23 Feb OCIYU and Familia Respond to Santa Ana ICE Contract Cancelation

For Immediate Release // Excuse Cross-Posting
February 23, 2017

Contact: Hairo Cortes, OCIYU, 657.272.3475,

Santa Ana, CA – In response to the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate the immigrant detention contract between ICE and the Santa Ana City Jail, Hairo Cortes, Program Coordinator of Orange County Immigrant Youth United, and Jorge Gutierrez, Executive Director of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, issued the following statements:

“In the fight to make Santa Ana live up to its values we just took a huge step forward. In the fight to push back against deportations and detention we just made one city inhospitable for ICE. As the ICE contract is phased out over the next 90 days the city needs to take responsibility for its role in profiting from human suffering and move quickly to advocate for the release of all immigrants detained in its jail. As a city lead entirely by Latinos, it should reject completely the existing prison for profit business model in all its forms and invest in programs that generate revenue by uplifting its residents. Only then will Santa Ana be able to put behind its complicity in profit driven human suffering and serve as a true model for the nation,” Hairo Cortes said.

“Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement has been working with local and national organizations to #EndTransDetention and get ICE out of Santa Ana. The 90-day notice to cancel the contact with Santa Ana City Jail detention center is a win that was made possible by community organizing efforts. Getting ICE out of Santa Ana’s community is good and we will move our organizing efforts to wherever the detainees might get transferred. We must end all detention and deportations,” Jorge Gutierrez said.

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