Aurora, CO – On Saturday, May 24, the community came together at the GEO Detention Center to stand in solidarity with immigrants everywhere. Shouting chants like “Free Hector, free Jeanette, free them all,” the message was clear – the Aurora community stands united with all immigrants and demands an end to family separation.

The gathering was hosted by Aurora Unidos CSO, whose responded to the call for a National Week of Action organized by the Legalization for All Network.

Since Trump took office, he and his administration have escalated the attacks on Chicanos, Mexicano’s, Central Americanos and Haitian immigrants. From canceling student visas, to ending long standing programs like Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the Trump administration is looking to expand the pool of Black and brown people eligible for deportation while welcoming white “refugees” from South Africa.

Ryan Stitzel, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, assessed what is happening in Aurora, “These historic upsurges in violent repression can be terrifying. Of course, that's the point: to terrorize. In fact, this isn't the first time the U.S. government has betrayed the promises it made to incoming immigrants. This isn't the first time immigrant communities have been terrorized by mass deportations, and, like every time before, this ’campaign‘ has nothing to do with immigration law and everything to do with the terror being created in the process.”

The community has seen the effects of these policies; people are afraid to go to work, afraid to send their children to school, and afraid to receive medical care.

While Colorado is not immune to attacks, it does have some of the most extensive protections in place for the immigrant community. Colorado’s legislature recently passed Senate Bill 276, which closes data privacy loopholes and ensures warrants are required for ICE presence in certain spaces, such as schools, clinics and libraries, taking away some of the teeth of federal attacks. While we can expect to see blatant disregard for these laws, the Colorado community demands transparency and accountability, and will continue to show up for immigrants like Hector Borjas Santos.

On April 23, Santos was riding his bike near his family’s home when ICE illegally arrested him, and he’s been detained at the GEO Detention Center in Aurora ever since. At the event outside the center, Santos’ wife Ari shared that “he attempted to pull out his phone to record, but police began to draw their weapons and told him that he wasn’t allowed to record them.”

Alfredo Carbajal with Aurora Unidos CSO reiterated the community’s commitment to standing with immigrants, saying, ”Hector has never committed a crime and this exposes the truth of what this government actually wants – to keep the people under control through fear and violence, to wear us down until we feel hopeless and apathetic. But we will not give up, we will keep fighting. Hasta la victoria!”

Upon completion of the protest, attendees were welcomed to join organizers in distributing Know Your Rights information in the nearby neighborhood to help keep others safer.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRightsMovement #AUCSO #FRSO #L4A

“This racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and Islamophobic administration has followed through on its campaign promises and begun to terrorize the hard-working immigrant community,” said LUPE organizer Edward Cott, “We are mobilizing as many people as we can to tell Trump and his supporters that we will not allow Trump and ICE to raid homes, businesses and destroy families.”

LUPE is calling the community to the federal building on Congress Street at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16.

“We saw the attack on ‘low level’ criminals as code for ICE to snatch anyone, like we saw with a mother in Phoenix. We are organizing our community to resist these raids and make this country ungovernable!” said another LUPE organizer.

For more information about the protest and LUPE please contact lupetucson@gmail.com.

#TucsonAZ #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRightsMovement #Antiracism #DonaldTrump #LUPE

Thousands of protesters took to the streets here, at 8 p.m., Nov. 9, chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!” and “Women's rights are human rights,” and “He’s not our president!” Protesters climbed buildings at the Civic Center and waved Mexican flags.

Protesters marched onto the Hollywood freeway and shut it down for hours. 30 demonstrators were arrested by LAPD.

On Nov. 10 students from West LA to East LA walked out of schools to protest Trump. In ELA the San Bernardino freeway was blocked near Cal State University Los Angeles until the California Highway Patrol and LAPD cleared it. Over the next few days, protests are planned against newly-elected President Donald Trump.

Kat Sanchez is a Chicana organizer for Centro CSO

#LosAngelesCA #US #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRightsMovement #Elections #2016Elections #DumpTrump

Tampa, FL – Student groups from the Tampa Bay area and neighboring Polk County came together, Jan. 24, to demand answers from Congressman Dennis Ross and protest his anti-immigrant record.

Students from local immigrant rights groups confronted Congressmen Ross at his town hall meeting. The organizations involved included United We Dream-Tampa Bay; Tampa Dream Defenders; Tampa Students Working for Equal Rights; Polk State Students Working for Equal Rights; Tampa Bay Fair Food; and the Young American Dreamers.

About 30 Latino, Mexicano, Chicano and allied students stood at the entrance of the Temple Terrace city hall in east Hillsborough County with signs reading “Legalization for all,” “Stop tearing our families apart,” and even ones quoting Congressman Ross saying that immigration reform should “protect American citizens from invasion.” Each group united behind the demand “Legalization for all.”

Tampa Dream Defenders' Marisol Marquez said, “What we are demanding in Florida is legalization for all. And that includes three very specific pillars for real immigration reform because for far too long immigrants keep being deported and treated as slaves while in the U.S. The tearing apart of these beautiful families has to end now.” The three pillars she is referring to are full legalization for all undocumented immigrants, no second-class guest worker programs, and the demilitarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

While students held signs outside the town hall meeting, a smaller group of students went into the meeting itself to confront Ross. Jacky Cruz of United We Dream-Tampa Bay asked Ross, “Do you support a humane immigration reform?” to which he agreed in front of cameras. Later, after the cameras were off and Cruz asked him again and Ross responded with a firm “No.” Others asked the Congressman questions about his racist anti-immigrant agenda. Ross repeatedly avoided the questions and even interrupted one of the activists as she was attempting to ask her question.

Towards the end of the meeting students positioned themselves at both visible entrances to the town hall meeting. Dennis Ross, however, was snuck out through a third exit, accompanied by Temple Terrace Police. He escaped down the street while activists chanted and yelled, demanding answers and justice.

As one student representing Tampa Bay SDS, Tefa Galvis, put it, “What makes you superior to us, Dennis Ross? You are as well a product of immigration from the 17th century. So if we all must go home, you must go back to Scotland, the country of your ancestors, too!”

The fact remains that what both the Democratic and Republican parties call Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) simply does not match up with what is needed for the people of the community. They support guest worker programs which will forever enslave immigrants, temporary legal status for English speakers, pushing people to join the military, fingerprint and immigrant databases, and even provisions to add more firepower and army presence to the border. Despite a daily average of 1100 deportations, there is yet to be any mention of legalization for the country’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The time is now; we must all demand legalization for all.

#TampaFL #guestWorker #Racism #ImmigrantRightsMovement #CongressmanDennisRoss

Chicago, IL – About 3000 people marched here, May 1, to celebrate International Workers Day. The biggest contingents were from Occupy Chicago and the immigrant rights movement.

Andy Thayer and Joe Iosbaker of the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda both spoke during the rallies. Iosbaker said, “This is a great day, and another great day is coming on May 20, when we march on the war makers and tell them, ‘Get out of Afghanistan! Money for jobs, not for war!’”

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #internationalWorkersDay #OccupyChicago #ImmigrantRightsMovement