Russellville Police do not anticipate any incidents at the ‘Keep Families Together’ protest this evening in front of the Franklin County Courthouse, but the department will close one block of North Jackson Avenue and have a visible presence just in case any issues arise.
Russellville Police Department Chief Chris Hargett said officers will close North Jackson Avenue from Madison Street north to Limestone St., NW, prior to the 5:30 p.m., start of today’s protest.
Organizers of the self-described ‘peaceful protest’ filed with the Franklin County Probate Judge’s Office the required paperwork requesting to hold the event on the steps and in front of the courthouse. Public records show the paperwork was filed by Jessica De La Pena.
Hargett said no permit was required from the City of Russellville for the event.
Today’s protest is in response to the return of Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) officers to Franklin County this week. ICE operations, including raids on some local businesses, have resulted in numerous detentions and arrests since Tuesday. As word of ICE’s presence spread through the community, there have been higher-than-usual absences in local schools, as concerned parents who may face immigration arrests choose to keep their children at home.
Franklin County Schools Superintendent of Education Greg Hamilton said Wednesday’s absences at Tharptown and Belgreen High Schools were up, but not significantly. 15 students were reported absent from Tharptown and three from Belgreen yesterday.
Neither ICE nor any other law enforcement agency has released the number of detentions and/or arrests made in this week’s operations in Franklin County.
A flyer promoting this evening’s rally describes the event as a “Peaceful Protest: Keep Families Together,” and further reads: “Stand for humanity. Stand for dignity. Stand together. Our community deserves compassion, safety and respect for every family,” and invites the public to “Join us for a peaceful gathering in response to ICE raids and their impact on our neighbors.”
Organizers have asked all participants to remain respectful, peaceful and committed to community safety during the rally. Additionally, attendees are asked to wear white to the protest to show solidarity.
The flyers do not indicate what organization or individuals is organizing the protest.
Hargett said his day shift officers will be staying over into evening shift until the event is completed.
“We are not expecting any problems, nor have we received any indication there will be any, but we will have multiple officers on-site in the event one arises,” Hargett said.
Social media posts in response to the protest exemplify the stark contrast in public opinions about the federal government’s increased illegal immigration enforcement under the second term of President Donald Trump.
2026 polls show Americans remain divided on the issue, with a range of 30-50% supporting deportation of all undocumented immigrants, regardless of circumstances.
But a recent Gallup poll reveals that just over 50% of Americans oppose mass deportations and the defunding of sanctuary cities, as well as support for offering long-term illegal immigrants with no criminal histories a pathway to legal residency or citizenship.
While undocumented immigrants of all ages are subject to detention, administrators for both Franklin County school systems say all students will be protected at school without fear of being arrested on campus in front of their peers and teachers.
So far in this week’s operation, there have been no attempts to detain any student from a local school, administrators said.