Los Angeles, CA – On April 12 and 13 immigrant rights activists and organizations will be convening at the Emergency Southwest Summit Against Deportations in the historic Chicano community of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California.

This Emergency Southwest Summit is an opportunity for immigrant rights activists to come together in the Southwest, historically significant for Chicanos and Mexicanos, to share lessons on how to organize and successfully fight back against Trump’s and ICE attacks.

Since Trump’s Inauguration, there has been a surge of militant protests and struggle throughout the country, and masses of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans have taken to the streets to fight the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.

Grassroots and community activists have fought against ICE attacks, leading thousands in marches in cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis and San José. Students have joined mass high school walkouts. Rapid response networks and neighborhood defense groups have sprung into action to keep community members safe from ICE.

The Emergency Southwest Summit Against Deportations will take place over the course of two days on April 12 and 13. This summit is sponsored by Centro CSO, the La Mesa Brown Berets, MEchA Santee HS, and Legalization for All Network. We are calling on all immigrant rights activists in the Southwest and nationwide to join us. We must oppose the use of ICE and the threat of deportations in the U.S. Trump's attacks against undocumented immigrants are a threat to all whether we are immigrants, Chicano, Mexicano or Central American. Build the movement against Trump. No deportations!

Speakers at the summit will include Carlos Montes, lifelong activist in the Chicano movement; Luna Baez, daughter of detained Colorado community activist Jeanette Viguerra; Elvira Arellano, Chicago sanctuary activist, and Amerika Garcia Grewal of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition.

Register online at: https://tinyurl.com/summitagainstdeportations

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #L4A #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – “We set big goals and surpass them, whether that is buying a building, or expanding rapidly in new cities all across the country,” said Sydney Loving of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Central Committee. “To make the next qualitative leap in our work and shore up our hard-won achievements, we need to raise $100,000 during this fund drive. We plan to put these funds towards paying off our new building.”

Members of FRSO districts are sitting down and going through the people they know who can donate and making plans to reach out. Denver FRSO has set the goal of raising $10,000 for the drive. In ambition alone, New Orleans would not be outdone – they set an even higher goal of $15,000.

The Minneapolis district has already taken off running. After hosting just one event, they've raised $2700 already, specifically for the upkeep of the FRSO building, the Lucy Parsons Center.

FRSO is embroiled in several heated battles against Trump's racist, reactionary agenda. More people are writing to us every day, motivated to change this world in which we have so little to lose.

“There is no better time to be in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and there is no better cause to donate to. We will succeed at this drive, we will succeed at building a party, and we will do our part to usher in a new world out of the ashes of the old,” states Loving.

You can donate to the FRSO $100k Fund Drive by clicking here.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #FRSO #FundDrive2025 #Featured

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, March 20, postal workers in Los Angeles joined a national day of action to protest against the government’s threat to privatize the U.S. Postal Service. The theme of the protest was “U.S. mail is not for sale.”

Workers from various postal locations rallied and marched at the entrance and along the sidewalk at a post office on Central Avenue, waving homemade signs at the cars passing by and handing out informational flyers to workers who were walking into the station.

The day of action comes after the Trump administration has threatened to transfer the U.S. Postal Service, which currently operates as an independent agency under the executive branch, to the control of the Commerce Department. This could allow for privatization, which would likely raise prices and limit access to services in certain areas.

“Rain, sleet or snow the mail always goes,” said Tarsha Davis, a four-year USPS worker and American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 64 shop steward who works out of the Central Avenue building, “I’m here to protect the postal service, to make sure the people still have the service as well as employees having their jobs. Family and homes are gonna be affected in so many ways, whether it’s workers getting a check in the mail or people receiving the mail.”

Workers are concerned that if the USPS were to be privatized, the service would be motivated by profits rather than providing an essential service. Tyatta Jordan, an 18-year USPS worker and APWU Local 64 shop steward said, “U.S. mail is not for sale. We have to protect the people’s post office. We want to make sure that we keep our jobs, we want to keep it a public service and we don’t want to turn it into a business where they raise prices.”

Jordan is also concerned that privatization would threaten the rights they have as union workers, stating, “It can affect our union because if we go private they can lay off people, they can get rid of our CBA [collective bargaining agreement] and union all together. Without the union we stand no chance.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Labor #Featured

Aurora CO – On March 17, at 11 p.m., a growing crowd of around 40 community members gathered outside the GEO Group ICE Processing Center in Aurora for a vigil to protest the unjust detention of Jeanette Vizguerra. Among those present are activists, a news crew, indigenous people burning sacred herbs, and the family members of Vizguerra.

Vizguerra is an undocumented community organizer and has long been a champion of people’s freedom. Her consistent support of people’s struggles has led a variety of supporters to come to her aid, and protest ICE and its attempts to tear her away from her family.

