Chavez-DeRemer had served as a congresswoman from Oregon previously, and, while she is a Republican, she was supported in her congressional campaigns by some unions, including the Oregon Fire Fighters Council, Ironworkers Local 29, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and the American Federation of Government Employees. When she was tapped by Trump to take over as labor secretary, the move was lauded by International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who had recently spoken at the Republican National Convention.

The Department of Labor has a budget of roughly $14 billion a year and over 15,000 employees, and enforces and interprets federal laws that oversee more than 165 million workers in the U.S. While Chavez-DeRemer was a Republican, a member of Trump’s administration, and by no means a champion of the working class, her appointment was seen by many across the labor movement as not as bad an appointment as might have been expected.

DeRemer served from March 10, 2025 until her resignation, amid a host of scandals including an alleged inappropriate relationship with an employee, drinking on the job, as well as improper use of taxpayer money. None of these allegations have been proven; however, DeRemer chose to step down from her role, saying that she preferred to spend “more time with family.”

To replace DeRemer Trump announced that he was tapping Keith Sonderling as Acting Secretary of Labor. Sonderling is viewed as a Washington insider with significant connections to big business interests and in Republican circles of influence that include connections to business and politicians in his home state of Florida, where attacks on unions and the working class have been ramping up under Trump.

Many business leaders and right-wingers were surprised when Chavez- DeRemer was appointed in 2025, expecting a more vicious right-wing, pro-business, anti-worker secretary. This led to those business and right-wing leaders lobbying Trump to appoint Sonderling as the number two person in the Department of Labor under DeRemer. Sonderling was believed to have played a significant role in Elon Musk’s DOGE early in Trumps second presidency.

While it is yet to be seen what will come of Sonderling’s appointment, it signals a move towards an even less worker-friendly Department of Labor and a shift further to the right in the secretary’s office.

#Labor #Trump #LoriChavezDeRemer #KeithSonderling #DepartmentofLabor

Chicago, IL -Chicago is preparing for May Day, which is again a national day of protest against Trump’s racist agenda. A broad coalition of immigrant rights, Black liberation, workers, youth and student organizations are preparing to rally and march on May 1, International Workers Day.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is going all out to build for May Day. One part of FRSO’s contribution is our annual Working Class Awards Dinner. Again, this year, it was held in the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union on Saturday, April 18.

The purpose of the event is to recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the struggle of workers and the oppressed over the past year, celebrate some victories, and recognize the people who made them possible. It is also FRSO Chicago’s main annual fundraiser.

The event was very successful, with almost 300 people in the hall and over $20,000 raised.

A year of resistance to ICE: Four awards presented

Chicago was one of the first targets of ICE occupation, beginning in September 2025. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol officers terrorized immigrant communities, arresting 3000. They even staged a raid with 300 agents at 3 a.m. in the Black community of South Shore, with agents rappelling from helicopters onto an apartment building where Venezuelan refugees lived.

The Rapid Response teams, Migra Watch, and emergency response protests began before Trump surged agents here.

The awards dinner recognized four activists for contributions to resistance to Trump and ICE. Kathryn Zamarrón is an elementary school music teacher at the Walt Disney Magnet School, and a rank-and-file leader in the Chicago Teachers Union. She serves on the CTU Latinx Caucus and Elementary Education Committee. Zamarron played a crucial role in organizing sanctuary teams to protect students not only in her own school, but across the city. She was presented with an award named for Karen Lewis, the legendary president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Corina Pedraza, a worker at the Chicago public library, played a leading role in helping the community provide services to the tens of thousands of migrant laborers bused here by the governor of Texas starting in 2022. She was also recognized for her leading role as an organizer of both Southwest and Southeast Side rapid response teams in 2025. Her award was in the name of Silverio Villegas González, murdered by ICE in a Chicago suburb at the outset of the ICE/CBP occupation.

Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain received the Angela Davis Award for organizing faith leaders in opposition to ICE. As executive director of Live Free Illinois, when ICE threatened Chicago, she organized a multifaith, multiracial coalition including Black ministers and churches on Chicago’s South and West Sides. The network held a press conference, a protest in the pulpits, and rallied with the immigrant rights movement to defend our communities.

Finally, the Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at UIC received an award named for Rigo Padilla Pérez. A member of the Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance at UIC, Rigo was a leader in the Dreamers movement, which compelled passage of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals legislation. He died of cancer three years ago.

MeSA was honored because in October, ICE agents arrested two women near campus. Students protested, and ICE released the women, but the UIC administration failed to respond. MeSA then led a mobilization of over 200 students to oppose ICE on campus and demand a sanctuary campus.

Award for Palestine solidarity

Gabriella Martinez is a Special Education Certified Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools and a rank-and-file leader in SEIU Local 73. She organized coworkers to file ethics complaints against Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs for the purchase of Israel Bonds. Frerichs even purchased more bonds during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. For her work, Martinez received the Assata Shakur award. Together with several members and retirees from SEIU Local 73, Gabi’s family joined her for the event.

Lifetime Achievement Awards: Pete Camarata Award to Jim Fennerty for movement legal defense

Jim Fennerty has been a fixture at protests in Chicago for decades, wearing the lime green cap of the National Lawyers Guild. Jim is a people’s lawyer who has consistently defended our movement from attacks by the ruling class. Jim and his wife, Janet have been politically active in the movement for over 50 years. Jim represented Rasmea Odeh and the Anti-War 23, and he helped win a historic civil settlement representing 800 protesters arrested at the start of the Iraq War.

Fennerty’s award was named after the late Pete Camarata. Pete was a founder of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). In his fight against the criminals that took control of the union, Pete was one of the first to combine rank and file power with legal action.

Fennerty was introduced by family friend Hatem Abudayyeh of the Arab American Action Network and US Palestinian Community Network. Many tables were filled with Jim and Janet’s friends and family, including son Nate, daughter Dina, her husband Daniel Contreras, and grandson Quinn Contreras.

In addition, the family of Pete Camarata was there with the Fennertys, including his wife, Robin Potter, stepson Jackson and his wife, Joan; stepdaughter Aimee, and granddaughter Phoebe.

William L. Patterson Award to Frank Chapman

The night’s biggest moment was the lifetime achievement award for Frank Chapman. It came with recorded greetings from CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter.

