Street roots., February 02, 2018, Page 4, Image 4

Street Roots • Feb. 2-8, 2018
News
Page 4
P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F M A R U M O R A - V IL L A L P A N D O
M aru Mora-Villalpando is an im m igrants’ rights activist who, like several other vocal advocates, now faces deportation.
BY AARON BURKHALTER
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
Facing deportation, Seattle-based activist
Maru Mora-Villalpando refuses to back down
aru Mora-Villalpando received the
notice just before Christmas: a
certified letter from U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) that marked the start of her
deportation proceedings.
S m ï »«»»»
This was a deliberate tactic, Mora-
Villalpando said, used to silence her and her
years of activism fighting for immigrant
rights, particularly working against the
Northwest Detention Center, a facility in
Tacoma that can hold up to 1,575 people,
making it one of the largest immigration
prisons in the United States.
She was one of several activists this past
month subjected to ICE deportation efforts.
Ravi Ragbir, an immigrants-rights activist in
New York, is being detained until he is
deported, and Jean Montrevil was deported
to Haiti in January.
If ICE’s intent was to silence or slow
P H O T O B Y JO S E P H G L O D E
Demonstrators participate in the Stand Up fo r the Dignity and Protection o f
down activism, it hasn’t worked.
Im m igrants Rally on Feb. 25, 2017, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
The detention and deportation of Ragbir
and Montrevil sparked protests on Martin
Luther King Jr. Day in New York that led to
the arrest of several people, including
the logo on the envelope, I realized
and Customs Enforcement, that all o f this is
members of the New York City Council.
immediately what it was. I figured that ICE
happening?
And Mora-Villalpando has only amplified
wanted to start a petition proceeding against
M.M.V.: It’s obviously a very clear
her work, traveling to the nation’s capital to
me. I kind of laughed inside, thinking, “So,
direction that they have taken, which is to
protest harsh immigration laws for the
they don’t come to my door, they send me a
become a political repression apparatus.
anniversary of President Donald Trump’s
letter instead.” But I also thought
We’ve said again and again: ICE was not
inauguration, and again on Monday to
immediately, “This is a warning. A warning
created to help our communities. It’s not a
attend his State of the Union address as a
to stop my work or slow down my work of
social service agency. We have departments
guest of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). fighting alongside people detained for our
at the federal level that are supposed to be
Mora-Villalpando recently spoke with
rights and for justice and liberation - and
for people’s lives: The Department of
Street Roots’ Seattle-based sister paper,
they obviously don’t like what I’m doing,
Housing, the Department of Education. This
Real Change, about her activism and
and they’re trying to stop me.”
is not such. This is a department that was
impending deportation.
A.B.: Since you received that order, many
created against immigrants, and really,
M
Aaron Burkhalter: What did you think
when you received the deportation notice?
Maru Mora-Villalpando: When I saw
others have been detained or deported and
sometimes very suddenly: Ravi Ragbir and
Jean Montrevil in New York. What does it tell
you about what’s going on with Immigrations
against the whole society. Under this new
administration, it’s obvious that the war on
immigrants that was declared in January last
year with the first executive actions, being
very specific xenophobic and racist orders
to remove us from the country, show that
now also Trump has decided to utilize ICE
as a police force to silence a dissident. And
especially for us in the immigrant justice
movement - we are an easy target because
of our immigration status.
A.B.: I t would seem to me that actions like
this - the deportations, the notices to appear,
using immigration enforcement in this way -
would have a really chilling effect on activism.
How is it changing or informing your work?
M.M.V.: I think the administration, this
regime, showed from day one that they are
not going to accept anybody that speaks
against them or does anything against them.
And so we’ve been ready for this for a really
long time. The thing that is important to
know is that the reason why they want to
silence us is because we have been very
effective.
We don’t like to do this. People detained
risk their deportation, their cases. They risk
their lives when they organize. But they
know that they have to do it. So we do it,
too, knowing that there’s a risk. Because if
we don’t do it, things are going to get worse.
So when they are sending these warnings to
be quiet, to stop doing what we’re doing, the
effect is the opposite. They’re just making
us stronger. I think this was shown when we
decided to go public with my case. The
response of the community, not only
Washington state but beyond, has been
overwhelmingly supportive and positive, and
people are ready to continue the fight.
A.B.: What kinds o f things are you seeing
at the Northwest Detention Center now, and
what is the nature o f your work there?
M.M.V.: I receive calls from the detention
center, from people that are saying that
See IM M IG R A T IO N , page 10