Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications
/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
ewebb@apa1906.net
Cell: 443-635-5911
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on ICE Aggression and Disregard of Civil Rights and Rule of Law
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. abhors and condemns the escalating aggression and disregard of civil rights and rule of law by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) in U.S. cities across the country and urges the U.S. Congress and federal courts to act.
ICE is a regulatory agency not a law enforcement agency and should not be permitted to wear masks as well as harass, detain, assault, or kill with little or no accountability. No one is above the law, and no agency is above the U.S. Constitution.
Over the past year, ICE has sent a clear message that current immigration efforts are not about the security of our borders nor the enforcement of our immigration laws and policies but instead about providing a license to target minority people in this country, regardless of citizenship, under the guise of immigration enforcement.
And with recent revelations that ICE members, include a leader of the Proud Boys and members of other white nationalist/supremacist groups should give lawmakers more than pause and sound an alarm about the vetting and deeply disturbing direction and so-called enforcement of this agency.
Be clear, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and its Brotherhood have long stood at the forefront for the advancement and equal protection of disenfranchised people in the public sector, and that is unwavering.
Therefore, the Fraternity supports its members and chapters participating in peaceful protests, with the approval from the Regional Vice President, that aligns with advocacy for our communities. Note that Alpha Phi Alpha does not condone or support violent protest or destruction of property.
We also encourage Brothers and Chapters to action in the following ways:
- Chapters should immediately set aside time to meet with their current congressional district representatives and discuss our concerns as an organization about the aggressive nature of ICE
- Implore Congress and the President to come together to provide immigration reform that addresses the concerns of Americans with a path to citizenship for “Dreamers” {undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, growing up to consider America home, often educated here, and contributing significantly to the economy, yet lacking permanent legal status}.
- Chapters should engage in voter registration, education, and turn out of voters in the 2026, 2027 and 2028 elections, while partnering with like organizations.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will not be silent while the rights and freedoms of U.S. citizens and people in search of the American promise are trampled and ICE operates like 21st Century slave patrols in this country.
Our freedom and democracy depend on it.
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The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and is headquartered in Baltimore, MD. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; late former Congressman Adam Clayton Powell; late former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; legendary activist, actor and performer, Paul Robeson, former Ambassador Andrew Young; late former Senator Edward Brooke; scholar, Cornel West; Senator Raphael Warnock; Congressman Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; six other members of the U.S. Congress, numerous state, and local lawmakers across the United States, as well as President of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Boakai, Sr. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, and other parts of North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.