Guillermo has been an active member of his community in Chicago for over two years. As a member of the Autonomous Tenants Union, he has helped many of his neighbors facing evictions or other housing problems. He has played a major role in protecting & empowering immigrant and working class people in the Albany Park neighborhood and city of Chicago as a whole. Guillermo’s social justice work has been all-volunteer, and is motivated by his passion for community. He is a trusted and loyal neighbor, colleague, and friend. In addition to his volunteer community work, Guillermo worked hard to support his family, who depend on him for income. He had temporarily moved to Jacksonville to pursue a work opportunity, and since his detainment his primary concern has been the well being of his family. Please sign this petition to demand his release on bond so he can leave detention as soon as possible.

The Trump administration is using ICE to target people in cities that they consider Sanctuary. Although according to our communities, Chicago has a long way to go, we are on the Federal Government's target list. We want to make sure that if the Mayor of Chicago and City Council have information about imminent raids, that they make that information public, and allow our communities to protect themselves.

[ESPAÑOL ABAJO] BACKGROUND As a result of years of organizing against the harmful cooperation between ICE and law enforcement, in 2013, Connecticut made progress by passing the TRUST ACT, which prohibits local and state law enforcement from holding individuals so that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) could arrest them. In 2015, the Department of Correction amended Administrative Directive 9.3. to further limited the cooperation between DOC staff and ICE. However, both the Trust Act and the Administrative Directive contain many loopholes which still allow law enforcement to hold people at the request of ICE without due process. Courts all over the country have held that holding an individual solely on the basis of an immigration detainer (which is a request not a warrant) is unconstitutional. Furthermore, the state of Connecticut is continuing to misuse resources and undermine trust between local communities and law enforcement. Connecticut officers are still heavily communicating with ICE about release dates, immigration status and other personal information. This discretion has proven extremely problematic especially because it ultimately leads to the individual’s arrest. We have proven cases of people all over the state who have been violently removed from our communities because they had some interaction with the justice system and staff (either DOC, Judicial Marshals, State Police, Probation Officers, etc.) were complicit in their arrest by ICE. Most recently, the staff at York Correctional delayed a bond out process while they communicated with ICE in order to transfer custody of two immigrant women. Finally, we must stop the ICE from entering DOC facilities and Judicial Marshal holding cells. ICE agents are using deceptive practices to elicit information to arrest individuals and place them in removal proceedings. Individuals in custody have reported that ICE agents questioned them without identifying themselves as such, or, worse still, completely misrepresenting their identity. This type of enforcement creates mistrust, stress, and anxiety in people under our state custody and should have no place in our state. WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH: For that reason, we support reforming the Connecticut Trust Act in the 2018 Connecticut Legislative Session. Among some of the changes to the Trust Act include: 1) stop honoring immigration detainers unless they are accompanied by a judicial warrant; 2) communication between ICE and our state law enforcement should be limited; 3)ICE interrogations and interviews should not take place inside our DOC facilities. The Trump administration is doubling down its efforts to persecute our friends and neighbors. As a state, we can do more to protect all of our residents. We urge members of the Connecticut General Assembly to support and protect the immigrant community in Connecticut by supporting the 2018 Trust Act. ------------------------- Como resultado de años de lucha donde la comunidad se organizó en contra de la cooperación dañina entre la migra y la policía local, en el 2013 Connecticut dio un paso adelante pasando la Ley de Confianza. Esta ley prohíbe que la policía y otros oficiales detuvieran a las personas para que la migra los arrestara. En el 2015, el Departamento de Corrección enmendó su Directriz Administrativa 9.3 para limitar aún más la cooperación entre los empleados del departamento e Inmigración. Sin embargo, tanto la Ley de Confianza como la Directriz Administrativa contienen varios tecnicismos que permiten que la policía aguante a algunas personas para que Inmigración los arreste sin el debido proceso de ley. Varias cortes en todo el país han confirmado que detener a personas solo en respuesta a lo que se conoce como un “immigration hold/detainer” es inconstitucional. Además, el estado de Connecticut continua mal utilizando recursos del estado y como consecuencia socavando la confianza entre las comunidades locales y la policía. La policía en Connecticut se está comunicando con inmigración frecuentemente. Particularmente les dejan saber las fechas de liberación, el estatus migratorio y otra información personal. Esta discreción ha sido extremadamente problemática ya que ha llevado eventualmente a que se le arreste a la persona. Conocemos de casos por todo el estado donde a las personas se les ha removida de nuestra comunidad ya que han tenido algún tipo de interacción con el Sistema Judicial y sus empleados (ya sea por medio del Departamento de Corrección, los Marshals Judiciales, la Policía Estatal y Oficiales de Probatoria). Recientemente, los empleados de la prisión de York retrasaron el pago de una fianza de dos mujeres inmigrantes con el simple propósito de que la migra se las llevara. Finalmente, debemos exigir que la migra deje de entrar en las prisiones del Departamento de Corrección y las cárceles de los Marshals Judiciales. Los agentes de inmigración utilizan prácticas engañosas para obtener información de las personas y arrestarlas. Individuos que han estado en las cárceles de Connecticut han reportado que los agentes de Inmigración los interrogaron sin identificarse, o, peor aún, se hicieron pasar por otra persona. Este tipo de práctica crear desconfianza, estrés, y ansiedad en las personas que están bajo la custodia del estado y no deben llevarse a cabo en nuestro estado. Por esta razón, apoyamos reformar el Acta de Confianza en la Sesión Legislativa 2018 de Connecticut. Algunos de los cambios que se proponen son: 1) dejar de honrar los “immigration detainers” a menos que vengan acompañados de una orden de arresto firmada por un juez ;) la comunicación entre la migra y la policía debe ser limitada; 2) Las interrogaciones de la Migra no deben llevarse a cabo en las prisiones del Departamento de Corrección.

Sergio has invoices, photos, emails and text messages with Curt from Magnum Fine Homes that show he and his co-workers painted at least three homes for them in 2016, and he says he still hasn't been paid. We won't let employers in our community treat immigrant workers this way. // Sergio tiene facturas, fotos, correos electrónicos y mensajes de texto con Curt de Magnum Fine Homes que muestran que él y sus compañeros de trabajo les pintaron al menos tres casas en 2016, y él dice que todavía no le han pagado. No permitiremos que los empleadores de nuestra comunidad traten a los trabajadores inmigrantes de esta manera.

Through organizing to defend Washington-based organizer and undocumented mother, Maru Mora-Villalpando, we found documents that show that the WA Department of Licensing (DOL) shared her personal information, including a copy of her driver's license, with ICE. Last month, the WA state DOL admitted to giving ICE information on undocumented immigrants "20 or 30 times per month” without requiring a criminal warrant. WA-DOL information sharing has exposed a tremendous weakness in the state’s laws and policies, including last year's executive order by the governor's office. WA-DOL information sharing has affected many lives. The State of Washington has a responsibility to the people who were affected.

On January 31, Jose “Ivan” Nuñez was attending his marriage interview at USCIS with his husband Paul fully expecting to be in and out of the office. Paul and Ivan are in love and have been married since April 9th, 2016. What should have been a dream come true ended in a nightmare. In the middle of his interview ICE agents stormed into the interview and handcuffed him without warning. Now, instead of spending this Valentine's Day with his husband, Ivan is spending it at the York County Detention Center and at risk of being deported. If he was to be deported back to Mexico, Ivan’s life would be in jeopardy due to his sexuality. His sister, who is also queer, is currently in hiding with her partner back home and close friends of the family have been severely assaulted for their sexual orientation. As of January 13th, USCIS has deemed Ivan and Paul’s marriage petition valid and Ivan has passed his Reasonable Fear interview, meaning there is no reason why he should still be in detention. On this Valentine’s Day we ask you to sign this petition in support of Ivan, in support of Paul, and in support of their love Love, GALAEI & Juntos Dear Judge___________ I am writing this letter in support of Jose “Ivan” Nunez. As you are aware, Ivan is a Mexican immigrant who fled his hometown to seek asylum from the potential homophobic violence he would receive because of his sexual orientation. Ivan has found happiness and tranquility with his husband Paul here in Pennsylvania. Ivan was detained by ICE while attending his marriage interview at the USCIS building on January 31, 2018 and has been detained at the York County Detention Center since. By detaining Ivan and potetionally deporting him, Ivan’s wellbeing and safety will be jeopardized. Ivan fled his hometown in Mexico due to fear of being harmed. Ivan’s sister, who is also gay, is currently in hiding due to the same fears and he has close friends who have been assaulted for being gay. I ask that you release Ivan on bond and allow him to be reunited with his husband Paul. Thank you for your time and consideration In Solidarity,

If Karen Moses and the Albuquerque Journal are truly interested in showcasing differing points of view, they will act to immediately ensure editorial cartoonists of color have the same access to their readers as the cartoonist whose racist cartoon they recently published.

We could not be prouder of our Eagles for bringing home the Super Bowl Championship to Philly this year. We stand with every Philadelphian when we say we are overwhelmed to be from Philly today. As we prepare to celebrate we would like to ask our Eagles team to stand with Philadelphia by declining as a team any invite from Trump and boycotting the White House. Stand in unity with the thousands of immigrants in Philadelphia who love you and the millions more across the country who have been criminalized by this president. Stand with the overwhelming number of Philadelphia residents that have been incarcerated, detained, been put on probation or held down by an unjust criminal justice system. Stand with our brothers and sisters from Haiti, El Salvador and other Black and Brown nations who have been insulted by this president time and time again. And make a statement against police brutality by taking a metaphorical knee by not going to the White House. President Trump and Jeff Sessions have targeted Philadelphia since they entered into office for our Sanctuary City status, deportations have risen by over 30% in our city and thousands of men and women are reeling from a criminal system that profits off of their incarceration. Show them that you stand with Philly by refusing the invitation to the White House. #BoycottTheWhiteHouse #Not1More #FreeMeek

Benjamin has been a productive and beloved member of the community in Springfield, KY. He has been a worker, a leader and a foreman, and has been given and has proven himself worthy of responsibility on large farms, primarily in the tobacco industry. It was on a day that Benjamin had stopped to collect workers for the farm that ICE agents appeared and pulled him from the life and family he'd known for more than a decade, throwing him in prison like a common criminal. Benjamin is a hard worker and a respected leader. He has never been accused or convicted of a crime in the US or Mexico. Benjamin has lived primarily in the US since the latter 1990s. He came here to work, and to escape the violence of his state, Veracruz, where he was shot, "mistakenly" and almost killed by the police, who are in cahoots with the cartels. He has lived here continuously for 11 years, and has been married to an American citizen, Pansy Coleman Valdez, for 12 years. Together, they have a foster daughter, Keeland, who is twelve years old. Keeland loves her "Big Daddy" so much that she convinced Pansy and Benjamin to have a vow renewal, all decked out like a second wedding, because she had missed the first. And for her, their little "Pupcake," they will do anything! She had her own "wedding dress!" Benjamin's life is centered around his family, his church, his garden, and helping others. Even while imprisoned these six months, he has practiced his faith and forbearance by teaching Bible lessons and hymns to other inmates. Meanwhile, he has been denied his medications and has been without his C-Pap machine which he needs for sleep Apnea and asthma. He has lost sixty pounds while in prison. After he was taken away, I went over to see if I could help with his garden, and I was astounded. It was the most well-tended, productive, and organized garden I'd seen outside of grand estates. Clearly, Benjamin had spent countless hours lovingly tending it. What I learned only recently is that this whole area had been covered with scrubby trees and that Benjamin had cleared them all before he had even started the garden, which covered an acre or more. He had not seen his wife and daughter for almost six months, as Pansy does not drive out of the state. Benjamin has been the provider as well as the emotional support for his small family. He stood by Pansy as she cared for her dying mother for several years. He is a devoted father to Keeland, who is suffering from his loss, especially since her birth mother died in the Fall of 2017 from a drug overdose. Keeland already suffers from numerous developmental delays and emotional traumas caused during her early years, including RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder.) Pansy is unable to work outside the home due to disability. There is no question of them going to Mexico, even to visit. They cannot take Keeland out of the country, due to the permanent custody agreement. Furthermore, as Benjamin has argued, his home state is by far the most dangerous, and he has a certainty that, having lived in the US for so long, he will be targeted for kidnapping or ransom. Not only do Pansy and "Pupcake" need Benjamin, they love him with all their hearts. To send him away would be a grave injustice and would do great harm to his family.

Roger C Rocha Jr., the President of LULAC just wrote a letter congratulating white supremacist Trump for “setting out a reasonable framework on immigration reform and border security.” LULAC has proven their time is up and it’s time to go. Sign this petition and demand that LULAC stop aligning with white supremacy, attempting to speak for our people, and keep their respectability-vendido-outdated selves out of issues and those of the people they have never represented.

Philadelphia has won back local control of our School Board after almost two decades of state control over our public schools. For too many years our families have felt powerless in trying to improve our schools but now we see an opportunity for change. As the city and our Mayor prepare to appoint new School Board members we must ensure that the voices of those most impacted by an unjust and unequal education system are at the forefront of how decisions are made. Philadelphia is home to tens of thousands of immigrants and their voice and vote MUST be a part of this new school board if we wish to call ourselves a welcoming city. That is why we ask that you sign this petition in support of having two amazing immigrant rights leaders, Olivia Ponce and Edgar Villegas, appointed to our next school board so they can represent our community with their voice and with a power to vote on decisions that will affect our everyday lives. Olivia Ponce is an is an immigrant mother from Mexico of two and community leader in South Philadelphia. She has a daughter who graduated from the School District of Philadelphia and has a son who is a freshman at Central High School. As such, she has experienced first hand the hurdles faced by many immigrant families in our city. In 2012 while her son's elementary school was slated for closure, she helped lead organizing efforts to keep her son's school open. Eventually his school was closed but it was her leadership along with many others that prevented many other schools from closing that year. She has passionately fought for language access in schools, more equitable funding for children of color, ending the criminalization of youth, parent participation in their schools regardless of immigration status and has been active in pushing for Sanctuary Schools. Edgar Villegas is a 15-year-old freshman who attends the Creative and Performing Arts High School. He is the son of undocumented parents from Mexico, and as such he knows firsthand the experience of growing up in a mixed status household. He got involved with the latino immigrant rights organization Juntos when he was 13 years old because he understood the growing threat of deportation that many undocumented people in his community face and wanted to fight back against it. While studying at Abigail Vare School in 2012, he was active in the organizing efforts to keep his school open. He strongly believes in the power of youth leadership and is committed in ensuring that all young people, regardless of immigration status, have their voices heard when it comes to their education

Yesterday afternoon January 22nd, 18-year-old Bethany Renee Nava was violently harassed and dragged off the Metro subway by a police officer at MacArthur Park Station in Los Angeles. Police arrested her simply for having her foot on her train seat. Selena Lechuga, a local chef and vocalist, was also arrested for trying to defend Bethany. Bethany has been released and is due in court on February 15th. She was taken to a hospital with a sprained wrist and some contusions following the incident. Selena was held in jail with a $20,000 set bail for allegedly spitting on the officer (after she was arrested) and now LAPD is charging her with "assault and battery." While Selena has serious charges set up against her that should definitely not qualify as assault or battery, there have been no actions taken by LAPD to address the obvious abuse of power by the officer with badge #5203 in the video. Instead of de-escalating the situation and doing their job, LAPD is showing how easy it is for police to criminalize anyone, especially people of color. This is unacceptable. Sign this petition to demand they drop Selena's charges immediately and stop criminalizing our communities #FreeSelena #StopPoliceAbuse #StopLAPD Additional note: LAPD officers clam they do "code of conduct" work on the metro regularly and have "large public support" for it. Why does @MetroLosAngeles continuously allow harassment like this to happen on their trains? Fundraising link: You can donate to Selena's bail and legal funds here: https://www.gofundme.com/free-selena-lechuga Watch video footage by Brock Bryan here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/mTFW5B81X6k ---------------------------- Ayer por la tarde, 22 de enero, Bethany Renee Nava de West Hollywood, fue agresivamente hostigada y arrastrada fuera del metro por un oficial de policía en la estación de MacArthur Park en Los Ángeles. La policía la arresto simplemente por tener su pie en el asiento del tren. Selena Lechuga, chef y vocalista local, también fue arrestada por tratar de defender a Bethany. Bethany fue liberada y tiene que ir a la corte el 15 de febrero. Fue llevada al hospital con una lesión en su muñeca y algunas contusiones después del incidente. Selena estába detenida en la cárcel con una fianza de $ 20,000 por presuntamente escupir al oficial (despues de ser arrestada) y ahora LAPD la tiene acusada de "asalto y batería." En lugar de reducir la situación y hacer su trabajo, LAPD está demostrando lo fácil que es para la policia criminalizar a cualquiera, especialmente a personas de color. Esto es inaceptable. Firma esta petición para exigir que LAPD libere inmediatamente a Selena de cargos y deje de criminalizar a nuestras comunidades #FreeSelena #StopPoliceAbuse #StopLAPD