The William L. Patterson Award was introduced by Anthony Quesada, 35th Ward alderman:

“Through his leadership with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank has helped lead campaigns that have shaped Chicago. He has been central to the fight for justice for the wrongfully convicted and for community control of the police. His work helped push forward the movement that won elected police district councils, giving people a real voice in public safety. And today, Frank continues to advance this struggle through our fight for the Community Power Over Policing referendum.

“He has also mentored generations of organizers, many of whom are in the room tonight. Across Chicago and beyond, people have learned from him how to stay grounded, how to build collective power, and how to keep going through every phase of struggle. His impact lives in the people he has shaped and the movements that continue to grow.”

There were other elected officials present, including 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 35th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, and State Senator Graciela Guzman.

The award is named after William L. Patterson, the Communist Party USA attorney who led the International Labor Defense (ILD), and who organized the mass defense of the Scottsboro Boys in the 1930s. Later he headed up the Civil Rights Congress, and together with Paul Robeson took the We Charge Genocide petition to the United Nations. The formation of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression was based on the model of the ILD.

Chapman: “We’re part of a better world in birth”

Chapman is the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; field organizer and education director of the Chicago Alliance; and a Central Committee member of FRSO. In his remarks, he shared some perspective on the Trump regime and on change in this country from his vantage point having been born in 1942.

Referring to people who see Trumpism as an aberration when they say, “That’s not us,” meaning not what the U.S. stands for, Chapman responded, “The hell it ain’t. What they’re doing to the immigrants happened to me and my people…6200 children have been held in detention since Trump came in,” adding, “And shooting people on the streets execution style.”

“But we’ve seen this: we saw Laquan McDonald shot 16 times. And a few days ago, the state police shot a man 15 times, not far from my house,” and “Quit telling me this is something you haven’t seen before.”

“We’re demanding an end to Trumpism, but we’re going further than that. We’re part of a better world in birth!” Going on with the lyrics of The International, Chapman said, “Arise you prisoners of starvation. Arise you wretched of the earth. For justice thunders condemnation. A better world’s in birth.”

“Are you ready to get this done? Are you ready for the revolution?” he asked, to thunderous applause.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #FRSO #NAARPR #FrankChapman #Trump #PeoplesStruggles

Oakland, CA – Más de 20,000 personas llenaron las calles de Oakland el sábado 28 de marzo en la tercera manifestación “No Kings” para protestar contra la agenda de Trump.

La manifestación comenzó al mediodía en la Plaza Oscar Grant, en el centro de Oakland, donde los asistentes escucharon a oradores de organizaciones laborales, religiosas, de justicia ambiental y de derechos de los inmigrantes. A la 1 p.m., la multitud marchó hacia el lago Merritt para escuchar más discursos enfocados en generar impulso para las próximas acciones del Primero de Mayo en el Área de la Bahía.

Organizadores trabajaron durante semanas para movilizar para el evento. El capítulo de Oakland de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario (CSO Oakland), miembro de la Red Legalización para Todos, lideró múltiples talleres de arte junto con organizaciones aliadas de derechos de los inmigrantes como Mujeres Unidas y Activas y Pangea Legal Services, grupos también involucrados en las próximas acciones del Primero de Mayo en Oakland y en la campaña por Justicia para Guillermo. También participaron grupos revolucionarios como la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (OSCL).

El evento contó con más de 40 organizaciones y sindicatos, incluyendo Indivisible East Bay, East Bay DSA, SEIU 1021, el Alameda Labor Council, Bay Resistance, Berkeley Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine, CAIR-SFBA, Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, la Oakland Education Association, Sunrise Movement Bay Area, y Tsuru for Solidarity.

“Hoy el pueblo de Oakland hizo oír su voz: la creciente atrocidad del gobierno de Trump debe terminar”, dijo Noah Teller de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad. “Estamos construyendo una alianza estratégica para proteger a las personas oprimidas y desarrollar el poder de la clase trabajadora. ¡Exigimos legalización para todos y ninguna guerra en nuestro nombre!”

La protesta reflejó la creciente frustración entre los residentes de clase trabajadora por las políticas del gobierno de Trump, incluyendo su persecución contra los inmigrantes, los ataques a los derechos LGBTQ, las órdenes ejecutivas que militarizan aún más a la policía, y las escaladas de Estados Unidos e Israel en el Medio Oriente, particularmente sus ataques contra Irán, todo mientras gente en todo el país enfrenta dificultades por el aumento en el costo de vida.

Organización contra Trump en Oakland sigue creciendo El año pasado, después de que la administración amenazara con enviar más de 100 agentes de ICE al Área de la Bahía de San Francisco, CSO Oakland, OSCL y el capítulo de Oakland de la Alianza Nacional en Contra de la Represión Política y Racista organizaron una protesta de emergencia desde Fruitvale hasta el puente de la Isla Coast Guard, donde ICE planeaba establecer su sede. Los organizadores también se han movilizado contra una propuesta de centro de detención de ICE en Dublín, California, y para detener la deportación del activista del Área de la Bahía, Guillermo Medina Reyes.

“Mientras más intenta Trump dañar a nuestras comunidades, más nuestras comunidades lucharán”, dijo Danny Celaya, de CSO Oakland. “Lo hemos visto desde los estudiantes que han salido de clases para protestar contra las deportaciones masivas, las almas valientes que han mantenido seguras a nuestras comunidades, como Alex Pretti y Renee Nicole Good, cuyas vidas les fueron arrebatadas por ICE, hasta los millones que han salido a las calles en todo el país desde ciudades como Los Ángeles, Chicago y Minneapolis hasta pueblos como Billings, Montana; Charleston, Carolina del Sur, y Decorah, Iowa. Todos ellos tienen una organización miembro de la Red Legalization for All. En resumen, la gente se está organizando, detendremos la agenda racista de Trump, y vamos a ganar.”

CSO Oakland también distribuyó volantes en la marcha para una colecta en apoyo a la familia de Guillermo Medina Reyes, mientras una coalición de organizaciones del Área de la Bahía, de la cual CSO Oakland forma parte, sigue luchando por su liberación de un centro de detención con fines de lucro en California City, propiedad de CoreCivic, uno de los más de 40 centros de detención privados que opera la empresa. Las donaciones se pueden hacer aquí.

Empresas privadas operan aproximadamente el 90% de los centros de detención de inmigrantes en todo el país.

#OaklandCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #DerechosDeLosInmigrantes #Trump #NoKings

Appleton, WI – On March 28, over 3000 people took to the streets in outrage at the Trump administration. The crowd gathered at Houdini Plaza, a central location downtown.

One speaker from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tanner Ziebell, stated “This is an empire in decline, and we will continue to see crimes like these happen on an increasingly severe scale until it is brought to the ground! We can confidently assume that attacks on the people of this world will continue. We can also hold our heads high, knowing that it's a fight we aren't scared to take up, knowing that's exactly what we're going to do, and that this country will be made ungovernable until we win!”

Daisy Sinclair from Hate Free Outagamie reminded the community that “Hate Free Outagamie is committed to the fight for trans rights, committed to fighting for a trans sanctuary in Outagamie to protect our rights. We are not ceding ground to Trump’s hatred and attacks on any group of people, and will fight to ensure it stays that way!”

Members of the community took to the streets, occupying both lanes of traffic for blocks. As they marched, deafening chants demanding no war, an end to deportations, and fighting back shook the city.

The event was organized by the Outagamie County Democratic Party, Hate Free Outagamie, Appleton Area NOW, Northeast Wisconsin Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Wisconsin Resist, and others.

The organizers expressed intention to work together in the future and continue to build a strong front against the Trump administration in the coming years.

#AppletonWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #ImmigrantRights

Salt Lake City, UT- On Saturday, March 28, tens of thousands of people gathered at Utah’s Capitol building for a No Kings protest. The protest comes in the wake of news that ICE is building a detention center in Utah, one of the largest in a series of centers which the Department of Homeland Security intends to build around the country.

Chants such as “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” were commonly heard.

Opposition to ICE wasn’t the only message communicated at the capitol building. Amid plummeting support for intervention in other countries, Iran was a hot topic as well.

Robert Birch, one of the organizers for Utah’s No King’s rally in SLC, questioned the necessity of war in his speech on the steps of the capitol, asking why billions were being spent on “unnecessary war” instead of the less fortunate.

The Utah Anti-War Committee marched with a banner at its front reading “Hands off Iran!” in bold capital letters and leading chants focusing on Western intervention in Venezuela, Iran and Palestine.

Though much of the anger among Saturday’s protesters is currently directed at the Trump administration, when Trump is gone, the conditions which fuel this rising anger will remain.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #NoKings #Trump #AntiWarMovement

Chicago, IL – The No Kings protests and demonstrations are both an organized response and a clear manifestation of a spontaneous uprising in resistance to Donald Trump’s agenda. Given the commentary and calls of the leaders and organizers of the demonstration, it’s clearly entrenched within the limited oppositional politics of the Democratic and Republican parties.

The Republican Party has gone so far to the right that it has actually deprived the Democrats of a lot of oxygen for carrying out their neoliberal programs. The Democratic Party’s neoliberal budget cuts leave us lean, but the Republican cuts are to the bone. This makes for an interesting kind of politics. You might say that the Democrats are for restoring the leadership of the Democratic Party to its neoliberal mission. It’s more about restoring the status quo of neoliberalism, and this shows up in how they are presently negotiating with the Republicans about ICE, government layoffs, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and so on. 

So where do we find the bottom line? If we look for the bottom line that the Democrats are drawing saying “Here’s where we stand. Here’s where we will fight, and we shall not be moved,” it’s hard to find that line. Just look at the fights around the budget. First they said ICE should be abolished. Then they said they had to be restricted. They had to show their badges, their warrants, and not wear masks. They went back and forth on that so much that we couldn’t keep track of what they are demanding, what’s the bottom line. Now that we’re in a period of trying to stop a government shutdown, they agreed to the Republican bottom line in the Senate. Now they’re being critical of the Democrats in the House for not going along with the Democrats in the Senate. 

And what’s wrong with this? They have been negotiated backwards to just the limited demand of giving ICE no more money, when ICE already has gotten hundreds of billions of dollars to function, and they don’t really need more money. So, it’s almost a meaningless demand. 

Both the liberal and the conservative parts of the Democratic Party unite and agree that the problem that people have with Trump is the price of eggs and the price of gasoline, and that he broke his promise to take prices down and instead prices have gone up. They have moved the economy to the front burner. This becomes their principal demand. 

But what about the Medicaid cuts? What about housing? What about the near-elimination of the National Labor Relations Board, where no government official is bound to respect trade union rights? What about the massive layoffs of all of the government workers, including air traffic controllers? And last but certainly not least, what about the white supremacy? What about the unchecked, blatant, gross racism that currently resides in the White House?

It becomes like a meteorite issue that flashes through the political firmament and then is no longer seen and no longer mentioned by the Democratic Party, even when their own leadership, like the Obamas, have been characterized as apes by the President. 

As harsh and mean-spirited as Trump’s racism is, it is not exceptional or unprecedented in the annals of American history. 

The masses of the people are way out ahead of the Democrats when it comes to opposing Trump’s agenda. We think this was demonstrated in Minneapolis, and we think it’s also been demonstrated at numerous Congressional hearings, but mainly in Minneapolis, where we heard an undisputable, unmistakeable protest against the ICE occupation and the police state tactics of Trump, coming from the masses of people. 

I’m not talking about the governor of Minnesota. He opposed it, yes. Nor am I talking about the mayor of Minneapolis. He opposed it, too. But they also did not draw the line when it came to aggressive, brutal and murderous actions of ICE on the ground. They let one face of ICE be replaced by another, switching out Bovino for Homan. 

So, the challenge to us is that in these momentous times, when you have political leaders clearly standing in contradiction and opposition to the popular demands and impulses of the masses, that we consciously intervene and make it clear that defeating Trumpism, or defeating the Trump agenda and all the social savagery that it unleashes on the people, means we must address the racism, xenophobia and gender-based oppression as vigorously and uncompromisingly while we also address the social misery caused by the rise in the cost of living. 

Our response to the neoliberal war cry coined by Bill Clinton decades ago, “It’s the economy, stupid,” is “It’s the politics, stupid.” 

Because of the extremism characteristic of this administration, we must not draw the conclusion that our demands are unreachable. We must take the fighting attitude that to get out of the situation that we’re in, our demands must be met. Our immediate demands to stop the Trump agenda must not be seen as a transitionary demand to tolerate the present moment until we get a better moment.

Trumpism is totally unacceptable now, and we must fight it to the finish.

