San José, CA – On Friday, July 4, President Trump signed his “Big Beautiful Bill” of tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts to health insurance and food stamps for the poor, and more attacks on immigrants.
The tax cuts are so large that, despite historic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps), the federal government will be borrowing more than $300 billion more each year for the next ten years.
The new law cuts taxes about $450 billion a year over the next ten years, mainly benefiting higher income households. Using adjusted gross income, we can see the richer a household, the more money Trump and the Republicans’ new law gives to them.
San José, CA – At first glance, the June jobs report released on Thursday, July 3 looks pretty good. The total net new jobs are reported at 147,000, on par with the average of 146,000 for the previous 12 months. Further, the previous two months’ estimates were revised up by a total of 16,000, not lower as has been the pattern. The unemployment rate ticked down by one-tenth of one percent from 4.2% in May to 4.1% in June.
The small drop in the unemployment rate could be accounted for by the drop in the “Labor Force Participation Rate” by the same one-tenth of one percent from 62.4% in May to 63.2% in June. What this means is many people without jobs gave up looking in June, which lowers both the unemployment rate as people have to be out of work and looking for work to be counted as unemployed.
Los Angeles, CA – On July 3, the courtroom in the Edward Roybal Federal Courthouse was completely packed in support of Alejandro Orellana.
Orellana was raided by the National Guard, East LA sheriffs and the FBI on June 12 and is facing up to five years in prison if found guilty. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli charged Orellana with conspiracy to commit civil unrest and aiding and abetting civil unrest.
“Thank you to all for your support today,” said Alejandro Orellana, addressing his supporters. Present were his immediate family, Centro CSO members and other supporters. Also present was CSO member and immigration leader Verita Topete. On June 26, Topete was followed in a park and violently served a search warrant for her phone, while she walked her dog alone.
Santa Ana, CA – On Friday, June 27, approximately 200 people came out for a vigil for Narciso Barranco, who was brutally assaulted and kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Santa Ana on June 21.
The assault happened while Barranco was working outside of an IHOP where he had been hired to do landscaping work. Unidentifiable masked men chased Barranco then held him face down on pavement while one of the federal agents repeatedly punched him on his head. Barranco can be heard on video footage screaming, with horrified onlookers shouting, “Why are you hitting him?”
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, June 21, around 280 people rallied at Saint James Park in downtown for the Second Annual People's Pride, a march and celebration spearheaded by community organizers of San Jose to return LGBTQ Pride Month mobilizations to their radical and militant roots.
Romaine Charite, a San Jose transgender and nonbinary activist of the San Jose People's Pride organization, emceed. They started by leading chants such as “Donald Trump has got to go” and “Trans rights are here to stay.”
El Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! está circulando la siguiente declaración del Comité para Parar la Represión del FBI.
El Comité para Parar la Represión del FBI está llamando a organizaciones a través de los EE.UU. a unirse a un día de acción nacional en junio 27 y exigir que los cargos sean retirados de inmediato. Organizaciones, nacionales y locales, están publicando declaraciones en apoyo a Alejandro Orellana y defensores llamarán a la oficina del fiscal federal para expresar esta exigencia.
Santa Ana, CA – On Friday June 27, about a dozen family members and Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) activists held a press conference inside of the OC Superior Court to demand justice for Imanol Salvador Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was a resident of Santa Ana and only 19 years old when he was killed by off-duty LAPD officer Carlos Coronel on February 1. According to a statement released by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, officer Coronel was driving through the city of Tustin after a night of heavy drinking when he struck Gonzalez with his pickup truck.
Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, June 27, community members gathered at Salazar Park at 4 p.m. for a press conference and rally demanding the charges be dropped against Alejandro Orellana and calling for justice for Verita Topete. Both are immigrant rights activists who were raided by the FBI within the last two weeks.
San José, CA – On June 15, San José residents came out to protests to what they say are attacks to First Amendment rights and political repression in Los Angeles. In the last couple of weeks, National Guard troops have been mobilized to assist ICE operations in Los Angeles with response from residents taking to the streets to protest.
