Portland, OR – On August 11, a Multnomah County jury found Dr. Catherine Esperanza guilty of the bogus charge of “interfering with a police officer” after the Portland Police Bureau violently arrested her for protesting outside the ICE facility.

Local immigrant rights organization Portland Contra Las Deportaciones waged a campaign to drop the charges and condemned the sham conviction.

After helping build public pressure to fight the charges through an email campaign and confrontations of the district attorney, activists and community supporters held a press conference, August 10, before the trial and attended both days of the proceedings.

Both the arrest and the trial showed Multnomah County and Portland Police’s clear bias against immigrant rights protesters.

Esperanza was arrested after police pushed protesters out of the driveway of the ICE facility using batons during a May Day protest at the facility. Bodycam footage showed they made a targeted arrest of protester Cole Dunahugh, claiming he breached the gate at the facility. This was a complete falsehood and so the charges on Dunahugh were later dropped.

During the arrest, police shoved their way into the crowd and pushed a group of people down, on top of Esperanza. In the bodycam footage she could be heard screaming “I have a broken leg,” and attempting to get the crowd off of her injured leg. Police then flipped her onto her stomach and put a knee on her neck. She can be heard screaming “I can't breathe.” The district attorney painted this attempt as pulling police officers on top of her and forming a “human chain” to prevent arrests.

Judge Celia Howes curbed the defense attorney's ability to question witnesses, sustaining objections by the prosecutor to questions such as “Did police interact with protesters?” for being leading questions. When a witness stated police used batons to push back protesters, the prosecutor played a clipped video that began immediately after the use of batons and asked the witness to answer yes or no as to whether the police used batons in the video. When the witness attempted to say the use of batons was before the video began, judge Howes cut the witness off saying they could only answer in a yes or no format.

Additionally the prosecution continually said Dunahugh breached the gate at the ICE facility and that police were attacked with rocks, despite no evidence to support these claims.

After a two-hour deliberation, the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Supporters were angry, with many stating they see this as a complete miscarriage of justice.

Dr. Esperanza vowed not to allow the verdict to stop her fight for justice and to stop deportations. She released the following statement, “This guilty verdict is not a victory for justice; this case is a desperate attempt by the state to intimidate us into silence.”

The city has continually repressed the fight to revoke the permit to shut down the ICE facility, and this shameful guilty verdict is another example of this repression.

Esperanza’s statement declares, “They think that charging activists and targeting those who stand up for immigrant rights will break our resolve. They are wrong. Instead of chilling us, this blatant misuse of the legal system has galvanized our movement.”

The city continues to allow violations of human rights and the land use permit to occur at the ICE facility. Meanwhile, those who stand up for the human rights of immigrants and those impacted by ICE are persecuted for their work in advocating for dignity, equity, justice and care for all members of the Portland community.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #ICE #PoliticalRepression #InjusticeSystem

North Charleston, SC – On July 30, the Elbit Out of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition held a rally in Park Circle in response to the arrests of the coalition organizers collectively known as the Ladson 3. They demanded the North Charleston Police Department drop what EOSC believes to be trumped-up charges against the protesters. The group is pushing back against the political repression faced by activists in the Charleston area.

Haley Sabados was the sole member of the Ladson 3 who was held overnight at the Charleston County Detention Center. She described the arrests as part of a pattern of “rogue and egregious” behavior on the part of North Charleston Police Department (NCPD), whose officers are hired by the Israeli-owned weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, to work security in front of the Ladson, South Carolina facility. The facility has been in operation since 2023; EOSC formed in 2024 and has been picketing in front of the business every week since. Since they started picketing, NCPD has arrested five of their members.

“I am not intimidated, because protesting is not a crime,” Sabados said. “Protesting my city's direct involvement in weapons manufacturing, with my tax dollars, used in genocide is not a crime. Elbit out of South Carolina and Free Palestine!”

Last year Palestine solidarity activist Matthew Colburn was arrested on the picket line on misdemeanor charges, which the coalition took to trial and won a not guilty verdict, due to a lack of evidence.

Regarding the arrest of the Ladson 3, Colburn said NCPD chose to press charges they know won’t hold up in court. “This is NCPD deciding to escalate, and it might be a misdemeanor, but that doesn’t matter, because a weekend in jail is enough to [mess] a working-class person’s life up.” He went on to describe how these charges are a waste of city and county resources.

