On April 25, approximately 75 residents gathered outside Citizens Bank at 777 South St. in Roslindale to protest Citizens Bank loans given to developers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. The rally was part of a nationwide Day of Action, which was organized by groups such as Indivisible, Detention Watch Network, Public Citizen, and Disappeared in America.

Citizens is a key lender to CoreCivic and The GEO Group, private companies that operate numerous ICE detention facilities in the U.S.

“From what I understand, there are several other banks that were asked that said no. And Citizens said yes,” said Rachel Poliner, of Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale (PWRR), one of the local organizations participating in the protest. “And so, you know, banks only give loans when it's an investment … that they're going to make a profit from. They can say no.”

Poliner said that Citizens is aware of evidence showing that these detention centers have poor conditions, including inadequate bathrooms, unsafe water, insufficient health care, and that they maintain inhumane conditions, especially for children. Detainees at these facilities are often held secretly or moved frequently, making it difficult for families and attorneys to find them.

One protester, Bill Roundsville, said many people may not be aware of Citizens’ financial involvement with the detention centers.

“They’ve been doing this for a while. We've been demonstrating for a while every week at numerous branches in the area.” Roundsville said that at a stockholder annual meeting, one person was allowed to speak about the issue. “They claimed they're going to listen. They claimed they're going to talk to some people, but we'll see.”

Asked why he comes out often to protest, he said, “I'm motivated because what ICE is doing is terrible. They've been kidnapping our citizens, our neighbors, and terrorizing people, and they're all about fear. And if there's a way to interfere with or influence what they're doing, I'll do it.”

Jaime Pullen said she was in attendance to be sure everyone knows who’s backing these detention centers.

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“You know, I just think that none of us can turn a blind eye, that Citizens has been financing detention centers, and that they shouldn't be doing that for ICE. We need to all stand up … so every institution that is complicit needs to take responsibility for what they're doing.”

Roslindale resident Claire Gosselin stated that she attends most events when participation is called for. “I think it's very important that we express our strong opinions and that we can't just keep pretending this is okay. It's very upsetting to me that so many banks and other entities continue to support ICE, investing in ICE’s presence.” She said it was a matter of maintaining a democratic society.

“I want folks to be free. We don't want to support fascism, which is what is impending here.” Friend Phyllis Bluhm, also a Roslindale resident, agreed. “I just feel like when I think about what's happening to people … It’s so horrible, it's hard to even talk about it. It's just, this is what they do in Russia. As far as I'm concerned, this is approaching 1938 Germany. Nobody thought it was going to happen, and it happened.”

Another protest will take place on Saturday, May 2, at 11:00 at the Citizens Bank at 1999 Centre Street, West Roxbury.

For more information on West Roxbury Roslindale Progressives, go to https://gvimes.link/wrprogs