Three regional advocacy groups will hold a rally Sunday in Ontario to oppose federal immigration enforcement and show support for immigrants and victims of racist violence. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 19 outside the Ontario Public Library, 1850 Ridge Road.
The rally is being co-sponsored by the Geneva Women's Assembly, Finger Lakes Rapid Response Network and the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Upstate New York. Organizers said participants will call for an end to deportations and immigration arrests while demanding accountability for racist violence.
Finger Lakes Rapid Response said it has received more calls and reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the region. The network also said it is assisting eight families whose relatives were detained by ICE in or near Ontario, though the release did not provide details about the cases.
Melina Ivanchikova, a member of the network's steering committee, said the group has seen families separated and residents fearful of driving to work. She called on community members to support immigrants regardless of their circumstances.
Organizers said the rally will also call for justice for Johnny White, a 70-year-old Black man they said was attacked outside his Newark home following racist harassment. The release did not provide information from police or identify the status of any investigation into that allegation.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
