Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Immigrant Rights

By staff

Postal workers march against ICE using post office facilities.

Minneapolis, MN- On December 14, over 100 postal workers and supporters braved subzero temperatures to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using post office parking lots as staging areas. The action was organized by rank-and-file members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 9, which represents Minneapolis workers.

Read more...

By Kayla Nguyen and Kobi Guillory

Chicago protest against ICE.

Chicago, IL – A fiery rally took place in freezing weather beside the Little Village Arch on Saturday, December 13. Protesters commemorated Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe by demanding an end to deportations and ICE abductions, justice for victims of ICE, and legalization for all immigrants living in the U.S. as a part of a national weekend of action called by the Legalization for All Network.

Read more...

By Yossi Aharoni

International Human Rights Day marked in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, MN – On December 14, a freezing cold Sunday, over 100 activists, protesters and community members gathered for an indoor rally at Salem Lutheran Church on Lyndale Avenue to commemorate International Human Rights Day in Minneapolis.

Historically this event has been a protest or march organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, but unfortunately the weather this year, nearly 0 degrees, made being outdoors nearly impossible so event organizers made the last-minute decision to hold it indoors.

Read more...

Protesters stop at the federal building on Poydras Street to denounce Trump's deportations.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, December 12, a crowd of 100 people took to the streets of downtown New Orleans to protest the ongoing “Catahoula Crunch” ICE and Border Patrol operation in Louisiana. The action was part of a regular Saturday protest schedule by the No Troops coalition, an ad-hoc group of about a dozen organizations united against Trump’s federal takeover.

Read more...

By Aedan Bennett

Tallahassee rally for International Human Rights Day.

Tallahassee, FL – On December 13, members of the Tallahassee Coalition Against Trump rallied at the Florida Capitol to condemn the attacks on Palestine and Venezuela by the Trump administration.

The inaugural rally of this new coalition happened on International Human Rights Day in response to the United States and Israel’s repeated attempts to undermine sovereignty and peace in Venezuela and Palestine. The Israeli occupation of Palestine continues in Gaza and the West Bank, as Israel violates a ceasefire they never planned to uphold.

Read more...

By staff

Orange County CSO tabling at an event honoring La Virgen de Guadalupe.

Santa Ana, CA – On the chilly evening of December 11, 100 community members came together to pray and pay homage to the patron saint la Virgen de Guadalupe. They prayed under hundreds of flowers and bright lights installed by Luis Cantabrana. He is a local Santanero, who has been turning his entire home into a beautiful altar for la Virgen de Guadalupe for 27 years. This year, despite the almost weekly raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Santa Ana, the tradition was celebrated widely.

Read more...

By Antonia Mar

Two protesters hold up signs in support of immigrants while behind them more demonstrators stand on the median of Williams Blvd proudly waving Mexican, Honduran, Dominican and American flags.

Kenner, LA – On Saturday Dec 13, another pop-up protest in Kenner, Louisiana on Williams Boulevard rallied opposition to President Trump and Governor Landry’s attacks on immigrants. The crowd began as about 20 people, ballooning to almost 100 before the evening ended.

Read more...

By Rory Macdonald

Tulane students rally against ICE on campus and Trump's regressive agenda for higher education.

New Orleans, LA — On Friday morning, December 12, students rallied outside Tulane University while a member of Together United Louisiana Students for a Democratic Society (TUL SDS) met with administration. The meeting was scheduled after students’ hand-delivered letters in November demanding Tulane reject Trump’s compact for higher education.

Read more...

By staff

Rally demands sheriff end collaboration with ICE.

Santa Rosa, CA – On December 9, community members, faith leaders and immigrant rights organizations gathered in Santa Rosa to demand an end to all cooperation between Sonoma County law enforcement and ICE. The rally came amid heightened fear in immigrant communities due to the renewed intensification of deportations.

Read more...

By staff

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson.

Portland, OR – Since the start of December, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson was confronted twice by activists from the Revoke the ICE Permit campaign over his lack of any meaningful actions against ICE.

These have been part of an ongoing effort from the campaign and Portland Contra las Deportaciones (PDXCD) to secure a meeting with him and demand an action plan for shutting down the Portland ICE facility as soon as possible.

Read more...

Denver community groups fight to shut down deportation flights.

Denver, CO – For the past month, organizers in Denver have been fighting a local airline on the issue of deportation flights.

