Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All Network (L4A).

The Legalization for All Network (L4A) condemns Trump’s racist attacks against Haitian immigrants in Ohio who are being summoned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to wear ankle monitors until their deportation hearing or be deported immediately. We call on member organizations and allies of the immigrant community to rally in defense of Haitian immigrants.

On June 25, the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—provides protection from deportation, work authorization, and travel permission—for Haitian and Syrian immigrants following a far-right ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court (Mullin v. Doe) where 6 of the 9 judges voted to allow Trump to terminate this status for the two immigrant communities

Within a day, 300,000 Haitian and Syrian immigrants became undocumented and at risk for deportation.

We call on allies in the immigrants’ rights movement to stand in solidarity with Haitian and Syrian immigrants to hit the streets, no deportations and defend TPS against Trump's racist attacks.

Stop Trump’s mass deportation of Haitian immigrants!

Defend TPS!

No deportations!

Legalization for all now!

#ImmigrantRights #Haiti #TPS #ICE #L4A

The Trump administration has made the cruel choice to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. This puts nearly 350,000 people in the crosshairs of the mass deportation machine. Given ICE’s track record, we need to take them at their word and take this as a serious threat.

It’s a campaign of intimidation, and the administration is playing with people’s lives. The decision is pulling the rug out from under families who have been living in the US for years—they have children, livelihoods, and community ties—they’re not going anywhere, nor should they. In Ohio, families are already getting letters telling them to “deport yourself, or else” and being degraded and treated like criminals. The real criminals are in the White House. They want to use panic and harassment to drive people out of their homes.

The Trump administration also wants our movement to stay silent about it. We call on everyone who can see this is wrong to drag these attacks into the light. We need protests and we need to be in the streets. It’s time to stand up and say no to Trump’s deportation machine.

Stop the mass deportation of Haitians!

Legalization not deportation!

#ImmigrantRights #ICE #TPS #Haitians #OH

Los Angels, CA – On July 25, in downtown Los Angeles a coalition of over 50 organizations and faith leaders gathered for a funeral procession to honor the lives of those murdered by ICE. This action was organized under the slogan “Justice for All.”

The procession started at LA City Hall and marched through the streets carrying handmade cardboard coffins and pictures of those killed by ICE, including Keith Porter, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

No Camps CA and NELA for Democracy were the two main groups that organized this vigil demanding a full, independent investigation, the release and protection of those who witnessed the murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an end to local collaboration with ICE, and for immediate action by Congress.

Marylinda Moss from NELA for Democracy told the crowd, “It was powerful and moving to have more than 50 grassroots groups here in LA and all across the country come together in unity in just over a week, for [the] ‘Justice for All Day of Action and Accountability’ to stand in solidarity against the brutality and the senseless killings enacted by this government. Thanks to the many hands and hearts it took to make over 70 coffins in a week, paired with the ‘Killed by ICE’ placards; it was an undeniable visual of what is being done to our people.”

Los Jornaleros Del Norte, a band that is known for leading protests with cumbias and “Music that accompanies the struggle and celebrates the dignity of the immigrant and working-class community,” guided the procession from Los Angeles City Hall to Placita Olvera.

Brianna Mosqueda from Centro CSO said, “Being able to be a pallbearer was an honor. But it also made me think about the 73-plus families that have to carry their fathers, mothers, or children to rest. These families suffer because of modern day ethnic cleansing. We see the warnings and if we don’t do anything now, this will become a genocide.”

Michelle Arkin with No Concentration Camps CA said, “At the Justice for All vigil in downtown Los Angeles we gathered to mourn lives that should never have been lost: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Johan Sebastian Guerrero, and the more than 70 people who have died in ICE custody or murdered on our streets. Our grief is real, but it is not the end of the story. Standing and processing with 73 coffins in solidarity, we transformed mourning into a powerful reminder that no one stands alone. Unity is our greatest strength.”

Verita Topete, the co-chair of Centro CSO’s Immigration Committee, read a statement of accountability and ended with, “We can say ‘abolish ICE’ but what happens when ICE is abolished? Before ICE there was INS. The people in power will just start over and build another agency to oppress and kill us. This is why we need legalization for all 11-plus million undocumented immigrants.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Tacoma, WA – On Sunday, July 26, more than 30 community members rallied in the summer heat to demand the release of Felix Alvarez Ponce and all those detained at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC). The protest marks the fifth month that Felix Ponce Alvarez has been detained in the NWDC, and of his fighting his detention.

The rally began with the crowd chanting their demand to “Free Felix!” and “Free them all.” The chants became so loud that Ponce called and told his family that he could hear the crowd inside the detention center.

Lane Parish, an organizer with Pierce County Immigration Alliance, shared the words Alvarez asked to be shared with the crowd. “Inside this detention center, conditions are poor. Many people get sick often, who were healthy before. I have been sick four times since February. The guards are often cruel, intentionally humiliating the people here.”

Parish also shared on behalf of Alvarez the impact his detention had on his family and community, including missing his brother’s passing, family birthdays, holidays, weddings, graduation and several months of his daughter’s first year of life.

“If someone asked me if I believe ICE and GEO facilities should be shut down, my answer is yes, I say 10,000 times, yes,” stated Parish.

This action is only the most recent of a long history of community organization against the NWDC.

Joseph Ostheller, a member of FRSO’s Seattle district, chronicled the detention center's origins and its track record of inhumane treatment, stating, “This concentration camp – the Northwest Detention Center – broke ground in 2004 to serve a then-new agency in the U.S. Government: Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It has been right here in Tacoma through five presidential administrations, four mayors, and truly countless abductions.”

“GEO Group brought in $2.6 billion last year on imprisoning our neighbors – and profits of $254 million,” Ostheller continued. “These profits were scraped out of our community by charge-by-the-minute phone calls, inedible food, medical neglect, and even forcing detainees to work inside the facility for less than a dollar a day.”

