Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Immigrant Rights

By Jackson Robak

Immigrant rights activists at the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression conference.

Chicago, IL – Over 900 people attended the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) over the course of the November 14-16 weekend, bringing together more than 30 chapters of NAARPR with over 12 chapters of the Legalization for All (L4A) network in attendance.

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By Holly Brown

Portland, OR – Tensions were high Wednesday night, November 19, as activists rallied against Councilor Angelita Morillo and Mitch Greens’ proposed Detention Facility Impact Fee, calling it a capitulation and effort to avoid revoking the ICE permit.

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By Mira Altobell-Resendez and Montana Hirsch

Protesters lock arms to block ICE raid in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

St. Paul, MN – At around 8 a.m. on November 18 immigrant rights organizations received reports of federal immigration agents staging in a public park gearing up for what turned out to be a large raid at Bro-Tex INC., a paper distributor in Saint Paul.

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By staff

Press conference demands police contract contain penalties for officers who collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement \[ICE\] or violate the city’s separation ordinance. | Lilian Anderson/Fight Back! News

Minneapolis, MN – At a packed November 14 press conference outside the Minneapolis Public Service Building, community advocates and three Minneapolis City Council members joined the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) in calling for the city’s upcoming police contract to finally include real penalties for officers who collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or violate the city’s separation ordinance.

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By Holly Brown

Portland immigrant rights movement defeats National Guard deployment, troops sent home

Portland, OR – After weeks of large mobilizations to the Portland ICE facility, a federal judge permanently blocked the deployment of the National Guard to Portland on November 7, and a top Defense Department official confirmed with media 200 California National Guard troops in Oregon will be sent home over the next few days.

Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to guard the Portland ICE facility on September 27, prompting a battle in the streets between protesters and the administration that lasted for over a month, and led to court decisions in favor of the protesters.

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By staff

Miembros de CSO OC recolectando firmas en el Día de Muertos.  |  Foto: Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste!

Santa Ana, CA – El 1 de noviembre, la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) respondió al llamado a la acción de la Red de Legalización para Todos y participó activamente en un gran evento del Día de los Muertos en el centro de Santa Ana. Cientos de Chicanos se reunieron para honrar a sus ancestros y construir grandes altares a lo largo de la Calle 4, y CSO OC los acompañó para exigir la legalización de todos los indocumentados, el cese de las deportaciones, la expulsión del ICE de los tribunales, el control comunitario de la policía y el encarcelamiento de los policías asesinos.

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By staff

Tampa protest against ending TPS for Venezuelans.

Tampa, FL – On Wednesday November 12, Tampa protesters led by Tampa Immigrant Rights Coalition (Tampa IRC) rallied in front of the Federal Courthouse to demand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) be upheld for Venezuelans and to stop the deportations. They were supported by groups like Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Food Not Bombs, and the New Era Young Lords.

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By Chiara Garcia

Tacoma protest against ICE.

Tacoma, WA – In the early afternoon of November 9, around 100 people rallied for “Masks-Off ICE” to prevent ICE and DHS from operating anonymously. The Pierce County Immigration Alliance (PCIA or La Alianza) organized to demand community accountability and spread the word about need for rapid response.

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By staff

San Jose protest against ICE deployment.

San Jose, CA – On October 23, over 200 community members rallied together at San Jose City Hall to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of over 100 ICE and CBP agents into the San Francisco Bay Area, and to demand an end to the terror inflicted on Chicano and immigrant families by ICE.

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By Lane Zeski

Día de los Muertos in Tacoma, Washington.

Tacoma, WA – On November 1, La Resistencia held its 11th annual Día de los Muertos protest and celebration in front of the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC), a privately-owned detention facility with a number of reports of human rights abuses lodged against it over its 20 years of operation.

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By Kristen Bonner

Protestantes interrumpieron un evento de la alcaldesa de DC Muriel Bowser exigiendo que su oficina cese toda cooperación con las autoridades de inmigración, la Guardia Nacional, y Trump.

Washington, D.C. – En la noche del jueves, 17 de octubre, un grupo de activistas interrumpió a la alcaldesa Muriel Bowser en una charla pública donde ella buscaba controlar la narrativa alrededor de su coordinación con la administración de Trump y las autoridades federales de inmigración.

