigration system.”
The GEO Group’s website states that all of its ICE facilities have a “long-standing record providing high-quality, culturally responsive services in safe, secure, and humane environments that meet the needs of the individuals in the care and custody of federal immigration authorities.”
It also noted that its ICE facilities abide by strict national performance-based standards, which were promulgated by the federal government in 2011 and updated in 2016. The company did not respond to requests to comment.
Through De-ICE Citizens Bank’s “Not With Our Money, Citizens!” organized money withdrawal campaign in partnership with the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, dozens of faith groups, companies, unions and individuals have pledged $19.3 million, according to the organization’s website.
“We will act collectively to move our assets out of Citizens Bank accounts in increasing increments unless the bank ends its deplorable practice of financing ICE detention companies. Pledging to move assets you hold at Citizens Bank adds to the pool of ‘shared’ assets,” the group said on its website.