The Movement to Abolish ICE Is Gaining Momentum
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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Interfaith Clergy Begins 8-Day, 96-Mile Pilgrimage Demanding Shutdown of ICE Jails
On Tuesday of this week a collection of clergy and congregants of many faiths began an eight day, 96.5 mile walk from the ICE prison in Adelanto, CA, in San Bernardino county, to the Downtown LA metropolitan detention center. Clear the Road to Freedom: An Interfaith Pilgrimage of Witness and Solidarity will raise awareness about the inhumane conditions in the Adelanto ICE prison, call for all ICE prisons in CA to shut down, and raise money for the Adelanto bond fund, which helps to bond people out of the notorious ICE prison.
Walking 12.5 miles on the first day of the pilgrimage, over 100 people gathered outside the detention center in Adelanto for a press conference, prayers, and to witness as people who used to be inside told their stories. Surrounded by pictures of people who died in ICE detention, the pilgrimage will walk between 10-14 miles per day, the last day being a 6.5 mile march to the downtown LA Metropolitan Detention Center.
ACTION: Follow along and view the progress of the walkers at these social media handles: @cluejustice @la.sacredresistance
Get a daily update from the walkers by signing up here for emails from CLUE
Donate to the Adelanto bond fund
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The Movement to Abolish ICE Is Gaining Momentum
Amnesty International is now calling for the abolition of ICE. The venerable human rights organization did not think of this on their own: they got it from us, from the streets. Grassroots groups like Mijente, Detention Watch Network, Freedom for Immigrants, La Resistencia, and many others shouted it at rallies, wrote about it in press releases, and printed it on t-shirts, stickers, and buttons. All of these activities matter. These individual acts of resistance and solidarity, together add up to be the powerful growing movement to abolish ICE
Recently, Illinois Representative Delia Ramirez introduced the Reimagining Safety Act, federal legislation to dismantle ICE and rebuild its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), from the ground up. Although fifty-five people have died in ICE custody since Trump took office again in January 2025, the administration has doubled down, claiming that ICE is as kind and gentle as can be.
Look to your winter marching gear; we will need to continue the work in the streets.
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In danger of statelessness, Bhutanese refugees build power against deportation
What do you do if your country of birth has forced you out, you’ve lived decades in refugee camps and, after finally making it to the US, the Trump regime wants to force you out again? If you’re part of the US-based Bhutanese community, you organize.
Aid organizations are already aware of over 75 former Bhutanese refugees who have been deported to Bhutan, only to be taken to the Indo-Nepal border and abandoned again by their country. Asian Refugees United (ARU) has put together a coalition of many Asian refugee communities and partnered with civil rights group Asian Law Caucus to engage with politicians who can advocate for Bhutanese people living in the US to remain protected until there is a government that will let them return peacefully and safely.
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ICE Agent Who Shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is identified
ICE has been withholding the name of the agent who shot Salgado Araujo. This is contrary to best practices established by law enforcement agencies around the country. These practices are employed by Texas’s largest police departments. The Texas Tribune is bravely breaking ICE’s wall of secrecy by publishing the shooter’s name.
The individual agent’s name is less important than the defense of the values of public interest for investigators, lawmakers, and the people. Texas Tribune’s choice to stand by these principles helps protect everyone who interacts with ICE in any way. We often talk about the value of independent media in documenting the regime’s war on immigrants in ways that billionaire-controlled major media will not. This is an example of what we mean.
ACTION: You can support the Tribune’s defense of our rights by subscribing or donating, by uplifting the story on your social media, and by writing a letter to the editor making your feelings known.
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Trump Administration and ICE face contempt charges for repeated, flagrant legal violations
ICE and DHS continue to ignore court orders. For example, in Baltimore, the Federal District Court for the District of Maryland issued an order back in March that DHS must correct “unconstitutional and inhumane conditions” in the Baltimore Hold Rooms used by ICE to detain immigrants. These conditions included overcrowding, lack of access to medication, and failure to provide notice of rights. The judge who issued the original injunction just ruled that ICE’s attempts to correct these conditions constituted a “spectacular failure.” The judge is contemplating appointing a special agent to supervise the facility, and has indicated that further violations could lead to contempt charges.
Meanwhile, a judge has already issued contempt charges in a separate case. ABC News states, “A federal judge on Friday found the Trump administration in contempt for deporting an asylum-seeker to El Salvador in violation of three court orders.” Apparently, the third time is the charm. The “charm” in this case being a judge finally following through on the threat to impose consequences on ICE for blatantly breaking the law.
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Democrats demand answers after man dies in car crash during ICE traffic stop in Michigan; Federal immigration agents have shot at least 21 people during Trump's 2nd term
At least 21 people have been shot by federal immigration agents during the second Trump administration, according to an ABC News count. Eight of those shootings, which included three U.S. citizens, were fatal. Most recently, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man who was making deliveries for DoorDash.
In a similar case, advocates in Michigan are demanding transparency from federal authorities after a 36-year-old Guatemalan man died in a car crash as he fled to avoid ICE agents who were conducting a traffic stop. Juarez, a 36-year-old father of three, was in the US working and sending money home to his family in Guatemala. Because of lack of cooperation from the feds, the Grand Rapids police chief is assigning state police to investigate the incident.
One immigrant advocate and organizer in Austin, Texas said, "We ask the community to not fall asleep… and to get involved.”
“You are not obligated to complete the task (of repairing the world), but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirke Avot 2:21). Keep this in mind, take care of yourselves, and reach out to us if you need a dose of community!
RELATED ACTION ITEMS:
Fundraiser for family of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez
Austin "immigrant support" mutual aid fund directly supporting impacted families
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UPDATE: The Government is still going after Salah Sarsour
Two days ago, an immigration court ruled that the Trump Administration can deport Salah Sarsour, a beloved community leader and longtime advocate for Palestinian rights. After already enduring 80 days in ICE detention under cruel and unjust conditions, Salah and his family are once again being forced to live with the fear that he could be torn away from the home he has known for over 30 years, his community, and the people he loves.
To be clear, this decision is NOT a removal order and does not mean that Salah can be re-detained. Salah and his attorneys will appeal this unjust decision, and we will continue fighting alongside them every step of the way. This fight is far from over, and we’re asking you to be part of it.
Take Action: Call on your Members of Congress/Senators to Support the Land of the Free Act!
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MORE ACTION ITEMS:
People in MA can participate in a direct action to pressure Hanscom to stop hosting deportation flights: https://deicehanscom.org/
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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.
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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for next week’s roundup, drop us a line at neveragainaction@gmail.com.