The immigrant community in Tacoma, along with the other major cities in the U.S., has been hard at work in response to the recent surge of ICE activity that is a result of the DHS ordering an increase of daily detentions to 2000 arrests a day, a doubling of the previous quota ICE was carrying out.

Anyelia Brown, who spoke on behalf of the local Adopt a Corner group and the rapid response network, stated, “Several of our community members right here in Tacoma have been taken by ICE from the South Tacoma Home Depot while looking for work and trying to provide for their families. These are skilled laborers, longtime community members, and hard workers who are just trying to get by while navigating language barriers, wage theft, health issues and immigration terror.”

Organizers across the U.S. have been documenting similar patterns regarding the operations of ICE’s immigration terror. In contrast to the mass arrests prevalent during the start of Trump's deportation campaign, ICE has switched to tactics that bring less attention to the news, opting to detain civilians through traffic stops and the interception of individuals attending court, or in areas with sparse density to avoid being tracked. Felix is among these individuals who were unlawfully brought into detention while going through his immigration hearings.

Catelynn Henion, an organizer with the Pierce County Immigration Alliance, spoke against the fear tactics that ICE implements with their operations, “I know that our neighbors should not be locked inside a detention center. I know that our neighbors shouldn’t be gunned down in the street by ICE. I know that people deserve dignity and a life where they don’t live in fear that they will be locked up in a place where people are abused and not given adequate access to medical care. I know that the people locked up inside this detention center are workers, parents, friends, family. I know the loss of them in our community is felt deeply and widely.”

Catelynn Henion stated, “It is regular people, people like Felix, people like you, people like me, that will make a change. Not once has the city, the state, or the federal government given us anything because they felt like it! Everything we have won is because ordinary people fought for it!”

#TacomaWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Three days earlier, Corey Ruiz was fatally shot in Madison, Wisconsin. Nine days before that, Joan Sebastian Guerrero was brutally murdered by ICE in Maine, in front of his one-year-old daughter. And just the night before, word came through that the “drugs” DHS had used to smear Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had tested negative, too late to undo the damage of the accusation. This is the backdrop against which the riders gathered: a rolling body count that never seems to pause long enough for anyone to catch their breath.

The day's program opened a block from George Floyd Square.

Tiffany Dunlap, defendant number 17 of the Righteous 39, took the mic first, speaking of the repression being brought against activists, followed by Michelle Gross of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB). Then came Jeanelle Austin, the Square's lead caretaker, who tied together the history of police oppression in South Minneapolis. She said, “We have to keep organizing, we have to keep standing, we have to keep fighting for each other, for our neighbors. We have to keep shouting from the rooftops to make sure we organize more people to stand with us so we can end the state-sanctioned violence.”

From there, the ride carried the crowd to Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, an intersection that holds real weight in the history of Metro Surge, as the site of the first mass ICE action in Minneapolis under Donald Trump’s second administration. Isavela López described the ties between historical oppression of indigenous Americans and modern police repression of immigrant communities. She faced charges for nothing more than standing up for her neighbors during that raid.

López reminded the crowd, “It's more than me at this point. These are people that want to just help their neighbors; that have honest hearts; that want to learn more; that want to be advocates. I know at the end of the day there will be justice.” López's case is not an outlier. The same repression shows up in the cases of the Righteous 39 and the Minnesota 15, and in the century-long sentences being handed to activists in Texas.

A member of Asamblea de Derechos Civiles spoke after her about the atrocities families are facing every day.

The ride's next stop carried a different kind of weight, the memorial for Alex Pretti. Anusha Ramaswami of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) led a moment of silence here, honoring Pretti alongside the latest life lost in Madison.

Then there was a stop at the memorial for Renee Good. Here, Alissa Washington, the director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council, spoke of her childhood friend Terrence Franklin, murdered by police in May 2013. She also spoke of her cousin Stephen Washington, who died in prison because of officer negligence, days before he was set to walk free.

Washington spoke of her own ongoing fight – 20 years spent trying to win freedom for her wrongfully incarcerated fiancé, Cornelius “Corn” Jackson, locked away for a crime he never committed. On July 2, Washington’s 72-year-old uncle was detained by ICE. As the group gathered that Saturday, he was being processed for deportation. Washington is now raising his four children, and she asked the crowd for donations of school supplies for those kids, which people can arrange through the Instagram page for the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (@tcc4j).

Washington stated, “When I say these struggles are personal, I mean every word. I had mourned my childhood friend because of police violence here in Minneapolis. I have buried my cousin because of police negligence here in Minnesota. I fight every day for the freedom of the man I love. And now, I am helping raise my uncle's children because ICE decided to tear another family apart. This movement isn't something I clock into, this is my life. This is my family!”

The ride closed where it began. Angie Cisneros Rosero of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) took the mic for the day's final word, “Let us remember the strength in our broken hearts. They see us united. They see people who continue to fight even with tears in their eyes. The problem is not that people don't care. We need collective power. Power so strong that the system can no longer govern in the same way. The only way we will see justice, is if we the people organize and make it happen.”

MIRAC currently has a campaign to get Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and all gubernatorial candidates to sign an executive order regarding a number of issues discussed here. If you are interested in signing a petition to pressure these politicians to act, please go to https://c.org/kCzgWPgx48.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #AlexPretti #ReneeGood

Centennial, CO – At 8 a.m. on Monday, July 20, organizers and community members from across the Denver Metro area joined together for a protest at the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver Field Office in Centennial, Colorado.

The protesters come together for a die-in scheduled by the Shut Down GEO Coalition to highlight detained immigrants' demands for freedom, humane conditions, and to end all contracts with GEO Group, the operators of a for-profit detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. GEO Group was also recently awarded over $528 million dollars to open up a shuttered correctional facility in Hudson, Colorado.

The rally began with speeches from organizers and family members of immigrants who have been impacted by the racist and brutal deportation system. Speakers touched on the longstanding history of medical neglect, insufficient and unsafe food, low wages, guard and staff abuse, and, most recently, a confirmed case of tuberculosis within the Aurora GEO facility.

