Latest news with #MovimientoCosecha
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
DACA Recipient Detained by ICE at Airport Before Boarding Domestic Flight
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and longtime immigration activist, was detained by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents on Sunday at El Paso International Airport as she prepared to board a domestic flight. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek via email on Wednesday that CBP arrested Santiago, a migrant from Mexico, because of a criminal history that included charges for trespassing and possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. "Illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations," McLaughlin said. "DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons, including if they've committed a crime." According to KVIA, a local ABC affiliate in El Paso, Santiago will remain in ICE custody pending her removal proceedings. Community organizer and Cosecha leader Cata "Xóchitl" Santiago was detained by Border Patrol this morning in El Paso, TX. — Movimiento Cosecha (@CosechaMovement) August 3, 2025 Why It Matters Santiago's detention has sparked concern among advocates as it highlights the fragility of legal protections for DACA recipients, often known as "Dreamers." DACA provides work authorization and temporary protection from deportation, but it does not confer legal status. Recent detentions of DACA recipients—including Santiago's—raise pressing questions about the program's limits, particularly under intensified immigration enforcement. The incident comes amid continued debate over the fate of DACA and its beneficiaries, as legal and policy battles play out across the U.S. What To Know Santiago, a member of the Movimiento Cosecha advocacy group, had reportedly presented a valid DACA work authorization card when taken into custody. Around 4 a.m. local time on Sunday, she was approached and detained by two agents as she was about to board her flight. Despite presenting her DACA work authorization card, agents took her into custody and transferred her to a federal immigration processing facility in El Paso, according to Border Report. Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas, speaks during a news conference with immigration experts, DACA recipients and Dreamers to mark the 13th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in Washington, D.C.,... Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas, speaks during a news conference with immigration experts, DACA recipients and Dreamers to mark the 13th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in Washington, D.C., on June 11. More ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Supporters, including Movimiento Cosecha, have mobilized a response through social media and organized a GoFundMe campaign that, as of the morning of August 6, had raised more than $56,700 for Santiago's legal defense of a goal of $70,000. She has received more than 1,200 donations. Activists dispute the grounds for her detention, arguing that she has legal protection under DACA and is an integral part of her community after more than a decade of activism. They said Santiago had made "such a profound and powerful impact on so many loved friends and community members from Florida to Texas and beyond," notably aiding the immigrant community and families in El Paso. "Now, we need to show up for her," the GoFundMe page said. "Immigrant communities have been targeted for decades, and the Trump administration is taking these fascist tactics to unprecedented levels. This unexpected and cruel detainment will likely result in high legal fees alongside immeasurable emotional impact on her and her family." It continued: "We are asking for support for her legal funds and post-release care and healing. Please give what you can to ensure that Xotchil has the resources needed to fight for her case, her ability to stay in the U.S. with her family and community, and can take the time needed to recover from this traumatic experience after she is released." Newsweek has contacted the page's organizer, Lagartija del Sol, for comment. A separate petition on has garnered more than 3,200 signatures calling for her release. Organizers have scheduled a protest for August 6 at the ICE detention facility in El Paso demanding Santiago's release, according to KVIA. What People Are Saying Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek via email on Wednesday: "Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream." Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago said in a statement posted on her GoFundMe page by Lagartija del Sol: "I love everyone and thank you so much for walking with me in so many ways, for thinking of my well being and for reminding me of importance of organized struggle and lightening up my spirit." What Happens Next Santiago remains in federal immigration custody as legal proceedings continue. Her supporters are coordinating with her legal team to challenge her removal and demand her release. The broader legal future for DACA recipients remains uncertain amid ongoing court battles and evolving immigration policies.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As ICE eyes new immigrant jail in Newark, activists protest conditions at Elizabeth detention center
Haydi Torres of Movimiento Cosecha leads a rally outside the Elizabeth Detention Center on March 3, 2025. (Sophie Nieto-Munoz | New Jersey Monitor) ELIZABETH — The recent announcement that a private prison company plans to open a 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Newark has reignited criticism of conditions at the state's other privately run immigrant jail in Elizabeth. Dozens of protestors from numerous advocacy groups gathered Monday in front of CoreCivic's detention center in this Union County city, where hundreds of migrants are being kept in what advocates say are inhumane conditions. 'They're looking at us not as humans, they're looking at us as dollar signs,' Ana Paola Pazmino, executive director of Resistencia en Acción New Jersey, said in Spanish. 'That's why these detention centers exist, not because they want to get us out of here, but because they want to cage us, detain us, give us bad food and no medical care.' New Jersey's immigrant community is grappling with the ramped-up immigration efforts under President Donald Trump, who has ordered the mass deportation of the nation's undocumented immigrants. Family members of people recently detained shared stories Monday of confusion surrounding their loved ones' locations. Fatima Mercedes said her partner was picked up by immigration enforcement officials on his way to work Feb. 7. She knows he was taken to the Elizabeth Detention Center for processing, but each time she calls the detention center, she's told he is not being held there. 'I can't sleep. I don't know what to do. I'm totally desperate,' she said in Spanish before breaking down in tears. Another woman said her husband has 'disappeared' in the immigration system. She said he's been moved from facility to facility without any notice, and she has no idea where he is, adding the detainees are being treated 'like animals, much worse than criminals.' During the two-hour rally, bilingual chants of 'No more CoreCivic' and 'No papers, no fear' echoed in the parking lot where activists gathered. One woman led the group in prayer in front of a flag showing the Virgin Mary with her hands tied being taken away by immigration enforcement. Organizers who visit migrants jailed inside the facility said the conditions are unsafe, and read messages from detainees reporting bad water, dirty uniforms, and no access to medicine or soap. Andre Burger of Movimiento Cosecha, an organization that visits detainees, said because the Elizabeth Detention Center is used as a processing center, inmates aren't given some items like toothpaste until their third day jailed inside. Detainees who criticize conditions are retaliated against by having their visitation rights or communication access revoked, Burger said. Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 signed a law banning immigrant detention, but CoreCivic sued the state to remain open. A federal judge in 2023 sided with the prison company and said the state cannot ban the federal government from contracting with private firms to detain immigrants. New Jersey officials appealed that decision, but until that appeal is heard and decided, 'New Jersey is forced to allow places like EDC to exist,' said Burger. Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed that private prison firm Geo Group plans to open a facility in Newark called Delaney Hall as the largest immigration facility on the east coast. The Trump administration touted the new immigrant jail as one that would help facilitate the president's 'mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities.' Geo Group's 15-year contract with ICE is worth about $1 billion. The Newark site may not be the only place ICE will house immigrant detainees in New Jersey. Documents obtained by advocacy groups last year revealed ICE is also looking to open an immigrant jail at the Albert M. 'Bo' Robinson Treatment Center, a 1,000-bed facility in Trenton. President Trump also wants to begin holding undocumented immigrants at military sites like Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. State and local leaders have condemned the move to house immigrants in Newark, but it's unclear whether anyone can stop the building from opening. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told NJ Spotlight News that Geo Group hasn't taken the proper steps to open the building. Advocacy groups say they want to see state lawmakers allocate more money to legal representation for undocumented immigrants and deportation defense funds, and to pass the Immigrant Trust Act. That bill would codify a 2018 attorney general's directive banning local police cooperation with federal immigration officials and prohibiting workers in places like public libraries from asking people about their immigration status. 'I think the priority at the state level is to make sure that cops do not share information with ICE, do not hand people over to ICE, and that that is the case with no exceptions,' said Burger. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
