Community Celebrates Release of Day Laborer From Second Unlawful ICE Arrest

Los Angeles, CA — Isaac Antonio Villegas Molina was released last night from federal custody in the immigration prison in Adelanto, Calif., one week after he was unlawfully arrested by ICE for the second time. Immigrant-rights advocates and lawmakers celebrated Mr. Villegas’s latest victory in his struggle against the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional abuses – but warned that the fight for justice is not over yet.

Mr. Villegas is one of five Latino workers who are plaintiffs in a federal class-action lawsuit –  Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin – challenging the Trump Administration’s use of racial profiling in immigration raids across Los Angeles last year. Mr. Villegas, who was arrested in one of those raids last June, has been an outspoken critic of ICE’s lawless behavior, hoping to prevent others from being harmed as he was. Though he has been free on bond since an immigration judge ordered his release, Mr. Villegas was arrested for a second time by ICE on April 16 – an egregious abuse of power that was finally, belatedly, corrected last night. 

Cal Soto, a lawyer with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) said:

“Today I am celebrating the release of our brother and friend Isaac, a day laborer, plaintiff and civil rights defender. His arrests were unconstitutional, and his imprisonment in Adelanto was unlawfully cruel and punitive. The terrible conditions in Adelanto are the architecture of punishment and retaliation. They are being used to serve a political agenda and not the law. When Isaac said goodbye  to me as I visited him in Adelanto, he didn’t ask when he was getting out – he passed me the names of three people who need support that are detained. We will continue fighting until every person is free. We are fighting for accountability as we welcome Isaac home.”

Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at ACLU SoCal, who is a member of the legal team representing Mr. Villegas, said:

“I was angry last week, but I am thrilled today to welcome Isaac back. The right to petition and challenge the government over an unlawful arrest is fundamental and written in the Constitution. 

“Think about Isaac, when you or your loved ones are treated viciously by the government, grabbed from the street and taken to a detention center. Isaac had the bravery to stand up to the government. Like Isaac, we all have the right to fight against injustice, and we all need to continue the work that Isaac started.”

U.S. Representative Judy Chu said:

“I will never forget what happened last June. Isaac and other day laborers were just waiting for the bus outside a store when armed ICE agents showed up pointing guns at  civilians. This was not about public safety, it was intimidation tactics, these actions put our entire community at risk. I tried to visit Isaac and others at B-18 and was not let in, in spite of that, Isaac and others were freed and he has been doing all that was asked from him.

“Isaac should not have been arrested in the first place, not for simply sitting at a bus stop and not a second time for following the rules that ICE asked from him. Isaac is feeling sick right now, because he spent time in Adelanto, a terrible place that is not providing people food or medication they need, that is why I asked for Adelanto to be shut down. We all deserve to live in peace, free from abuse and detention.”

California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez said:

“We are here to celebrate that Isaac was released, and it is community members who did that, all doing the hard work to make sure we release an innocent man from Adelanto. Isaac was targeted because he is a plaintiff of a class-action lawsuit against the government that is utilizing its surveillance machine to target individuals who are fighting against them. I want the federal government to know that we have a community here fighting to get our community members out of detention, that we will shut down detention centers. California is here to fight back every single step of the way. It is our duty to fight against this fascist administration and Isaac has done that today.”

Brenda Lopez, a community organizer with NDLON, said:

“This is what community love looks like. We are here to send a message: when one of us is targeted, we are all standing up. We will ask for accountability every time. Isaac, your voice echoes far beyond this movement. When we stand united, when we fight for one another, we succeed. Isaac, thank you for your strength, thank you all for your support and for standing for us all.”

Pablo Alvarado, Co-Executive Director of NDLON, said:

“Dignity is inherent in every human being. Isaac is the best example of this. Isaac and his dignity are intact, we should all emulate this example. He is an inspiration. Undocumented people are fighting for the rights of everyone, and it is the government who is oppressing and attacking all of us.”

“Isaac and his co-plaintiffs are continuing the struggle of many communities that have fought hard for their rights in this country. We will be there when any of us is attacked, and we are grateful for Isaac because he didn’t give in.”

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