Kilmar Abrego Garcia is detained again — and he's still fighting for freedom
Welcome to our news segment: TL;DR of Immigration News, for when the news is Too Long and you Didn’t Read it.
This is a weekly collection of immigration-related news stories. These bite-size summaries will keep you up to date without overwhelming your inbox.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia fights for his freedom after ICE targets and detains him again
The struggle of one Salvadoran American has become emblematic of both the current administration’s savage war on immigrants and our collective hopes for the rule of law. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, kidnapped by ICE in March and detained at the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador despite a 2019 judicial order, then released from CECOT because of a long campaign for his freedom, then held in detention in Tennessee until mid- August where he fought another deportation to Costa Rica, then released to reunite with his family, has now been detained again with the threat of another deportation: to Uganda.
To say that this case is political is an understatement. The administration spins lies about him to justify their unlawful actions against him and thousands like him, kidnapped, denied their legal rights to due process, and then either deported or condemned to indefinite detention in the flourishing, for-profit hell of ICE detention. Their baseless claims of his “crimes” embody the false construction of the “criminal alien”:character assasination pimped out as legal category.
The rule of lies by the powerful will continue to fabricate allegations against those they target for their disdain. This can be anyone: immigrants, dissidents, LGBTQ folks.
Abrego Garcia’s fight is the struggle of our collective lives. On the brink of his detention and likely long fight against another deportation, he admonished his supporters: “Regardless of what happens here with ICE, promise me this that you will keep fighting, praying, believing in dignity — not only for me but for everyone.”
The Miccousukee Tribe wins legal victory that could shut down “Alligator Alcatraz”
A court has ruled in favor of the Miccosukee Tribe that the Trump Administration cannot bring in new inmates and must halt new construction on the ICE prison in the Florida Everglades, which was illegally built on Miccosukee land.
The tribe also filed a temporary restraining order on August 7th to halt further construction until the courts handed down their ruling. “Pretty much the only government-to-government communication we’ve been able to engage with is the courts,” said William “Popeye” Osceola, who is secretary of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida.
The facility would likely close completely because it would not be able to remain open and operational with the new restrictions placed upon it. It’s an important win for tribal rights in the US and huge victory for human rights in FL.
In a blistering press conference in front of faith leaders, elected officials, and the city of Chicago, Governor Pritzker left no uncertainty about his response to Trump’s plan to send troops to Chicago: HELL NO.
It’s worth quoting him at length:
“Earlier today, in the Oval Office, Donald Trump looked at the assembled cameras and asked for me personally to say, ‘Mr. President, can you do us the honor of protecting our city?’” Pritzker said during a news conference overlooking the Chicago River downtown. “Instead, I say: ‘Mr. President, do not come to Chicago.'”
The Trump administration has subsequently signalled that they are open to reconsidering their plan to deploy the military to Chicago. Which just goes to show you, a minimum of backbone goes a long way in the fight against consolidating fascism.
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Take Action:
We invite you to take two critical action steps this week:
** The fascists at the White House are trying to weaponize financial pressure through DHS-administered grants that many synagogues receive. The Community Safety Committee invites everyone with a connection to a congregation or faith-based non-profit to reach out to your rabbi, clergy, or other communal leader! Find instructions here and reach out to your congregational leadership.
** We are continuing to show up for our friend, Xóchitl, who was abducted by ICE from the El Paso airport on August 3rd, despite holding DACA status. She had her first hearing today and needs our continued support. Find ways to support her in small ways here or consider getting Never Again support to plan your own action here.
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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for next week’s roundup, drop us a line at neveragainaction@gmail.com.