Sacramento, CA – On June 23, community members and organizations pushing for real sanctuary city protections showed up to city hall to demand substantial improvements to the existing Sanctuary City Framework. They cited the current policy having no binding restrictions on Sacramento Police Department and ICE collaboration.

The Sacramento City Council held two votes. The first vote was on their “Community Immigration Action Plan” (CIAP), an outline for the city to follow when approaching their immigrant-related programs and policies; and the second vote was around transforming a recently developed resolution that restricts the city from allowing public property to be used by federal agencies, including ICE.

A previous agenda item had bled well beyond its intended ending time, causing the council chambers to delay opening up until 5:43 p.m., almost 45 minutes past the intended start time. By the time the CIAP and ordinance voting meeting was open, attendees were angry. Adding to constituents’ frustrations, the council decided during the meeting to combine both items into one, effectively cutting public comment in half, causing the community to scurry in order to condense their prepared comments.

The presentations were interrupted by regular outbursts from community members. There was verbal pushback to the claim that police were not colluding with DHS/ICE at the John Moss Federal Building. The mayor called for order several times throughout and warned attendees the council would meet in private if community members didn’t keep quiet during the presentations.

Speakers during the public comment section called the action plan “political theatre” and “performative.” AJ Albano, an organizer from Decarcerate Sacramento stated, “The only mention of enforcement in this document is the city excusing itself of liability from civil and criminal lawsuits, if the ordinance is not followed.” They went on to say, “While it is true we asked for an ordinance, it’s as if you wrote this, in such a way, to prove to us just how ineffective an ordinance could actually be.”

In addition, Councilmember Vang spoke to the city attorney and deputy chief of police about the data sharing practices and scope of Sac PD’s involvement at the federal building. The city attorney claimed that there was largely nothing to be done about federal agencies using Sacramento’s stored data because the existing policy does not permit it to share data in the first place, contradicting Sac PD’s voluntary participation in the Joint Federal Terrorism Task Force. This point was largely echoed by the deputy chief of police, despite the fact that, earlier that same day, a representative of the police department admitted that the department does, in fact, share data with ICE.

The council chambers was cleared when members of the audience erupted with their own personal experiences of police collusion at the federal building, even prompting some councilmembers to leave the chambers before order was called. Those speaking were quickly joined with a wave of disapproving exclamations directed towards the council for ignoring their constituents and voting on an unpopular version of the proposals in private.

#SacramentoCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Billings. MT – On Friday, June 26, around 30 community members rallied outside of Billings’ Emmanuel Baptist Church to protest the far-right organization Turning Point USA's “Make Heaven Crowded” event. Protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside of the church parking lot, holding signs and chanting against TPUSA's reactionary rhetoric being spread to their community.

The protest was organized by the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR), and supported by Billings Visibility Brigade, Montana State University Students for Democratic Society (SDS), and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Homa Masood, a member of BAIR and the protest's emcee stated, “Billings is a place that is welcoming, a place that is accepting of immigrants. It is not a place for discrimination, it is not a place for hatred, it is not a place for TPUSA!”

Billings has a history of community members fighting back against white supremacy. In 1993, the “Not in Our Town” movement was sparked by a wave of racist hate crimes being committed around the city. This year, a mural on Billings’ south side celebrating diversity was graffitied with swastikas. On Juneteenth, an event was held to repaint the mural. In the past and present, Billings residents demonstrate that they will not tolerate hate.

BAIR member Andreas Storey told the crowd, “After the death of Charlie Kirk, a Billings resident was seen driving around town in a truck with an American flag and swastikas, and ‘Thank you Charlie’ painted on the gate of the truck bed,” Storey recalled. “We will not tolerate the hate that TPUSA seeks to bring into our community!”

Beginning in January, the “Make Heaven Crowded” tour's first stop was in Los Angeles, with Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, headlining the event. The tour is described by TPUSA as nights of worship meant for those who “need hope.” The tour is touted as apolitical, a line that was repeated by Emmanuel Baptist Pastor Paul Jones in an interview with KULR8 leading up to the event. But at the stop in LA, Erika Kirk called anti-ICE protests in the wake of the murder of Renee Good “demonic,” making it very clear that these events are anything but apolitical.

A Montana State SDS member slammed TPUSA, “They would have you believe that Christ demands the expulsion and persecution of your neighbor. We recognize a lie when we see it!”

FRSO member Lain Dorsey spoke on the reason for Turning Point attempting to rebrand under their “TPUSA Faith” branch.

“They know that they’re unpopular. They know that the people stand against them and so they sugar coat what they’re really about.” Dorsey continued, “If the Proud Boys started putting on dog shows, they would still be a fascist organization! This is no different.”

After Dorsey's speech, she asked the crowd, “Do ya’ll think they can hear us?” The crowd shouted back “No!” Dorsey responded, “Should we get a little closer?” “Hell yeah!” cheered the crowd.

The group then marched closer to the venue chanting, “Turning Point, turn around! We don't want you in our town!” As they began marching into the church parking lot entrance, protesters were met with four armed security guards and a Billings PD officer, threatened with trespassing, and forced back onto the sidewalk.

Kyndra Millar spoke to the crowd, “We came here to protest peacefully, and we were met with firearms!” she roared. The crowd condemned the threat of force with shouts of “Shame!”

Despite intimidation, the protest continued until after the conclusion of the TPUSA event. Protesters rallied for three and a half hours, making their opposition known as the TPUSA audience members left the parking lot.