Alfredo Carbajal, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO described the vigil, saying, “It was very somber, obviously the family was having a rough go of it, not knowing whether she’s doing okay. It seemed very sad, but they were grateful to have folks show up in support.”

Vizguerra was abducted by ICE from her place of work without warning. ICE appears to be ready to deport her, even though the agency does not have a valid deportation order. Though her attorneys have raised these violations of law, ICE ripped her from her family and the community.

Vizguerra was taken to the GEO Group ICE Processing Center, an ICE prison located in Aurora, Colorado at 3130 Oakland Street. The GEO Group facility has been the subject of multiple large protests over the last few months, with families of those being held there reporting that their loved ones are being “treated like animals,” and subjected to solitary confinement.

One participant in the vigil was Daranee Teng, an educator by trade and an organizer with Shoes Off Collective, an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community organization. Tang stated, “I’ve worked for many years on the North Side of Denver with undocumented students, and I remember in 2013 when ICE came after Jeanette, and I remember in 2017 when she took sanctuary in churches.” Tang continued, “I know there are folks that don’t like that she speaks out, but I think that’s what we need more of.”

Those gathered in front of the GEO Group building kept watch over the possible exits where Vizguerra could be taken, wary that she might be transported in the dead of night and disappeared to another facility or deported. Organizing into shifts to watch the gates through the night and into the next day, the community is preparing to stand firm.

ICE and the Aurora Police Department have worked together in open violation of Colorado law. According to the Colorado ACLU, “State law additionally prohibits depriving a person of their liberty on the basis of a suspected civil immigration violation in the absence of a warrant signed by a judge.”

Vizguerra is an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and does not hesitate to oppose the U.S. war machine. It is clear that the illegal detention of Jeanette Vizguerra is politically motivated, as she has long been a resident of Colorado, living and working here but also participating in the people’s struggle for freedom from oppression.

Vizguerra’s family and community are concerned for her safety inside the GEO Detention Center. They are demanding that ICE reestablish communication between Vizguerra and her family, so that they can know she’s safe.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantsRights #CSO #ShoesOffCollective #Featured

The political climate in this country is sharpening, and we are headed into battles on many fronts. We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization are going to rise to every challenge standing strong, united, and prepared. This past year, we achieved a monumental goal: we purchased a building. This accomplishment is a beacon of change and a testament to our determination—when we say we’re going to do something, we do it.

We said we would secure headquarters, and we did. Now, we are saying we will build a new communist party in the United States, and we intend to do just that.

Capitalism’s failures are undeniable, and these days the decline of the U.S. Empire is on full display. That this system can’t be saved is good news: we need a revolutionary solution, and an organization that’s up to the task.

Our building is a brick-and-mortar symbol of the advances we’ve made in party building and our growing capacity to organize—in the trade union movement, in the struggle against police crimes and war, in the fight for immigrants rights, and in many other fronts of the people’s movements. Our growth is accelerating, and it’s far from over.

To future-proof our gains and make our headquarters a permanent asset, we intend to make major headway in paying off our building. This $100K Fund Drive is a critical step toward that goal. We know that the Trump administration is targeting our movements, and this fundraiser is about laying down walls and digging moats to protect what we’ve built. No hostile political climate or administration should ever have the power to take it away from us.

This is a call to action for every FRSO member, supporter, and ally. We have proven time and again that when we unite behind a common goal, we can make huge strides forward. Your support will help us secure our headquarters and fortify our movement for the battles ahead.

Let’s come together to make this fund drive a resounding success. Let’s show that our movement is built on solid ground and ready to weather any storm.

The time is now. Donate today at frso.org/donate and be part of this historic effort to secure our future!

#FRSO #Statement #FundDrive #PeoplesStruggles #Featured

St. Paul, MN – More than 170 immigrant rights supporters mobilized to the Minnesota State Capitol on March 12 to oppose HF 16, a proposed anti-immigrant bill. The bill would prohibit sanctuary-type ordinances in Minnesota’s cities and counties, which would separate local law enforcement from federal immigration enforcement. Minneapolis and Saint Paul have long-standing separation ordinances. The bill would also require all of Minnesota’s county attorneys to notify federal immigration authorities when an undocumented person is arrested.

The House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee held the legislature’s first hearing on the bill. Community members packed room 120 in the capitol building for the hearing, while also filling the hallway outside, as well as an overflow room on the third floor. Additionally, according to the North Star Alliance, more than 580 people sent letters to their representatives in opposition to the bill.

Several members of immigrant rights organizations gave testimony to the committee on why the bill is harmful and should not be passed. These included members of SEIU Local 26, Advocates for Human Rights, MN8, the North Star Alliance, and others.