#Opinion #Commentary #FrankChapman #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights

Jacksonville, FL – Around 6000 people marched at the No Kings rally, joining millions protesting across the country.

Protesters started at Friendship Fountain, took the streets and marched across the Main Street Bridge before stopping at the Duval Courthouse for a rally. They chanted, “We want justice you say how? Hands off Iran now,” “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” Other chants included ones denouncing Trump along with calling for a free Palestine and Black lives matter.

Organized by a coalition of groups including 50501 NE FL, Indivisible Jax, Beaches Activists Movement, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, 50501 Vets Jax Chapter, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and others, this rally drew a large number of protestors united in opposing the Trump agenda.

Organizers vowed to have more mobilizations like this in the near future.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #NoKings #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #Iran #ImmigrantRights

Chicago, IL – Now more than ever it’s important for our movement to talk about what the Trump administration is doing and what we need to do to stop it. Right now, he doesn’t have the entire ruling class behind him, but right now he has the MAGA people of the Republican Party, which operates like a racist cult. The difference being that they have state power, and this is the difference that makes a difference.

What we should be looking at is what they’re actually doing with that state power vis a vis Kristi Noem with the Department of Homeland Security and Pam Bondi with the Justice Department, and how both these agencies of government have gone rogue and show no intention, much less a desire, to abide by the Constitution, or to respect the balance of powers.

So, all we’ve had since the election is one act of defiance after another, and the most blatant one before engaging us in the war against Iran and the peoples of the Middle East, was clearly the refusal to obey the mandate from Congress to release the Epstein files.

Although it’s been a back and forth with the federal courts because the Supreme Court has time and time again taken the side of Donald Trump, there’s a trend that can’t be ignored where Trump has also been in defiance of federal district courts with regard to ICE and lately the Supreme Court itself on the question of the tariffs. The thing to be noted here is that the basic trend has been to vilify the courts and refuse to obey their rulings if they are against Trump’s policies.

What Trump has done through all these measures is to turn the federal government into the enemy of the people and actively engage in setting up a regime of racist and political repression.

This administration has been actively engaged in weakening the federal government in areas that have to do with workers’ rights. It’s active in weakening if not abolishing the Voting Rights Act with new ID requirements which have become a new poll tax. This regime has told people that the gains made by the LGBTQ community do not have to be respected. They’ve done several broadsides against women and the women’s movement, and one of the headline things is what they did in the Winter Olympics, so much so that the athletes who participated in those games, both men and women, have come out and denounced the administration, and refused to go along with it.

There are so many instances of blatant, open, racist expressions on the part of Trump and his administration. We can take what happened with Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl, or the instance where Trump portrayed the Obamas as apes. All of these incidents spell one thing: that already this administration is in open defiance of Congress, the Constitution, and the people of the United States who have been demonstrating en masse against them, manifested by what happened in Minneapolis.

As of this moment, they are illegally holding people, despite court orders, in detention centers. They are illegally going about the business of trying to set up concentration camps throughout the United States. What has put a hold on it is that these jurisdictions where they’re trying to set these up are saying “no, we don’t want that here.” Why would people be saying no? Because people know what it is. They know that these detention camps are really the prelude to concentration camps, a place where they can send those of us who are engaged in resistance as well as immigrants. If they get these detention camps set up all over the country, they’re not going to make a distinction.

Also, they have entered into hidden and open agreements with other countries. We know about the agreement they’ve entered into with El Salvador, but they’re not just talking about sending immigrants to El Salvador. They’re talking about sending American citizens to El Salvador, including people who are in prison on felony charges having absolutely nothing to do with immigration. Again, it is obvious that in fact, we have a regime of repression that is openly and flagrantly carrying out its illegal actions with the power of the state. They have taken over the government to make the government an instrument of their illegal actions.

All the major news networks talk about what they’re doing. The reporting on Fox News now and the reporting on MSNBC and CNN are not fundamentally different. What’s different is Fox News is openly supporting Trump and the other ones are being critical of him and taking advantage of the mass protests and whatnot to express that criticism. But also making him popular at the same time, giving him a lot of airtime.

Right now, he’s using his authority as president to make wars, and to do all of these things that he’s not supposed to be able to do, except through Congress, he is in fact doing them.

What the war on Iran and the peoples of the Middle East has revealed is more than the prerogatives of an imperial presidency. It has revealed that defending and perpetrating the crimes of U.S. imperialism remains a significant point of unity for the U.S. ruling class. Is there any doubt that the war that is presently being waged against Iran has the support of the U.S. ruling class, even though some of them raise issues of legality? At the same time, they praise Trump for having murdered the leaders of the Iranian people and ruthlessly prosecuting a war for regime change.

This brings us down to this here. There are no big differences in the understanding of what’s going on between the different networks, between the masses of the people and the politicians. Millions of people see where this is going.

A word about the Texas elections. The Texas elections are again a clear demonstration of the willingness of the Democratic Party to still pursue the bankrupt policy of reaching across the aisles in search of mythical unity with the Republican Party that will stop the movement that they’re engaged in to destroy every semblance of democracy in the United States.

So where is the real opposition? It’s the spontaneous uprising of the people in the streets and the growing organized engagement of the people on the part of Freedom Road and our allies.

We have to make up our minds going forward to really give a program to our slogan “make the country ungovernable.” Now is the time to do that because in these momentous times, our movement and our people are engaged in an existential struggle to bring about an end of the Trump administration, which is using every enforcement mechanism the government has to protect the rights of the people to destroy the rights of the people. And finally, choosing world war over peace.

This is not so much an analysis as a factual depiction. These are the facts. This is the reality created by the Trump administration that we must change.

#ChicagoIL #Opinion #Commentary #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #Elections #DemocraticRights #AntiWarMovement

The United States and Israel are waging a war on Iran. It is a war that is unjust and unprovoked. There have been widespread civilian casualties in Tehran and other cities, including reports of 85 schoolchildren dead in Minab.

This is a war that the U.S chose. Trump walked away from negotiations, then enlisted apartheid Israel, and now, bombs and missiles are raining down on schools and TV stations. Iran has every right to respond.

This year comes in a context. The decline of U.S. imperialism is accelerating. Trump is trying to preserve the dying U.S. empire, and control of the Middle East is a part of that project. Last year the U.S. and Israel waged a failed 12-day war that was meant to break Iran.