To get involved with the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights, planning meetings are held every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Billings Public Library's large conference room. Follow BAIR on Facebook or on Instagram @Billings_AIR.

#BillingsMT #MT #BAIR #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement

NYC, NY – On June 28, beginning in Union Square, Manhattan, thousands participated in the annual Queer Liberation March.

The event is an alternative to the Pride march and gives the radical and militant activists in the LGBTQ community the opportunity to organize away from the corporate sponsors of Pride.

The annual march always hosts a large array of progressive, leftist and revolutionary organizations who uphold the militant legacy of 1969 Stonewall Riots, where the LGBTQ community of NYC’s Village fought back fiercely against violent police raids.

One organization present at the march was Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), which led a contingent of 700 people at its height.

Chants included “Out of the closet and into the streets, no justice, no peace!” “We will not be quiet, Stonewall was a fucking riot!” “Say it loud and say it clear, ICE and feds ain’t welcome here!” Flags showing solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon were also present.

The march went from Union Square to the ICE headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza, showing solidarity with immigrants detained by ICE.

A participant in the march and member of FRSO, Shivani Ishwar, said, “The cause of queer liberation is much bigger than a corporate Pride parade. We understand that all rights that queer and trans people have were earned in blood. The system is trying to claw back those rights, with crackdowns on queer and trans communities nationwide, along with the terror being unleashed on immigrants by ICE and the feds. We recognize that we must continue to stand together in militant solidarity, to protect those rights and to win our demand for liberation. Until all of us are free, no one is, and that goes for every community under attack by the Trump administration and U.S. imperialism.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #LGBTQ #Pride #Stonewall #ImmigrantRights

Oakland, CA — On Tuesday, June 16, over 50 people gathered in person and via Zoom to support Guillermo Medina Reyes at his Mental Health Diversion Court hearing in Alameda County.

Medina is a Bay Area tattoo artist and longtime organizer for the rights of detained immigrants and incarcerated people, having organized hunger and labor strikes during his detention at Golden State Annex in McFarland, California from 2021 to 2023.

“I'm here today at the courthouse in Alameda in support of Guillermo, who has been detained by ICE,” said Trancita Ponce from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, who has been supporting Medina since her release in 2024 after serving 25 years of incarceration.

“I met him about a year and a half ago. We were doing a solidarity tattoo, and he came and tattooed me, my freedom tattoo. He was the nicest, most genuine guy. He has come up against a lot of struggles and adversities. For him to be detained by ICE is another struggle. We stand here today in solidarity and for him to know that he is not alone. He is supported by a community, friends and family who are not going to give up on him. Free Guillermo!”

Advocates urged the court to keep Medina’s case within mental health diversion during his time at CoreCivic's for-profit California City Detention Center. They emphasized that he has consistently met his treatment requirements – despite ongoing obstacles from ICE, including the last-minute cancellation of his legal call to attend the hearing.

In response, his team quickly arranged a workaround by setting up a separate call with Medina on speakerphone while attending the hearing via Zoom, as supporters filled the courtroom. This allowed Guillermo to attend his own hearing, despite the barriers imposed by ICE and CoreCivic.

“He was able to listen in. He wasn't able to join virtually directly on the screen, in part because I feel like the facility has been flagging him directly and retaliating because of the organizing he's doing inside. And they canceled our call. So, there was no legal call for him to be able to actually see the screen and see who is in the courtroom. So, other injustices we continue fighting on a daily basis along the way,” said Esperanza Cuautle from Pangea Legal Services and CSO Oakland.

Members of Medina 's campaign stressed the importance of keeping the case in mental health diversion, where Guillermo could see his case dismissed by continuing treatment. If transferred to criminal court, he would not be given the same flexibility and would face the near-certain risk of a warrant for failing to appear at a hearing he physically cannot attend – due to already being in state custody at ICE and CoreCivic's for-profit detention center.

At the end of the hearing, Judge Elisa Della-Piana sided with Medina 's request and positively acknowledged the dedication and efforts of his advocacy team in ensuring his presence at the hearing despite the challenges from the federal government and the private prison company.

The ruling sets a powerful precedent in Alameda County, allowing undocumented individuals to access mental health diversion, where they can receive proper treatment and potentially have their cases dismissed. That stands in stark contrast to a transfer to criminal court, which would only benefit Trump's deportation agenda and private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic – companies that gain billions in profit from family separation, medical neglect, and detainee labor.

In 2025, CoreCivic reported over $2.2 billion in revenue. Of that amount, $130 million came from their California City Detention Center, where Medina and over 1600 people are currently being held.

“Say ‘no’ to this unjust system that criminalizes, deports, and separates our families,” said Danny Celaya from CSO Oakland. “California City Detention Center alone makes CoreCivic $130 million in profit off our loved ones. Shame. But Guillermo is a fighter, a luchador. It's our responsibility to stand with him and with everyone in immigrant detention centers. Free them all!”

Organizations that attended the hearing in support of Guillermo include Pangea Legal Services, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, SIREN, Amigos de Guadalupe – Center for Justice & Empowerment, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, CSO San Jose, CSO Oakland, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#OaklandCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights

Salt Lake City, UT – On Thursday, June 25, at Sherwood Park in the Glendale Neighborhood of Salt Lake City, a demonstration and press conference was held in support of a local organizer and father, Julio Irungaray Sr., who was abducted by ICE less than 48 hours before the event.