“Eblit is subsidized by the tax dollar. They use tax dollars to pay NCPD who’s double dipping, who also get paid by your tax dollar on their regular wages,” he said, “Then they come off duty and get your other tax dollars from Elbit and then they waste those tax dollars taking people to court knowing those charges won’t stick to intimidate us.”

It was disclosed by a member of NCPD under oath at Matt Colburn's 2025 trial that NCPD officers were being paid $60 per hour to work security at Elbit. Organizers have since called out what they believe to be a conflict of interest.

Organizers with the EOSC chose the Circle Park Pavilion in North Charleston as the location for the rally instead of the Elbit facility, because one of the Ladson 3 is facing trespassing charges. Before the rally began, a park employee attempted to halt the event and insisted a permit was required, despite also admitting the park was public property. She threatened to call NCPD on the demonstrators, but organizers were not deterred. They proceeded with the rally, which ended with a march around the pavilion.

They chanted “Justice for the Ladson 3! Palestine will be free!” as passing cars honked in solidarity and families from the adjacent playground joined in the march. They finished the event by asking the crowd to pack the courthouse for the Ladson 3 later in August.

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #AntiWarMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Elbit #EOSC

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 July 1, law enforcement came to the home of a Los Angeles 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. Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) condemns this second subpoena of Topete and will fight against any attempt to jail her.

We now know that this grand jury is related to the anti-ICE activism in Los Angeles that took place last summer. We also have every reason to believe that this is an attempt to re-examine the case of Alejandro Orellana, another immigrants’ rights activist who participated in the anti-ICE protests last year. Orellana was charged with conspiracy to commit civil unrest. The bogus charges were later dropped.

Nothing good comes from speaking in front of a grand jury. Grand juries, nine times out of ten, result in indictments, and they are frequently used against activists. Not testifying against one’s fellow activists can mean jail time. Those who refuse to testify in front of grand juries are heroes. We should learn from their example and exercise that kind of courage in order to protect our movements from harm.

Women Against Military Madness members Sarah Martin and Meredith Aby resisted grand jury subpoenas in 2010 as a part of the “Justice” Department’s investigation into the anti-war and international solidarity movements. Martin was re-subpoenaed in an effort to pressure her to speak. She refused and in the end none of the Anti War 23 went to jail. Our movement had this victory because people around the country stood up for our people. We understand the importance of doing this again.

WAMM also understands that the targeting of activists in LA is a part of a broader effort to criminalize anti-ICE activism nationally. We also stand with the MN 15 who were indicted on “conspiracy to impede federal officers.” People across MN, including WAMM members, stood with our immigrant siblings to demand ICE leave MN last winter and protesting political repression of our immigrant siblings is NOT a crime.

Neither Topete nor Orellana did anything wrong by protesting against the ICE occupation of Los Angeles. Nor did Topete do anything wrong by not speaking about her activism in front of the grand jury. We ask all fair-minded people to stand with Nadia Topete. She has only ever done the right thing, which is to stand by the Chicano people and the people of Aztlán. We call upon our supporters to dial into the office of Assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat and demand, Hands Off Nadia Topete!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WAMM #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the unjust arrest and the U.S. Department of Justice’s extradition attempt of Fergie Chambers, a progressive philanthropist and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause. He was dragged away from his family in Spain on dubious charges ranging from money laundering to material support for terrorism. If extradited to the U.S., he could be facing decades in prison.

Chambers is a son of billionaires who made the legitimate choice long ago to direct his funds towards progress, from free medical clinics to legal defense for activists facing repression. Now, the Trump DOJ is fabricating a narrative of terrorist financing. They want to create an upside-down world and twist the legal system so that humanitarian aid and solidarity land you behind bars, but the architects of the ongoing genocide in Gaza walk free. Ultimately, they want to use every avenue to squash and punish the tidal wave of support for the cause of Palestinian liberation that has stretched to every corner of the globe.

We are in a period of intensifying repression, and the imperialists are constantly in search of new ways to crush resistance and silence opposition. And that means that people like Chambers who use their resources to amplify the voices that call for freedom and liberation become targets, too. All those who oppose the Trump administration’s crackdown on our movements and the erosion of democratic rights need to stand against this. Solidarity is not a crime!

#PoliticalRepression #InjusticeSystem #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

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.

