What sanctuary? DC puts a resident in detention - and in the path of a hurricane

On Sunday, August 26, Benjamín Ordoñez - a DC resident of 15 years who is deeply involved in the local activist and other communities - was arrested by DC police for an alleged theft. At the courthouse, Benja was handed over to ICE and awaits deportation proceedings in Norfolk, VA. Worse still, the jail where Benja is detained sits near the water in a mandatory evacuation zone for Hurricane Florence but will not be evacuated.

Click here to write a letter calling on Mayor Bowser to get serious about DC's "sanctuary" status and intervene to bring Benjamin safely home!

In effect, DC Police has stolen Benja, among others, from us - and now ICE is leaving him trapped in a cage in the face of an imminent natural disaster.

Where is Mayor Bowser in all of this?? Still silent. Despite repeated appeals by us, other community groups, and countless DC residents, she has chosen not to say or do anything to respond to ICE taking our neighbors away, including with the complicity of DC police. At this point, this can be nothing but a conscious decision, and it is one that makes a mockery of her claims that DC is a "sanctuary city."

Click here to write to Mayor Bowser and demand that she take action! Follow the prompts to additionally place a call to her office.

If you'd like to help further, the legal and logistical costs for Benjamín’s case are going to be significant. Click here if you would like to donate directly to a fund for Benjamín.

In solidarity,
Sanctuary DMV