The crowd chanted “Show me what community looks like! This is what community looks like!” and “Chinga la Migra!”

Over 100 people gathered in solidarity with the impacted family. Members of the Comunidades Unidas, and the SLC Bail Fund spoke alongside the family members of Julio Sr. His two children, Chantal and Julio Jr., gave chilling testimonies of the impact ICE forced on their family.

The family recounted Julio Sr.’s kidnapping and how they were unable to offer his much-needed medication to ICE. By the end of his “arrest,” the father’s blood sugar was recorded at over 300 mg/dl. Julio Sr.’s family also told of how their father was already moved to Wyoming and, at the time of the protest, was still being denied some of his medication.

Speakers denounced the cruel depravity forced upon a hardworking member of the Salt Lake community, who worked two jobs, including feeding patrons of the much-loved Santo Tacos in Salt Lake City. Speakers reported that he was aiding his loved ones, including helping his daughter pursue her nursing degree.

Those with the means are encouraged to donate to the Irungaray family’s legal and survival fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-julio-support-his-family

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #ImmigrantRights #ICE

López was charged with four felonies, including assaulting a federal officer, after her participation in a protest against a federal action on June 3, 2025 when ICE, FBI and other agents raided a restaurant in the Latino immigrant business corridor in the center of Minneapolis.

There was no evidence of López initiating direct physical contact with any of the agents on the scene; however, there were multiple videos showing agents brutalizing López during the incident. Later that week, FBI agents abducted López, holding her in jail for several days, during which she was informed of the felony charges that could have had her sentenced to eight years in prison for a crime she did not commit.

Over the course of the following year, the U.S. Attorney postponed López’s trial multiple times due to this lack of evidence, keeping López in an unnecessary state of stressful uncertainty while the Twin Cities remained under attack by the same federal immigration enforcement she resisted. The fight to drop the charges further united the movements for immigrant rights, for indigenous sovereignty, and against political repression. This is a clear example of how the Trump administration’s attacks on oppressed people and the right to protest continually backfire, bringing progressive forces even closer, rather than destroying our organizing momentum.

The movement to drop the charges against López has ended in victory, with the prosecutors offering a plea deal to bring the sentence down to that of a single misdemeanor charge of impeding a federal investigation. López has accepted this deal and will not spend a single day in prison. Her passport, which was confiscated a year ago, has been returned to her, as she is no longer on probation, and there will be no fines beyond the $25 fee she was able to pay right away.

This tremendous victory comes just one week after the indictments of 15 other anti-ICE protesters in the Twin Cities. They now face felonies for their alleged involvement in the mass resistance against Operation Metro Surge. The favorable outcome of López’s case lends renewed optimism to the battle against racist and political repression. Although most of these campaigns are fought with great difficulty, activist organizations and community members in Minnesota and beyond are well-equipped with experience and fervor to keep up the fight for justice.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #FBI #PoliticalRepression

Dublin, CA – On June 8, at around 5 p.m., over 100 participants of the three-day “Caminata for Immigrant Rights” arrived at the corner of Arnold Road and Gleason Drive, next to FCI Dublin, a closed federal women’s prison that ICE plans to reopen as an immigrant detention center.

“This action shows just how united the Bay Area is against ICE. Across all three days, covering dozens of miles, we received only honks of support and cheers from folks. No one wants Trump’s ICE thugs here. Those who joined us, including families with young children, grandmothers, immigrants and allies from Santa Rosa to Napa to San Francisco and beyond, demonstrate how far people are willing to go to oppose new detention centers in the Bay,” said Danny Celaya from CSO Oakland.

Over three days, from Saturday, June 6, at Napa High School to Monday, June 8, in Dublin, marchers covered nearly 70 miles.

“As a member of the vehicle support team, this action was inspiring. People are committed to stopping Trump’s agenda and fighting ICE. Everyday working-class people organized this massive action, that quite literally united forces from every corner of the Bay to collectively say ‘Hell no!’ to the proposed detention centers. This demonstrates what we can achieve through organizing, so let’s be clear, we are going to win! Down with immigrant detention centers! Power to the people’s movements!” said Brandon Cavins from the Oakland chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The march made a powerful impact, garnering press coverage and over 15 news articles in both Spanish and English. It made the front page of both the East Bay Times and Mercury News, the largest newspapers in both East Bay and South Bay, respectively.

The four key demands were legalization for all; ICE out of the Bay; no to immigrant detention centers in Dublin, Alcatraz and Gilroy, and stop deportations and repression.

Peyton Leone, representing Centro del Pueblo in Humboldt County, said, “We hear stories of people being sent to very faraway places when they are detained, and to hear that a new detention center could be opened closer to where I live; that’s something that I would show up every day, any time to protest. That’s why I’m here joining the caminata for all three days.”

Through the organizers’ efforts, families and participants of all ages were able to join as organizers secured lodging, three meals a day, and portable restrooms transported via a truck bed along every mile of the route. Additionally, a team of over 20 medics tended to the walkers, and more than 40 safety volunteers kept people safe across the four counties the march traversed: Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Alameda.

Over 40 organizations took part in this three-day action including Raizes Collective, Almas Libres, Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition, CSO North Bay, CSO Oakland, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Human Agenda, National TPS Alliance, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, American Indian Movement, CodePink Sonoma County, North Bay Jobs with Justice, North Bay Organizing Project, Bay Resistance, Tsuru for Solidarity, Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN), the ICE out of Dublin Coalition, and dozens more.

