Undocumented Arizonans Announce Participation in National Bus Tour to Overcome Fear and Organize Migrant Community

All Four Arrested at Arpaio Trial Released.

What: Press Conference with Undocumented members of Puente who were arrested in civil disobedience
When: 10:00am Friday, July 27.
Where: 2035 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ
Visuals: Released undocumented members of Puente reunited with family members, rally with signs and banners.

Yesterday afternoon, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Miguel Guerra on a bond pending court appearance. Guerra was the last remaining protestor to be released because he was taken into custody by ICE even after a judge ordered him and three other undocumented Arizonans released on their own recognizance. While Leticia Ramirez, Natally Cruz, and Isela Meraz were let out from fourth avenue jail, Guerra was instead transferred to ICE. The four were arrested a civil rights protest against Sheriff Arpaio during his racial profiling trial earlier in the week.

By voluntarily risking arrest and being placed in Sheriff Arpaio's jail, the undocumented Arizonans confronted what had previously been their greatest fear and demonstrated that everyone is safer as part of organized communities prepared to defend their rights and prevent their violation.

The four will announce their participation in a national 'No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice' at a press conference this morning. Undocumented migrants will board a bus in Phoenix, Arizona and publicly travel to hot spots of Arizona copy-cats and anti-immigrant sentiment to come out as unafraid, support local organizing, and challenge proponents of hate. The journey will end in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Democratic National Convention.

"I was part of our civil disobedience because I want to open the eyes of my community and I want all of us to have the same courage I found to come out of the shadows and stop living in fear." explained LeticiaRamirez. "I'm getting on the bus because I'm tired of living in fear and knew I had to be part of making a change. We'll share with everyone what we've learned in Phoenix and get the immigrant community together across the country. If you see what happened to us knowing our rights, going in, and getting out of jail you can see that we're safer when we're organized. We hope that it will be a good impact and to educate people who don't know our real lives."

Puente is calling for a march this Saturday from Indian School Park at 9:00am to continue protest of the Sheriff and ICE's collaboration to deport Maricopa County residents and to call for the cancellation of Guerra's pending deportation proceedings.

More information on the No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice can be found at http://nopapersnofear.org

Follow @puenteaz and @undocubus on twitter for updates.

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