RISE Greene County to raise issue at BOS meeting with Sheriff’s Office working with ICE

A community group in Greene County is hoping to pack the chambers for tonight’s Greene County Board of Supervisors meeting to raise issue with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office partnership with ICE.

The effort is being led by RISE Greene County – the acronym stands for “Resist Injustice Stand and Educate.”

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office has been under fire with locals since its participation in a high-profile immigration enforcement operation in the vicinity of the intersection of Route 29 and Route 33 in Ruckersville with ICE agents in tow last month.

“There is a myth that Greene County residents are overwhelmingly in support of this cooperation, and that is quite false,” said Megan Battaile, one of the founders of RISE. “RISE has over 1,000 members, and they and many other like-minded residents are angry and ashamed that our officials are targeting people who are valued, contributing members of our community.”

RISE noted in a release that it plans to raise issue, one, with the lack of due process.

“The Greene County Sheriff’s Office’s decision to target those who appear Hispanic or Latino contradicts the biblical command to love our neighbors,” said RISE member Cynthia Smith. “The Sheriff’s Office is not targeting rapists or felons or criminals. They did not target individuals suspected of overstaying their visas. They targeted individuals with brown skin on their way to work. They targeted our neighbors, customers supporting our local businesses, and valued members of our community.”

A second issue: the lack of transparency about the Sheriff’s Office’s funding from ICE and other federal agencies for participating in immigration actions, that these agreements are more about money than public safety.

“We’re showing up in numbers at the BOS meeting tonight to show our support for our immigrant neighbors and to share our concerns with our elected officials who are responsible for overseeing county government operations. I’m very disappointed that our county sheriff is disguising racism as public safety, and choosing to participate in ICE’s 287g program,” Battaile said.