#DublinCA #CA #OaklandCA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #DetentionCenter #CSONorthBay #CSOOakland #Featured

Adelanto, CA – On Saturday, June 13, immigrant rights organizations from around Southern California held a caravan and rally outside of the Adelanto Detention Center. The rally was led by Centro CSO, alongside CSO Orange County, NELA for Democracy, Defend Migrant Alliance – SOCAL, and No Camps California. The rally took place as part of the Legalization for All Network’s Weekend of Action with the main demand being to shut down all detention centers.

For weeks, detained immigrants have carried out hunger strikes at the Adelanto Detention Center in Adelanto, California and the Delaney Hall Detention Center in New Jersey. To show their solidarity, dozens of protesters outside the Adelanto Detention Center waved signs, and chanted “Free them all!” The hunger strikes were called by immigrants due to the lack of medical treatment and the inhumane treatment within the centers.

Verita Topete, co-chair of Centro CSO’s immigration committee, said, “Six years ago, I stood outside the Adelanto protesting while my father was detained inside. A hunger strike was happening at the time as people risked everything in order to demand dignity, safety and humane treatment. Six years later, history is repeating itself. We are back here in solidarity with the hunger strikers at Adelanto and Delaney Hall in New Jersey.”

The protesters hung posters of detainees who have died while in ICE custody, with several of those lives being taken inside the Adelanto Detention Center. Speakers emphasized just how inhumane the conditions are, and the lack of medical treatment detainees face.

Centro CSO in particular uplifted their campaign to free Alex Hernandez who has been wrongfully detained in Adelanto for months. CSO has led call-in days and other actions to demand Hernandez be freed and reunited with his family.

Rain Mendoza from CSO Orange County stated, “It's important to show solidarity with the courageous striking detainees and all immigrant detainees in detention centers. The treatment they are facing inside the detention centers is absolutely unacceptable. People are dying inside! We demand all detention centers be shut down. Free our people now”

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.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #CentroCSO #ImmigrantRights #DetentionCenter #Adelanto

Portland, OR – On Friday, June 17, the immigrant rights organization Portland Contra las Deportaciones (PDXCD) held a rally outside of city hall and attended the city council meeting to demand the council and the mayor revoke the permit for the ICE facility. Over 30 community members were forcibly removed from the meeting while exercising their First Amendment rights.

The city has allowed landowner Stuart Lindquist many delays and extensions to appeal the land use violation issued to the Macadam Facility in September of 2025. Most recently, he appealed to a Multnomah County Circuit Court to claim the hearings officer in the case is biased. The appeal hearing was granted to Lindquist willingly by this hearings officer after the city failed to begin the revocation process or enforce the fine for the land use violation.

While preparing for the protest, activists encountered Mayor Keith Wilson walking towards city hall. Several tried to speak with him, asking what the city is doing to push forward the currently stalled land use violation hearings. Some chanted “Keith Wilson, do your job!” as he walked by ignoring their questions. Wilson rarely attends Portland City Council meetings, but was present to discuss the upcoming budget renewal.

The rally outside city hall was met with violent right-wing agitators who have historically assaulted and pepper-sprayed protesters unprovoked. The crowd chanted and maintained their energy over the sounds of the right wingers’ megaphones. Protesters then packed the first floor of the chambers, holding signs in the front row that read “Revoke the permit!” and “Shut down the Macadam facility!”

Protester Holly Brown also encountered Eric Kutch, director of Portland Permitting and Development. This is the department authorized to officially begin the revocation process. When questioned about the extremely slow movement of the administrative review that spanned from September to February, he claimed that was due to “following the legal process,” despite ICE’s terror on Portland and the surrounding neighborhood.

Kutch then stood up and walked out of the chambers. When Brown attempted to follow him, they were physically blocked from moving through a public building by a plainclothes private security officer.

Because Portland City Council meetings don’t allow opportunity for public comment, community members stood up and spoke out to condemn the council’s inaction and call for emergency legislation to be put forth. Activists repeatedly stood up one by one to disrupt the council proceedings and were swiftly removed. When speaking, Ivan Vargas said, “The clock has been ticking for over a year now regarding the revocation of the permit, while immigrants have been wrongfully and violently put in jail cells in this so-called ‘sanctuary city.’”

City Council President Jamie Dunphy ordered Vargas’ removal and the other activists who dared to speak out. Private security officers paid by the mayor’s office and a cop attending the meeting forcefully ejected more than 30 speakers.

The majority of Portland City Council are self-proclaimed progressives who routinely use the mayor’s private security and the Portland Police Bureau to repress immigrant rights activists.

As to why the city claims they are powerless over the ICE Facility, Democratic Socialist and reactionary councilor Angelita Morillo said, “Laws are enforced through force or through the legal court system and if the legal court system does not support our findings, then we don’t have any standing.” The legal system would have supported permit reconsideration if the city started it when they had the chance, and legal enforcement of city code would also be supported legally at this time.

Violent right-wing streamers cheered on this statement, with one shouting gratitude to the councilors for allowing the permit to keep the facility open.

Later, PDXCD member Taylor Goss countered the council’s hypocrisy in public comment when he said, “Councilor Morillo, you mentioned earlier this evening that Portland doesn’t have an armed force to enforce laws, but in May on May Day, the PPB was sent to defend the ICE facility and officers brutalized and arrested activists. In February, they were sent here, to city hall, to silence protesters who were exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Private security and PPB had also forcefully removed protesters earlier that evening, showing the city government does have power to use violence and force. However, they refuse to enforce city laws over private land leased to the federal government.

