Today, 5 trans and queer immigrant activists were arrested in front of the Santa Ana City Jail where transgender immigrant detainees are held, blocking the intersection at the entrance of the jail while chained to a metal cage, surrounded by rainbow flags and a banner that read “Liberation Not Deportation, Obama is the Deporter in Chief.” Amidst chants of “Don’t Stop at Marriage, Trans and Queers are Being Deported,” “Come Out, Fight Back,” and “Obama, Obama, Don’t Deport Another Transhermana,” the activists protested to demand justice for the more than 267,000 LGBTQ immigrants living in the U.S., an end to the Obama Administration’s deportations, and call for the city to cut its contract with ICE.
The Santa Ana Police Department reported that “LGBTQ and Immigrant Rights groups protested today at 8:10 AM. The group of approximately 100 protesters set up a chain link fenced cage in the middle of the intersection of Civic Center and Boyd Way, completely blocking the intersection. Inside the chain link fenced cage, four protesters chained themselves to the fence. The 5th protester was chained to the outside fencing.” Continue reading