Despite pressure from medical professionals, legal advocates and the local community, the GEO Group has still not met the demand for compliance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for contact tracing and a full health investigation. While GEO Group delays crucial investigations and treatment, they could ultimately be subjecting the entire city and state to unnecessary health risks.

After the speeches, protesters staged a die-in where they laid down on the ground in front of the ERO office, representing the lives stolen by ICE and private prison contractors GEO Group and CoreCivic.

While attendees were lying on the ground, listening to recordings of testimonials from families of those in detention, a group of protesters stood off to the side holding a large banner that read, “Dignity not detention, end deportations.”

Five Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers approached this group of organizers and called in additional officers for back up. Eventually, two officers returned to attempt to pull the banner away from protesters but failed. When the DHS officers were unsuccessful in threatening protesters to retreat, they called in the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, which brought less-lethal crowd control weapons.

Arapahoe County sheriffs pushed the group of protesters forward and into the public street, where they eventually targeted four protesters who were then pulled from the group, handcuffed, and detained for around two hours within the ICE facility under Arapahoe County and ICE supervision before being released with state and federal citations.

Upon the protesters’ exit, the remaining crowd was chanting for each organizer's release. The organizers arrested included longtime organizers in the community Arnie Carter and Terry Burnsed, as well as Yoselin Corrales, an immigrant rights organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO.

After taking a moment to regroup, Corrales addressed the crowd, stating, “It’s far past the time to send a strongly-worded email, we need to show up and be willing to put more on the line for those facing injustice in our community!”

#CentennialCO #CO #AuroraCO #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Featured

Gilroy, CA – On Sunday, July 19, over 250 community members of all ages and backgrounds gathered at San Ysidro Park to protest the planned ICE facility under construction in Gilroy. The strategic placement of the ICE detention center, located in the southern region of Santa Clara County in Northern California, would allow for an increase in immigration enforcement activity, threatening surrounding communities.

The four-mile march to the detention center construction site began with lively chants demanding “Legalization for all” and “Justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, and Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán,” the most recent lives lost at the hands of ICE agents. Two of these most recent martyrs were shot by ICE in cold blood. The community also stood in solidarity with fellow immigrant rights activists by calling for “Hands off Nadia Topete!” and repeated “Shut it down!” just mere feet from the entrance of the ICE site.

Kímberly Cortéz-Solorio, an organizer with the Community Service Organization (CSO) San José, shared that the county of Santa Clara and the state’s attorney general are engaged in legal proceedings against ICE which have temporarily halted the construction. But they reminded the community to “celebrate cautiously,” not let down their guard and to continue to demand a permanent halt.

The second CSO San José speaker, Ariya Amin, called out the hypocrisy of ICE, which labels people as “illegal,” while ICE agents regularly commit illegal atrocities with impunity. From planning the ICE facility in unincorporated Gilroy, to arresting people without warrants, to committing severe and daily human rights violations, ICE's actions have been unlawful. Amin declared that this administration has a duty to obey “the will of [the] people,” and reminded attendees that it is up to el pueblo to ensure that our consent is considered and prioritized.

The crowd also heard from Huy Tran, the executive director of Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN). During his speech, Tran asked the community to reflect on how well we hold accountable those in power and to remind them who is actually in charge here: the people. Tran stressed the importance of having difficult conversations, continuing the struggle, and letting others “see the activation” by being civically engaged.

Edwin Salazar from the Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy and Services asked the audience to imagine the implications of this ICE site and its proximity to beloved areas with high-immigrant populations, such as Gilroy and San José. Salazar shared how this country conditions its citizens via capitalism and urged the “community to collectivize” our resources to move forward.

Megan Sweet with Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke about the acceleration of “large-scale invasions by the DHS” and how the brutality of operations we see on national news has already been witnessed in our streets. Sweet shared the cases of Ulises Peña López, who was left disabled after a violent encounter with ICE and ultimately deported, and Guillermo Medina Reyes, who was arrested by federal agents and is currently facing a legal battle.

Representing Working Partnerships USA, Rebeca Armendariz announced that the Santa Clara County Counsel (who had filed a lawsuit against ICE) had won their request for a temporary injunction, putting on pause any construction work for the coming weeks. Despite ICE not being prepared with the paperwork, Armendariz shared, the true threat was the mobilization of the masses.

In early September, the construction of this ICE detention center will resume and Gilroy organizers affirm they will be there to greet it. The struggle they are building will outpace and outlast anything ICE constructs.

#GilroyCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Santa Ana, CA – El viernes, 17 de julio, varios miembros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) entregaron una petición en el Tribunal de Inmigración de Santa Ana. En mayo de 2025, este tribunal fue uno de los primeros lugares donde el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) comenzó a arrestar personas. Desde entonces, CSO OC ha llevado a cabo una campaña para presionar a los jueces de inmigración a que trasladen todas las audiencias a un formato virtual, para evitar así que las personas que asisten a sus audiencias tengan que enfrentarse a ICE en el tribunal. Recopilaron más de 1000 firmas en apoyo a esta medida.

Aunque en junio de 2026 un juez de California dictaminó que ya no se permitirían arrestos dentro ni fuera de los tribunales de inmigración, los miembros de CSO OC mantuvieron sus exigencias.

Diana Terreros declaró, “CSO OC descubrió que los jueces contaban con una política, la PM21-03, que les permite realizar audiencias remotas cuando lo deseen. Al optar por no implementar audiencias virtuales universales, los jueces de este tribunal de inmigración han sido cómplices de los arrestos ilegales de ICE y han permitido que la agencia destruya a familias. Incluso ahora, persiste el riesgo de que ICE continúe deteniendo a personas en el tribunal a pesar del fallo judicial. ICE ha demostrado un desprecio total por la ley y por los derechos de las personas.”