Montha Chum of MN8 told the committee, “All we’ve ever dreamed of is to be in a peaceful and safe world. Many immigrants came here because they yearn for safety. However, ICE detention and deportation reflects the cruel conditions of war-time concentration camps and are parallel to the extreme violence we once fled from.”

Despite this mobilization, the committee, which has a slight Republican majority, passed the bill on a party-line vote. This moves the bill forward to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee, which is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill on March 17. The companion bill in the Senate, SF 643, has not yet received a hearing.

Immigrant rights organizers vowed to continue to mobilize opposition to the bill at the March 17 hearing and any future hearings.

#StPaulMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #featured

On Saturday, March 8, Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents seized and detained a prominent Palestinian student leader at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, despite his immigration status as a legal permanent resident. There are no grounds for the arrest, except that Khalil stood up for Palestine during the spring 2024 Columbia encampment for Gaza. Khalil is being illegally detained in the 2nd District in Louisiana.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the detention of Khalil and demands his release immediately. We will be joining protests across the U.S and call on everyone to join us!

We see this as a gross attack on free speech and the campus movement for Palestine. This comes hot on the heels of Trump cutting $400 million of federal funding to Columbia University after an investigation of so-called anti-Semitism – or what is in reality a hunt for the students who have organized major protests for Palestine.

Using the Office of Civil Rights and a new Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Trump has his goons visiting schools around the country (ten so far)  to carry out similar investigations. School administrators have already carried out mass suspensions, expulsions and even forced deportations of pro-Palestine students in the past year. Trump wants to double down on this attitude and defund higher education at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

Khalil's arrest has outraged people all around the country. 14 members of Congress signed a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding his release, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation process. Even if people disagree about events in the Middle East, it is clear that the right to discuss Palestine is being criminalized. But, it is only right and just for students to talk about the 45,000 deaths, the millions displaced, and the countless atrocities committed by Israel. These crimes are bankrolled by the U.S.

We will oppose Trump's agents and all complicit university administrators. We demand freedom for Khalil. We will raise hell until he is out. And we will not tolerate the arrest of any more Palestinians, pro-Palestine youth, or campus activists. Israel has no right to exist, and it exists on stolen land and borrowed time. More and more people realize this every day. And in the end, no Trump task force or ICE agent will be able to defeat the determination of the people to see a free Palestine.

#AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #MahmoudKhalil #Featured

In the first two weeks of his Presidency, Trump has unleashed a highly publicized campaign to deport Chicanos, Mexicanos, Central Americans and others. While he claims to be targeting criminals, the most recent raid in Denver, CO, had officials stopping everyone in the neighborhood and asking for documents. In addition, Trump has also cancelled Temporary Protected Status or TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelans and tried to restrict birthright citizenship granted in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trump has even started shipping detainees to the Guantanamo military base in Cuba, isolating them from family, friends, or any legal support.

But where there is oppression there is resistance! A history-making wave of protest from coast to coast and border to border surged, led by Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. Multiple walkouts by high school students, protests on freeways, and arrests with the demand of “No deportations!” have taken the movement to a new level. In the wake of this wave of struggle, courts have begun to suspend some of Trump’s most illegal acts, such as restricting birthright citizenship.

This mass movement has also stiffened the spine of some Democrats, who were largely demoralized by Trump’s victory in November. While we want to build the broadest possible fight against Trump and his attacks, including Democrats, they are in no position to lead. When they controlled Congress and the White House they twice failed to pass any legalization bill, and too many of them voted for the anti-immigrant Laken Riley bill.

At the core of this growing immigrant rights movement are Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. These communities are some 70% of the undocumented, are concentrated in and around the oppressed Chicano Nation in the Southwest, and are overwhelmingly working class and most willing to fight. At the same time, we need to unite with everyone targeted by the Trump administration, from Haitians to Venezuelans.

No to Deportations!

Que Viva La Raza! Chicano Power!

Build the Fight Against the Trump Attacks!

#ImmigrantRights #Trump #FRSO #Statement #Featured

Tallahassee, FL – On September 12, in the face of threats from their university administration, more than 15 students at Florida State University gathered to defy this blatant political repression and to reaffirm their commitment to the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Led by Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the students demanded that FSU divest from war profiteers who fund the genocide in Palestine and made it clear that this new wave of reactionary attacks against the student movement will never silence the voice of a generation. The students were joined by members of community organizations, and their speeches were heard by hundreds of rally attendees and passersby.

Speakers stressed the humanitarian crisis which the Zionist entity has created in Palestine, and the role FSU plays in it. Despite students demanding divestment, FSU’s engineering school remains partnered with Boeing, a notorious arms manufacturer who builds weapons of war for the Israeli apartheid state. “Don’t forget that this campus supports [the genocidal Israeli] regime with its financial and academic resources, directing graduates to build bombs for Boeing,” an SDS member told listeners.

