Centro CSO Orange County: Drop the charges on Alejandro Orellana! No ICE raids!

Solidarity Statement from Centro CSO in Orange County, Santa Ana, CA – linked here on Instagram

On the morning of June 12th, Alejandro Orellana's East LA home was raided by the FBI and he was arrested with charges of conspiracy to commit civil disorder and aiding and abetting civil disorder. Orellana was targeted for being a proud longtime immigrant rights activist. Thanks to the work of our sister chapter, Centro CSO, he was released the next day after a rally and press conference. However, he is still facing federal charges with up to 5 years in prison.

Trump has escalated attacks on immigrants through ICE raids and the deployment of the National Guard to places like LA and Santa Ana. These raids have been a direct attack on the rights of Mexicanos, Centroamericanos, Chicanos, and more while completely disregarding due process. Just yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump can continue deporting people without due process to ANY country that will accept them. People all over the country have stood up to these racist attacks, taking to the streets to protest, facing tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, and now political repression.

We have seen political repression here at home in Santa Ana. The SAPD has been sent to attack our protests unprovoked. The city council, especially Mayor Amezcua, has tried to silence us by blocking off the council chambers and arresting people at the start of the meeting. We cannot allow these escalations in repression to continue whether at home in Santa Ana or in LA.

Alejandro has done nothing wrong. He is on the right side of history for standing up to the Trump administration and we stand with him. We understand that his arrest sets a dangerous precedent for activists and people fighting back everywhere. It is our duty to fight for his charges to be dropped and to fight against repression of our movement as a whole!

They're trying to scare us but us Chicanos have never backed down from a fight for our people!

CSO OC demands that U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli drop the charges on Alejandro Orellana immediately! Protesting is not a crime!

Participate in the national day of action for Alejandro on June 27th by calling Essayli at 213-894-2400 and demanding that he drop the charges now! Participate in our sign waving for Alejandro on Friday, details to be announced!