Anti-War Committee Chicago Statement in Solidarity with Alejandro Orellana

Anti-War Committee Chicago stands in unconditional solidarity with Alejandro Orellana, Verita Topete, and Centro CSO in their defense against the criminal Trump regime’s attempts to stifle their right to protest, to freedom of assembly, and to educate their community about their democratic rights.

On the morning of June 12, the FBI, California National Guard and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department broke into the home of Alejandro Orellana. They arrested and took him into federal custody, but released him a day later after organized pressure from the mass movement.

Alejandro is now facing 5 years in prison for “conspiracy to commit civil disorder” and “aiding and abetting civil disorder” for passing out personal protective equipment (PPE) to demonstrators protesting against ICE raids, with his trial set to begin August 26.

Later, on June 26, the FBI ambushed Verita Topete at a park while she was walking her dog to serve her a warrant and seize her phone.

Alejandro Orellana and Verita Topete have been tirelessly and publicly fighting back against the ICE raids initiated by the criminal Trump regime on June 6, and this is why the FBI seeks to intimidate and silence them.

Despite this, the mass movement backing Alejandro Orellana, Verita Topete, and Centro CSO cannot be intimidated or silenced, and is only growing in its fight against deportations and militarized policing, and in defense of immigrant’s rights.

As an organization committed to building the anti-war and anti-imperialist movements, Anti-War Committee Chicago recognizes the attack on Alejandro Orellana, Verita Topete, and Centro CSO as part of a wider imperialist attack on democratic rights and self-determination.

From Chicago to L.A. and from Palestine to the Philippines, we have the same enemy, and that enemy is U.S. imperialism.

Alejandro Orellana saw this while enlisted as a United States marine; the terror U.S. imperialism exports abroad comes home to roost in the form of militarized Israeli-trained police, using the National Guard to suppress civilian protesters, Israeli-style border militarization, and construction of ICE concentration camps on foreign territory illegally occupied by the U.S. such as Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, as just a few examples.

Anti-War Committee Chicago assures Centro CSO and its allies that we will remain in the streets with the mass movement until all charges against Alejandro Orellana are dropped and ICE is off our streets permanently.

We call on our supporters to call the California Central District U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli at 213-894-2400 to demand he drop the frivolous charges against Alejandro Orellana and to rally on August 7 and August 26 for the Days of Action called by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression demanding all charges against Alejandro Orellana be dropped.

Drop the charges on Alejandro Orellana!

Hands off Verita Topete!

ICE out of L.A.!