This was the first time PDXCD returned to a council meeting after their protest during a meeting in February after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good led to the city sending every available officer to the chambers to violently remove and arrest protesters.

PDXCD will mobilize to the next hearings in the land use violation appeals process to keep up public pressure on the city to move forward and fight back.

#PortlandOR #OR #ICE #ImmigrantRights #PDXCD

Cocoa, FL ‒ On June 14, the Space Coast Immigrant Rights Alliance (SCIRA) held a rally in Cocoa, Florida as part of the Legalization 4 All network’s weekend of action against detention centers.

Dozens of demonstrators demanded “ICE out now” and chanted “Free our people, free them all!” while expressing solidarity with hunger strikers at Delaney Hall and Adelanto. The rally highlighted SCIRA's ongoing campaign to end 287(g) agreements in Brevard County, from municipal police forces to the county sheriff’s department.

Carlos Barreto of Orlando Against Police Crimes joined to emphasize the intersection of immigration enforcement with broader state violence, as the city of Orlando continues to fight against ongoing attempts to open a new ICE facility in Lake Nona. Edmund Anglero, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the socialist strategy of using an organized and militant working class to fight for immigrant rights.

Zaki Ahmed spoke for SCIRA, detailing that group’s goals and its strategy as a grassroots organization fighting for immigrant justice, how they deepen their ties to the Space Coast’s immigrant community, and their plans for the future.

The June 14 action marks SCIRA's first entirely self-directed rally after months of attending protests called by other organizations and building ties to the immigrant community through volunteering and barrio-walking in neighborhoods affected by Florida's ongoing deportation operations.

#CocoaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights

Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of June 15, the Department of Justice announced charges against 15 anti-ice protesters for “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer,” and other bogus charges. That same morning 12 out of the 15 protesters had their homes raided and were arrested in relation to the federal indictment.

After the arrests, the DOJ held a press conference, where U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen claimed that the accused had assaulted a federal officer and destroyed government property, among other charges. When asked, Rosen did not respond to any questions regarding the injuries or the number of agents injured by the indicted, or about the investigations of the federal agents who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

In response to the outrageous charges, the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild announced an anti-repression press conference at the same time as the DOJ conference. As part of the press conference, attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong and other community organizers spoke in solidarity with those arrested.

Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) member Montana Hirsch stated that MIRAC “stands in unwavering solidarity with all anti-ice protesters,” further stating that “protesting is not a crime, and protesting ICE is the right thing to do.”

After the press conference, NLG put out another call for the community to show up at 1:30 p.m. to the Federal Building in Saint Paul to pack the court for the first hearing of the arrestees. Dozens showed up to demand the release of the arrestees.

When the courtroom filled to capacity, the officials refused to offer an overflow room for additional viewing, and the U.S. Marshals deployed chemical irritants on the crowd for trying to enter the building in support the wrongfully indicted. This did not deter the community from remaining steadfast in their solidarity.

The People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) and MIRAC held a rally outside the courthouse at 5 p.m. and remained until the arrestees were released. 100 people remained on the plaza of the federal courthouse six hours after the start of the previous action, and after the brutality by the U.S. Marshals.

Drew Harmon, of the Minnesota chapter of 50501 told the crowd, “They want us to back down. This is to instill fear in us, so we have to do the opposite,” Harmon urged the community. “Since Metro Surge officially ended, we’ve been seeing a drop-off on rapid response, in mutual aid, food delivery. People, now is the time to get back involved!”

Jess Sundin from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) spoke at the rally, “The 15 people who were indicted this morning are us. They are rapid responders. They are protesters. They are organizers – They are you, and they are me.” She also went on to say, “They stood with us. Minnesota said no to ICE, no to the targeting of our immigrant neighbors.”

Other speakers included representatives from About Face: Veterans Against the War, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, MN Anti-War Committee, Sunrise Movement Twin Cities, and Democratic Socialists of America.

Community members chanted until all 12 people who were able to be released the same day were allowed to leave, but with stipulations restricting their further participation in protests and communication with organizers.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights

Gilroy, CA – On June 14. around 300 protestors hit the streets in Gilroy to protest against ICE’s plans to open a detention and processing center in the southern part of Santa Clara County near Gilroy, California. At around a million residents, San Jose is the largest city in Santa Clara County, one of the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. Local activists say the detention center will impact all Bay Area residents.

ICE’s plans to build a detention center in Gilroy began circulating amongst the San Francisco Bay Area residents earlier this year. Now that blueprints of the facility have come out, confirming that the 20,000 square foot facility will have the capability to hold detainees, local organizations are mobilizing to hit the streets and protest the construction site.

Huy Tran of the Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network warned, “The expanded facilities here in Gilroy are going to make ICE a worse threat by providing more holding cells and training more ICE agents to attack us.”

The construction of the Gilroy detention center comes at a time when detainees are launching hunger strikes in Delaney and Adelanto detention centers, in New Jersey and California.

Uriel Magdaleno of Community Service Organization San Jose condemned the conditions of the centers. “The Legalization for All network stands in unwavering solidarity with the hunger strikes,” stated Magdaleno. In the past year, there have been over 50 detainees’ deaths confirmed.