“Protesting ICE is not a crime!” said Verita Topete, Nadia’s sister and fellow Chicana organizer. “Our communities are stronger than Trump and the DOJ’s ruling class interests. The targeting of Nadia is a pattern of political repression from the federal government.”

Jasia Topete, older sister of both Nadia and Verita, stated, “Today was a very moving gesture of unity and support for my baby sister, Nadia. Seeing the tremendous support she has gained on a national level through the calls to action online by different organizations was very heartening to see. Witnessing how many people took the time to come out and show her love was very heart warming and reassuring to our family. We know she did nothing wrong. Amplifying the voices of our people is not a crime. She will continue to hold her head high like the confident resilient that she is. Nadia, we love you, Thank you so much to everyone that is rooting for Nadia!”

Mick Kelly of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression told the crowd, “I would like to salute Nadia, a woman of uncommon courage who is standing up for all of us. This will certainly not end here. We will stand with Nadia every inch of the way.”

Emiliano Martin Del Campo, member of Centro CSO, stated, “I see this attack from the DOJ and the Trump administration as not only a direct attack on our sister Nadia but a direct blow to all of us fighting against this administration. An attack on one is an attack on all!”

Speakers from Centro CSO, CSO OC, CLUE, ILPS, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Legalization for All spoke in defense of Topete, condemning the political repression of Immigrant Rights activists.

It is unclear what is next, but if the DOJ witch hunt continues, Centro CSO and their allies will be ready to defend their own, Nadia Topete, a daughter of Aztlan.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #GrandJury #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #NadiaTopete #CSFR #Featured

The MORE Caucus stands in absolute solidarity with Nadia Topete, an immigrant’s rights activist who has been subpoenaed a second time to a grand jury for her role protesting ICE. We know grand juries are used by the DOJ and Trump as a weapon to target activists for speaking out.

Protesting and organizing against ICE terror is not a crime. Last year, the UFT’s delegate assembly adopted an organizing resolution that supports both the rights of immigrant students as well as anti-ICE activists and unionists in the face of bogus charges from the corrupt Trump government. We know very well that these blatant attacks will not stop at activists and will attempt to put a muzzle on the brave people’s resistance to ICE, and as progressive educators we cannot allow that to happen. Hands off Nadia Topete!

#InJusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression #MORE #UFT

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!”

Nadia Topete is a 21-year-old who twice had FBI agents show up at her door. Topete is a proud Chicana and immigrant rights activist. She has done nothing wrong and continues mobilizing to beat the attacks the Trump administration is enacting on immigrants.

Among those gathered outside were members of Centro CSO in Los Angeles and CSO Orange County. Others present were also with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Gabriela – LA, ILPS, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), and others.

“We applaud the tremendous strength of my sister Nadia Topete and will be ready to fight back for her if she is summoned once again,” said Verita Topete, a member of Centro CSO and chair of the CSO immigration committee.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression #GrandJury #CentroCSO #Featured

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.

Nadia did nothing wrong. All she did was exercise her right to speak out against the violence being perpetrated against her Chicano and Latino immigrant community.

I am from Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rican movement has been subjected again and again to grand juries. We know that grand juries are a prosecutorial tool to produce indictments instead of justice.

I understand this also could be an attempt to re-examine the case of Alejandro Orellana, another immigrant’s rights activist in LA who participated in the anti-ICE protests last year. Alejandro was charged with conspiracy to commit civil unrest. The false charges were later dropped.

When I confronted ICE last year, I said, “We would do whatever we can to help anyone in need.” I took that stand a year ago; I take that stand today.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression #CentroCSO #Featured

Last week on July 1, Nadia Topete, an immigrant rights activist and organizer with Centro CSO, was issued a grand jury subpoena by police in Los Angeles. By now, it’s clear the purpose of this grand jury is to investigate and harass organizers who mobilized to resist ICE oppression in Los Angeles last summer.

The New York Alliance is proud to stand in solidarity with Nadia and all other immigrant rights organizers facing this vile repression throughout the country, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms. Repression against activists takes many forms, and the grand jury is one of the key legal tools weaponized against organized movements.

Grand juries are secret proceedings often used against activists in order to criminalize dissent and weaken our movements. 

