New York Residents Participate in Nationwide Demonstrations Confronting the Trump Administration’s Illegal Abductions, Detentions, and Deportations
Over 50 people gathered at Thurgood Marshall Courthouse to speak out for people who have been disappeared by the Trump administration
For photos and video, click here
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2025
Contact: Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-8449
(New York, NY) — On Thursday, June 26 at 12:00 noon, the Workers Circle gathered NYC residents at Thurgood Marshall Courthouse to join activists across the country for #DisappearedInAmerica, a national day of action led by a coalition of immigrant rights, faith, rule of law, and pro-democracy organizations. Together, we mobilized to shine a light on a disturbing reality: under Trump’s immigration agenda, people like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Mahmoud Khalil, and Andry Hernandez Romero and thousands more are being forcibly detained, deported, and disappeared. Over 50 people held photos of some of the many people who have been disappeared, to remind our nation and the Trump administration that these people are human beings, our neighbors, and entitled to their constitutional rights.
With the Trump administration doubling down on its abuse of power and government overreach, everyday residents are sending a clear message through this photo action today: In America, we don’t let the government secretly detain or deport people without trial — it violates our Constitution and our way of life. This kind of lawless behavior isn’t just immoral, it’s un-American, and we must draw a clear line against it. We are united in demanding transparency, accountability, and due process for all.
Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle released this statement following the action:
“ICE is abducting and disappearing people without a warrant, without the ability to contact a lawyer or their family, without their day in court. They are being shipped to foreign prisons or held in deplorable conditions in ICE detention centers. This is a violation of our Constitution, and we cannot stand idly by.
People are being told that their green cards, TPS, and visas have been cancelled as they are forcibly arrested and taken away. People coming to their regular ICE court appointments, who’ve resided here for years, are being handcuffed, detained, and disappeared.
The sheer cruelty of these ICE operations is as appalling as is their lawlessness. This weekend alone we saw the shameful, terrifying video of masked, plainclothes ICE agents in Los Angeles chasing Narciso Barranco, a gardener who was working outside an IHOP, assaulting him, dragging him to detention and leaving his injuries untreated. One of his sons is a marine veteran and two of his sons are marines on active duty.
Last night many of us watched in horror the video of an Iranian woman who began convulsing amidst a panic attack as ICE swarmed and arrested her husband in Santa Ana, both of whom are Christian asylees, legally present here, who had entered through the CBP program begun by President Biden which was ended by Donald Trump.
The Workers Circle was founded by Eastern European Jews 125 years ago who fled autocracy and persecution, for freedom and democracy in the United States. Too often Donald Trump uses the excuse of fighting antisemitism as a fig leaf for his hateful anti-immigrant agenda. These ICE actions don’t make Jews safer, they don’t make our communities safer, they don’t make America safer. These are gestapo tactics. Our ancestors have seen them before and we won’t tolerate them here.
We call on the courts to stop this shameful and terrifying disappearance of our neighbors while working, while studying, while worshipping, while contributing to our communities and economy.”
About the Workers Circle
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2025, the Workers Circle is a national, Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who came to the United States fleeing autocracy and persecution, and seeking democratic freedoms and economic opportunities. That history drives the organization’s work for an inclusive democracy and social equality today. The Workers Circle’s activism is rooted in 1,000 years of Yiddish culture and tradition. Through strategic and impactful social justice initiatives, vibrant Yiddish language classes and programs, and interactive educational activities, the Workers Circle powers a multigenerational community of activists that is building “a better and more beautiful world for all.” Learn more at www.circle.org.
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