CHESTER – A bitter cold night Thursday did not stop hundreds from rallying in protest of a proposed Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in the Village of Chester.
Similar in tone to a protest held earlier this month, the message was loud and clear – Chester stands for dignity, not detention.
“Our president says illegal immigration is what’s causing so much trouble in the country. He’s been saying that for what feels like a century at this point,” said Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge. “There have been a whole lot of deportations of citizens and non-citizens alike. Are we doing any better as a country?”
Holdridge added that a dozen people have been shot and many more injured during the current administration’s immigration operations since September 2025.
“Renee Good was shot and killed in Minnesota. Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minnesota. Is that the America we want to live in,” he asked as the crowd shouting ‘no.’
The claim that it’s always been about getting violent criminals off the streets is simply not the case if one just looks with their own eyes, Holdridge implored the crowd. According to him, this is merely a distraction to the “Epstein billionaire class” and that no one deserves to be executed for protesting – referencing the recent deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“Immigrants are people who deserve dignity. They are more than just a name or number on a spreadsheet,” Holdridge said. Just the previous night, he noted that Town of Chester officials passed two separate resolutions reaffirming their opposition to the ICE facility.
U.S. Representative Patrick Ryan, who helped organize the protest along with the Rural & Migrant Ministry and several other local action groups, said the large gathering was exactly what democracy is all about. Though, it comes at a time when this is not a country that many people know and love. He went on to immediately call out Kristi Noem, director of the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are seeing DHS snatching law abiding members of our community without the due process guaranteed to them by our constitution. They are breaking into peoples’ homes without warrants and are deporting veterans, even handcuffing priests in the streets of Chicago,” Ryan told the audience. “Kristi Noem has had so many chances to be held accountable and hasn’t shown any remorse or integrity, or any honesty and has failed at every moment.”
Earlier this week, Ryan stated that he joined a contingent of 142 of his colleagues on legislation calling for Noem’s impeachment. Additionally, he also called out White House Security Advisor Stephen Miller for similar disregard and recklessness. Ryan also voted against a measure to provide additional funding to DHS, specifically its division of ICE.
City of Newburgh Councilwoman Genesis Ramos, a daughter of immigrants, was one of several speakers on hand. She spoke on the hardships her parents have faced in their lives, including being the targets of ICE officers despite being legal citizens. She is hopeful that people like her parents are recognized more for their hard work and contributions like everyone else.
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