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By staff

Protesta en Portland, Oregón exige el cierre de la instalación de ICE.

Portland, OR – A pesar de una tormenta de lluvia, cientos de residentes de Portland se movilizaron, el sábado 25 de octubre, hacia las Instalaciones de ICE en Portland para protestar en contra del despliegue de la Guardia Nacional y el aumento de los ataques de ICE, y para exigir a la ciudad que revoque el permiso de uso de suelo de la Instalación de ICE. Un manifestante fue arrestado durante el evento.

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By staff

Chicago protest demands State’s Attorney Eileen Burke stop implementing Trump's agenda. | Fight Back! News/Caeli Kean

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, November 1, over 80 community members representing 14 different organizations rallied to demand that State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill-Burke stand up to Trump’s agenda.

“What I’m watching each and every day on the television, is torture. I’m watching people that are brutalized by members of ICE while the Chicago Police Department is watching. I see those criminal charges being brought against those ICE officials for terrorizing my community. The Little Village community is my community, and I refuse to allow these people to be mistreated,” said Mark Clements of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. “We’re calling on Burke to stop playing political football with the lives of innocent people.”

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By Regina Joseph

Día de los Muertos press conference demands end to mass deportations.

Tallahassee, FL – On November 1, about 30 community members gathered at an ICE Field for a press conference on Dias De Los Muertos.

The event comes at a time when ICE has conducted thousands of raids, kidnappings and the disappearance of over 59,000 people. Since Trump’s inauguration, 25 people have died in ICE detention.

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By Rain Mendoza

CSO OC members petitioning at Dia de Los Muertos

Santa Ana, CA – On November 1, Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) responded to a call to action of the Legalization for All Network and agitated at a huge Dia de los Muertos event in downtown Santa Ana. Hundreds of Chicanos came to honor their ancestors and build huge altars along 4th Street, and CSO OC was with them to demand legalization for all of the undocumented, stop the deportations, ICE out of the courts, community control of the police, and jail killer cops.

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By Sol Márquez

Sam Carrera on the right with bullhorn at Cypress Park Home Depot, November 4.

Lincoln Heights, CA — In the early hours on November 4, an ICE raid took place at the Cypress Park Home Depot in Lincoln Heights. After the first sweep, more agents returned to do another. Only this time, Centro CSO members and other members and organizations with the Community Self Defense Coalition had arrived to protest the ICE presence.

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By staff

Dia de Los Muertos celebration in East Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, CA – On November 1, Centro CSO participated in the building of a community ofrenda (altar) at the Self Help Graphics’ 52nd annual Dia de Los Muertos Celebration in East Los Angeles. CSO’s altar honored the memories of community activists, victims of police brutality, and immigrants who have died while in ICE custody.

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By Cole Hamilton

Day of the Dead event in Detroit.

Detroit, MI — On the evening of November 1, Comité de Acción Comunitaria – Detroit, Detroit Anti-War Committee, Engineers Against Apartheid, and several other organizations came together in Southwest Detroit to build an ofrenda (traditional altar) that contained candles, portraits of those who have been lost, as well as the flags of Palestine and Venezuela.

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By Myrka Zambrano and Mira Altobell-Resendez

Immigrant rights protesters demand stronger sanctuary city measure.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 28, members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a rally outside Minneapolis City Hall, demanding stronger protections for immigrant communities. The demonstration culminated in a sit-in at Mayor Jacob Frey’s office, where 11 MIRAC members and supporters refused to leave until the mayor publicly committed to supporting their Real Sanctuary Now campaign.

The campaign calls for a significant overhaul of Minneapolis’s current “separation ordinance” – a law meant to prohibit collaboration between city employees and federal immigration enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The existing ordinance is insufficient and has repeatedly failed to protect immigrants and the Minneapolis community from federal overreach.

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By Kristen Bonner

Protesters disrupt DC Mayor Muriel Bowser event demanding her office cease all cooperation with immigration enforcement, National Guard, and Trump

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday evening, October 17, a group of activists disrupted Mayor Muriel Bowser at a speaking event in which she sought to control the narrative regarding her coordination with the Trump administration and federal immigration authorities.

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