AOTR Elevates Javier Diaz Santana

Authors of The Resistance is elevating the deeply disturbing story of Javier Diaz Santana, a 32-year-old Deaf man and DACA recipient, who was detained by ICE despite having legal status, no criminal record, and a valid Real ID.

Javier came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. He’s lived here nearly his entire life, has permission to work, and believed he was safe. But when ICE agents stopped him in downtown Los Angeles, they ignored his Real ID, seized his wallet and phone, and handcuffed him without giving him any way to communicate his disability.

For nearly a month, Javier was detained in El Paso, unable to speak to his family or his lawyer. Agents gave him paperwork in Spanish—a language he cannot read. He was left isolated, terrified, and silenced, simply because he is Deaf and Mexican.

This is what happens when ICE enforces racial profiling with ableist cruelty. This is what happens when the state polices bodies it doesn't understand or value. Javier followed every rule. His rights were violated anyway.

We demand justice for Javier. We demand accountability for ICE’s ableism. We demand freedom from a system that continues to dehumanize.

#JusticeForJavierDiaz
#FreeJavierNow
#MeltICE
#AbolishICE
#DeafRightsAreHumanRights
#DACARecipientsMatter
#EndAbleismInICE
#StopDetainingDisabledPeople
#NoHumanIsIllegal
#DisabilityJusticeNow