Now they are back again for another try. Along with his partner in crime Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump will face more defeat and failure – if not sooner, then later. Either way they will meet the fate of the paper tigers that have gone before them.

Iran is charting an independent course. It stands at the center of an axis of resistance that includes the progressive, patriotic forces of Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq. The free people of the Middle East won’t live under U.S. domination. They are determined to end the genocidal occupation of the Zionists. So, the defenders of empire will have their hands full.

Here in the U.S., progressives and revolutionaries need to go all out, uniting all who can be united to end the war on Iran. What the U.S. and Israel are doing to Iran is crime, and it needs to be judged accordingly.

Trump is now talking about regime change. The truth of the matter is that we do need a regime change – a regime change in Washington DC. As we oppose the war on Iran, and build a broad front against Trump, we can and will make the U.S. ungovernable.

#Iran #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Trump #International #Featured #FRSO #Statement

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, February 24, a group of organizers and activists from Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC) and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered in downtown DC within earshot of the U.S. Capitol building to protest Trump’s State of the Union address.

With a single mic in hand and the capitol framed in the background, the group denounced Trump’s racist policies including attacks on immigrants, workers, Black people, LGBTQ people, and countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had all of the roads within a few miles of the capitol blocked off, but the group was stationed right up to the barricades. They were met with droves of police, the press, supporters from the public, and one increasingly irate man who continuously screamed, “I love ICE!” His cries were deafened by the sound of the people chanting, “Chinga la migra!”

The program started right before and continued through Trump’s State of the Union address.

Merawi Gerima, a DC native, and organizer with DCAARPR, stated, “We are here tonight because Trump is in that rotunda tonight lying to the American people about all the things he’s doing. He’s claimed to be the bringer of peace to the world, he’s claimed to be bringing jobs to the United States, he’s claiming to be bringing peace to the streets of DC, and we know that’s a lie!”

Gerima continued, “It is our duty, and it is our right, to do everything in our power to make this country ungovernable. To make it impossible for them to continue to exploit us, and kill us, and brutalize us and everyone else around the planet. To [make it impossible] to crack open these countries for their profits. We have every right and every duty to stop that from happening, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right here in Washington, DC”

Christina Murdoch, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the Trump administration’s attacks against the LGBTQ community, explaining a backwards policy they are trying to institute with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Murdoch stated, “The new policy aims to strip the over 2200 trans people currently held in federal prisons of their access to medically necessary healthcare. They would be subjected to constant misgendering by staff and have all of their gender-affirming items such as binders, bras, and makeup confiscated. First off, fuck you Donald Trump. If you think for a moment that any of us are going to stand by and let you do this to anyone in our beloved trans community, you are wrong.”

#DC #WashingtonDC #FRSO #DCAARPR #Trump #Featured

The court singled out Trump’s use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, or IEEPA, to levy tariffs on almost all countries and particular tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico – allegedly for facilitating the importation of fentanyl into the United States. The legal basis for the ruling was that the IEEPA makes no mention of tariffs.

This is the first major case where SCOTUS has limited the power of the presidency under Trump.

Trump was not happy about the decision, saying, “I can do anything I want” and re-imposed a global 10% tariff on imports using the Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% in response to a “large and serious” balance of payments deficits. The United States has been running large and serious trade deficits for decades, mainly because U.S., European and Japanese corporations have offshored production meant for the U.S. market, for example Apple’s computers and smartphones.

However, this law only allows for tariffs for a period of 150 days, meaning that Trump would have to ask Congress to agree to an extension in July. This is very unlikely to happen with the midterm elections looming.

Trump is also likely to expand sectoral, or good specific tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 where imports are a “threat to national security.” He has already used this to put tariffs on aluminum, steel, copper, lumber and wood products. This act is commonly misused because the threat to national security is not defined.

For example, imported kitchen cabinets are being tariffed because the wood products industry is claimed to be important to national security. However, this act requires an investigation and finding by the Commerce Department which takes time and effort and cannot be done on a whim.

In a sign that the chaotic tariff rollout and retractions are not over, the day after Trump declared 10% global tariffs, he raised the rate to 15%, the maximum allowed by law. Still to come will be lawsuits by U.S. companies seeking to be reimbursed for the billions of dollars in the illegal tariffs that they paid. Finally, are the review of the USMCA (formerly NAFTA) coming up in July, where the United States is expected to try to tighten trade rules.

While the SCOTUS decision was a setback to Trump’s imperial presidency, it by no means a return to a more free trade approach.

Both Democrats and Republicans are likely to restrict trade, in particular with China, which is surpassing the United States in one industry after another. For example, Trump used the section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 in his first term to impose tariffs on imports from China on the basis of “unreasonable or discriminatory” trade practices by a country as found by the U.S. trade representative. These tariffs were maintained by the Biden administration and continue to this day.

Even a future Democratic administration is likely to keep major tariffs, especially since there are now industries benefiting from protection.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Tariffs #SCOTUS #Trump

For all his boasting about the “world’s greatest economy,” Trump’s first year in office pales behind 2024, in the last year of the Biden administration, when more than 750,000 jobs were created, more than 60,000 a month, four times the 2025 figure. What did boom in 2025 was the stock market, with the broad index of the S&P 500 up by almost 18% that year. But half of all stocks are owned by the top 1% of billionaires and mega millionaires, while the bottom 50% of the population who have to work for a living only own 1% of all stocks.

This update on the labor market actually brings the official jobs numbers more in line with other, more negative measures of how working people are doing. Consumer sentiment surveys have cratered, the University of Michigan index going from 71.7 in January to only 52.9 in December. This reading was lower than the low numbers during the past recessions going back to 1980, when working people were hit by the “double whammy” of high inflation (the Consumer Price Index or CPI rose more than 14% that year) and high unemployment (of almost 8%). The Consumer Sentiment Index bottomed out at 51.7 that year.

The economic struggle of working people could also be seen in the rising rate of borrowers falling behind on paying their loans. The delinquency rate on household loans rose to 4.8% in the last three months of 2024, the highest since 2017. This increase was driven by more and more home buyers falling behind on their mortgages and former college students falling behind on their student loan payments. Low income and younger borrowers were hit especially hard.

Another sign of consumers feeling economic stress is the latest report on retail sales in December 2025, which came in with no change. While this report is adjusted for seasonal factors, such as seasonal holiday shopping, it is not adjusted for inflation. So flat retail sales would mean fewer, but higher priced items are being sold.

