News and Views from the People's Struggle
Los Angeles, CA – On July 25 in the City of Industry, 50 people protested outside the Industry Sheriff’s Station to demand justice for Joseph Perez and for his immediate release from jail.
Fight Back New Service is circulating the following statement from National Students for a Democratic Society.
On July 1st, Nadia Topete was given a subpoena to a grand jury that ordered her to speak on July 8th. Grand Jurys are kangaroo courts meant to bring down the hammer, evidenced by their 90% indictment rate. Law enforcement is not neutral when it comes to activists, like we’ve seen with Mahmoud Khalil and Alejandro Oreana. Law enforcement attacks activists to repress those fighting for a better world. We demand: Hands Off Nadia!
Santa Ana, CA – El miércoles por la tarde, 15 de julio, cerca de 70 manifestantes tomaron la esquina de las calles Bristol y 1st en Santa Ana con el grito de “¡Justicia para Lorenzo Salgado Araujo! ¡Justicia para Joan Sebastian Guerrero!” y “¡Manos fuera de Nadia!”. Esta protesta se llevó a cabo durante una semana de acción nacional convocada por la Red de Legalización para Todos para exigir justicia para Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastian Guerrero y la activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes Nadia Topete.
Santa Ana, CA – El 8 de julio, más de 50 chicanos se manifestaron afuera de la corte federal en apoyo a Nadia Topete, una activista chicana por los derechos de los inmigrantes de Centro CSO que estuvo dentro compareciendo ante un gran jurado. Solo días antes, el 1 de julio, agentes federales llegaron a la casa de Nadia con otra citación del gran jurado, amenazándola con que, si no se presentaba, podría ser declarada en desacato.
Los Angeles – On July 14, Centro CSO and the family of Jeremy Anthony Flores, along with allies, gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to honor Jeremy's life on his one year Angelversary. Flores, a 26-year-old Chicano, was shot and killed by officers from LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division on July 14, 2025.
The vigil for Flores began with setting out flowers, photos, candles and handmade posters It was followed by a small program of speakers from local organizations and other impacted families.
Los Angeles, CA- On Friday July 17, over 100 community members in Boyle Heights gathered at Mariachi Plaza for a vigil and press conference protesting the recent ICE killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero. This event was one of many held across the country as part of the Legalization for All national week of action.
Santa Ana, CA – On July 8, over 50 Chicanos rallied outside a federal courthouse in support of Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO who was inside with a grand jury. Just days before, on July 1, federal agents showed up to Nadia's home with another grand jury subpoena, threatening that, if she did not appear, she could be held in contempt.
Nadia Topete walked out the federal courthouse with her head up high and stated she had exercised her Fifth Amendment right. She was greeted by chants of “Hands off Nadia Topete,” “Chinga la migra” and “DOJ hands off Nadia!” that were loud enough to be heard inside the federal building.
Santa Ana, CA – On the morning of July 8, immigrant rights activist Nadia Topete went before a grand jury at the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse. Topete was inside for a short time before reappearing out of the courthouse to state that she exercised her Fifth Amendment right to stay silent.
The crowd of over 50 supporters from Los Angeles and Orange County cheered her on, chanting, “DOJ: Hands off Nadia!” and “What do we want? Hands off Nadia! When do we want it? Now!”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, alderwoman, 33rd Ward, Chicago City Council.
Last year, Donald Trump sent his ICE troops into immigrant and Latino communities across the country. I was physically assaulted by ICE in June when I advocated for my neighbors at an immigration facility.
Protesting ICE is not a crime. That’s my response to news that Nadia Topete of Centro CSO in Los Angeles has been subpoenaed to a federal grand jury for a second time.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Byron Sigcho-Lopez, the Chicago City Council member representing the 25th Ward.
The Trump administration is again intensifying the repression against immigrant, Latino and Chicano communities across the country. I add my voice to those speaking up to defend Nadia Topete in Los Angeles.
Nadia is an immigrant rights activist with the organization Centro Community Service Organization (CSO). Like many thousands of young people, she rose up to defend her community when ICE terrorized the LA barrios in 2025.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression strongly condemns the Department of Justice’s second round of the campaign of intimidation and repression against Nadia Topete, a proud Chicana immigrant rights activist and member of Centro CSO in Los Angeles. Nadia has been subpoenaed a second time to appear in front of a judge and federal grand jury on Wednesday July 8th, following an FBI visit to her home on May 20th.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.
On July 1, law enforcement came to the home of Chicana immigrants’ rights activist and Centro CSO member, Nadia Topete, to deliver a second subpoena ordering her to speak in front of a grand jury on July 8. Topete had been first subpoenaed to testify in June. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression condemns this second subpoena of Topete and will fight against any attempt to jail her.
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
Los Angeles, CA – On the morning of June 11, a Chicano man was shot and killed by the California Highway Patrol. The homicide occurred on a stretch of the 101 Freeway in Boyle Heights. The freeway closed for several hours. The person who was shot was later reported to be dead. Video of the shooting surfaced online showing a CHP cop with a gun drawn on a man.
Los Angeles, CA – On June 3, Centro CSO held a press conference at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights demanding that the state keep its hands off Nadia Topete. On May 20, Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO, was served a subpoena by the FBI demanding that she testifies in front of a grand jury. She did not appear at the grand jury proceedings, which were set for the same day.
Los Angeles – May 30 marked the two-year angelversary for Hugo Cachua, an Amazon driver who was shot six times and murdered on May 30, 2024, in Ontario, California, after a fender-bender with off-duty LAPD officer Victor Corral.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.
On May 20, Nadia Topete was visited by two FBI agents and served a subpoena demanding that she testify in front of a grand jury on June 3. Even now, it is not known why she is being subpoenaed; all we know is that she is an immigrants rights activist and an outspoken political Chicana organizer. She refused to go and testify, the penalty to which can be prison time without a known end date. Topete is a hero who stood with the people and the movement at a potentially huge cost to herself and her freedom. We in the Committee to Stop FBI Repression say, “Hands Off!” and we will fight any attempt to jail her, tooth and nail.
By Gabriel Quiroz Jr. and Verita Topete
Los Angeles, CA – On the morning of Wednesday, May 20, Nadia Topete, a Chicana organizer with Centro Community Service Organization (CSO), was served with a subpoena to appear June 3 in front of a grand jury.
Los Ángeles, CA – En la mañana de abril 20, el movimiento contra los crímenes policiales en Los Ángeles ganó una gran victoria ya que un juez dictó que el caso civil de Joseph Perez contra la Ciudad de Los Ángeles iba a proceder. Docenas – principalmente chicanos, afroamericanos, e incluso coreanos que han sufrido violencia policial y están en las calles luchando en contra – llenaron el Juzgado Stanley Mosk para exigir justicia por Joseph Perez.
Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, May 1, 500 Chicano community members and activists gathered at Mariachi Plaza to rally and march for the 11th annual May Day protest in Boyle Heights. More than 50 different community organizations, unions and local businesses helped put on the event, and were joined by students who walked out of Roosevelt, Garfield and Ed Roybal high schools.