Nadia was first subpoenaed to testify in June, and now they’ve come for her again. It’s clear this grand jury is being called to pressure Nadia into talking about last summer’s anti-ICE protests — which led to bogus conspiracy charges against fellow organizer Alejandro Orellana that were later dropped. 

We demand that US Attorney Bilal Essayli and assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat drop the grand jury investigation now! 

Hands off Nadia! 

End repression of all immigration activists!

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #NYAARPR #NadiaTopete #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression

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.

She is being subpoenaed for a second time to appear in front of a federal grand jury. Our movement is well aware that grand juries are unconstitutional tools of political repression.

Nadia acted heroically when she went out to protest ICE last year, and she is again showing real courage. We know Nadia has not committed any crime: it’s the Trump administration and ICE that are guilty of violating the rights of our communities, brutalizing us, breaking up families, and murdering members of the immigrant community, such as Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in a Chicago suburb.

This is a very serious attack on our movement. Nadia Topete is a courageous immigrant rights activist who deserves our support.

Hands off Nadia Topete!

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #NadiaTopete #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #Featured

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.

This is part of a wider targeting of the immigrant rights movement by the Trump administration and DOJ, which is now circling back to Los Angeles to silence organizers and create an atmosphere of fear that keeps people out of the streets. Our movement will not be silent, and we stand with Nadia, Centro CSO and all those facing repression.

We understand the DOJ’s attacks as a reaction to the powerful rebellion against ICE terror in Los Angeles last February, which sparked a national wave of uprisings across the country. The Trump administration is fishing for charges and unjustly targeting Nadia and other members of Centro CSO over baseless claims, to try and criminalize protest. This is a clear-cut act of racist and political repression. The real criminal entity is ICE, terrorizing immigrant communities kidnapping people off the streets, and unleashing deadly violence in our neighborhoods.

The Trump administration is making it clear they are intensifying their repression, and now is the time for us to stand together and answer the call to defend our movements and activists.

Hands off Nadia Topete!

End the DOJ and FBI targeting of immigrant rights activists!

ICE out of our communities!

##InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #NadiaTopete #NAARPR #CentroCSO #ImmigrantRights

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.

We now know that this grand jury is related to the anti-ICE activism in Los Angeles that took place last summer. We also have every reason to believe that this is an attempt to re-examine the case of Alejandro Orellana, another immigrant’s rights activist who participated in the anti-ICE protests last year. Orellana was charged with conspiracy to commit civil unrest. The bogus charges were later dropped.

Nothing good comes of speaking in front of a grand jury. Grand juries, nine times out of ten, result in indictments, and they are frequently used against activists. Not testifying against one’s fellow activists can mean jail time. Those who refuse to testify in front of grand juries are heroes. We should learn from their example and exercise that kind of courage in order to protect our movements from harm.

Neither Topete nor Orellana did anything wrong by protesting against the ICE occupation of Los Angeles. Nor did Topete do anything wrong by not speaking about her activism in front of the grand jury. We ask all fair-minded people to stand with Nadia Topete. She has only ever done the right thing, which is to stand by the Chicano people and the people of Aztlán. We call upon our supporters to dial into the office of Assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat and demand, Hands Off Nadia Topete!

When: July 6, Monday, from 9am to 5pm PDT

Who: call both

1. Bilal Essayli, US Attorney Central District Office Line @ (714) 338-3500, press 0

2. Assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat @ (619) 557-5610

Script:

“I am [NAME] calling from [STATE] and I am outraged that Nadia Topete could be jailed for refusing to testify in front of a grand jury. I demand the grand jury investigation of immigrant rights activists be shut down. She did nothing wrong. Hands Off Nadia Topete!”

#InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #NadiaTopete #CSFR #CentroCSO #ImmigrantRights #Featured

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad está en solidaridad con Nadia Topete, una activista chicana por los derechos de los inmigrantes y organizadora comunitaria de Centro CSO. Nadia ha sido citada y ordenada a comparecer ante un juez y un gran jurado el miércoles 8 de julio.

El año pasado en febrero, Los Ángeles fue el epicentro de una rebelión masiva contra la ocupación de ICE y las deportaciones masivas. En julio, Alejandro ‘Alex’ Orellana fue allanado por el FBI, y el Estado intentó presentar cargos en su contra por el supuesto delito de dar cubrebocas a manifestantes que estaban siendo atacados con gas lacrimógeno y proyectiles. El movimiento se movilizó en su defensa y sus cargos fueron retirados.

