Reza Nekumanesh, Executive Director of Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno is interviewed by Eduardo Castro for the Tribuno del Pueblo. The center is a non-profit organization that promotes a variety of religious and cultural programs and services.
EC: What is your opinion of ICE’s detention center?
RN: ICE’s agenda is to keep immigrants from doing their daily activities whether the store, school, job, etc. and throwing them into for profit detention centers. ICE, I feel is like a bogeyman sweeping immigrants up.
EC: What was the ethnic makeup?
RN: The makeup is about 65% from Mexico and Central America. The rest are from Africa, the Middle East, some Asians and some from Europe. The center is owned by GEO Group, Inc. with various types of centers worldwide. They profit at the suffering of immigrants. But the GEO Group is like any other corporation who puts profits above value of people.
EC: What are your feelings on the attack on immigrants?
RN: Deportation is not something new. It has been around since before Trump under previous administrations only now it is more open and violent. To combat the treatment of immigrants we in the communities fighting for their defense need to form alliances. Find ways to help immigrants unable to help themselves. Different sectors of the community whether Latinos, Blacks, or Asian. Certain whites must be willing to help.
EC: What do you think is causing all this fear in the immigrant communities?
RN: Racism has existed for a long time. It just grew more after 9/11 and the 2016 elections. Now it is open and a certain sector of white community is not afraid to say it publicly because it has Trump’s support.
Change occurs when the community fights back against the common enemy, capitalism. We need to change economic and political systems into true democracy and cooperative society.
