The following statement was made by the Philadelphia NewsGuild on the kidnapping of a Guild member by ICE:
Last week, ICE detained our Union sibling in Minneapolis. As proud members of the Philadelphia NewsGuild, we condemn the latest heinous act of violence in a long line of attacks from the Federal government. Agents kidnapped and transferred a fellow TNG-CWA member of Local 37002 to El Paso as part of Operation Metro Surge.
Organized workers are now, and have consistently been, a front line in the struggle against fascism. Every ICE raid is an attack against workers, but this feels even closer to us than usual. We lament this crime, but we also stand with our Union as we turn sorrow into rage and indignant anger.
We fight daily for democracy in our workplaces, and we carry that movement into all spaces we occupy. Our campaigns for better working conditions and for just contracts cannot be separated from our fights alongside any Union member who dares to stand for their right to live in peace. In all of our organizing, we carry our Union siblings with us.
Working Partnerships, a division of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, is raising funds to assist affected union members with legal fees and other hardships. Donations can be made here: https://workingpartnerships.betterworld.org/campaigns/support-impacted-union-families