Los miembros de CSO OC marcharon hacia el tribunal de inmigración portando dos carteles grandes con fotos de personas fallecidas bajo custodia de ICE y la consigna “Detención = Muerte”. Sostenían una pancarta que decía, “¡Alto a los arrestos de ICE en el tribunal!” Coreaban consignas como “¡Fuera ICE de nuestros barrios!” y “¡Sin justicia no hay paz! ¡Fuera ICE de nuestras calles!”

Steven Ayoub declaró, “Piensen en lo que eso le hace a una persona. Te ves obligado a tomar una decisión imposible: presentarte ante el tribunal y arriesgarte a ser arrestado, o faltar a la audiencia y ser deportado automáticamente por no comparecer. No existe una opción segura. Y quiero ser franco con ustedes sobre la gravedad de la situación, porque ya no se trata solo de detenciones. Tan solo el mes pasado, en Texas, un hombre llamado Lorenzo Salgado Araujo perdió la vida. Era un padre de tres hijos, de 52 años y originario de México, que llevaba décadas viviendo en Estados Unidos. La mañana del 7 de julio, fue baleado y asesinado por un agente de ICE en Houston.”

Ayoub continuó, “Menciono esto porque ilustra de qué estamos hablando realmente. Cuando la aplicación de la ley es tan agresiva y tan sin rendición de cuentas, una persona común que realiza actividades cotidianas—como conducir hacia el trabajo o acudir a una cita judicial— puede terminar detenida, o peor.”

Luis Morales Pedraza Babylon compartió su experiencia, “Actualmente estoy en el sistema de la corte solicitando la residencia permanente por matrimonio y desde que comenzaron todos estos asuntos de ICE, a veces es lo único en lo que pienso al irme a dormir. ¿Qué pasaría si me arrestan y me mandan a México? Me trajeron aquí cuando tenía cuatro años, así que realmente no sabría qué hacer allá.”

Al llegar al tribunal, entraron marchando portando sus pancartas y se encontraron con medidas de seguridad y detectores de metales. Una vez dentro, entregaron las peticiones en la ventanilla de atención. Habían impreso y dirigido una petición específica para cada uno de los 22 jueces. Al principio, el empleado no quería aceptarlas y tuvo que consultar a dos supervisores para obtener la autorización, a pesar de que la entrega de documentación de este tipo no es algo inusual. Al final, las peticiones fueron aceptadas y entregadas a los jueces.

CSO OC lucha por los derechos de los inmigrantes y por la rendición de cuentas de la policía. Si desea ponerse en contacto con CSO OC, puede hacerlo a través de Instagram en CSO.OC o por correo electrónico en orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #CSOOC

Tampa, FL – Some 50 people gathered in front of Tampa City Hall, Sunday, July 19, to honor the three lives recently stolen from their families and communities by ICE murderers. The protest was organized by the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee (TampaIRC) as a part of the Legalization for All national week of action.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo from Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero, from Maine, were gunned down when they were stopped by ICE in their vehicles. ICE claimed both men weaponized their vehicles – the same justification utilized when immigration enforcement killed Renee Good in Minneapolis in January. Videos that surfaced in all three cases contradicted the agency’s account. The other person killed was Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, a tourist from Mexico, who was hit by a semi-truck as he ran away from ICE in St. Augustine, Florida.

No ICE agent has been arrested for their deaths.

Protesters chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA,” “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” and, “When immigrants are under attack what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

Attention was also drawn to the grand jury investigation of Los Angeles-based immigrant rights activist Nadia Topete, a 21-year-old Chicana immigrant rights activist with Centro Community Service Organization in Los Angeles, who was targeted and subpoenaed by the FBI for her organizing work. She was called to appear before a grand jury where she exercised her right to stay silent.

Alvaro Montealegre, member of TIRC said, “it is clear she is facing repression for demanding justice for our immigrant and undocumented community members. We all stand in solidarity with Nadia and everyone facing repression for protecting the rights of immigrants. Today it’s Nadia; tomorrow it could be any one of us.”

The chair of the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, said, “it's not enough to simply get rid of ICE. What we need is legalization for all. Because, before ICE, there was the Immigration and Naturalization Services, the INS, which was restructured into ICE. The violent tactics that we see from ICE existed long before ICE. We need legalization for all. Legalization for all would mean that immigrants would not be criminalized regardless of documentation status, without the need to give up the citizenship of their country of origin. We need to remove the basis that criminalizes us immigrants to begin with. If no one can ever be illegal on U.S. soil, there would be no need for ICE, Border Patrol, 287(g) agreements or whatever else the federal and state governments cook up.”

Before an enthusiastic crowd, they ended with the chant, “What do we want? Legalization! When do we want it? Now!”

The rally ended just in time, as heavy rain began to fall.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #NadiaTopete #LorenzoSalgadoAraujo #JoanSebastianGuerrero

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!

Nadia Topete, a member of Centro CSO, is an immigrant rights activist in Los Angeles. Centro CSO organizes self defense against racist and illegal ICE raids, that makes them heroes. Los Angeles is a city the Donald Trump administration attacked by mobilizing federal troops, even sending marines. This is because of the bravery and amazing work the people of Los Angeles have done in defending their immigrant neighbors. They tried going after Alejandro Oreana with federal charges after an FBI raid and WE BEAT THEM BACK!

SDS has been organizing sanctuary campus campaigns all over the country because we also understand the need to oppose the attacks on immigrants from Trump and his goons. We are standing with Nadia because we understand that this is an attack on the immigrant rights and people’s movement as a whole.

Hands Off Nadia!

#ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #NadiaTopete #SDS #StudentMovement #CentroCSO #CSFR

The Utah Anti-War Committee stands in solidarity with immigrant rights activist Nadia Topete. On July 1st, law enforcement came to the door of Nadia Topete, delivering her a second subpoena to testify in front of a grand jury due to her involvement in the 2025 protests against the occupation of Los Angeles by ICE and other federal police agencies working for Trump.

