USA // 69 y.o. anarchist dies trying to prevent migrant deportations~ 2 min

By Bruno Garrido

At dawn last Saturday, a 69-year-old anarchist was killed by Washington state police. He was attempting to set fire to buses belonging to a migrant detention center.

Migrants are to be transported from the detention centers where they are detained to Yakima airport for deportation. The attack led by Willem Van Spronse occurred in the city of Tacoma.

The attack comes as a response to a new raid on migriants ordered by Trump, which continues to implement his zero-tolerance xenophobic program, deploying thousands of agents in major American states to search for migrants who are already living in the United States or seeking asylum in order to deport them from the country.

The detention center where the attack occurred is run by the GEO group, a private company, and has the capacity to hold up to 1575 people in the hands of private immigration security groups. The murder occurred amidst a wave of nationwide protests against planned operations against migrants announced by Donald Trump.

In the manifest written by himself, he begins by saying “there is good and there is evil, it is time for action against the forces of evil” and further explains the reasons for his attack and what it was based on, his theoretical role models and how inspiring he finds the liberation fights happening all over the world these days.

In the manifesto published by friends shortly after his death he wrote:

I promised myself that I would not be one of those who stands by as neighbors are torn from their homes and imprisoned for somehow being perceived as lesser.

Thus he draws parallels between Nazi Germany and the ICE attacks, deportations of undocumented persons, detention of migrants, family separations and other acts of violence committed by the United States government.

He says the attack was intended to be a suicide mission, writing:

 I regret that I will miss the rest of the revolution. Thank you for the honor of having me in your midst. Giving me space to be useful.

After finding out about the police murder, several people gathered in front of the detention center to protest against the death of Willem Van Spronsen and against the detention centers.

Anti-fascists collectives also issued statements recalling the militant role of Willem Van Spronsen, as a major supporter of fights against detention centers.