Stacey Abrams has the chance to be a national example of a progressive candidate of color who prioritizes the health and safety of our communities, defend immigrants and people of color over incarceration and criminalization, and if elected could be the first Black woman to be Governor in the history of the United States.
This year, Mijente launched the ‘Gente4Abrams’ campaign to elect State House Leader Stacey Abrams the Democratic candidate for Governor. It is the first political campaign to be run in the state of Georgia to target the Latinx vote.
On 5 de Mayo, Latinxs from around the country will be traveling to Georgia to participate in the largest political operation to reach out to Latinxs voters in the history of the state. Come join us to make sure that Latinxs can participate and be counted in this election, that they know the politics and story of Stacey Abrams, and to help build political power for Latinxs in Georgia.
On May 22nd, Abrams could be elected in the Democratic Primary as the candidate to face off a Republican candidate who will likely have an anti-immigrant, anti-Latinx, anti-Black, anti-poor people agenda.
We want to make sure that Stacey Abrams wins and that as Latinxs we are on the right side of history and that our community gets the best person to fight with us to protect our families.
Federal judge grants activist Alejandra Pablos freedom from detention, showing community organizing works. Now we must demand that Governor Ducey pardon Alejandra so she can have a chance to fight her deportation and stay home.
What happened? A federal immigration judge at Eloy Detention Center has declared that Alejandra Pablos is eligible to pay a bond of $8,000. The bond has been paid and supporters are waiting for her release from detention. This shows that organizing ourselves in the face of Trump administration attacks is a good tool to defend our communities.
What does this mean for Alejandra’s case? The immigration court was only about whether Alejandra would remain in custody, not about her deportation case. Alejandra still has to continue to fight against her deportation case. Her individual asylum hearing is scheduled for December 2018. Alejandra’s immigration case is complicated in part because of prior criminal history. If Governor Ducey were to pardon Alejandra for these charges from a decade ago, she would have a chance to fight to remain home in the US with her family and community.
In addition, Alejandra and her legal counsel will also be defending her against the arrest made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during a protest in Virginia, which is responsible for Alejandra’s current detention, which goes to trial in Virginia May 15th.
What does this mean for the immigrant rights movement? Organizing can work. We must defend ourselves and continue to stand up for each other.
In the upcoming midterm elections across the country, our communities have an opportunity we can’t afford to lose. Latinx voters have the power to help kick out Trump’s allies and replace them with the progressive leaders our communities deserve.
We believe that this is what can happen in Georgia where this May 22nd Democrats will be selecting who will run for Governor in the general election. One of the candidates is Stacey Abrams, who could be the first Black woman to be Governor in the history of the United States. This is an important opportunity where we want Latinxs to be on the right side of history and mobilize to vote during the primary and the general election for Stacey Abrams.
It is also a chance for Latinxs to fight in defense of our families. Across Georgia, Latinxs and immigrants have long been targets of racist policies that break apart families and criminalize communities. Abrams has a record of standing up for immigrant rights, believes that safe communities mean more investment in resources not criminalization, and builds her base on the power of communities of color.
Abrams is the kind of candidate Latinxs need to show up for. That is why Mijente launched Gente4Abrams, the first political campaign targeting Latinx voters in the state of Georgia.
And we need your help to do it.
Mijente is calling on Latinxs from across the nation to help mobilize Latinx voters in Georgia. You can make a significant impact from home or by joining us for a few days out in Georgia. Check out the list below for 4 ways you can help Abrams win the Latinx vote.
The midterm elections will show where this nation stands on defending our communities against Trump’s white supremacist agenda. Where will you stand?
How can I contribute to the campaign?
1. ORGANIZE A PHONE BANK IN YOUR HOME
Set aside a few hours a week to call voters in Georgia and convince them to vote for Abrams. Call on your own, or even better, organize a phone bank with a group of friends. We’ll provide a list of numbers, a script, and tips for talking to voters.
Every day organizers and volunteers travel throughout the state to reach out to Latinx voters. We are knocking on doors, talking to people in the community, and organizing rallies and events. We have been working with community members who are invested in the strategy of mobilizing Stacey Abrams as a way to engage community members and grow independent Latinx power in Georgia. Spend a weekend — or a week — in Georgia, maybe bring a few friends, and help us knock on doors. We could help find a place to stay and might be able to help with travel.
3. JOIN US AT THE “VOTO DE MAYO” NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
On May 5th, supporters from across the country will gather in Georgia to participate in the largest door knocking and voter outreach operation targeting Latinxs that the state has ever seen! Join us for a rally, time to talk to folks, and even a mariachi dinner. bit.ly/votodemayoreg
4. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA & SHARE OUR POSTS!
Follow the Gente4Abrams campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and help amplify campaign news on social media!
After 4 weeks in detention, beloved activist and Mijente member Alejandra “Ale” Pablos finally received a date for her bond hearing! Ale has been held without bond since being taken into custody during a regular check-in with ICE on March 7. The bond hearing is Ale’s chance to be released, but she needs everyone’s support to make that happen!
5 Ways to Support Ale During Her Hearing
1. Come to Eloy, Arizona, for Ale’s hearing! Ale needs throngs of supporters to show up for her bond hearing on April 19th. Join us in showing the judge how loved Ale is and how much our community needs her! Since the courtroom is so small, most of us will be rallying outside, showing our love for Ale, sharing stories of her courage and compassion, and calling on the judge to do the right thing. Sign up and meet us there!
2. Publish an Op-Ed in your local paper to gather more support for Ale. Rally your local community behind Ale by sending an op-ed to your local paper describing why Ale should be released back home!
3. Spread the outcome of Ale’s hearing on social media. On April 19, follow Mijente on Facebook or Twitter and be ready to spread the word on the outcome of Ale’s hearing. We’ll either be sharing news of her release or spreading the word about action against ICE if they refuse to release her. Use the #AleVsICE and #ReleaseAle hashtags.
4. Send Ale a personal letter in detention. Ale has written to Mijente sharing how much your letters mean to her and how they lift her spirits. Send your letter to:
Miriam Alejandra Pablos Espriu A#xxx-xx2-577 ELOY DETENTION CENTER 1705 EAST HANNA RD. ELOY, AZ 85131
5. Sign and share her petition! Join the more than 23,000 supporters who’ve signed the petition demanding Ale’s release. Already signed it? Then continue to share it on social media to help collect more signatures!
Mijente member Alejandra Pablos was granted a bond hearing, which will determine if she can be released from detention.
Immigrant rights and reproductive rights activist Alejandra Pablos was granted a bond hearing before an immigration judge, to determine whether she will be released; she will be appearing in federal court in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday, April 19th, 2018. By that date, Pablos will have been in immigration custody for 43 days at the Eloy Detention Center after being detained during a check-in with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“I am relieved that my sister has a hearing date before a judge. As a brother, a veteran, and a citizen of Tucson, I am working to organize our neighbors to support her at her court”, said Jesus Magaña, Pablo’s brother, and a United States Air Force veteran.
Pablo’s detention sparked protests and mobilization from the many organizers in Pablo’s network, including many women’s rights, reproductive justice, Latinx organizing, and immigrant rights activists. In addition to her friends and family, allies and organizers from around the country are expected to show up at her court hearing in Tucson, Arizona to support her release.
“We know that organizers are on the frontlines of defending all of our rights, particularly under this administration, so when they come for one of us, we have to stand together in their defense ” said Jacinta Gonzalez, Field Director for Mijente and one of the coordinators of the campaign to release Pablos. “We know that ICE is trying to intimidate all organizers by targeting prominent activist for deportation, but by standing with Ale we will show that we are determined and will not stop exposing ICE’s abuses,” she concluded.
Pablos was also one of the first members of Mijente, a national Latinx political organization, which is heading the campaign for her release. She also works as a Field Coordinator for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, where she organizes to raise the voices of Latinas in Virginia for policy change at all levels of government on issues that impact their lives, women’s health care, and other social justice issues.
Jessica González-Rojas, NLIRH Executive Director, stated, “We have been devastated since Alejandra was detained, and watching the outpour of love and support we have seen in the community really touches our heart. As a member of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health familia, and a fierce community organizer, Ale has been integral to our outreach, leadership development and mobilization efforts. Most importantly, the passion she displays for her work has served as an inspiration to us all as we continue to fight for immigrant rights and reproductive justice. Her arrest, like so many others, is a thinly veiled attempt to silence the voices of the thousands of fierce activists, who like her, work tirelessly to bring make our collective liberation a reality. We must not allow for these attempts to continue, and shall not give up until we can get our hermana back home again.”
Alejandra has lived and organized in the United States her whole life. As a young person living in Arizona Alejandra was arrested and convicted of several charges, including Driving Under the Influence and possession of drug paraphernalia, some of which were felonies under state law. In 2011, after she complied with the orders from the court, she spent 2 years at the Eloy Detention Center in Southern Arizona, lost her residency, and was placed in deportation proceedings. On March 07, 2018, ICE took Pablos into custody and is being held at the Eloy Detention Center in southern Arizona awaiting a bond hearing.
Mijente is a digital and grassroots hub for Latinx and Chicanx movement building and organizing that seeks to increase the profile of policy issues that matter to our communities and increase the participation of Latinx and Chicanx people in the broader movements for racial, economic, climate and gender justice.
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national reproductive justice organization dedicated to building Latina power to advance health, dignity, and justice for 28 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States through leadership development, community mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic communications.
The following words come from beloved Mijente member and fierce movement-leader, Alejandra Pablos. Ale has been in ICE custody at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona since March 7th. We are grateful for our comrade and honored to fight by her side. Her generosity of spirit is what keeps us going.
Saludos to all my comrades in this lucha for justice. I’m writing these words from the offices of resistance in Eloy. Primero, thanks to each and everyone of you for holding me down and staying ready to fight back. I, too, joined as a member of Mijente to find a political home where others shared my life values of love, justice, resilience and simply being pro-people (amongst many more). I not only found a political home that accepted me as I came, I also met individuals who became an extended family in my life. I see and feel the energy and support Mijente has for me and is showing the world. I have not felt alone once in this cage, and I won’t be alone when my court bond comes. I am not sure how many people can fit or are allowed at court here, but if possible I’d love to have you with me. As a collective pueblo, if I win we all win. When I’m free, we are all free.