On July 8th, Nadia invoked her 5th Amendment right and refused to testify against fellow activists. We applaud her courage in doing so, and we recognize that Nadia has done nothing wrong by simply protesting.

#UT #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression

On Monday, July 20, the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) rallied outside of Billings City Hall to demand justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Guerrero, two fathers from Texas and Maine who were murdered by ICE agents within the last two weeks. To prevent similar ICE violence in Billings, BAIR demanded city council pass an ordinance declaring Billings a sanctuary city.

The action also came during a period of heightened concern over immigration enforcement in Montana, after ICE raids and at least 100 detentions in Gallatin County, Montana earlier this month. The growing presence of ICE has intensified fear within immigrant communities across the state and has made local action to protect residents increasingly urgent.

After rallying outside city hall, participants entered the council chambers to deliver public comment at the city council meeting. Six community members attended the public comment period, carrying signs that read, “Justice for Lorenzo,” “Justice for Joan Sebastián Guerrero” and “Sanctuary city now!”

Before the meeting began, Billings Mayor Mike Nelson approached BAIR members and stated, “Signs are allowed, as long as they're not a distraction.” Nelson directed the activists to place the signs at their feet, so that they would not be visible in the meeting’s livestream video. The activists left their signs at their feet until the meeting started and lifted them to their laps once public comment began.

Lain Dorsey, an organizer with BAIR, set the tone of the meeting. “Lorenzo and Joan were fathers who were murdered by ICE. Nothing we say or do can bring these men back. But the city council can take action to prevent ICE from killing in Billings.”

Dorsey continued, speaking on the ICE raids in Gallatin County. “This mass kidnapping campaign took place just two hours away from us and somehow Mayor Nelson and the council cannot see how pressing this issue is! It's in our backyard!”

Tessa Miller, a mother and Billings Public Schools teacher, spoke on her fear of one of her students’ parents getting taken by ICE. Miller also stated, “as Montanans we have been taught to serve and welcome people to our state. I ask the council to stick up for Montana and our values.”

BAIR member Brooke Lynn spoke in support of a sanctuary city, “Most Montanans know that what's going on is not right. In school, you see a picture of the globe and everyone holding hands from around the world. That's not what's happening. I want to make sure that the city is safe for when my son is older.”

Since June, BAIR has emailed Mayor Nelson and the ten other members of council five times to request a meeting discussing this issue but has received no response. Monday’s demonstration was intended to bring those concerns directly before elected officials and encourage public accountability.

Mindy Nielsen, a member of BAIR and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) used her public comment to get a commitment to a meeting with the mayor stating, “Mayor, are you going to be able to get back to us?”

“This part of the meeting is for you to comment. It's not a back-and-forth,” Mayor Nelson cowered.

“How do we know you are ever going to respond? How do we get help with this?” Nielsen questioned. The entire council remained dead silent. “I think that's pretty shameful,” Nielsen stated.

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights will continue organizing until city leaders take concrete steps to protect community members from federal immigration enforcement. To join the fight, attend a BAIR planning meeting, held every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Billings Public Library large conference room.

#BillingsMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #BAIR

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.

“Hoy estamos aquí porque en tan solo una semana, el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) ha matado a tres personas. ¡Qué vergüenza!”, declaró Diana Terreros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC).

Terreros continuó describiendo a los dos hombres conocidos que fueron asesinados por ICE, “Lorenzo fue asesinado en Houston y había vivido en los Estados Unidos por 35 años. Simplemente estaba en camino al trabajo después de recoger a su equipo cuando ICE decidió detenerlo y asesinarlo. Estaban en vehículos sin identificación y no llevaban cámaras corporales. Joan Sebastian Guerrero era un colombiano de 26 años que vivía en Maine. También fue asesinado después de que ICE comenzara una parada de tráfico. Le dispararon y lo mataron mientras su pareja y su hija de tres años miraban”.

Luego se guardó un minuto de silencio por todas las víctimas de ICE.

“Estamos aquí para exigir el fin de los asesinatos de ICE, el fin de las deportaciones, que ICE se vaya de nuestros barrios y la legalización para todos”, exclamó Terreros al cerrar.

“¡Sin justicia no hay paz!” y “¡Fuera ICE de Santa Ana!”, coreaban los manifestantes.

Luis Morales Pedraza Babylon, del comité de inmigración de CSO OC, declaró, “El intento de silenciar a Nadia no es solo un ataque contra ella; es una táctica calculada para mantenernos a todos en la ignorancia. Los mismos sistemas que temen la voz de Nadia son los mismos que tomaron las vidas de Lorenzo Salgado Araujo y Joan Sebastian Guerrero. Estas no son tragedias aisladas. Son el resultado de un sistema que trata a nuestras familias como desechables”.

Babylon habló sobre la represión que enfrenta Nadia Topete, activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes de Centro CSO en Los Ángeles. El FBI la ha citado en dos ocasiones para comparecer ante un gran jurado, y en ambas ocasiones ella ha resistido.

Rachel, de AlianzaTransLatinx, tomó la palabra, “Hoy alzamos la voz por las víctimas y por aquellos que aún permanecen detenidos por ICE. Nuestra humanidad no termina cuando cruzamos una frontera. ¡Exigimos transparencia y una investigación cuando una persona muere en detención o a manos de ICE!”.

“Se me rompe el corazón y me lleno de rabia cada vez que otra familia, otra vida, es destruida por la crueldad inimaginable de ICE. ¡Debemos honrar a Lorenzo, a Joan y a cada vida arrebatada por ICE presentándonos en esta lucha y ganando!”, declaró Jenna Pérez, miembro del comité de inmigración de CSO OC.

