Six activists affiliated with the Southwest Missouri Immigration Alliance and the group the ReSisters Alliance were detained at the Greene County Jail Wednesday.
The group was staging a city sit-in at the jail, livestreamed on social media. They were draped in banners that read “No Charges? No Cages.” The Southwest Missouri Immigration Alliance is one of several groups who have been actively protesting the jail’s partnership with the federal government over the past year.
The Greene County Jail has an agreement to house federal detainees, including ICE detainees, in exchange for federal reimbursements of $100 per inmate, per day.
The county’s contract reserves 375 beds for federal cases, ICE detainees have exceeded that number, there were reportedly 413 in custody earlier this month.
As of Thursday at noon, jail records and the Greene County Sheriff’s office indicated the six protesters are expected in court and scheduled to be released.
In a statement the Sheriff’s office said the protesters were in a public lobby, “they remained in the lobby for several hours without incident and were allowed to stay during normal business hours, when the area is open to the public.
After business hours, the lobby becomes a secure area closed to the public. Deputies issued multiple verbal warnings directing the individuals to leave or face arrest. When they refused, all six protesters were arrested for trespassing.”
Sheriff Jason Johnson stated: “As Sheriff, I am responsible for maintaining law and order while protecting the First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. I am equally responsible for enforcing state law. In this case, we allowed peaceful protest until it became unlawful, and then we enforced the law.”
KSMU reached out for a statement from Southwest Missouri Immigration Alliance (SMIA) and the ReSisters Alliance. SMIA clarified that while members of the organization participated in the event, it was not sponsored by the organization.