What would you do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested your neighbor?

That’s a question posed by the organizers of a free upcoming ‘what to do when ICE shows up’ training in Charlottesville on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Logo reads "Short & Important"

Attendees will learn their rights, how to correctly identify and verify ICE agents, how to safely and legally record arrests and more.

ICE arrests have surged in Virginia this summer, and the state seems to be one of the most active in immigration enforcement according to an analysis by Axios Richmond.

Most of the ICE arrests that have spiked in the state have occurred in Northern Virginia, with roughly twice as many arrests in Fairfax County than any other county, according to Northern Virginia Magazine.

Learn what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up

Indivisible Charlottesville and Keep Going Together are offering training on Thursday, Sept. 11 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Sojourner’s United Church of Christ, located at 1017 Elliott Ave in Charlottesville. Attendees will learn their rights, how to correctly identify and verify ICE agents, how to safely and legally record arrests and more.

The event is free, but registration is mandatory. Register here to attend.

In April, three plainclothes ICE officials — one of them concealing his face — detained two men at the Albemarle County Courthouse in Charlottesville, reportedly refusing to properly identify themselves or produce a warrant for the arrest.

The incident sparked outrage and led to a protest of several dozen demonstrators outside the courthouse the day after the arrest, according to VPM News.

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Hi! I’m Allie, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Public Institutions Reporter. I'm a corps member with Report for America and part of the Open Campus cohort of journalists who report on higher education.