Magdaleno continued, “Conditions inside these facilities worsen daily, people are denied basic human rights.”

The day before the protest, Community Service Organization Oakland participated in a car caravan to California City in coordination with the Legalization for All network’s weekend of action against detention centers. At the Gilroy protest, Danny Celaya with CSO Oakland spoke to attendees about the previous day’s caravan.

“The conditions there [in California City detention center] are grotesque, inhumane and reports of guards dehumanizing detainees as dogs,” stated Celaya. “We need to continue to fight for immigrant rights and say down with detention centers.”

The protesters marched to the detention center construction site in Gilroy with banners that read “Stop ICE’s detention centers,” “Legalization for all,” and “Free Guillermo now,” referring to local community member Guillermo Medina Reyes who has been in detention since February of this year. The march concluded with a rally where Rebeca Armendariz of Community Agency for Resources Advocacy and Services stated, “We will be back.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights

San José, CA – On May 30, over 250 people gathered outside the Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose to protest plans of an ICE processing and detention center in Gilroy and the reopening of FCI Dublin as an immigrant detention center.

“We haven’t seen as much ICE activity as we have seen in places like Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles,” said Jonathan Soria from Community Service Organization San Jose. “This is because there isn’t a detention center to hold our families here in the Bay Area.”

Since September of last year, the Trump administration has used Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents to carry out immigration enforcement operations across the country. As of November, the number of operations increased and their tactics became increasingly violent, with the deaths of community members seeing a sharp spike. Among these dead are Ismael Ayala Uribe, Oscar Duarte Rascón, Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, and twelve more.

ICE and CBP activity reached its height during Operation Metro Surge, when agents were sent to Minnesota, culminating in the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

ICE and CBP operations in the Bay Area have included the detentions of Guillermo Medina Reyes and Ulíses Peña López, who were both taken into custody violently. Since then, reports of their holdings detail inhumane treatment, such as denial of medical attention, food, water and access to legal assistance.

“We’ve brought out hundreds outside of the San Francisco Immigration Court to demand that Guillermo be free, to demand that Guillermo be returned to his community in San Jose, because he deserves to be with his family, with his loved ones,” stated Dani Celaya, of Community Service Organization Oakland, to the people protesting at the Mexican Heritage Plaza.

Community-oriented organizations, including CSO San Jose, CSO Oakland, and WCO for the People, a student-led activist group at San Jose’s WC Overfelt High School, rallied together to denounce the ongoing campaign against immigrants and the Chicano community in the Bay Area and across the country. The organizations have also mobilized people to turn out to San Jose City Hall and the San Francisco Immigration Court with these same demands.

The crowd marched from the Mexican Heritage Plaza all the way to the corner of Story and King, delivering chants, cheers,and speeches, highlighting the resistance towards an administration that is hostile towards and actively targets immigrants and the Chicano community.

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights

Tacoma, WA – 15 Portland for Palestine organizers traveled up to the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, June 13. Portland for Palestine (P4P) was there to promote their ongoing campaign to help free a local Palestinian immigrant Tareq Zakarneh, a man who has been in ICE detention for over two years.

These organizers joined the Tacoma-based immigrant rights group La Resistencia for one of its regularly-held “Solidarity Days.” Overall, there were about 50 people in attendance.

Zakarneh has mostly been held at the NWDC, though recently DHS and ICE have been trying to break his resolve and remove him from the U.S. The U.S. does not recognize Palestinian statehood, so he is in danger of being deported to Israel. Any Palestinian deportee in the hands of the Israeli authorities is in grave danger as Israel pushes to complete their project of ethnic cleansing in the region.

P4P wanted to make sure that DHS’s underhanded, illegal tactics don’t go unnoticed with regards to Zakarneh, and tragically, so many other immigrants. Since his removal from NWDC on June 2, ICE has made Zakarneh impossible to track and taken away his rights to communication with the outside world.

On June 5, P4P mobilized and conducted an emergency call-in campaign to Judge David Estudillo’s office to demand he allow Tareq the rights of due process. And it worked! A last-second order issued by the Washington judge got Zakarneh pulled off his final deportation flight while he was waiting to board early in the morning on June 9.

The group further mobilized to show solidarity with detainees still unjustly locked away in NWDC. They also sought to send a message to the facility’s operators, the infamous GEO Group.

Kacey Desantis, organizer for P4P, commented on the conditions in NWDC and others. From her speech delivered that day, “Tareq has often told us of the atrocious quality of the food and water and about how ICE would not give Tareq nor his fellow Muslim detainees the appropriate time and space to practice their religion. On hot days, there is often no air conditioning. He was denied access to legal materials and legal representation on multiple occasions. When Tareq was detained in a facility in Eloy, Arizona, he was denied his right to meet with lawyers at least six times.”

Zakarneh often found himself a target of extraordinary abuse and deprivation by ICE and the operators of these facilities. Why? In their own words, they deem him a “nuisance” for daring to engage in jailhouse lawyering. Not only is he extremely active in fighting in his own defense, but he has been critical in helping, with self-filed motions, to ultimately get several of his fellow detainees released. The more he helped others, the more ICE would attempt to isolate him.

At the event, organizer Cole Dunahugh said, “We demand that Tareq be brought back to the NWDC so he can be allowed to argue his case in person in front of a judge, that he be granted asylum, and that he be released from ICE detention.”