Pérez continuó, “También luchamos junto a nuestros vecinos inmigrantes de la comunidad local, aquí mismo en Santa Ana. Los residentes y las familias del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal han sufrido abusos, acoso, y los residentes inmigrantes han sido amenazados con llamar a ICE. Incluso la empresa Kingsley Corporation les ha robado ilegalmente sus hogares. ¡Únanse con nosotros para luchar junto con los residentes de Coach Royal y decir fuera Kingsley!”.

A continuación, los manifestantes marcharon alrededor de la gran intersección de cuatro vías portando pancartas que decían, “ICE asesino, fuera de nuestras calles”, “Alto a las deportaciones” y “Justicia para los asesinados por ICE”.

Rain Mendoza, de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, tomó el micrófono y declaró, “Lorenzo Salgado y Joan Sebastian son la décima y la undécima persona asesinada durante una operación relacionada con ICE bajo el gobierno de Trump. La violencia inhumana ejercida contra los inmigrantes no es nada nuevo, ya que los esfuerzos de deportación han sido históricamente fatales”.

Mendoza continuó, “Durante las deportaciones masivas de la Gran Depresión y la Operación Espalda Mojada, inmigrantes y chicanos fueron deportados y también murieron en centros de detención o durante operaciones de inmigración. Por eso soy un comunista que lucha por la revolución socialista y por derrocar a la clase dominante. Solo una revolución socialista que ponga fin a la clase dominante que nos pisa el cuello y permite que policías asesinos y agentes de ICE nos disparen puede traer un cambio”.

“¡Justicia para Lorenzo Araujo! ¡Justicia para Joan Sebastian Guerrero!”, corearon los manifestantes mientras ocupaban ambos extremos de la esquina y más autos tocaban sus bocinas en apoyo.

La acción fue organizada por la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange en respuesta a un llamado a la acción de la Red Legalización Para Todos. Si desea ponerse en contacto con CSO OC, puede hacerlo a través de Instagram en CSO.OC o por correo electrónico en orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #DerechosDeLosInmigrantes #CentroCSO

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.

Nadia Topete salió de la corte federal con la frente en alto y declaró que había ejercido su derecho a la Quinta Enmienda. Fue recibida con gritos de “Hands Off Nadia Topete!” [¡Manos fuera de Nadia Topete!], “¡Chinga la migra!”, y “DOJ Hands Off Nadia!” [¡Departamento de Justicia, manos fuera de Nadia!] que fueron lo suficientemente altos como para oírse dentro del edificio federal.

“¡Protestar contra ICE no es un crimen!” dijo Verita Topete, hermana de Nadia y organizadora chicana. “Nuestras comunidades son más fuertes que Trump y los intereses de la clase dominante del Departamento de Justicia. Los ataques contra Nadia son parte del patrón de represión política del gobierno federal.”

Jasia Topete, hermana mayor de Nadia y Verita dijo, “Hoy fue una acción muy conmovedora de unidad y apoyo hacia mi hermana bebé, Nadia. Ver el enorme respaldo que ha recibido a nivel nacional, a través de las convocatorias en línea de distintas organizaciones, fue muy reconfortante de ver. Ver que tantas personas tomaron el tiempo para salir y mostrar su cariño fue muy reconfortante y alentador para nuestra familia. Nosotros sabemos que ella no hizo nada malo. Amplificar la voz de nuestra gente no es un crimen. Ella seguirá con la frente en alto, como la persona segura y resiliente que es. Nadia, te queremos. Muchísimas gracias a todos los que están apoyando a Nadia.”

Mick Kelly del Comité para Detener la Represión del FBI le dijo al público, “Quiero saludar a Nadia, una mujer de valentía poco común que se está levantando por todos nosotros. Esto ciertamente no terminará aquí. Estaremos con Nadia en cada paso del camino.”

Emiliano Martin Del Campo, miembro de Centro CSO, dijo, “Veo este ataque del Departamento de Justicia y del gobierno de Trump no solo como un ataque directo contra nuestra hermana Nadia, sino como un golpe directo contra todos nosotros que luchamos contra esta administración. ¡Un ataque contra uno es un ataque contra todos!”

Participaron oradores de Centro CSO, CSO OC, CLUE, ILPS, la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad y Legalización Para Todos quienes hablaron en defensa de Topete y condenaron la represión política contra activistas de derechos de los inmigrantes.

No está claro qué sigue, pero si la cacería del Departamento de Justicia continúa, Centro CSO y sus aliados estarán listos para defender a los suyos, a Nadia Topete, una hija de Aztlán.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #CentroCSO

AURORA, CO – Protesters in Aurora, Colorado gathered outside of an ICE detention facility operated by GEO Group on Sunday morning, July 19. They rallied to raise a number of demands regarding conditions in the detention center, the recent ICE murders of Joan Sebastian-Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and acts of repression against anti-ICE protesters Including Nadia Topete and 21-year-old Emma Landis, who was shot by a GEO Group employee after attending a protest outside the facility earlier in the week. Over 80 people attended the event where they heard speakers from various movements in the city and participated in chants against ICE’s continued attacks on their communities.

“We are gathered here today to demand justice for all victims of ICE’s violent terror across America,” said Miles Thompson, an emcee for the event and chair of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC). “We’re also here to say that protesting is not a crime! Hands off Nadia Topete!” DACAC called this event in conjunction with Aurora Unidos CSO as part of a national week of action for Nadia Topete called by the Legalization For All Network.

Topete, an immigrants rights activist in Los Angeles, has been a target of FBI repression in recent weeks. In addition to ending the harassment against Topete and her fellow activists, organizers across the country have used this week of action to call for justice in the cases of Joan Sebastian-Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo who were murdered by ICE agents during separate incidents in the last month. The event was supported by other local organizations, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The Aurora ICE detention center, specifically, has made national news twice this week. The first was on July 16, when the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced that it had confirmed at least one case of tuberculosis inside the facility. While GEO Group denies any tuberculosis, community members detained inside claim at least a dozen cases have been identified. Tuberculosis is a preventable and treatable lung infection that can be contagious and deadly if not properly handled. In a facility already notorious for medical neglect, the community is concerned for the safety of those inside.

