For the second year in a row, protesters will hold a candlelight vigil outside the Butler County Correctional Complex, a regional ICE facility in Hamilton.
Tuesday night's vigil is organized by the University of Dayton's Human Rights Center, its campus ministry and a law school advocacy group, and will focus on violations against children and families nationwide. It coincides with International Human Rights Day, which this year is centered around the theme of "youth standing up for human rights."
"Immigrant rights is not in the news as it was a year ago, and so the vigil really serves as an opportunity to refocus our attention on the horrific abuses committed against the undocumented in this country," says Joe Pruce, an assistant professor of human rights studies at the University of Dayton.
During the event, organizers will read the names of children who have died in ICE custody over the last few years.
"We feel that it's really important to highlight the fact that ICE is operating in our neighborhood and in our region," says Pruce. "These abuses are not occurring just on the boarder. They're not just occurring in big cities like New York, Chicago or L.A."
The vigil is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The one-hour program will be conducted in English and Spanish and feature speakers on the current state of immigration enforcement, stories of local personal impact, interfaith prayers, and music by the World House Choir based in Yellow Springs.
An ICE spokesman did not return calls in time for this story.