It is critical that we stand up to protect immigrants of all nationalities. But Palestinians require special attention as ICE deports them exclusively to Tel Aviv, where they face possible long-term internment, torture and even extra-judicial execution.

Desantis closed out her speech, “The ICE facilities in this country and the Israeli prisons that Tareq faces are connected. The violence of the American immigration system and the apartheid system that is killing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are connected. They are connected by an imperial system that inflicts and promotes violence abroad, learns the best ways to do it and brings it home to the U.S.”

#TacomaWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #Palestine #P4P

This morning, June 16th, there were multiple coordinated raids on immigrant rights activists in the Twin Cities. At least 15 people have been indicted, with the U.S. Grand Jury charging “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer,” alongside a number of other trumped-up charges.

The fact is, people here in the Twin Cities correctly and courageously stood up to Operation Metro Surge and built an outpouring of militant resistance to ICE terror. People from all walks of life were in the streets to oppose deportations and ICE agents. Now the government is cracking back. These kinds of bogus charges are part of framing community defense and activism as terrorism, and they want to intimidate and repress the immigrant rights movement by criminalizing protest.

This isn’t the first go-round with the feds retaliating against anti-ICE activists since the beginning of the year, with attempts to scare the immigrant rights movement into submission. It didn’t work before, and it wont work this time, either. This is a serious attack, and we are going to stand with these activists. We should be prepared to defend all those who are being targeted and persecuted, and to fight the charges.

Stop deportations!

Protesting ICE is not a crime!

#ImmigrantRights #FRSO #PoliticalRepression #ICE

Tampa, FL – On a hot and humid Saturday, June 13, a spirited crowd of about 20 people stood outside Tampa’s police headquarters in downtown to demand the release of immigrant detainees from inhumane conditions, an end to Tampa’s collaboration with ICE, and legalization for all.

The crowd was there to take part in the Legalization for All network’s weekend of action in solidarity with detainees in custody in prisons like Adelanto and Delaney Hall. The call to action saw affiliates across the country rally in front of and march to detention centers.

This rally, called by the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, was held outside Tampa police headquarters because of Tampa’s ongoing participation in the 287(g) program, which allows local police and other law enforcement to act as deputized ICE agents to carry out immigration arrests and enforcement. 

A speaker from local non-profit Magnified Voices raised the issue of human dignity being violated every day at these detention centers, as a hunger strike by detainees at Adelanto Detention Center in California has raged for weeks. Detainees report overcrowding, rotten food, dirty drinking water and inadequate clothing. Echoing reports from other detention centers across the country, detainees also report inadequate and slow medical care. 

Chants of, “From Duval to Delaney Hall, free our people, free them all!” sounded out throughout downtown as the rally proceeded.

Erain Boxtha, of the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee made the point, “Florida is number two in immigration detentions, and it is number one in local and state cooperation with ICE. Averaging about 100 daily arrests thanks to the help of local and state law enforcement cooperation.” He linked the profit motive of private detention center owners like CoreCivic and GEO Group to the increase in detentions and inhumane conditions, “And detention centers have created enormous wealth to private contractors aligned in exploiting the most vulnerable of us!” 

Activists heard directly from former GEO group executive George Zoley, in a recording from a shareholder meeting, bragging of a profit increase of 700 times since Trump came back to office,. The conclusion of the rally saw participants vow to keep fighting unjust detentions and Tampa’s 287(g) agreement.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TIRC

Sacramento, CA – Dozens of community members showed up to disrupt a city council budget hearing on June 9 in protest of the council’s failure to provide real protections for immigrants.

A coalition of grassroots organizations, nonprofits, and even a choir came out to leave comments during the city budget hearing, protesting the recently submitted “Community Action Plan” proposal that excludes key demands from months of community advocacy to provide real protections for immigrants.

Taylor Davis from the Sacramento Immigration Committee commented, “From where I am standing, the city increasing funds to the police, while cutting its oversight programs and other immigrant rights programs, is the city doing DHS's dirty work for free,” as the city council prepared to pass a new budget inflating the police budget while cutting social services.

Frances Lu from Decarcerate Sac, noted that city council “is denying the very people you acknowledged for your ‘Immigrant Appreciation Month’ photo op, the ability to understand what is happening in their city because of the cuts to civil services promoted in this budget.”

Folks attending the hearing felt strung along by city council members who want to appear in solidarity with the mass movement against Trump’s racist, anti-worker anti-immigrant policies. However, the coalition is not giving up on defending their community.

At the end of the comment period, the Peace and Justice choir, along with coalition members, began chanting and forced the council to take a recess. Throughout the hearing and in concert with folks in the courthouse, protesters outside conducted a noise demo in support of the interruption.

#SacramentoCA #CA #ImmigrantRights

Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of Saturday, June 13, scores of protesters gathered at the corner of Lake Street. and Bloomington Avenue in South Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with people held in immigrant detention centers and against the persecution of anti-ICE protesters. Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the bannering action was held as part of a national weekend of action in coordination with the Legalization for All network.

The rally emphasized local demands aimed at pushing Governor Tim Walz to issue an executive order to restrict all law enforcement agreements that follow state law 287(g).

Although Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a legal opinion restricting individual sheriff's offices from independently entering into agreements with ICE or other federal agencies to perform immigration arrests, seven counties in Minnesota – Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Freeborn and Jackson – have county commission-approved agreements to hand over detainees suspected of having immigration violations to ICE. But Minneapolis residents showed up to spread awareness of continued abuses under the guise of various federal operations and to demand that Governor Walz use executive powers to end all cooperation with the federal entities who want to kidnap and terrorize Minnesotans.

