On August 2, activists led by the Washington, D.C., metro area chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (Metro DC DSA) began a multiday protest outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office for the D.C. area, located in Fairfax, VA. Four protesters were arrested that day, and six more were arrested on August 3. The action was sparked by recent ICE activity in D.C. neighborhoods, including arrests in the communities of Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights, as part of a larger ICE operation in which 132 people were detained in D.C. and Virginia. The activists plan to continue the protest in the coming days, and are hoping their direct action will spur media to question D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has declared the city a "sanctuary city." 

Here’s what activists, including the six people arrested on August 3, had to say about why they were willing to risk arrest and how media ought to report on ICE activities: