Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, August 7, Centro CSO held an emergency rally to demand the protection of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders. The rally was held at Belvedere Park Lake in East Los Angeles, where ICE kidnappings recently occurred.

Community members were able to learn about the recent attacks on Haitian immigrant communities. The rally then marched to the sidewalk where bystanders honked and raised their fists in support of the signs “ICE out of LA” and “Defend TPS.” The rally took place as part of the Legalization for All Network’s Week of Action, with the demand being to Stop Trump's Mass deportation of Haitian Immigrants, defend TPS, and legalization for all.

The Trump administration recently terminated Temporary Protective Status, leaving over 300,000 Haitian and Syrian refugees at risk of deportation. With the increase of racial profiling by ICE, the same question of ongoing attacks arises as to how this racial profiling will affect the Haitian and Syrian communities. In Ohio, Haitian immigrants are being summoned by the DHS to wear ankle monitors until their court proceedings.

Emilio Martin Del Campo of Centro CSO Police Accountability Committee stated, “This inevitably leads to an increase in killer ICE activity in these communities of working-class people.”

He continued, “We have seen ICE claim the lives of more than 50 people in the last year both on the streets and in detention camps, gunning down fathers in front of their children and killing mothers in so-called self defense.”

There has been an upsurge of ICE activities in the greater Los Angeles area after the unfreezing of the federal DHS budget. This has led to an increase in raids and brutalization amongst immigrant communities.

Briana Mosque from Centro CSO immigration committee stated, “When are my people going to be ready to fight back? Until it’s one of their own family members, will it hurt and matter?”

Verita Topete, from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) told the crowd, “This is why we continue the ongoing fight for legalization for all. Temporary programs aren’t enough. Working-class immigrants deserve to live, work, and keep their families together without fear of detention or deportation. We denounce this racist attack on Haitians and Syrian immigrants.”

If you would like to join the struggle to defend immigrant rights in Los Angeles and win Legalization for All, you can follow @CentroCSO on Instagram to find out about upcoming meetings and actions.

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