Last but not least, the corporate-owned mainstream media focused on the January 2026 jobs numbers that came out in the same report. The report was better than expected, with 130,000 net new jobs, more than twice what economists expected, and the unemployment rate dropped a bit to 4.3%. However these monthly reports are revised three times, and the changes in the January numbers have been especially large. For example, the first report on January 2025 job creation that came out in February 2025 was 143,000 net new jobs created. But the final numbers just out show a loss of 48,000 jobs, or 183,000 fewer jobs than first reported. If a similar revision were to happen in February of 2027, it would wipe out all the new jobs in January 2026 and push the report to a net loss of about 50,000.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Jobs #Trump

Santa Ana, CA – On January 20, over 150 people packed into the street in front of the Santa Ana Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office to protest a year under Trump. The protest, organized by Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC), brought together organizers from all over Orange County. The energy in the crowd grew as they shouted chants of “ICE out of Santa Ana! ICE out of OC!” and “Trump! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!”

Rain Mendoza from CSO OC’s Immigration Committee kicked off the protest by exclaiming “One year of racist ICE raids. One year of expanding imperialist wars. One year of the big bullshit bill that hurt the working class. And one year of resistance here in Orange County and all over the country!” She added “We must build the movement, the united front against the Trump administration!”

Diana Terreros, another member of CSO OC’s Immigration Committee, stated, “In just one year, we have seen families ripped apart in the form of both deportations and killings. Shame! We have seen Chicanos fighting back against those deportations brutalized by both local and federal law enforcement and slapped with federal charges simply for protesting. Shame! We have seen Palestinians continue to be killed every day with the backing of U.S. resources. Shame! We have seen the bombing of Venezuela and a kidnapping of their president in an attempt to control their oil reserves. Shame!”

Terreros continued, “While all of these terrible things are being done by this administration, I also see the people rising up to say no more! The people demanding that our sell-out council members Mayor Amezcua, Phil Bacerra and David Penaloza stand with us and actually do something to protect our largely immigrant city. I also see Santaneros in the streets protesting, ICE watching, and educating people on their rights. I see people wanting to help in any way they can.”

Rachel Pozos from Alianza Translatinx talked about the important work her organization is doing, stating, “being on the front lines here in Santa Ana fighting for trans liberation and trans rights under this administration that is trying to kill trans people through legislation and other methods.”

Abraham Quintana from Freedom Road Socialist Organization declared ”while many cities like Minneapolis and Chicago are pushing back, we know we need a united national movement, we need a working-class revolution to put an end to capitalism, the system that puts profit before people!“

The crowd took to the streets, marching through downtown with chants of “Killer ICE! Off our streets!” and “SAPD, KKK, I-C-E they’re all the same!” echoing through the city. Protesters raised signs that reflected many of the issues heightened by the Trump administration such as demanding hands off of immigrants, calling for justice for Renee Good, and stopping the U.S.’s war on Venezuela. Pedestrians in the busy downtown area watched and cheered on the protesters as they marched by.

After arriving at Sasscer Park, Emma Gottfried from CSO OC’s Police Accountability Committee started by saying “Our system already protects killer cops so heavily and Trump’s executive orders promises legal help to officers for their actions, emboldening cops to brutalize us and attack the people’s movements. We can’t let police be used to collaborate with ICE in our city, a sanctuary city!”

Gottfried added, “The people who live in our communities have a democratic right to decide on how the police run in our city. Under Trump, that right is more important than ever.”

A member of the Orange County Democratic Socialists of America, rallied the crowd by stating ”despite the best efforts of the billionaire ruling class, to crush the people's resistance, we choose to fight!” She encouraged people to get involved in organizations.

A speaker from the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) SoCal told the crowd, “ICE has been kidnapping migrants off the streets, from their homes, from their workplaces. ICE has violently killed Renee Good and many more. Dozens are dying in detention centers from neglect and inhumane conditions.” They emphasized that the ruling class blames those “who come here for a better life, to escape the crises that the system has created in the first place! They want us to feel scared, to be continued to be exploited but we know the solution to this crisis! It is up to us to organize and build collective power!”

This protest was endorsed by and included organizers from OC DSA, Guerrero FFPS, Alianza Translatinx, FRSO OC, ILPS SoCal, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice.

If you are interested in joining in these fights, follow CSO OC on Instagram at cso.oc, Facebook at Orange County CSO, or email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #CSOOC #Trump

San Jose, CA – On Saturday, January 17, San Jose Against War (SJAW) demonstrated against Trump’s second term and one year of Project 2025.

The group gathered at a busy intersection in the heart of Silicon Valley, leading chants and holding banners and signs as afternoon commuters looked on, many honking and waving as they passed by. Protesters carried signs reading, “Legalization for all!” “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands!” and “San Jose divest from genocide.”

After more protesters joined the group, they marched together across the intersection towards Santana Row, a popular mixed-use residential shopping center – one of the only of its kind in the U.S. As the protesters marched into the commercial center, their thunderous chants drew the curious attention of nearby patrons and workers, as well as many waves, smiles and nods of support as they continued on.

The march came to a halt in the heart of the outdoor mall as SJAW organizers introduced the first speaker of the day.

Drusie Kazanova, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “All working and oppressed people share a common enemy in Trump and the billionaire class. From Palestine, to Venezuela, to Los Angeles, to Minneapolis, to San Jose, we are fighting for our liberation from the very same oppressors.”

Ethan Phan of SJAW gave a speech at the protest after attending an event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.‘s 97th birthday. He quoted a speech from 1967, by which time Dr. King had come to “see the [Vietnam] war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.”

Phan continued, saying, “It is clear that if Dr. King were around today he would agree that sending asinine amounts of military aid to bomb and starve civilians and children in occupied Palestine is unacceptable! I am certain Dr. King would also vehemently denounce and decry the current U.S. military escalations happening with Venezuela, Iran and with ICE right here in our backyard.”

After speeches, protest organizers led the crowd back to the corner they started from and thanked everyone for coming out, and called on people to show up for an upcoming protest against proposed ICE operations during the Super Bowl, which is being hosted in San Jose, on February 8.

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #AntiWarMovement #SJAW #FRSO

Tampa, FL – On January 20, hundreds of people gathered at Tampa City Hall to protest on the one-year anniversary of Trump's second term. The event was organized by the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee as part of a national day of action called by Legalization for All and 50501 National.

Protesters held signs that read “Stop ICE murders”, “Fight Trump's agenda”, and “Stop ICE terror.” The crowd chanted, “No boots on the ground, no ICE in our streets, end 287(g),” “Money for education, not for war and deportation” and “No Trump! No KKK! No racist USA.” The event received enthusiastic support from passing drivers.

The event had speakers from a variety of local struggles including the immigrants rights and anti-war movement.

In his first year, Trump spent billions everyday while making numerous cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

Allie Enriquez from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society said, “Trump and his lackeys scramble to start war with other countries to continue lining their own pockets with war money.”

Speakers emphasized the need to organize locally against the Trump agenda, especially around ICE and the need to end Tampa's 287(g) agreement.

“We, here in Tampa, have a mayor and a police chief who have signed on to work with ICE through what’s known as a 287g agreement. That enables police to act as immigration agents, get trained, and paid, to work shoulder to shoulder with ICE in helping them abduct people,” said Joseph Nohava from TampaIRC. “We have taken up a campaign to get that agreement revoked, and this isn’t a theoretical problem, it’s a pressing issue because TPD has already taken $430 thousand to start training its cops to be immigration agents.”

Emma Rice, from the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “With community control of the police, Tampa Police Department would never have been allowed to sign onto the 287(g) agreement.”

Speakers talked about the growing resistance and organizing against Trump's attacks, highlighting the national response to the murder of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross and the immediate community response from Minneapolis.

“The resistance from last month alone has shown that people are not willing to take Trump's attacks lying down,” said Lauren Piniero from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “Everywhere the forces of oppression go, they are met with bravery and defiance.”

TampaIRC ended the event with a call-to-action by passing out flyers directing people to call and email Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, and Tampa city council to demand an ordinance to end Tampa's 287(g) agreement.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #Trump #TIRC

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, January 20, more than 150 protesters gathered in the frigid cold to mark one year of the second Trump presidency and one year of people’s resistance against his racist, reactionary agenda attacking immigrant, student, worker and reproductive rights.

The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) organized the rally and car caravan, concluding their final event for their No War with Venezuela Month of Action. Before the rally, attendees decorated their cars with large car toppers and placed signs in their windows reading “Free Palestine,” “Trump, tiny hands off Gaza” and “Free President Maduro! No War on Venezuela.” Community members were also there with handwarmers and snacks.

The event began with a rally at Washington Park, where speakers talked about the various ways of organizing Trump’s attacks and the importance of standing united with one another.

Casey Serrano from Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) said, “Just like the people of Venezuela aren’t afraid of masked special forces, we are not afraid of masked ICE thugs! We will continue to build unity and get organized so that all of us in Milwaukee are ready for if and when ICE comes here. We won’t back down, because when we fight, we win!”

Eva Dickenson, of MAC stated, “In the last few weeks, the U.S. threats on Iran have intensified significantly as well. The U.S. and Israel see an ‘in’ in Iran, not to follow the needs of the people, but, similarly to Venezuela, to replace a government that has never bowed to the U.S.’s will with one that will get right in line.”

Dickenson continued, “The Trump administration and its lackeys, whether the U.S. military, or ICE, or the National Guard, should not be able to go in and take over, in opposition to the will of the people.”

After the speeches, attendees returned to their cars to begin the caravan. The car caravan, acting as a funeral procession, forced traffic to a halt with more than 150 cars participating. The caravan passed by the Milwaukee Public School Central Office, where Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), the youth arm of immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, was holding a rally about protecting students with a policy that limits the power that School Resource Officers (police officers) have. Students cheered on the caravan as cars honked in support of their rally.

Throughout the route, attendees received supportive honks and thumbs up as stopped cars observed the caravan, with some cars even joining mid-caravan.

After the car caravan made its presence known in the Washington Heights neighborhood, attendees briefly gathered back at Washington Park. Attendees were reminded that we must continue to unite in action against the Trump administration, against ICE attacks, against the genocide in Palestine, against the attacks on Venezuela, and against political repression that protesters in the U.S. face.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #ImmigrantRights #Trump #PeoplesStruggles

Trump está respondiendo a la ola de luchas contra las deportaciones masivas en Minnesota amenazando con invocar la Ley de Insurrección. Si lo hace, será un caso de levantar una piedra solo para dejarla caer sobre sus propios pies.

En diciembre, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional anunció que las Ciudades Gemelas serían el foco de la “Operación Metro Surge,” junto con la declaración de que sería la mayor acción anti-immigrante en la historia de EE.UU.

La respuesta fue protestas masivas y confrontaciones con agentes de ICE sobre el terreno. El 7 de enero, Renee Good fue asesinada por ICE y el resultado fue una tormenta de luchas, incluyendo una marcha de 100,000 personas en Minneapolis y protestas en todo EE.UU.

Luego, el 14 de enero, ICE le disparó a un hombre venezolano en el norte de Minneapolis. Los manifestantes se juntaron en el lugar. ICE huyó, dejando atrás algunos de sus vehículos, que después fueron destruidos.

Así que Trump está amenazando con la Ley de Insurrección para asustar a la gente. No va a funcionar. Cuando Trump envió tropas a Los Ángeles este verano pasado, fue como echar gasolina a un fuego. La lucha contra las deportaciones masivas no se detuvo, sino que se intensificó. Pasó lo mismo en Chicago y Washington, D.C.: Trump amenaza o despliega a tropas, y el pueblo llena las calles. Lo mismo va a pasar si Trump usa la Ley de Insurrección.

Hay gente que dice que la resistencia masiva y militante contra las deportaciones es una provocación que permite a Trump tener más espacio político para emplear la represión. Esto es precisamente falso. La lucha militante es cómo derrotar a ICE y cómo vamos a derrotar toda la agenda de Trump.

No es exageración decir que millones de personas han tomado las calles desde que Trump asumió el cargo. Podemos estar seguros de que millones más se van a unir a nosotros. ¡Vamos a unir a las mayorías y derrotar a los pocos!

¡Alto a las deportaciones masivas!

¡Alto a ICE!

¡Exigimos la legalización para todos!

#ImmigrantRights #FRSO #Statement #DerechosDeLosInmigrantes #OSCL #Declaracion #ICE #Trump #ReneeGood

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, December 15, around 50 students and staff from progressive organizations and unions at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) rallied outside of the quarterly University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting to demand that the board fund diversity measures.