Santa Ana, CA – On June 27, activists and community members waved signs on the corner of Flower Street and Civic Center Drive near the Central Justice Center chanting, “Drop the charges now!” and holding signs reading, “Protesting is not a crime!”
San Jose, CA – On Sunday, June 22, the day after the U.S. bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, about 150 people gathered at the Dr. MLK, Jr Library in downtown San Jose in protest.
Iranian flags, Palestinian flags and signs reading, “No war with Iran!” were held by protesters as they chanted, “Stop bombing Iran!” “U.S. out of the Middle East” and “U.S. out of Iran!” accompanied by many supportive car honks.
Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, June 26, Verita Topete, an immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO, was ambushed by the FBI while walking her dog at a park. Federal agents aggressively approached her to serve a warrant and force her to give them her phone.
Los Angeles, CA – El viernes, 13 de junio, Alejandro Orellana, un activista de derechos inmigrantes quien fue arrestado por la FBI, fue liberado de custodia federal.
La mañana anterior la FBI, con el apoyo de la guardia nacional y el departamento de sherifes de Los Ángeles, invadieron el hogar de Orellana en el Este de Los Ángeles y arrestaron a Alejandro, un por vida miembro de Centro CSO, con cargos de “conspiración de cometer desorden criminal.”
Santa Ana, CA – On Tuesday, June 17, hundreds of Santaneros packed the first city council meeting since the ICE raids and National Guard presence began. The anger and energy were palpable as residents booed Mayor Valerie Amezcua as she entered the council chambers. They held signs that said, “ICE out of Santa Ana” and “Justice for Noe Rodriguez.”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is calling on organizations across the U.S. to join a national day of action on June 27 and demand that the charges be dropped at once. Organizations, national and local, are releasing statements of support for Alejandro Orellana and supporters will call into the U.S. attorney’s office to voice this demand.
Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, June 13, Alejandro Orellana, an immigrant rights activist who was arrested by the FBI, was freed from federal custody.
The previous morning the FBI, with the support of the National Guard and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, raided Orellana’s home in East Los Angeles and arrested Alejandro, a longtime member of Centro CSO, on charges of “conspiracy to commit criminal disorders.”
In a packed courtroom with family, supporters, and Centro CSO members, Orellana stood strong against the ridiculous charges. The U.S. Attorney tried to have the judge order Orellana to stay away from downtown LA but that order was rejected.
Los Angeles, CA – On June 11, over 100 Chicanos gathered at Salazar Park for a news conference and rally to denounce the violent ICE kidnapping of a father of two in Boyle Heights. At 10:15 on the morning of June 11, a vehicle with a mother, father, infant and toddler traveling on Whittier Boulevard was pinned between two ICE vehicles. The father’s vehicle was tear gassed, and the father was kidnapped by agents, leaving the totaled car on Whittier.
Members of Centro CSO, an organization that fights for immigrant rights in Boyle Heights and East LA, were at the scene while the confrontation unfolded and demanded ICE show the warrant and identify themselves – which the agents laughed at and refused. The man is being charged with assault on a federal agent, but DHS has yet to provide evidence.
Los Angeles, CA — On the morning of June 12, in East Los Angeles, the FBI, National Guard, and LA Sheriff’s Department cornered off the street where immigrant rights activist Alejandro Orellana lives. Neighbors came out of their homes, concerned they were witnessing another ICE raid. FBI agents forcibly entered Orellana’s home, overturned all of his belongings, seized his electronic property, and then escorted Orellana handcuffed into one of their vehicles.
San José, CA – On June 6, around 100 people came out to Blossom Hill Road in San Jose to protest recent ICE arrests. According to the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, ICE made many arrests during immigration check-ins, causing activists to make an emergency call to action.
![Alejandro Orellana with fist raised \[center\] after his release.](https://i.snap.as/wjUD16A4.jpeg "Alejandro Orellana with fist raised [center] after his release. | Photo: Fight Back! News")
