EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Immigrant advocates are calling for the release of an El Paso-area activist detained Sunday at El Paso International Airport on immigration charges.
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago was taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents at around 4 a.m. as she waited to board a flight out of El Paso. The Movimiento Cosecha activist and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals beneficiary was carrying a work authorization document when detained, according to friends and colleagues who have started a GoFundMe account for her legal fees.
Movimiento Cosecha also posted on X video of Santiago’s encounter with Border Patrol agents at the airport.
“Xóchitl was accosted by two Border Patrol agents […] as she was about to board a domestic flight for work. Despite presenting a valid DACA work authorization card offering proof of her protection from deportation, Border Patrol abducted and detained her without warrant or cause,” the organizer wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Santiago has since been transferred to a federal immigration processing center.
Border Report reached out to the Border Patrol for comment and was referred to another federal agency who may have custody of Santiago. One federal official pointed out that all foreign nationals present in the U.S. must always carry valid, up-to-date proof of immigration status and that a work permit by itself does not meet that requirement.
Sympathizers are now preparing for a drawn-out legal fight. More than 1,000 people had donated an amount above $45,000 to the page as of Tuesday morning.
“We know that Xóchitl has made such a profound and powerful impact on so many loved friends and community members from Florida to Texas and beyond,” the fundraiser organizer wrote. “Xóchitl has been working for over a decade for the dignity and respect of the immigrant community. She was a long-time volunteer organizer with Movimiento Cosecha and currently works supporting families in El Paso.”
Movimiento Cosecha is a multi-state movement advocating for the legalization of the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Their home page mentions the movement “believes in using non-cooperation to leverage the power of immigrant labor and consumption and force a meaningful shift in public opinion.” That includes calling for strikes and boycotts.
The use of the word “abducted” is gaining popularity among pro-immigration activists to describe apprehensions of undocumented immigrants they say have been present here and worked here so long that they should be considered members of the community.
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