Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner and WNBA legend Sue Bird are among the latest list of athletes calling out ICE.
On Thursday, Athletes for Impact, a network of athlete activists, shared an open letter titled ‘ICE OUT.’ Griner, Bird and nearly 60 women’s sports stars endorsed the statement. Among the notable names on the list were New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Megan Rapinoe. College stars Nebraska volleyball player Harper Murray and UCLA basketball guard Kiki Rice were also part of the group.
‘Across Minneapolis and communities nationwide, excessive and illegal federal immigration enforcement has led to fatal shootings, fear and trauma, reminding us how fragile safety becomes when power goes unchecked,’ the statement said.
‘When we say ‘ICE OUT’, we are calling for institutions and policies that uplift communities, not ones that fuel fear and violence.’
‘We’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of ‘Abolish ICE,’ which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence,’ Stewart said after speaking out against ICE.
‘It hits a little bit home for me because I’m from there,’ Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, a Minnesota native, said.
‘What’s going on is not OK. We hope and pray there’s a change in direction from where this is heading.’