📢 Don't Look Away: Our Government Is Abducting People and Stomping on the Rule of Law 🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny. Throughout history, Americans have faced corruption, injustice, and authoritarian overreach. And every time, we fought back. Laurie Woodward Garcia and People Power United Aug 21 Listen to post · 8:14 🌟 Join activists powering the movement for progress—become a free or paid subscriber today and make your voice count! Subscribe to our newsletter 📰 A Community Organizer Targeted On Sunday, August 3, 2025, Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago—a DACA recipient, beloved community member, and long-time community organizer—was abducted by Border Patrol agents at the El Paso International Airport. She was not sneaking across a border, nor committing a crime. She was about to board a domestic flight for work when two Border Patrol officers stopped her, demanded her papers, and ignored the fact that she presented a valid DACA work authorization card. Without a warrant, without probable cause, and without justification, she was taken into custody. This is not law enforcement. This is a state-sanctioned abduction. And if we look away, if we shrug our shoulders, we are accepting a government that treats constitutional protections as optional and immigrant lives as disposable. Xóchitl has dedicated over a decade to defending immigrant communities in Florida, Texas, and beyond. She is not just another case file in the system—she is a leader, a sister, a friend, a fighter for dignity. That is precisely why she is being targeted. DHS and Border Patrol are not simply enforcing immigration law. They are making an example of her, seeking to intimidate Dreamers and immigrant organizers into silence. Her organizing team reports that despite her valid DACA protections, immigration officials have charged her with "unlawful entry." This appears to be an outright fabrication, a chilling indication that the Trump administration is shifting toward criminalizing DACA holders—young people who were promised protection from deportation under the law. As one immigrant rights group warned, "We will not stand by as young people, whose home is here, are ripped away from their lives" (Urban Milwaukee, 2025). Just a friendly reminder: DACA is our nation's promise—a recognition that children should never be punished for their parents' decisions in seeking a better life. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, created by President Barack Obama in June 2012¹, was meant to protect undocumented immigrants brought here as children—our "Dreamers"—from deportation and to give them the chance to work, study, and live openly in the only country most have ever called home. For more than a decade, DACA has been a lifeline, a shield, and a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of young people who contribute deeply to our communities. But let's be clear: we failed them. Congress has refused to pass meaningful immigration reform, leaving Dreamers in a constant state of fear. Now, under Trump's second administration, DACA is under direct attack. There is a very real threat that Dreamers—who have lived here for 13 years under the promise of safety—will be torn from their families and deported to countries they do not know, where they may not even speak the language. To snatch young people from the lives they built here and treat them as criminals is not just cruel—it is a betrayal of America's word and America's values. Detention Is Deadly Xóchitl is being detained at the notorious El Paso Processing Center, a facility with a documented history of abuse and denial of rights. Reports from inside describe a lack of clean drinking water, the absence of medical attention, and visitation restricted to one day a week. Amnesty International has previously highlighted these inhumane conditions. Detention is not just unjust—it is dangerous. Every single day behind bars threatens the health and lives of those held. Trump's second administration is already on track to preside over the deadliest year in immigration detention history. That reality is not an accident; it is the direct result of policies that treat immigrants as enemies of the state rather than human beings. Criminalization as a Weapon The Department of Homeland Security has failed to produce evidence against Xóchitl, claiming "unlawful entry" while floating inflammatory language designed to smear her character. This follows DHS’s long pattern of criminalizing immigrants and activists, particularly Black and Brown working-class people who already face disproportionate targeting under our biased criminal-legal system. But the truth is clear: Xóchitl is not a criminal. She is being punished for her activism. She has spoken out against ICE and CBP abuses, participated in direct actions, and fought for her community's right to live without fear. That is why she is in detention today. And that is why we cannot look away. This case is about much more than one person. It is about whether our government can abduct someone with legal protections, hold them incommunicado, and without evidence and without the right to due process—without consequence. It is about whether we will defend the rule of law or allow authoritarianism to advance one abduction at a time. Don't Look Away Xóchitl belongs at home, with her community and her loved ones—not in a detention center where her health and rights are at constant risk. Her detention is unlawful. Her treatment is inhumane. Her targeting is political. We demand her immediate release. We demand an end to the terror campaign waged by ICE and CBP. And we demand that this country live up to the rule of law by protecting, not persecuting, those who fight for justice. Because if they can come for Xóchitl, they can come for anyone. Don't look away. Today’s Calls to Action Sign-up for the Virtual Vigil for Dignity Not Detention – We Stand with Dreamers Tuesday, August 26th, 6:30 – 7:30pm EDT, Click here to sign-up Click here to send a letter to your Member of Congress and demand the release of all detainees who are not violent criminals, honor our promise to keep Dreamers safe, and pass immigration reform. Click here to sign the petition: Free