Unions from across the U.S. gathered for peaceful actions Tuesday outside more than 10 ICE jails nationwide, protesting the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrant university students and faculty. The Service Employees International Union condemned the abduction of two of its members, including Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk by masked federal agents in broad daylight earlier this month. Öztürk is a lawful visa holder from Turkey. This is SEIU President April Verrett.

April Verrett: “What we know about Rümeysa, she holds a valid student visa. She also wrote an op-ed for her student newspaper not long ago in support of the Palestinian people, utilizing her First Amendment rights in this country to express her opinion — totally in keeping with the values that this country purports that it stands on, yet being taken away in handcuffs by men in masks and in hoodies. She’s not the only SEIU member, either. We know about our sister Lewelyn, 64 years old, a lab tech in Washington state and member of Local 925. After living in this country 50 years, she’s being detained by ICE.”