Chants of “¡No más deportaciones!” and “No one is illegal! All power to the people!” rang through the streets as cars honked in support as they drove by the busy intersection that was witness to the beginnings of increased federal immigration operations since June 3 of 2025, more than six months before the infamous Operation Metro Surge officially began.

MIRAC member Mira Altobell-Resendez spoke to the crowd, “ICE is still here kidnapping our family and neighbors early in the morning and late at night! Governor Walz could end this with a stroke of his pen!”

Alissa Washington from The Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Family Council Minnesota stated, “Too often, the same communities harmed by policing, incarceration, detention, surveillance and criminalization are excluded from the decisions being made about them.”

Arroyo Burns García-Torres of Hands Off Latin America Committee (HOLA) of Women Against Military Madness said, “We know people are dying in detention. We know they are deprived of medical care. We know they’re being punished without fair trials.”

Drake Myers, a rank-and-file member of Minnesota Federation of Educators, remarked, “Every educator has felt the terror of the attacks firsthand in their own families, neighborhoods and classrooms. During Operation Metro Surge students and staff were abducted, even on school grounds, schools were stalked relentlessly and sometimes even teargassed, with classrooms missing more students every day!”

The renewed outrage comes in solidarity with the hunger striking detainees in Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center, New Jersey, where over 70 protesters have also been arrested since May 31.Many media outlets widely praise Governor Mikie Sherill’s use of executive powers to rebuke ICE’s invasion of the Garden State, while grassroots organizers felt betrayed by the use of State Police to control protesters.

Given the threat of the possible reopening of Appleton Prison for ICE use in Minnesota; MIRAC demands that Governor Walz and all state and local representatives work to ban 287(g) agreements, ban immigration enforcement agencies in and around schools, hospitals and houses of worship, ban immigration enforcement agencies using state property, ban face coverings and require visible ID for all law enforcement officers, defend anti-ICE protesters against political repression, provide justice for victims of ICE terror, and implement a statewide eviction moratorium.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #L4A

Dallas, TX – On June 14, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas hosted a protest against increased ICE presence, particularly in Dallas due to the FIFA soccer World Cup 2026. The protest was attended by community members and several fans who had come to watch the group stage game between the Nederland’s and Japan.

Even before the games even began, the United States made it extremely difficult for fans to travel to the games, with long lines at the airport, and increased visa scrutiny resulting in fans, players, coaching staff and referees of several teams being detained at the airport or denied entry based on arbitrary reasons. Many questioned whether the U.S. would ever be suitable to host the games again.

The protest was in conjunction with Legalization for All Network's call to action against ICE detention centers. NAARPR Dallas members held a banner that read “Free the people, empty the ICE concentration camps.” Onlookers and pedestrians were supportive of the message.

Blake Van Wicklen, a member of Teamster Local 767 and Freedom Road Socialist stated, “ Those of us in the labor movement know that an injury to one is an injury to all. An attack on immigrant workers, the backbone of labor in this country is an attack on the entire working class.”

Several chants were heard such as, “ICE out of the World Cup”, “Killer ICE off our streets, ICE melts in the Texas heat” and “Legalization for who? Legalization for all”

The protest ended with a call to action for community members to attend the next ICE out of the World Cup protest on July 14, during the semi-final game at the Dallas Stadium.

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #NAARPRDFW #WorldCup #ICE

Austin, TX – Approximately 20 community members gathered in front of Travis County Jail on Saturday, June 13 in a show of solidarity with those resisting in Delaney Hall and Adelanto ICE processing facility. The rally was organized by La Frontera Unida (LFU), a member of the Legalization for All Network (L4A), as a part of L4A’s Weekend of Action Against Immigration Detention Centers.

LFU targeted the Travis County Jail because Travis County Commissioners and Sheriff Sally Hernandez continually hold people suspected to be in the U.S. “illegally” past their release date, in order to give ICE time to pick them up from jail.

La Frontera Unida president, Jesse Valdelamar, broke down the shameless submission of Travis County to Greg Abbott and Donald Trump: “When Sheriff Hernandez complies with the state in executing an immigration hold against community members, she is handing them over to a murderous system. Detained people are denied their basic human rights, medical care, adequate food, water. When people die because of these cruel conditions, no one is held accountable. Not the agents! Not the sheriffs! Not the commissioners!”

Valdelamar continued, “The people in Delaney Hall understand this reality. They are risking their own wellbeing because they know that collaboration with ICE is collaboration with death. These detainees have every right to resist their oppression, and it is our duty to assist them. For Sheriff Hernandez, the Travis County commissioner, this is our demand. This is not a request. Free our people! Free them all now!

In between speeches, the rallygoers chanted “Se ve se siente el pueblo está presente!” and “What do we want? ‘Legalization!’ When do we want it? ‘Now!’” Several people released from jail for unrelated reasons stopped to chat with organizers and a couple joined in on chants and took pictures with the signs and banners.

Mia Reballosa of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization pointed out, “La migra’s violence has one simple goal, fear and submission. Instead of listening to the people, of uplifting and supporting its people, the U.S. has decided to continue its longstanding tradition of beating its own people into submission with the goal of continued exploitation.”

LFU is continuing its campaign to end the Austin Police Department's collaboration with ICE, and will hold its first Barrio Walk on June 27.

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #LFU #L4A