News and Views from the People's Struggle
Chicago, IL- On Friday, October 3, around 65 students gathered on campus outside of University Hall at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to attend an emergency protest led by New Students for Democratic Society at UIC (New SDS at UIC), to oppose the attacks against immigrant and oppressed nationality communities.
Dallas, TX – On September 21, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas) hosted a rally in solidarity with Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles, along with other cities impacted by the deployment or threatened deployment of the National Guard and mass ICE raids.
Dallas, TX – On September 26, The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas organized a vigil to honor the lives of the three victims, two of whom were fatally shot after being detained by ICE.
The Vigil began at 7 p.m. at Civic Garden park in Dallas and lasted well into the night. Many from the community and in allied organizations came to pay their respects to those victims and to their families.
Boyle Heights, CA – On September 21, Centro CSO led a rally dubbed “ICE Out of Our Barrios” as a part of the national weekend of action called by the Legalization For All (L4A). The action denounced the Supreme Court ruling to legalize DHS agents’ racially profiling Raza based on their skin complexion, the language they speak, places they work at and live in as “relevant factors” for suspicion of being in the country illegally.
Ladson, SC – On Monday, September 22, organizers with the Charleston Community Service Organization (CSO) hosted a rally demanding an end to racial profiling.
The Legalization for All network’s call for a national Weekend of Action and protests were planned across the country in response to the September 8 SCOTUS decision allowing ICE to implement racial profiling tactics.
Billings, MT – On Saturday, September 20, People United Billings (PUB) rallied with about 20 people in front of the local federal building, which houses an ICE field office. The event, called “Rally Against Racial Profiling,” was organized in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to allow federal agents to stop and question people based on their race, ethnicity and spoken language.
Santa Ana, CA – On Friday, September 19, about 30 community members protested at the intersection of Bristol and 1st Street to condemn the September 8 Supreme Court ruling that greenlights racial profiling by immigration agents.
Portland, OR – On Wednesday, September 17, the city of Portland issued notices of land use violations to the building owner of the ICE facility in the South Waterfront neighborhood of Portland.
This comes after months of protests and action by community groups like Portland Contra Las Deportaciones (PDXCD), which founded a coalition called Revoke the ICE Permit PDX, and others to demand the permit for the facility be revoked and that it is shut down. The facility has been at the center of protests for months, with a near constant presence of protesters standing against ICE. A petition to shut down the facility now has over 17,000 signatures.
Los Angeles, CA – Centro CSO has called for a “ICE Out of Our Barrios” protest at Mariachi Plaza this Sunday, September 21, at 2 p.m.
The ICE Out of Our Barrios protest is a response to the SCOTUS ruling that happened on September 8. The ruling allows ICE to conduct “roving patrols” and gives ICE the green light to legally use racial profiling as a way to continue to intimidate and harass Chicanos. This means that ICE can detain and interrogate Raza simply for being brown, Chicanos, speaking Spanish, or living and working in working-class neighborhoods. This is a dangerous expansion of ICE authority that is targeting the working-class immigrant community and further perpetuating national oppression of Chicanos.
North Chicago, IL – Saturday evening, September 13, around 200 protesters gathered in front of the Great Lakes Naval Base to protest the 250 Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents being housed there as part of the Trump administration’s escalation of ICE operations in Chicago. The Milwaukee Fights Back Coalition and the Coalition against Trump-Chicago lead the protest.
Minneapolis, MN – At a press conference September 12 in front of the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis, several speakers demanded that U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson drop all charges against Isavela López.
Oakland, CA – On September 6, CSO Oakland and outraged community members took to the streets of East Oakland on 73rd and Bancroft Avenues, mobilizing just blocks from where ICE agents staged a brutal raid that tore six people from their home.
On August 12, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) forcibly detained six people in their home in East Oakland on 79th Avenue near Hillside Street. Of the six people detained, one is a minor and another is a disabled person.
Portland OR – On August 28, protesters rallied outside the Portland Permitting and Development Department to demand the city revoke the conditional use permit for the Portland Macadam ICE Sub Field Office.
The protest was held by Revoke the ICE Permit PDX, a coalition formed by Portland Contra las Deportaciones. After weeks of meeting with city council members and putting pressure on elected officials at city hall, organizers decided to go to the department directly responsible for managing permits in the city.
According to the conditional use permit granted to the facility in 2011, the facility is required to hold detainees no longer than 12 hours, and no detainees can be held overnight. A recent Fox 12 Oregon News Segment found ICE has violated this clause at least 28 times. In 20 of these cases, the individuals were held for over 24 hours, violating the rule that no detainee can be held overnight. According to this data, 24 of the 28 violations occurred after President Donald Trump returned to office.
This is in line with a pattern around the country, where ICE Field Offices that previously served as a location for mainly administrative work and check ins have increasingly detained immigrants for days on end, with no bedding, showers, sinks, limited food and access to medical care.
