A fund for the legal defense of Gerson Turcios has raised more than $26,000 (screenshot).
A coalition centered in Rhinebeck has been formed to raise money for legal expenses for Gerson Turcios, the Honduran immigrant picked up by ICE Friday, and for others who may be detained in the Northern Dutchess County area.
New York Neighbors Unite is the name of the group, and they have formed the SpotFund for donations here. It was launched Sunday afternoon, and by midnight it had raised more than $26,000.
Among the donors to the campaign are such celebrities as the actors Paul Rudd and Griffin Dunne, who own Samuel’s Sweet Shop, and the filmmaker and musician Andrew Jarecki.
Separately, a group is organizing a letter-writing campaign to local officials.
“This action against Gerson represents a bait-and-switch on the American people,” said Jon Reinish, a local resident and Democratic political strategist who is assisting the effort to learn the whereabouts of Tercios and help secure his release. “This is not what was discussed or promised. The conversation was about deporting individuals with criminal records.”
Turcios, Reinish said, is a warm, friendly, hard-working person who owns a local small business. “He is harming nobody,” Reinish said. “In fact, he’s contributing to his community.” Turcios speaks fluent English, neighbors said.
Reinish said that area residents believe Turcios has been taken to an Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in East Meadow, Long Island.
Local residents who know Turcios say that he attended Rhinebeck schools and set up his own landscaping business. It is not yet clear if he graduated. One woman told The Daily Catch that he was willing to do the most challenging and unpleasant of jobs, like pulling extensive vines of poison ivy from her yard.
The post Fundraising Campaign for Honduran Immigrant Detained by ICE Raises $26,000 in Half a Day; Local Residents Vow Continued Support first appeared on The Daily Catch.