Jewish advocacy groups protest outside Marble Hill Target over alleged ICE cooperation

More than 30 local members of Jewish advocacy groups rallied outside the West 225th Street Target in Marble Hill April 30, demanding the chain end its alleged cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Protesters from Bend the Arc, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, also called for Target to restore diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and for Congress to stop funding ICE. The gathering was part of a nationwide day of action called “Jews Demand ICE Out!” that organizers said drew participants from 17 cities.

The protest comes in response to a video from January circulated by media outlets showing ICE agents tackling and detaining two Target employees at a store in a suburb of Minneapolis, with one employee saying “I’m literally a U.S. citizen.” NPR reported at the time that Target told its teams in a memo it does not have cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency. Last January, when Trump was reelected, Target also came under fire for rolling back its diversity programs. These incidents led to public backlash and boycotts.

In Marble Hill, ralliers bore printed and handmade signs such as “Jews Say: No Pharaohs. No Kings,” and “Stop ICE Now,” while joining together in songs and chants. On either end of the crowd, participants handed out leaflets with information on the cause.

Madeline Ritter, a member of the steering committee on Bend the Arc’s Riverdale chapter, played a key role in organizing the local protest.

“The Torah tells us to welcome the stranger and to accompany the stranger,” Ritter said. “Making the world a welcoming and valuable place is very integral to our Jewish values.”

She added that most members of the Jewish community are descendants of immigrants as recent as one generation ago, and witnessed the hardships of their immigrant parents and grandparents.

“Right now, there’s an extra element of danger to being an immigrant in this society,” Ritter added. “So we can’t just stand by. We have to be vocal and active.”

Inside, management at Marble Hill Target declined to comment on the protest. However, Danette Lipten, also a member of Bend the Arc’s local leadership team, made clear protesters had no intention of entering the store, as they did not want to involve the employees and shoppers. Instead, they aimed to encourage others to make informed decisions on where they shop.

Near the front of the crowd was Nick Lyndon of Bend the Arc, who raised a handmade red-and-blue sign that read “Target Reinstate DEI.” He made several other signs for protesters to hold, which he noted were a reflection of the crafting hobby he discovered a love for in retirement.

During the Vietnam War, Lyndon was a consciousness objector, and said it was a pivotal moment that shaped his worldview. He said he still relies on those values of rejecting violence today.

“It’s cruel, it’s unnecessary, it’s lying,” Lyndon said, referencing what he sees as harmful rhetoric from the Trump administration surrounding immigration. Like Ritter, he referred back to the Jewish tradition of “welcoming a stranger, seeking a stranger out.”

Michael Blake, former assembly member and congressional candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, was also present at the protest. He told The Press many people, he included, are tired of the hurt ICE has caused, and of companies allegedly working with the agency.

Some rally participants, like former Norwood News editor Jordan Moss who is involved with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, have also been organizing in their neighborhoods. Moss said he and other Kingsbridge Heights residents gather weekly near Sedgwick Avenue and Fort Independence Park to protest the Trump administration. Moss and neighbors, anywhere from two to a dozen, hold signs and converse with passersby, looking to engage others in their cause.

Sarah Garrison was one of the rallygoers who took part in Kingsbridge Heights’ frequent protests with Moss. She said she was motivated to speak out against Target and ICE, and that being alongside her neighbors makes her feel less alone.

In the coming weeks, a letter from the rallying organizations will be mailed to Target Corporation, signed by “Concerned Residents of the Bronx, upper Manhattan and Westchester,” that urges the store to meet their demands.

“Target has long claimed a commitment to inclusion and community partnership,” a portion of the letter reads. “Now is the moment to prove those claims are real. Communities are watching. Workers are struggling. Families are making hard choices. And people are organizing because silence is no longer acceptable.”

Target Corporation did not respond to requests for comment by press time.