After arresting five pro-Palestinian protestors in Spring, FSU is attempting to silence all activism on campus, banning SDS from holding events on campus and threatening student organizers with expulsion and legal action.

“Instead of listening to us, instead of giving any room for meaningful dialogue, they suppress free speech. They don’t let us flyer! They don’t let us use amplified sound! They wanna kick us off this campus! They want it so our presence isn’t known,” said Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Joelle Nuñez. “And why does the university do this, why now? Because they’re afraid! They’re afraid of how this looks on them! They’re afraid that we’re exposing their genocide!”

“It’s not right that educational institutions like FSU try to suppress our right to protest against these injustices. There are plaques right outside [the HCB building] honoring the protests against the Vietnam war – yet peaceful protests calling for safety in Palestine are disrupted by arrests and counter-protestors,” said a member of the Kabataan Alliance, a Filipino advocacy organization. “How can we truly learn to be better if FSU stifles efforts like this, if FSU continues to fund the genocide in Palestine, where the total decimation of the country has prevented about 600,000 students from returning to school?”

Despite the University’s attempts to break their spirit, the student movement lives on in Tallahassee. To stay updated about future events, visit @tallysds on Instagram.

The rally was supported by Tallahassee SDS, the Kabataan Alliance, Food Not Bombs, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC).

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #Featured

Maple Grove, MN – As Gazans exit 2023 under siege, suffering from grief, starvation and ongoing bombings by the Israeli occupation forces, 1000 people demonstrated at the Arbor Lakes Mall in Maple Grove on New Years Eve. The protest was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition to disrupt “New Year as usual” in an effort to galvanize further action in support of their resolution for 2024: freedom from genocide and Israeli occupation in Palestine.

The death toll from the Israeli apartheid government’s genocidal campaign in Gaza is now higher than 21,000 people. The Biden administration continues to fund Israel’s aggression while simultaneously blocking and voting against any ceasefire measures at the United Nations.

After a rally outside the shopping area protesters marched through the outdoor mall with chants of “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping!” and “Free free Palestine!”

Samantha Alsadi, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, attended the protest, “It felt pretty powerful to be in such a large group and chant “While you're shopping, bombs are dropping” as we marched through the shopping center today. The people shopping at Arbor Lakes Mall had no choice but to see and hear us and hopefully think twice about the genocide that our country is funding. I think we sent a clear message today – there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.”

The protest was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition and will be followed by a week of action. The week of action was initiated by U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for a Democratic Society, and the National Alliance Against Political and Racist Repression. For more information about the actions go to USPCN.org/weekofaction24.

#MapleGroveMN #International #Palestine #AntiWar #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition #USPCN #Featured

Fight Back! is circulating the following call for solidarity from the Legalization for All Network.

Show Your Support for Immigrants at the Border

The Legalization for All Network is calling on all who are interested in showing support for the undocumented, to make a short 30-second video. Legalization for All Network (L4A) is a national movement challenging the oppressive and harmful policies of Operation Lone Star. Operation Lone Star was created in 2021 and uses various tactics to further militarize the U.S./México border. It is the joining of forces between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department. Under Governor Greg Abbott in July of 2023, $1million buoys were dropped in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo waters. These buoys are equipped with razor-sharp saws, chained to the bottom of the river (so they are immobile), and wrapped with concertina wire. While the buoys are dangerous and have already claimed lives, continued efforts have been to also remove the longstanding concertina wire along the river.

The latest request for video solidarity is in support of the people of Eagle Pass, Texas. They are organizing against human rights violations at the border. All are asked to give voice to and demand justice and peace for immigrants and border communities. L4A wants to see and hear messages of support, stories of resistance, and visions of change.

Videos will be spliced together by Jordan Peña from Los Angeles’ Centro Community Service Organization, and the video will be played during a vigil. The vigil will be held on October 23rd, for the lives lost at the Eagle Pass/Mexican border. It is being led by the coalition Border Vigil, which is part of L4A.

Videos should be submitted by Monday, October 16th, by emailing LegalizationForAll@gmail.com. They should be no longer than 30 seconds. Videos should mention the recent atrocities at the border, shout support for Eagle Pass, and use the legalization for all demand. Any language, style, or format is allowed, as long as it is respectful and relevant. Organization shirts are welcome. Filming should be done preferably outside or at city landmarks. All devices or platforms are allowed, such as phones, cameras, laptops, or social media. Participants are asked to tag Legalization for All or direct message a link to videos.

Go here for complete video instructions and guidelines.

For organizations and individuals interested in joining L4A visit @LegalizationForAll on social media or email LegalizationForAll@gmail.com.

#ImmigrantRights #L4A #USMexicoBorder #Featured