Three young women who belong to the Inland Empire Immigrant  Youth Coalition, an affiliate of the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, have locked themselves to the gates of the Adelanto detention center to protest unjust deportations and the inhumane treatment of inmates inside.

They demand the release of fathers and brothers by the holidays and urge the President to expand deferred action for all.

Specifically, they’re supporting the cases of three family members currently detained at the private facility:

Carlos A. Hidalgo, a father from Azusa California that was a victim of a violent crime awaiting for his U-Visa certification

Artyom Karapetyan, 37 year old Arminian man. He is a father of two children, green card holder, and business owner that should be with his family for the holidays.

Jose Santos Maltez, father of four US Citizen children. He has lived in the U.S. for over ten years.

For these three young women, this issue is personal and close to their homes, and hearts. All three, Mitzie, Dianey, and LIzeth, have close roots in the Inland Empire, a place they call home, and a place with one of the most anti immigrant sentiments in California.

Mitzie, “Nobody is safe from ICE, whether you’re an organizer, or a parent with citizen children, I’m doing this for my cousin who was detained on his way to work. I’m doing this to keep my community safe”

Dianey, “Being raised in Riverside since the age of 8, seeing raids after raid, and seeing my dad being a potential victim of detention center, I felt the urge to to this”

Lizeth, “ Although I’m a citizen, I’m still doing this because I have friends and family who are undocumented, For example my uncle who has U.S. citizen children and is not legalize, that could be deported”

The detention center protest is part of the on-going #Not1More deportation campaign that has included multiple civil disobediences that shut down ice across the country and rallies at privately run detention centers, whose only sole purpose is to profit of human suffering and family separation.

Mitzie Perez

Mitzie is an undocumented immigrant and came to the US at the age of 5. As an only child, she is the pride of her family for receiving her masters in Psychology and Social Work. Having grown up in the Inland Empire she has experienced first hand the terror that ICE brought to our communities. She is a strong activist with the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition and works in organizing with the feminist and LGBTQ communities. "Nobody is safe from ICE, whether you're an organizer, or a parent with citizen children. I'm doing this for my cousin who was deported after he was detained on his way to work. I'm doing this to keep my community safe!"

Lizeth Montiel

Lizeth is an american with undocumented family members and friends. Lizeth organizes with the IE IYC and sees the injustices happening, having an uncle that is undocumented has pushed her to organize around the unjust deportations. "Although i am a citizen i am still doing this because i have friends and family who are still undocumented. For example, my uncle who has U.S citizen children and could be deported."

Dianey Murillo

Dianey is a DACAmented immigrant who migrated with her family to the U.S at the age of 8. Her parents saw the violence in the neighborhoods and the closing of the "maquiladoras," they decided to move to what they thought was a better place. Currently attending riverside city college and working on her Associates Degree in Sociology, she hopes to move other immigrant youth to keep their communities safe. "I am doing this for our parents who day to day go out to work with the risk of deported."

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