Xóchitl! Community Organizer and DACA Recipient Detained at Texas Airport Can you share this post to help us get the word out? Click here to Shut Down Trump's "Alligator Alcatraz" Concentration Camp Thanks for taking action! FYI Please note that when People Power United uses the word “fight” in writing, online, or in speech, we mean to advocate fiercely, never to incite or support violence. We do not condone violence in any form, nor do we promote breaking the law. Our work is rooted in peaceful advocacy through exercising our constitutional rights: voting, free speech, peaceful assembly, rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. We use these tools to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and our democracy. And together, we will win. OUR VALUES People Power United champions progress and power to the people. In this community, we will always speak out and show up against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry in all its forms! We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change—and work every day to make it happen. Join us by taking action and speaking out to champion progress and power to the people! Other Ways to Plug Into Our Work 📬 If you haven’t been seeing our emails lately: We do send them out daily via Substack—but Substack tends to prioritize delivery to folks who engage. So if you want to keep receiving our updates in your inbox, make sure to click a link, hit like, or leave a comment when you read. Substack sends our daily newsletter only to engaged subscribers. Inactive members may eventually stop receiving emails, as Substack prioritizes active participation. Now let me take a moment to say this: I’m so deeply proud of what we’ve built together. We are a scrappy, relentless, grassroots force with over 250,000 members in all 50 states—and we’ve done it without a single dime of fundraising or grant funders handing us checks. People Power United is community-powered, heart-driven, and people-led. You make that possible. 🔥 Join us on the front lines: ➡️ Speak Out – Check out our latest calls to action ➡️ Show Up – Find events near you ➡️ Join People Power United – Invite others to join the movement We are powered by people. Not billionaires. Not PACs. Just us. Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference. Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests) Laurie joining other activists and organizations to drop thousands of petitions off to Congress for reforms to the Supreme Court People Power United is a group of community members that champions progress and power for the people. 🌟 Join activists powering the movement for progress—become a free or paid subscriber today and make your voice count! Subscribe to our newsletter 📰 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals 📢 Action Alerts Join us by speaking out to champion progress and power to the people! People Power United champions progress and power to the people. In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry in all its forms! We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change—and work every day to make it happen. Join us by taking action and speaking out to champion progress and power to the people! Here are some People Powered actions we can take to speak out  on issues that champion progress and power to the people. People Power Actions *** Click here to send a message to your Member of Congress.  This editable template is delivered instantly and can be used daily to raise your concerns. Call them at (202) 224-3121—and if you can’t get through or don’t get a clear answer, ask for a staff contact. Then follow up by calling, emailing, and requesting a virtual or in-person meeting to raise your concerns. Click here to send a letter to your lawmakers to speak out and denounce this state-sponsored terror on our communities and champion freedom of speech and the right to assemble. Click here to send a message to your Member of Congress: End Starvation as a Weapon of War Click here to Protect Free Speech from Government Suppression Click here to Tell Lawmakers to support: MEDICARE FOR ALL Click here to Tell Your Member of Congress: Expand the Supreme Court to protect our voting and civil rights, create term limits, and institute a code of ethics Click here to Send a message to your lawmaker: Everyone deserves to live in a community free of gun violence Click here to Send a Letter to the Leaders and People of Greenland Send a letter of support to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian leaders and soldiers, and the resilient people of Ukraine Click here to Tell Lawmakers: Now is the time to declare racism a public health crisis Click here to take the Freedom over Fascism pledge Click here to Tell your member of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Click here to Tell Congress: We need immigration reform now Click here to Urge Congress to pass the Equality Act Now Click here to Tell Congress: Pass the Women's Health Protection Act and Protect Abortion Click here to Tell Lawmakers: THE FREEDOM TO VOTE IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT Enjoy this original song from People Power United — created to uplift your spirit, inspire action, and fuel our advocacy for freedom and justice. We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising.  Let’s do it together. With fierce resolve and people power, Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by  special interests) People Power United What We’ve Built Together at People Power United 💥The largest grassroots movement in America with zero outside  funding—powered entirely by the people. Led by everyday Americans who are visible, vocal, and unafraid. ✅ Thousands of bold actions taken daily to protect our rights and freedoms ✅ A growing community of over 250,000+ members across all 50 states ✅ Ranked in the Top 100 on Substack for both “On the Rise” and “Bestseller” in U.S. Politics We are loud. We are relentless. We are united in the fight for progress and people-powered democracy. If you believe in a future where people—not corporations or billionaires or  shady politicians—hold the power, help fuel this movement by becoming a monthly newsletter subscriber 📰 for just $5 a month. Together, we rise. ✊