On the morning of March 25, farmworker organizer Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez was forcibly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers who stopped his automotive whereas he was driving his spouse to work in Skagit County, Washington. Individuals to whom Juarez has spoken say he requested to see a warrant, and when he tried to get his ID after being requested, the ICE brokers smashed his automotive window and detained him.
Twenty-five-year-old Juarez helped discovered Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, an impartial farmworker union in Washington State, in 2013, when he was only a younger teenager. He has advocated round points like extra time pay, warmth protections for farmworkers and the exploitative nature of the H-2A guest worker program. Juarez is a beloved member of the Indigenous Mixteco farmworker group, and there’s been an outpouring of assist for him throughout Washington State and the entire country.
Juarez is at the moment being imprisoned on the Northwest ICE Processing Heart in Tacoma. His detention comes because the Trump administration escalates its assault in opposition to immigrants and employees. Union members and immigrant rights activists have been detained. The administration has additionally intensified its attacks on foreign-born college students who’ve spoken up for Palestinian rights, corresponding to Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk.
To study extra about Juarez’s scenario, Truthout spoke with Edgar Franks, the political director of Familias Unidas, concerning the farmworker organizer and his detention, the outpouring of assist for him, and extra. Franks, who additionally spoke to Truthout final November concerning the challenges going through farmworkers after Trump’s reelection, has labored intently with Juarez — who goes by “Lelo” — for over a decade.
Derek Seidman: To begin, what’s essential for readers to learn about Lelo?
Edgar Franks: An important factor is how a lot he cares about farmworker points and the way a lot he has advocated for farmworkers, particularly the Indigenous Mixteco farmworker group that he’s from. One cause he organizes is as a result of there are so few organizers within the state that talk to the problems of Indigenous Mexicans from his group. He’s very dedicated to his group and all the problems that have an effect on farmworkers and immigrants. He’s all the time out there, anytime individuals name him, as a result of he believes a lot within the trigger.
He was one of many predominant individuals who helped begin our union. Once we first started, it was exhausting to speak with a few of the employees who nonetheless used their native language and didn’t converse Spanish nicely. Alfredo was key to bridging that communication hole as a result of he spoke English, Spanish and Mixteco. With him, we have been capable of actually get data from the employees about what they needed and assist them arrange.
He additionally helped us foyer for the overtime rules for farmworkers and the principles on local weather round heat and smoke. All our suggestions got here straight from employees that Alfredo spoke with. He was all the time speaking to employees. He’s additionally been calling consideration to how exploitative the H-2A guest worker program is and the way growers use the H-2A program as a device to take energy away from farmworkers. He’s additionally been lobbying on points like housing and hire stabilization.
He’s a member of our union who’s been round for the reason that starting. He’s type of like a store steward. All the things that the union has executed has Alfredo’s fingerprints throughout it.
How do you perceive his detention? What’s your evaluation of what occurred?
ICE is harassing and intimidating individuals and never even displaying warrants.
We consider his detention is politically motivated due to his organizing within the farmworker and immigrant group. We consider he was focused. The way in which that ICE detained him was meant to intimidate. They hardly gave him any probability to defend himself or clarify. He wasn’t resisting, and he simply requested to see the warrant. They requested to see his ID, and proper when he was reaching for it, they broke his automotive window. The ICE brokers escalated actually quick. From what we heard, it was lower than a minute from the time he was pulled over to him being in handcuffs.
I feel the intent was to strike worry and intimidate Alfredo, but additionally to ship a message to others who’re talking out in opposition to ICE and for immigrant rights, that that is what occurs if you attempt to combat again.
In previous years, we’ve seen individuals getting pulled over and requested for his or her paperwork, however now it’s changing into extra aggressive. ICE is harassing and intimidating individuals and never even displaying warrants. It’s free rein for ICE to do no matter they need. When you will have federal brokers with no actual oversight, it empowers them to be violent and coercive over everyone. The tone being set by the Trump administration provides ICE brokers and Border Patrol the sensation that they’re unstoppable. That’s actually regarding.
Are you able to discuss concerning the outpouring of assist for Lelo?
It’s been nice to see the large assist for Alfredo. It speaks to how a lot of an affect he’s had within the state and everywhere in the nation. It’s been very nice to see the solidarity from people who most likely by no means even met him or knew something concerning the farmworker wrestle, however who know an injustice has occurred.
There was a rally on March 27 organized by the Washington State Labor Council, which represents all of the unions in Washington. They confirmed up on the detention middle calling for Alfredo and one other union member, Lewelyn Dixon, to be freed. For us as a union, it’s most essential to see our labor household stepping up. Throughout the presidential marketing campaign we noticed how employees and unions have been being utilized by Trump, however now all of our labor people are seeing what’s actually taking place right here, which is that Trump is utilizing immigrants to assault employees and unions. It’s been nice to see labor actually stepping up on the aspect of immigrant employees.