Yoselin Corrales, a Honduran immigrant and organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO said, “Our group has been working with immigrants inside to help document medical neglect, guard mistreatment, food insecurity, and the abuse of detention center staff for over a year now. Frankly, it was only a matter of time before something happened like what we’re seeing now.”

GEO Group, the private prison corporation that operates the Aurora ICE detention facility, was given until Friday, July 17 to submit to CDPHE inspection and turn over medical records to the state regarding tuberculosis. As of the writing of this article, GEO Group is completely refusing to comply with this investigation. Just last week, this for-profit corporation was awarded a half-billion dollar contract to open a new ICE detention center in rural Hudson, Colorado. This facility would almost double the number of people ICE could detain in the state and reduce visibility for these detentions by moving them far outside of the urban areas where Coloradans mostly live.

The news of the potential tuberculosis outbreak led to multiple protests against ICE and GEO Group this week but one, in particular, resulted in another national headline.

On Thursday, July 16, after a protest disbanded, a GEO group employee shot a woman in the foot while she was leaving the area. Emma Landis, the woman who was shot, was able to attend Sunday’s event where she expressed gratitude for her fellow activists and solidarity with those detained inside the facility. “It’s really nice to see my community come together in support of this and all I can say is ‘let’s keep doing this!’” She added, “ I don’t want to be a trend, I want to be an advocate for these people because they don’t deserve this at all. Nobody deserves this at all.”

The call to continue to fight and organize was common among all of the people who spoke. “We’re not here to write a strongly-worded letter or ask you to send an email,” proclaimed Corrales, “we’re here to commit to continuing to show up until the people inside these walls are free, and those who have contributed to this violent system are punished! Don’t do the enemy’s work for them and back down before the battle, join an organization and become part of a fighting force!”

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #ICE #DetentionCenter

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.

“Now that these two fathers have lost their life, their children are going to have to deal with the grief and trauma for the rest of their lives,” said Antonieta Garcia from the CSO education committee.

On July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed while on his way to work by ICE agents who apparently mistook him for someone else. Then, on July 13, Joan Sebastian Guerrero was fatally shot in the face in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter. During the past year, over 30 people have died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and over ten fatally shot and killed during enforcement operations.

“For the past two years Trump and his cronies have repeatedly used ICE and DHS to disrupt and destroy the working class. Our oppressors invest billions into these violent agencies instead of funding our communities or raising our wages,” said Henry Cornejo, a Teamster and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

These recent deaths have sparked outrage amongst people from across the country from all walks of life. Organizers and activists everywhere are demanding accountability. However, the administration also wants to crack down on those that are fighting on the front lines for these causes. One such activist, Nadia Topete, has recently become the target of FBI repression.

“They want to intimidate activists and silence our movement, but we will not back down. CSO and L4A stands in solidarity with our sister Nadia and all organizers facing political repression,” said Verita Topete, co-chair of the CSO immigration committee.

As ICE continues to spread terror and violence through their enforcement actions, we cannot allow these murderers to operate with impunity in our communities. Derek Mejia from the CSO police accountability committee told the crowd, “Whether it’s ICE, LAPD or LASD, we need killer cops off our streets!”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #KillerICE #InJusticeSystem #CentroCSO

Dallas, TX – On July 14, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas hosted a rally to demand justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero.

Araujo and Guerrero were killed by ICE agents in Houston and Maine, respectively, within a span of a week.

The rally was scheduled during the semifinal game of the World Cup hosted at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Attention was also drawn to the grand jury investigation of Los Angeles-based immigrant rights activist Nadia Topete.

The protest was attended by concerned community members who spoke out against the killings.

Xavier Velasquez, the chair of NAARAPR Dallas, commented, “We’ve come here today to bring awareness and to demand justice for Lorenzo Araujo, Joan Guerrero and to also demand DOJ hands off Nadia Topete. Our people are under attack from all sides, immigrants and immigrant rights activists and we aren't going to it be business as usual. With the World Cup happening as a backdrop to this action, we are trying to bring the issue of ICE violence and federal repression of immigrant rights activists like Nadia Topete to the world stage!”

Protesters chanted, “Legalization for all!” “Justice for victims of ICE,” “Hands off Nadia Topete” and “ICE out of Dallas!”

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights

North Charleston, SC – Hundreds of community members gathered in Park Circle on July 18 for a “Vigil for Justice” called by the Charleston Community Service Organization (CSO) to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Guerrero, as a part of the Legalization for All national week of action.

“We are here to demand justice for those killed by ICE and those who are facing political repression for speaking out against these injustices,” said Roy Xala, a lead organizer with Charleston CSO.

On July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed during an enforcement operation in which agents reportedly mistook him for someone else. On July 13, Joan Sebastián Guerrero was fatally shot, reportedly in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter. The following day, a third man was struck and killed by a tractor trailer on a Florida highway while fleeing federal immigration agents. Over a dozen names were read by organizers followed by chants of “We will not forget.”

The deaths have fueled grief and outrage in communities across the country, and activists and organizers are demanding accountability. One such organizer, Nadia Topete, Centro CSO in Boyle Heights, has become the target of FBI repression. Activists in Charleston lifted up her case during their event.

“We can’t forget to demand hands off Nadia Topete because she is facing repression for the very same thing we are out here doing today, demanding justice for our immigrant and undocumented community members,” said Erica Veal, organizer with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC) and the Freedom Socialist Organization (FRSO). “We have a duty to stand in solidarity with Nadia and all activists facing repression because protesting is not a crime. Today it’s Nadia and tomorrow it could be us.”

The vigil in North Charleston comes as immigration enforcement intensifies across South Carolina. Nearly one-third of all South Carolina immigration arrests in 2025 occurred in Charleston County, a surge driven in part by the intentional expansion of 287(g) agreements that deputize local and state law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement. The fear has had a massive effect on daily life, with community members missing work, pulling children from school and skipping medical appointments rather than risking an encounter with ICE.

