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Cedar Rapids ICE office to put up fence in ongoing dispute with protesters
The 7-foot chain-link fence will be built on city right of way, where protesters for months have accompanied immigrants to their immigration check-ins
Oct. 7, 2025 5:45 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — A barrier made of police tape that on Tuesday kept a crowd of protesters away from the U.S. Homeland Security Building in Cedar Rapids — where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is housed — could soon be replaced by a seven-foot, chain-link fence.
The fence would be the latest move by DHS and ICE in a back-and-forth battle between the federal agencies and Escucha Mi Voz, an Iowa City nonprofit that supports immigrants, over the city-owned lawn space in front of the federal building.
Rising tension between protesters and federal officers
Escucha Mi Voz hosts regular accompaniment protests, like the one Tuesday, in which community members gather outside the ICE offices to support the immigrants attending check-in appointments and to protest recent immigration enforcement actions in Iowa.
The number of attendees at the protests has grown this year, and in response, ICE has stationed officers outside the building, restricted who can enter the office with immigrants checking in, and — last month — put up a police tape border to block protesters from standing on the front lawn of the building, forcing them to stand in the street — on Square Drive SW — instead.
Last week, the police tape border was moved so that protesters could stand on a small corner of the lawn. That change followed Escucha Mi Voz organizers sending a letter to Cedar Rapids city officials pointing out that most of the lawn in front of the ICE office is owned by the city, and is therefore public right of way.
The city responded, saying DHS had “asserted federal authority to establish temporary barriers outside the ICE office,” and that the city was working with the federal agency to “evaluate the supremacy of federal authority in this instance.”
City issues permit to build seven-foot fence
On Oct. 2, DHS submitted a request to the city for a temporary obstruction of city right of way permit, which the city granted on Oct. 3. According to the permit, the federal agency plans to erect a seven-foot-tall chain-link fence in front of the federal building, leaving some lawn space, but still blocking about six feet of the public right of way. The permit expires on April 3, 2026.
The fence had not been installed as of Tuesday morning’s protest, but the police tape line had been moved back to approximately where the fence will be.
A notice was posted just past the tape, which stated the property beyond the line is leased to the federal government.
“... we understand your 1st Amendment rights. We also have rights under Iowa Code to determine who is allowed on our private property,” the notice reads. “Only those individuals here to conduct official business are permitted on the property. All other individuals will be considered in violation of Iowa Law as it relates to trespassing.”
Taped to the notice was a piece of paper listing the “Rules and Regulations Concerning Conduct on Federal Property.”
An email sent to Cedar Rapids City Council members by city staff last week and obtained by The Gazette states that obstruction permits can be approved by city staff — without city council approval — and last up to six months. They can be extended in six-month increments if the applicant submits a request before the permit expires. A permanent obstruction of the right of way would require city council approval.
“It is important to note that DHS has asserted federal authority over security at this site. The City Attorney’s Office continues to work with DHS to review how federal supremacy may apply in this instance. Ultimately, that federal authority could supersede our local permitting process,” the email states.
Protesters condemned the proposed fence, saying it is an attempt to hide ICE actions from the public.
“They don’t want us here. They don’t want us to witness what they do,” Alejandra Escobar, an organizer with Escucha Mi Voz, said during the rally Tuesday. “They don’t want us to see their violence, their abuses, their lack of due process, their wrongdoing.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment about the proposed fence.
Protesters speak out at city council meeting
The protesters accompanied four immigrants to their appointments Tuesday, and connected with eight more people who stopped to fill out Escucha Mi Voz contact forms on their way into check-in meetings. None of those 12 people were detained during their appointments Tuesday, according to the nonprofit.
After the rally, protesters moved together to Cedar Rapids City Hall, where those who are residents of Cedar Rapids signed up to speak during public comment at the end of the Cedar Rapids City Council meeting.
Escucha Mi Voz leaders handed out fliers during the rally, outlining three speaking points for those speaking during the city council meeting to focus on. The first two were requests for the city to reject the building of a fence on the public right of way and to hold a public hearing before approving the permit for such a fence.
“I’m asking you today, as a preventive measure, to do everything you can to keep them from building this fence,” Cedar Rapids resident Abby Long-Williams said during her public comment. “I want to be clear that we understand the intention of their police tape. The tape is put up because it keeps us from connecting with immigrants.”
The third speaking point was an invitation to city council members to attend one of the nonprofit’s accompaniment rallies. Multiple speakers acknowledged Cedar Rapids City Council member at large David Maier, who has attended multiple accompaniment rallies, and invited the other council members to follow his lead.
“I am there to be a supportive presence. I’m not there to protest. I’m not there to argue with ICE, or get into conflict with ICE or DHS. I’m there as a community leader, and as a community member, to show support for people who are there,” Maier told The Gazette after the meeting.
“They’re scared. They may not know the language,” he said. “They may feel isolated, and being there to show that they are truly welcome in our community, that the community cares for them, and that we are a resource for them, is really important.”
Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com
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