On Oct. 5, as Juan Mejia was leaving his home in Liverpool, NY to attend class at a local college, he fell victim to one of the many violent U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement raids that take place regularly in Central New York and throughout the country.
  Juan “DJ Chino” Mejia, seated at right |
ICE, a federal task force established in 2003, is a violent and racist agency that serves to terrorize immigrant communities. The goal is to subject immigrant workers to the fear of brutality and deportation so they are more likely to accept low wages, long hours and horrible working conditions.
Juan Mejia, known by the community as DJ Chino, came to the United States with his family in 1989 when he was 13-years-old and has lived here ever since. Mejia’s children, Yadiel who is six-years-old and Luis who is four-years-old, were born in and are citizens of the United States. They have been living without their father for over two months. Right now, they are in the care their grandmother, Dana Zoila Marquez, who is disabled and a breast cancer survivor. Marquez was living with Mejia when he was detained and had been relying on him for financial support.
Mejia is a respected member of the Latino community in Syracuse and has been a tireless fighter for poor and oppressed people. At the time of his detention, he was serving a one-year term as a board member for the League of United Latin American Citizens. As a board member, he was involved in the struggle for justice for Raul Pinet Jr., a young Puerto-Rican man who was beaten by police and killed by jail deputies in August.
Mejia has also worked as the Youth Development Director for the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County. While there, he helped countless children with educational and other enrichment opportunities. He served as a positive role-model for them and encouraged them to further their education.
The detainment of Mejia is an attack on all working and poor people in Syracuse. That is why the community is fighting back.
On Dec. 7, organizers from LULAC and the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) met to strategize ways to have the federal deportation charges against Juan Mejia dropped. A petition campaign was started two days later and organizers have begun planning a protest at the Syracuse ICE office. You can sign the petition here.
End all racist raids and deportations! Tell ICE to drop the deportation charges! Free Juan Mejia!