Since Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, the University of Illinois System has continually capitulated to the racist, reactionary Trump agenda. From suspending gender-affirming care for minors at UI Health, proposing cuts to the School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics, cutting the budget of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change, refusing to pay undergraduate and graduate workers a decent wage, and allowing ICE to come on campus and terrorize the UIC community, the UI System Administration and Board of Trustees continue to let down students and staff at UIC.

Tired of the lack of accountability and transparency from the UIC administration, organizations and unions including New Students for a Democratic Society (New SDS) at UIC, Graduate Employee Organization (GEO), Housing Staff United (HSU) or OPEIU Local 39, Illinois Nurses Association-University of Illinois Health (INA UIH), UIC United Faculty (UIC UF), Service Employees International Union Local 73 (SEIU 73), Anakbayan at UIC, Socialist Alternative, Sanctuary for All, Radical Public Health, Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA), and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) came together to demand that the UI Board of Trustees stop leaving students and workers out in the cold.

Susie Summerlot from HSU/OPEIU Local 39, addressed the hypocrisy of the UIC mission statement saying, “You claim to commit to vitality. Vitality means strength and energy, and your students cannot exercise their potential when you do nothing to divest from genocides that affect their families or when you do nothing to prevent federal agents from coming on campus and spreading fear.”

Jeff Gore, vice president for the Common Good of UIC UF, spoke on unity and the importance of diversity on campus, “For them, diversity is words; for us, real diversity is central to the campus mission. But we’re fighting back, and we’re fighting together... They govern in the shadows; we work together in the light of day.”

“We have been told UIC is working on it, that UIC cares, that UIC will fund our cultural centers, but it is all talk! And in 2026? We’re done with empty promises and patronization,” declared Jax George, a member of New SDS at UIC, on the lack of action and transparency from the UIC administration.

Inside of the meeting, Ileanne Cecilio, a member of Student Worker Alliance, an organization composed of current and former undergraduate workers at UIC’s Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change and MeSA, gave public comment addressing funding for the Diversity Community Engagement Program (DCEP) in the CCUSC and ICE presence on campus,

Cecilio stated, “We need the administration to take up the task of showing up for all of their students, showing they care and to advocate and share resources available to them. We demand that you fund our essential cultural centers! That you fund and bring back DCEP! We want transparency from the administration with ICE on campus as well as clear, concise and accessible protocols developed in collaboration with the organizations on campus already doing the work to protect the community.”

Protesters chanted, “we want justice you say how? ICE off our campus now!”

At the end of the rally, organizers called for continued collaboration amongst organizations and urged those attending the rally who were not involved with any organizations to get involved and continue to mobilize.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #Trump

Denver, CO — On January 17, nearly a year after Trump’s inauguration, the Denver Coalition Against Trump (DENCAT), alongside other organizations, led a rally and march from the Colorado Capitol to the Denver Immigration Court.

The main slogans for the action were “One year is enough!” and “No ICE. No war. No Trump!”

Over 500 community members rallied together to protest the Trump administration’s warmongering abroad and attacks on immigrants locally. People loudly chanted from the capitol to the immigration court and back, “¡La migra! ¡La policia! ¡La misma porqueria!” and “The people united will never be defeated!”

During his first year of his second term in office, Trump sent ICE to terrorize communities and detain immigrants en masse, illegally sent the National Guard into progressive states, and repealed oil drilling protections for National Parks and federally protected lands.

He also carried out acts of war in Venezuela, kidnapped President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Flores, and threatened war on Mexico, Greenland, Denmark, and much of Latin America.

Yoselin Corrales of Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on Venezuela and its people’s resolve in the face of threats from the U.S., stating, “For over 25 years, U.S. imperialism has been waging a relentless campaign of sanctions and sabotage, slanderous lies in the media, and now open acts of war against Venezuela and their leader Nicolás Maduro. So far, every tactic has failed because the Bolivarian Revolution is rooted in the will of the Venezuelan people, and the people refuse to back down!”

The vast majority of Americans reject Trump and his actions against sovereign countries and people in the U.S. Trump’s approval rating at this time has fallen to 40%.

“It’s worth noting that despite Trump’s atrocious track record during his first go-around, the American public chose him again because he made promises that resonate with the struggles of your next door neighbor,” said Ben Tan, a member of Denver Students for a Democratic Society. “Donald Trump lied and told us that mass deportations and kidnappings would secure our economy, and people believed him because we still need two jobs to keep the lights on!”

Wide swaths of people across the country have shown up to rally and march against Trump and his blatant attacks on human rights both in and outside the U.S., and Denver has made it clear that one year of Trump is more than enough.

#DenverCO #CO #PeoplesStruggles #Trump

Trump is responding to Minnesota’s wave of struggle against mass deportations by threating to invoke the Insurrection Act. If he does so, it will be a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one’s own feet.

In December the Department of Homeland Security announced the Twin Cities would be the focus of “Operation Metro Surge,” accompanied by the claim it would be the largest anti-immigrant action in U.S. history.

The response was mass protests and confrontations with ICE agents on the ground. On January 7 Renee Good was murdered by ICE and the result was a storm of struggle, including a 100,000-person march in Minneapolis and demonstrations all over the U.S.

Then on January 14, ICE shot a man from Venezuela in North Minneapolis. Protesters converged on the scene. ICE fled, leaving behind some of their vehicles, which were then destroyed.

So, Trump is threatening the Insurrection Act to scare people. That won’t work. When Trump sent troops to LA this past summer it was like pouring gasoline on a fire. The fight against mass deportations did not stop – it intensified. Same thing in Chicago and Washington DC: Trump threatens or deploys troops, and people still fill the streets. The same thing will happen if Trump uses the Insurrection Act.

There are some people who say that mass, militant resistance to deportations is a provocation that allows additional political space for Trump to employ repression. This is exactly wrong. Militant struggle is how to defeat ICE and how we defeat the entirety of Trump’s agenda.

It is no exaggeration to say that millions of people have taken to the street since Trump took office. We can be certain that millions more will join us. We will unite the many and defeat the few!

Stop mass deportations!

Stop ICE!

We demand legalization for all!

#ImmigrantRights #FRSO #Statement #ICE #Trump #ReneeGood #Feature