Formerly detained women, immigrant advocates join caravan to Laredo to demand freedom for detained mom, Griselda

WHAT: Rally & Caravan
WHO: Grassroots Leadership, Laredo Immigrant Alliance, Austin Democratic Socialists of America Immigrant Rights Committee
WHEN: Saturday, January 12 at 1:30pm
WHERE: CoreCivic Laredo Processing Center

AUSTIN — On Saturday community members from Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo will caravan to the Laredo Processing Center for a rally to call for the freedom of detained mom, Griselda. They will call on ICE to release her immediately and protest endemic abuse at the for-profit immigration prison operated by CoreCivic, where immigrants are sent in retaliation for speaking up for their rights.

Griselda is a detained mother, survivor, and asylum-seeker who is fighting for her freedom so that she can protect her 6-year-old daughter Samantha, who is being physically and potentially sexually abused by her father in Chicago. She has now been detained for more than a year. During that time, she has had sparse contact with her daughter, with whom her ex-partner has attempted to cut all contact.  Late last year, Griselda was transferred from the T. Don Hutto detention center to Laredo in the middle of the night as punishment for speaking out to press, community, and elected officials about her need for freedom, as well as the retaliation and abuse she is experiencing while detained. 

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