East LA rally against FBI attacks on Alejandro Orellana and Verita Topete

Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, June 27, community members gathered at Salazar Park at 4 p.m. for a press conference and rally demanding the charges be dropped against Alejandro Orellana and calling for justice for Verita Topete. Both are immigrant rights activists who were raided by the FBI within the last two weeks.

The press conference was the first time Orellana has spoken out since his arrest. He thanked people for supporting him and helping him fight his charges.

Longtime Chicano activist Carlos Montes stated, “Trump has made it part of his agenda to go after immigrants, specifically Mexican and Central American immigrants. We have a long history of resistance against racism here in East LA and Boyle Heights. We call it the Chicano movement.”

On June 12, the FBI broke into Orellana’s home. He was arrested and now faces federal charges for “conspiracy to commit civil disorder” and “aiding and abetting civil disorder.”

On June 26, Topete was aggressively ambushed by the FBI in a park where they issued her a search warrant and seized her phone.

Both activists are being targeted for protesting the violent ICE raids throughout Los Angeles.

Centro CSO led the event alongside allied organizations Union del Barrio, Black Lives Matter-LA, Proyecto Pastoral, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Boyle Heights Catholic Worker. Community activists, union members and media gathered to rally and support the demands.

Sammy Carrera, a sanitation worker and Teamster, drew the comparison to other historic activists who have been targeted by the FBI. Carrera told the crowd, “Sixty years ago COINTELPRO sent MLK a letter telling him to unalive himself. Fast forward 60 years later in 2024, they put out a tweet to commemorate the legacy of MLK. In 60 years will they tweet about Alejandro Orellana, or will they tweet about Verita Topete? Will they tweet about the organized resistance and rebellions that we saw in southeast LA, Paramount and other parts of the city? As an organized community we will continue to make history on our own terms. We will continue to defend ourselves from ICE terrorism by any means necessary.”

Amanda Díaz, a leader of Centro CSO, reminded the crowd of what the protests are really about. First describing the brutal conditions people face in detention centers, she went on to explain, “Immigration detention in this country is a multi-billion dollar business, with private prisons companies and billionaires making billions of dollars off of the pain and suffering of our community members and loved ones. Almost 90% of people in ICE custody are held in facilities run by for-profit, private companies.”

The event coincided with a National Day of Action called for by the Legalization For All (L4A) network, which mobilized protests for Alejandro Orellana in dozens of cities across the country. The L4A network also organized a call-in action to federal prosecutor Bill Essayli to demand the charges be dropped.

You can follow Orellana’s case on www.stopfbi.org.

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