On December 3, organizers from Aurora Unidos CSO, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Casa de Paz, and Immigrant Partnership Teams came together for an exploratory meeting with CEO of Centennial Airport, Mike Fronapfel, as well as Arapahoe County Commissioner and Vice President of the Airport Authority Board Jessica Campbell. The purpose of the meeting was to gather information about the nature of Centennial Airport’s relationship with Key Lime Air, share about the harmful, wide-ranging effects of deportation flights, and ask what steps can be taken to remove this company from the airport.

Read more...

By Sophie Breen

Immigrant rights advocates at the Minneapolis sanctuary ordinance public hearing.

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, December 9, at least 100 immigrant rights advocates packed the Minneapolis sanctuary ordinance public hearing to demand a stronger separation between the Minneapolis Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Community members witnessed the Minneapolis Police Department assist ICE in an operation in the community on June 3 and spoke up against this collaboration.

Read more...

By Holly Brown

Beaverton, Oregon students walk out of classes demanding school district take action against ICE.

Beaverton, OR – On Monday, December 8, hundreds of students walked out of class at 10 a.m. in Beaverton School District (BSD) to demand the district take steps to protect students from ICE. This comes after months of ICE activity in Beaverton, including the targeting of school bus stops by ICE agents.

Protests in Beaverton are heating up around what the community describes as a lack of response on behalf of the school district to ensure the safety of students from ICE. Two weeks earlier, parents and students held a protest at the BSD administrative office, where they were kicked off the grounds by police.

Read more...

By Peter Kellner

Minneapolis, MN – On December 8, despite subzero temperatures and snow, 300 people gathered at Mayday Plaza for a rally in solidarity with the Somali and Afghan communities in Minneapolis. The event was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition, with a wide range of grass roots organizations participating in the event.

Read more...

By staff

Rally against ICE detention of six-year-old boy. | Fight Back! News

New York, NY – On Sunday December 7, hundreds of people including parents, teachers and young students, rallied together at a public playground to demand the release of six-year-old Yuanxin Zheng, a first grader from Astoria who was recently abducted by ICE and separated from his father, who has also been detained. A day before the rally, organizers had heard from the family’s lawyer that the father, Fei Zheng, was allowed to speak with his son on the phone, but ICE still refuses to reveal the location of Yuanxin.

Read more...

By staff

Human Rights Day march in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, December 7, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) hosted a commemoration of International Human Rights Day, answering the national call for a week of action by the Anti-War Action Network. International Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948.

The event began with a march, followed by a program portion featuring a panel of local organizers, a keynote speaker, and the presentation of the 4th annual Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award.

Read more...

By staff

Activist Mich Gonzales gives public comment at city council meeting demanding no collaboration with ICE.

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday December 4, a crowd of 30 people packed the city council chamber to demand that the city stand up against ICE and Border Patrol operations in the city.

Operation “Swamp Sweep” began in New Orleans and surrounding areas this past Monday, December 1. A host of federal agents have descended on the city, including Gregory Bovino, chief of Border Patrol operations, who also made stops in Chicago and Charlotte earlier this year.

Read more...

By staff

Protesters march up Poydras Street in downtown New Orleans towards City Hall.

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, December 1, 100 people rallied in Lafayette Square and marched to City Hall in the pouring rain to oppose Trump’s latest assault on immigrants in Louisiana, dubbed Operation “Swamp Sweep.”

December 1 marked the first day of Swamp Sweep, an anti-immigrant operation that has sent 250 federal agents to Louisiana – specifically to New Orleans and surrounding areas – attempting to make 5000 arrests. This operation mirrors similar federal deployments in cities such as Washington D.C., Memphis and Charlotte. Like other cities, New Orleans showed up to resist the crackdown.

Read more...

By Kobi Guillory

Chicago Black Friday, "Tax the Greed, Fund the Need"

Chicago IL – 150 Chicagoans gathered downtown in the biting cold on Black Friday to say, “Tax the greed! Fund the need!” From a wide range of communities, they gathered to speak up for working and oppressed people. They stood united on a broad platform of demands including higher taxes on the rich, more funding for public services, and an end to Trump’s reactionary agenda.

Read more...

By Yunqing Zheng

Tampa street corner, "No deportations!"

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, November 29, Tampa community members rallied in solidarity with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients impacted by a Texas ruling. They also rallied against the Trump agenda.

Protesters stood on the street corner and loudly chanted, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state!” and “Trump escucha! Estamos en la lucha!” Many passersby and drivers shouted support and honked. People held signs in English and Spanish that read, “Stop the deportations,” “Legalization for all” and “Uphold DACA.”

Read more...