Shawnee Miller, a resident of Grays landing, a low-income housing complex directly across from ICE facility, gave personal testimony outside of the permitting office, “Let me be clear, we are not collateral damage. We are actual Portland citizens who are all being affected by these terroristic acts. When you deploy chemical weapons against a peaceful community you are creating a state of terror. When you ignore our calls for help, you are telling us that we are alone and that our safety doesn’t matter.”
This comes the week after residents of Grays landing held a press conference outside of their homes demanding that the city take action against the ICE Facility. Teargas and other chemicals weapons have been used on a regular basis outside of the Macadam Facility. At times ICE agents have even gone as far as shooting at residents trying to record these violations from their balcony.
Revoke the ICE Permit organizer Holly Brown weighed in on the inaction on the part of city officials, “Our elected officials continue to drag their feet and hide behind bureaucratic procedures to justify their inaction, while ICE terrorizes our city. But we will continue to put pressure on the city to do the right thing and shut down the Macadam ICE facility, no excuses.”
Protesters expressed concern about the inaction of city officials given the continual violation of the permit and resolved to continue to put pressure on the government. The next action scheduled for the Revoke the ICE Permit coalition will be at city hall on September 17.
Jacksonville, FL – On August 29, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) held a protest against Governor DeSantis's planned concentration camp within the Baker County Correctional Facility. The protest took place within the center of Jacksonville, at the city's own Friendship Fountain.
After JIRA mobilized over 700 people to Camp Blanding on July 19, Governor Ron DeSantis changed the location of the planned detention camp from Camp Blanding to the Baker County Correctional Facility. The site was previously shut down in 2021, with inhumane conditions being one of the cited reasons.
A JIRA speaker called the project the “Baker Cruelty Camp” rather than the “Deportation Depot” as Ron DeSantis has dubbed it, stating, “Let's be clear: people were tortured in this building. Guillermo Serrabi was held in solitary for 88 days – he was assaulted by a guard who ruptured his eardrum, and he was denied medical care. Ana Doe, a survivor of trafficking, was placed in solitary, stripped, restrained and sexually mocked by guards! This is this facility's legacy. This is what DeSantis is reopening!”
The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance organized the event which drew support from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, the UPS Teamsters Union, FloridaRising, 50501 Veterans, the Malaya Movement, and the Democratic Socialists of America.
As dozens of protesters gathered atop the hill at Friendship Fountain, Monica Martinez with JIRA said, “This cruelty doesn't just affect those who end up inside its walls. This puts a target on the back of every immigrant in northeast Florida. Right now, ICE is operating indiscriminately – kidnapping and attempting to deport community members regardless of their status, tearing families apart and terrorizing our communities.”
Martinez then talked about a person recently detained within Duval County: Diana Marcela Mieja, owner of a small business within the Springfield area of Jacksonville.
“This is not abstract!” Martinez said. “She was detained by ICE after a mental health crisis. She is a legal resident, a business owner, a beloved member of our community. This is who they are targeting! This is why we fight!”
#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JIRA #JPSN #JCAC #SDS #FloridaRising #50501 #Teamsters #MalayaMovement
Los Angeles, CA – El 29 de julio, el gobierno federal proclamó que los cargos de conspiración contra el activista Chicano Alejandro Orellana fueron retirados – una victoria para el Centro CSO y todos los luchadores por libertad en el movimiento de derechos de inmigrantes peleando contra la violencia de ICE.
Minneapolis, MN – Protesters rallied on Saturday, July 26 in south Minneapolis to protest the creation of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention facility. The protest, called by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), was part of the Legalization 4 All’s National Week of Action: 10 Days of Resistance.
Los Angeles, CA – Centro CSO and supporters gathered at Mariachi Plaza, July 30, for a press conference to announce their victory over the Department of Justice, as it dropped the charges on anti-ICE protester Alejandro Orellana.
After seven weeks of nationwide pressure on U.S. Attorney Billal “Bill” Essayli, Alejandro is a free man and can live without government restrictions or reporting to a parole officer.
On July 29, the people achieved a great victory: the two bogus federal charges on Los Angeles immigrant rights activist Alejandro Orellana were dropped!
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization hails everyone who took up the national call to mobilize for Alex's defense and every one of his supporters. Not only did we stand with Los Angeles in the uprising against ICE raids, but we held our ground when they came for the organizers. Defending our activists and comrades is an outstanding achievement, and everyone who took part should be proud.
Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, July 29, at 7 a.m., the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a protest outside the employee driveway entrance of the Whipple Federal Building to denounce the kidnapping of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they leave their scheduled immigration court hearings.
Los Angeles, CA – On July 29, the federal government announced the conspiracy charges against Chicano activist Alejandro Orellana were dropped – a victory for Centro CSO and all freedom fighters in the immigrant rights movement fighting against ICE terror!
On June 12, the FBI, National Guard, and the East LA Sheriff station raided Orellana’s home. They arrested Orellana, destroyed his family home, and locked him up at the Metropolitan Detention Center that has been the site of many anti-deportation protests. The Justice Department charged him with conspiracy to commit civil disorder and aiding and abetting civil disorder, which could have resulted in up to five years in prison for Orellana.