What impacts everyone else impacts immigrants. On the finish of the day, all of us need meals and housing and good colleges. Immigrants don’t have anything to do with the rising prices of housing, or gasoline or eggs. The difficulties which might be actually affecting individuals’s lives will not be attributable to immigrants. They’re attributable to the system and by billionaires like Elon Musk. The frustrations that individuals really feel are actual, however their anger is being pointed at immigrants, and that’s not the place the anger must go.
How is Lelo doing? What have you ever heard?
He’s clearly upset. He misses his household and pals. He’s additionally been very moved by all of the actions which might be taking place. However when a few of his supporters went to go see him final week, you understand what his message was? To maintain combating and hold organizing. That offers us energy and confidence to maneuver ahead. Lelo desires us to combat, so we’ll combat. If he’s combating on the within, we’ll hold combating for him on the skin.
He now has authorized illustration, which was additionally an enormous concern for us. We will combat as a lot as we wish on the skin, however we actually want fighters within the authorized system to assist Alfredo. We’ll be there for regardless of the authorized group must uplift his combat, together with creating stress within the streets.
Lelo’s detention is coming amid a bigger crackdown within the U.S. Do you see connections?
Lelo is anxious about others who’re being detained. Lewelyn Dixon is a College of Washington lab technician and a SEIU 925 member. She has a inexperienced card and has been residing within the U.S. for 50 years. She’s on the Tacoma detention middle.
From the start, we thought Challenge 2025 and its plan for mass deportations was meant to eliminate all of the immigrant employees who’re organizing and combating again for higher situations, and to herald a workforce that’s underneath the whole management of their employer.
There’s the case of immigrant rights activists Jeannette Vizguerra in Denver. There’s the case of Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia College and different college students being detained who converse out about Palestine. It’s not a coincidence anymore. That is the development now, and it’s actually regarding. The U.S. talks quite a bit about repressive governments in Venezuela or Cuba, however we now have political prisoners proper now within the U.S.
Do you suppose Lelo’s detention is a component of a bigger plan to assault farmworker organizing?
From the start, we thought Challenge 2025 and its plan for mass deportations was meant to ship a chill amongst farmworker organizations that had been gaining momentum. It was meant to silence the organizing, deport as many individuals as attainable, and to herald a captive workforce by way of the H-2A program.
We predict that is likely to be the final word plan: to eliminate all of the immigrant employees who’re organizing and combating again for higher situations, and to herald a workforce that’s underneath the whole management of their employer with principally no rights. It’ll make it even more durable to arrange with farmworkers if extra H-2A employees come. It wouldn’t be inconceivable, nevertheless it’ll be harder. All of the positive aspects which were made within the final couple of years for farmworkers are in danger.
What are you asking supporters to do?
Alfredo’s large on organizing. Wherever you’re, there are related struggles which might be taking place. Whether or not you’re in New York, Florida, Texas or California, there’s organizing for immigrant rights and employees that wants simply as a lot assist as he does. We must always go into our native communities and assist these organizing campaigns.
We must always see Alfredo’s case for example of how efficient he’s and the way a lot that threatens the institution. However on the similar time, he wouldn’t need individuals to cease organizing as a result of he’s detained. He would need individuals to arrange much more.
You’ve labored intently with Lelo for over a decade. What are some recollections that come to thoughts that inform us extra about who he’s?
Once we first began organizing in 2013, he was solely round 14 years previous. Loads of farmworkers didn’t know the right way to converse English, and so these employees, who have been grown adults, would ask Alfredo to current their case. He was only a younger teenager, principally a child, and he was given the duty to characterize farmworkers at talking engagements with tons of of individuals. And when he went, he spoke eloquently for over an hour concerning the lifetime of being a younger farmworker and why farmworkers wanted a union. The marketing campaign was possibly two months previous, however he had already captured the concept of why unions have been essential at such a younger age.
I bear in mind all this as a result of I must drive him round since he was too younger to drive! So I might take him to speak to church buildings, or unions, or different teams across the group. He was doing all this when he was 14 years previous. I used to be amazed. I couldn’t converse for 2 minutes with out getting nervous, however right here was this 14-year-old who may discuss for an hour!
He was additionally requested to go to the 2022 Labor Notes Convention to current on the work of the union, and I simply bear in mind how excited he was that Bernie Sanders was going to be there. He acquired the chance to present Bernie a letter about our marketing campaign to oppose the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. He was so enthusiastic about assembly Bernie Sanders.
He’s nonetheless like a little bit child (laughter). He likes Child Yoda and likes to observe animated cartoons. He tries to take pleasure in being younger. He’s actually humble. He’s 25 now, so virtually half of his life has been towards organizing. It’s superb simply how a lot he’s been capable of accomplish whilst only a younger man.
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