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Vigil Planned Outside Butler County's ICE Detention Facility

 Participants in the UD vigil gathered last year outside the Butler County Jail, an ICE facility, to mark International Human Rights Day.
University of Dayton's Human Rights Center
Participants in the UD vigil gathered last year outside the Butler County Jail, an ICE facility, to mark International Human Rights Day.

For the second year in a row, the University of Dayton's Human Rights Center, it's campus ministry and a law school advocacy group will hold a candlelight vigil Tuesday night in Hamilton focusing on human rights abuses.

Outside the Butler County Correctional Complex, a regional ICE facility, the group will focus on violations against children and families nationwide.

"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 UD Assistant Professor of Human Rights Studies Joel Pruce.

During Tuesday's 8:00 p.m. 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 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.

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With more than 20 years of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market, Ann Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. She has reported for WKRC, WCKY, WHIO-TV, Metro Networks and CBS/ABC Radio. Her work has been recognized by the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2019 and 2011 A-P named her “Best Reporter” for large market radio in Ohio. She has won awards from the Association of Women in Communications and the Alliance for Women in Media. Ann reports regularly on science and technology in Focus on Technology.