President-elect Donald Trump has promised a new level of repression against undocumented immigrants in the U.S., 70% of whom are Mexican and Central American. Throughout his campaign for president, Trump has targeted Mexican immigrants with racist attacks, calling them drug dealers, criminals and rapists. His new “Contract with the American Voter” describing his 100-day action plan follows through his campaign promises.
Tampa, FL – Over 200 people gathered here, Nov. 10, at the Sam Gibbons Courthouse in downtown Tampa to protest the President-elect Donald Trump. The action was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Thousands of protesters took to the streets here, at 8 p.m., Nov. 9, chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!” and “Women's rights are human rights,” and “He’s not our president!” Protesters climbed buildings at the Civic Center and waved Mexican flags.
Saint Paul, MN – Over 100 people converged Nov. 3 at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office at Fort Snelling to protest the pending deportations of loved ones to Cambodia. Eight Cambodian refugee men from Minnesota have been targeted for deportation because of old criminal convictions. All served their sentences and had moved on with their lives when they were apprehended by ICE and processed for deportation. “My husband hasn’t even been to Cambodia,” said Jenny Srey, wife of Ched Nin, 36, one of the men targeted. “He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and grew up in Minnesota. He has a Minnesotan accent. He belongs here with us.”
Minneapolis, MN – Around 200 people packed Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota Oct. 20 to hear from the families of eight Minnesota men who are currently detained by immigration officials and facing the threat of deportation to Cambodia. The families called for the release of the Minnesota 8 and an end to unjust deportations. The event also featured the documentary Sentenced Home, which tells the stories of several men who have already been deported to Cambodia.
Tucson, AZ – Hundreds of activists from across the country convened in southern Arizona for this year’s School of the Americas Watch: Converge on the U.S./Mexico Border. The event was held on Oct. 7-8 to bring attention to U.S. wars and intervention in Latin America, the continued militarization of the Mexico border, the pressing refugee crisis, and the criminalization and incarceration of undocumented migrants.
Tucson, AZ – On Sept. 30, Tucson’s immigrant rights action committee L.U.P.E (Spanish acronym for United Struggle of Parents and Students) held its monthly Cultura Nights event.
Houston, TX – Donald Trump faced a spirited protest outside the Omni Hotel in Houston on Sept. 17. Trump was speaking to a hate based anti-immigrant group called the Remembrance Project.
Minneapolis, MN – A hundred people rallied in Minneapolis Sept. 14, calling for a stop to the deportation of several Twin Cities-area Cambodian (Khmer) refugees who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Detroit, MI – Rasmea Odeh, a survivor of vicious torture at the hands of the Israeli military, will be compelled to undergo hours of psychological evaluation by a government forensic examiner, according to a ruling by federal Judge Gershwin Drain. Drain cancelled a Sept. 22 hearing on the matter in Detroit, where supporters from across the Midwest had planned to join Odeh.