Ahora el gobierno de Trump y el Departamento de Justicia (DOJ) van tras Nadia y Centro CSO para intentar nuevamente armar un caso contra organizadores de derechos de inmigrantes. ICE y la maquinaria de deportación son los verdaderos criminales aquí, y cuando van contra activistas, nosotros los respaldamos.

Los grandes jurados son una trampa: no te permiten un abogado en la sala; no puedes presentar testigos. No se te permite presentar una defensa, y el fiscal controla toda la narrativa. Son una herramienta diseñada para obligar a las personas a implicar a otros bajo la amenaza de ir a la cárcel. Las personas que resisten a los grandes jurados y a la represión del FBI son héroes.

Nadia Topete no hizo nada malo. El gobierno de Trump quiere acabar con la resistencia contra ICE y asustar a los activistas para que se sometan.

No nos vamos a echar para atrás y hacemos un llamado a todos los que creen que protestar contra ICE no es un delito a que se solidaricen con Nadia y con todos los que enfrentan la represión del FBI y del DOJ. La defensa de Nadia Topete debe ser una prioridad. Hagan que su organización publique una declaración en apoyo a ella y envíen una copia al Comité para Detener la Represión del FBI. Respondan a los llamados del Comité para Detener la Represión del FBI para las jornadas de llamadas telefónicas y los días nacionales de protesta.

Podemos y vamos a derrotar estos ataques.

¡Manos fuera de Nadia Topete!

#LosAngelesCA #CA #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #ICE

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity with Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist and community organizer with Centro CSO. Nadia has been subpoenaed, and ordered to appear before a judge and grand jury on Wednesday, July 8.

Last year in February, L.A. was the epicenter of a massive rebellion against ICE occupation and mass deportations. In July, Alejandro ‘Alex’ Orellana was raided by the FBI, and the state tried to bring charges against him for the supposed crime of giving masks to protesters who were being tear gassed and hit with projectiles. The movement mobilized in his defense and his charges were dropped.

Now the Trump administration and the DOJ are targeting Nadia and Centro CSO to take another shot at building a case against immigrant rights organizers. ICE and the deportation machine are the actual criminals here, and when they come for activists, we have their backs.

Grand juries are a trap: you don’t get a lawyer in the room; you can’t bring witnesses. You are not allowed to present a defense, and the prosecutor controls the entire narrative. They are a tool designed to force people to implicate others with the penalty of jail. People who resist grand juries and FBI repression are heroes.

Nadia Topete did nothing wrong. The trump administration wants to snuff out the resistance to ICE and scare activists into submission.

We are not backing down and call on all those who believe that protesting ICE is not a crime to stand with Nadia and all those facing FBI and DOJ repression. The defense of Nadia Topete needs to be a priority. Have your organization publish a statement in support of her and send a copy to the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Respond to the calls of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression for call-in days and national days of protest.

We can and will defeat these attacks.

Hands off Nadia Topete!

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #ICE #GrandJury

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights

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

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

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

Stop deportations!

Protesting ICE is not a crime!

#ImmigrantRights #FRSO #PoliticalRepression #ICE

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.

Press conference organizers state, “Nadia bravely refused to rat on her fellow activists who did nothing wrong, risking serious jail time. Cases of blatant political repression like this one have continued to intensify in the wake of Trump’s racist, reactionary agenda. Nadia Topete’s determination is a strong example of the people’s refusal to back down.”

At the press conference, Centro CSO member Verita Topete, Nadia’s sister and herself a victim of FBI repression, led attendees in chants of “When we fight, we win!”

“Our enemies are trying to find ways to attack us, but we won’t stand down. This is a fight we are willing to take. We will win,” said Henry Cornejo, a Teamster at UPS and member of Centro CSO.

Carlos Montes, a longtime Chicano activist and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization who has experienced political repression over the decades, said, “Federal grand juries have been used by the Trump administration to go after immigrant rights activists. We are united to denounce the use of the grand jury and the FBI by the Trump administration and the U.S. Attorney’s office to harass and intimidate activists who oppose Trump’s attacks on our immigrant community.”

In order to support Topete, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression is requesting donations: tinyurl.com/csfrdonate.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #CSFR #CentroCSO #NadiaTopete #Featured