CSO led the vigil and built a broad coalition of local organizations who want to stand in solidarity with their immigrant community, including the FRSO Charleston, LAC, Charleston DSA, Indivisible Charleston, 50501 SC, as well as the Charleston Climate Coalition, Free Palestine Charleston and a number of other groups that understand how closely the fight for immigrant rights is connected to their own struggles.

“Lorenzo and Joan should be alive today – and what happened to them could happen to any of our neighbors here in the Lowcountry,” said Charleston CSO organizer Dulce Lopez. “We're gathering to say their lives mattered, and we won't stay silent – we will show up and join communities across the country who are taking a stand against ICE's reign of terror every time.”

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CharlestonCSO

Brooklyn, NY — On the evening of Friday, July 17, community members gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center for a speak-out style protest under the banner “No more ICE murders!”

The action, held in full view of the Gowanus Expressway, was organized by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which was joined by organizers and speakers from Brooklyn Against War, NYC ICE Watch, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Protesters unfurled a massive banner reading “ICE out of everywhere” as rush-hour traffic roared past on the elevated expressway and Brooklyn’s 3rd Avenue. That tactic drew plenty of positive attention, as drivers on the expressway responded with a chorus of honks, signaling solidarity with the demonstrators. Meanwhile, organizers handed out flyers to pedestrians walking past on the sidewalk, some of whom joined the action to chant and listen to the lineup of speakers.

Speakers addressed the crowd and passing commuters alike, demanding justice for the victims of recent ICE violence, legalization for all undocumented immigrants, and a complete withdrawal of ICE and all federal agents from New York City. Conditions around the MDC, a federal facility holding at least 200 immigrants, many of whom have not been charged with a crime, were condemned as a manifestation of racist national repression.

“The Metropolitan detention center is notorious for being dark and overcrowded, for mold and fungus, and poor quality food, for non-functioning toilets and unsanitary conditions,” NYAARPR organizer Jamie Kowalski said in a speech. “We demand free all ICE detainees from the MDC!”

The evening's program also featured calls to action linking local resistance to the broader national movement against ICE violence.

“We are the New York Alliance, and we are out here to say we reject the idea that communities are made safer by armed immigration raids,” said organizer Ruby Doswell. “We reject the criminalization of immigrants who come to this country to work, support their families, and build a future. We demand accountability for the deaths of Lorenzo [Salgado Araujo], Joan [Sebastián Durán Guerrero], and Juan [Jairo Coronilla Duran].”

In their speech, Briony Smith, an organizer with Brooklyn Against War, observed that repressive immigration enforcement is not “arbitrary” or “isolated,” but the domestic arm of U.S. imperialism.

ICE repression “is part of a larger agenda that looks to expel, in particular, Latin American people but not exclusively, at the same time that the Trump administration attempts to extend its tentacles throughout Central and South America to suck dry the resources of sovereign countries, in order to enrich American billionaires,” Smith told the crowd.

The protest comes amid escalating outrage over ICE’s deadly operations and the ongoing invasions of immigrant communities. Organizers made it clear that the struggle is far from over, vowing to continue building pressure until ICE is removed from every corner of the city.

#BrooklynNY #NY #NYC #ImmigrantRights #NYAARPR

Santa Ana, CA – On Friday, July 17 several members of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) delivered a petition to the Santa Ana Immigration Court. In May of 2025, the court was one of the first places Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started arresting people. CSO OC has been running a campaign since then to pressure the immigration judges to move all hearings online so that people attending their hearings would not have to face ICE at the court. They collected over 1000 signatures calling for this.

Although, in June of 2026, a California judge ruled that arrests will no longer be allowed inside or outside immigration courts, CSO OC members upheld their demands.

Diana Terreros stated, “CSO OC found that the judges had a policy, PM21-03, that allows them to do remote hearings whenever they want. By choosing not to implement universal remote hearings, the judges at this immigration court have been complicit in ICE’s illegal arrests and allowed them to tear apart families. Even now, there is still a risk that ICE will continue detaining people at the court despite the ruling. ICE has shown complete disregard for the law and people's rights.”

CSO OC members marched towards the immigration court holding two large signs with photos of people who have died in ICE detention with “Detention = Death.” They held a banner that said, “Stop ICE arrests at the court!” They chanted “ICE out of our neighborhoods!” and “No justice, no peace! No ICE in our streets!”

Steven Ayoub stated, “Think about what that does to a person. You're forced into an impossible choice: show up to court and risk arrest or skip your hearing and be deported automatically for not appearing. There's no safe option. And I want to be honest with you about how high the stakes have become, because this isn't only about detention anymore. Just this past month, in Texas, a man named Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed. He was a 52-year-old father of three, originally from Mexico, who had been living in the United States for decades. On the morning of July 7, he was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston.”

Ayoub continued, “I raise this because it shows what we're really talking about. When enforcement is this aggressive and this unaccountable, an ordinary person doing an ordinary thing driving to work, or showing up to a court date can end up detained, or worse.”

Luis Morales Pedraza Babylon shared his experience. “I’m currently in the court system applying for a spousal green card and ever since the ICE thing started happening, sometimes when I go to sleep that’s all I think about. What if I get arrested and get sent to Mexico? I was brought here when I was four years old ,so I wouldn’t really know what to do over there.”

When they arrived at the court, they marched in holding their signs and were met with security and metal detectors. Once inside, they handed the petitions to the clerk desk. They had printed and addressed a petition for each of the 22 judges. The clerk initially did not want to accept them and had to go through two supervisors to get approval, although a stack of papers being delivered to them is not out of the ordinary. In the end, the petitions were accepted and delivered to the judges.

CSO OC fights for immigrant rights and police accountability. If you would like to connect with CSO OC you can contact them through Instagram at CSO.OC or gmail at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSOOC #ImmigrantRights #ICE