Mahmoud Khalil Released from Detention
SWinxy, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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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Mahmoud Khalil released from detention
In March, Mahmoud Khalil was kidnapped by unidentified ICE agents, ripped away from his pregnant wife. He was jailed for 104 days. The pretext used by the federal regime was that Khalil was spreading anti-Semitic hate speech, an accusation for which no evidence was ever provided.
As the Guardian notes, “Jewish students and faculty had submitted court documents on Khalil’s behalf, and he was quoted last year on CNN saying that ‘the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand, and you cannot achieve one without the other.’”
At a press briefing, Khalil thanked the community that supported him through his time in detention. He also said, “Although justice prevailed it’s very long overdue and this shouldn’t have taken three months… I leave some incredible men behind me, over 1,000 people behind me, in a place where they shouldn’t have been… Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this. That doesn’t mean there is a right person for this. There is no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide.”
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Texas’ border wall plan appears to be facing a sad, silent death
Turns out, even Republicans in TEXAS couldn’t get this hateful measure over the finish line. They’ve cut the funding, cut the construction, cut and run from an ill fated and ill conceived contravention of human rights. And they’re going around telling everyone that this is what victory looks like! Par for the course for these seasoned liars.
If the trend is going to be “ending horrible, inhumane initiatives that Texas taxpayers are funding,” the best way to continue it would be to end Operation Lone Star.
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Content warning: Linked article contains embedded video with extreme physical violence. Please take care of yourself if you choose to watch.
Narciso Barranco’s horrific assault, caught on camera, is the most recent viral example of the now ubiquitous trend of masked immigration enforcement agents committing non-discriminant human rights abuses. Narciso has been in the U.S. for 30 years, has three sons in the US Marines and had started the process of naturalization when he was targeted by ICE seemingly at random. His son, 25-year-old veteran Alejandro Barranco, speaks out about his father’s racial profiling and inhumane treatment during and since his abduction and detention. Contribute to the family’s GoFundMe here.
For the past year, we have seen conservatives shamelessly targeting disabled and immunocompromised people, especially Palestine solidarity protesters, by trying to pass mask bans, disingenuously trying to draw a link between the use of life-saving medical face masks and antisemitism. Why? Because protest and disability justice threaten the status quo. When regular people wear masks, it’s because in the world since COVID-19, we know the importance of keeping ourselves and each other safe.
When law enforcement agents and ICE seek to conceal their identities using non-medical masks, unmarked vehicles, and plain clothes, and refuse to identify themselves, their agency, their business, it’s because they seek to act with impunity and flagrant disregard for our rights when directly attacking civilians.
ICE agents, on paper, are required to identify themselves. Increasingly, progressive legislators are seeking to ensure compliance with this baseline standard. In CA, the No Secret Police and No Vigilantes Acts have been introduced toward this end. The mask bans include exceptions for medical masks, SWAT teams, and wildfire protection gear. Which leaves us with the question of what fascist ICE agents would hate more: showing their faces in public, or appearing to care about public health by wearing a KN95?
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Singer Nezza defies blatant racism and nativism
Latin pop singer Nezza was ready to sing the National Anthem at an LA Dodgers game. Moments before she was to go on, the singer was told that she would be required to sing the song in English, rather than the Spanish version the pop singer is known for. In the midst of the ICE invasion of LA, at risk to her reputation and professional career, under pressure from the people paying her for this performance--Nezza resoundingly performed the song in Spanish.
Nezza told the AP: "This is my moment to show everyone that I am with them, that we have a voice and with everything that's happening it's not OK… I'm super proud that I did it. No regrets."
Shortly after this incident, the Dodgers announced that there were no hard feelings and Nezza was welcome back to the stadium. They also refused to cooperate with ICE days later, refusing to allow agents to use their parking lot.
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Action Items:
- NEW Especially for Michigan readers, but also everybody: a teenager in Detroit was torn from school by ICE agents. Advocates in Michigan are mobilizing to secure his return. To help, see this post for info on how to donate, call your lawmakers, and other ways to stand up for this young person.
- NEW Donate to Michael’s legal fund. Michael arrived in the U.S. with a K-2 visa but lost his legal status due to abuse and negligence from his stepfather and sponsor. After facing difficult circumstances and being involved in a complex legal process, he is at serious risk of deportation.
- Support Bail funds. One low-risk way to support immigrants and activists is to donate to bond and bail funds. Immigrant bond funds allow immigrants to await their court dates with their families and communities rather than in a cell. Bail funds help immigrants and activists who have incurred jail costs and legal fees as a result of standing up for themselves and their neighbors. Here are some great ones to support:
- National Bail Fund Network - allows you to find and support bail funds in your area
- Immigration Bond Freedom Fund
- Detained Immigrant Bond Fund
- Since ICE and the regime are continuing to go all-in on their invasion of LA, we recommend supporting the LA-based Coalicion de Autodefensa Comunitaria/Community Self-Defense Coalition
- Protect yourself and your community. Check out resources from the powerful organizers at the Ruckus Society and Across Frontlines about how to keep each other safe. If you're already an NAA member, you already have access to our complete virtual, password-protected Member Resource Hub with resources on everything from action tactics to deportation defense.
- Support Never Again Action’s organizing by making a donation today. You can make a tax deductible donation via our fiscal sponsor at this link, or you can donate directly to our 501(c)(4) organization at this link.