Latest news with #BAMN
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rally outside CBP office in Detroit condemns Trump's mass deportations
A small but vocal group of demonstrators rallied Wednesday, June 11, outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on Michigan Avenue in Detroit to oppose ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations, as large-scale protests unfold in Los Angeles. Organized by BAMN — the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — the rally aimed to spotlight what activists describe as a coordinated assault on immigrant communities. "We're here to stand in solidarity with our fellow organizers and everybody in LA who's standing up. That's what we need to do in every city across the country to stop (President Donald) Trump's ethnic cleansing plan," said Nicole Conaway of Detroit, a BAMN organizer for the past 15 years. Earlier in the day, protesters also demonstrated in front of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit, down the block from where the evening protest was held. According to activists, five or six individuals — most of them believed to be Venezuelan — were detained after their immigration cases were dismissed in court, a practice that immigrant advocates say is becoming increasingly common. "That's happening more and more. Regardless of the outcome, people have been snatched up straight out of court — and we've known people that this has happened to," said Kate Stenvig, another BAMN organizer and Detroit resident. A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' The local protests come amid escalating tensions in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to respond to public demonstrations against his administration's immigration crackdowns. State and city leaders have said the move has only heightened unrest. 'Trump is not just deporting criminals. He is just deporting anyone who's Black and Brown, pretty much,' Conaway said. 'It's a racist, white supremacist, fascist regime, and the way to stop it is mass collective organizing and mass action like we're seeing in LA right now.' More: ICE denies Detroit high school student's request to stay in U.S. until graduation Though Wednesday's rally in Detroit drew approximately 20 participants, it also drew support from passersby. Drivers honked their horns, and a group riding on The Michigan Pedaler cheered in solidarity. Protesters held signs reading, 'Defend your neighbors against ICE' and 'Immigrants make America Great,' while chanting, 'LA has shown the way, immigrants are here to stay.' In addition to street activism, BAMN also operates a legal wing that represents families facing deportation. Conaway said she's seen firsthand how families have been torn apart at the office they were protesting outside of. More: More foreign students in Michigan targeted for deportation, including 22 at U-M 'One of our legal clients went in for a check-in right here, to this building (on Michigan Avenue), and never came out. They were detained there,' she said. Conaway added that she believes what's at stake goes beyond immigration policy. 'If Trump can win this battle, then we're further down the road to fascism and him being a dictator and not leaving the White House without force,' she said. More: Detroit criminal deportation cases skyrocket in Trump's first 100 days A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' Several protests against ICE and Trump's immigration policies are planned throughout the country for Saturday, June 14 — the president's birthday. Organizers said BAMN, along with other activist groups, will lead a march beginning at 1 p.m. at Clark Park in Detroit. Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo contributed to this report. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit activists protest ICE, show solidarity with LA demonstrations
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We do exist': Transgender rights activists fight back amid Trump orders
Executive orders and Trump administration policies suggest otherwise, but on Monday in a park in Midtown Detroit, a metro Detroiter named Adrian Lupkiewich sought to make one thing clear about his identity as a transgender person: 'We do exist.' On the Transgender Day of Visibility — an annual recognition on March 31 that a Michigan psychotherapist is credited with founding — about 30 people gathered at the Woodward | Warren Park at Wayne State University for a rally and march organized by the activist group known as BAMN. The shortened name of the group is derived from the last four words of its fuller title, Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary. The gathering sought to bring visibility to community members and other areas of concern at a key time. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has taken swift action on immigration and diversity efforts but has also keenly targeted the transgender community. He has declared that there are only two sexes — male and female — and reinstated a ban on transgender troops joining the military. He has also taken action to keep entities with federal funding from allowing transgender athletes in women's and girls sports. He has also sought to stop youth gender-affirming care. Lupkiewich, 23, of Fraser, was among those who fought back on Monday, saying not only do transgender people exist, but 'we always have and we always will.' Being transgender saved Lupkiewich's life and gave him life and purpose, he said. Women and men obviously still exist, but there needs to be room for more, he told the Free Press. He added that the only other key day recognizing transgender people is the day that remembers all those killed by anti-transgender violence, the Transgender Day of Remembrance in the fall. He also said that attacks on the transgender community will have ripple effects on other groups of people. More: Judge blocks Trump-ordered transfer of transgender women inmates to male prisons More: LGBTQ+ advocates call 8 Democratic votes on transgender sports a betrayal More: Hundreds of migrant kids in Michigan may lose legal help after Trump ends program Lupkiewich's partner, Oliver Webb, 21, of Fraser, said the visibility is important, as it speaks to other people's self-expression, too. 'To prove the fact that other people can be visible, too,' Webb said. Webb wanted people to know that they aren't alone. Even at the small gathering, group members found themselves up against someone calling them 'crazy' while videotaping them. Anton Daniels, 42, of Detroit, had a back-and-forth with several members of the group, who questioned why he had even come to the gathering. Neal and Kay Brannan, 51, and 38, of Bloomfield Hills, came with their 5-year-old daughter, Lydia, who ran a little ahead as the rally turned into a march down the sidewalks of Woodward Avenue. Kay Brannan identifies as nonbinary but said that doesn't affect their family much as they married a man. Still, their daughter needs to be exposed to the issues they are fighting for, said Kay Brannan, wearing a keffiyeh, a scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinians. 'The world isn't a fair place and sometimes you have to go out and spend a day doing something to make sure that the people whose voices need to be heard are heard,' Kay Brannan said. Speakers at the rally also raised concerns regarding the humanitarian issues in Gaza and the actions of Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. They also touched on concerns with capitalism, attacks on immigrants, and more. The march continued down Woodward and eventually made its way back to the park with smaller numbers in the end. Members shouted chants along the way, including that Detroit welcomes transgender youths. The Brannan family peeled off early, but still about 20 minutes from their initial starting spot and around a boulevard named for one of the most prolific activists of all time, Martin Luther King Jr. 'This is why we should be proud of having a democracy because we get to show up and say stuff and defend people who aren't us,' Kay Brannan said. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Transgender rights activists rally in Detroit amid Trump orders
