FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2025 WE DENOUNCE VIOLENT ICE RAIDS IN THE DMV Piscataway Nation Territory (Washington, D.C.) - The International Mayan League denounces the extremely aggressive and discriminatory Immigration Enforcement Operations on March 3rd and 4th under the Trump Administration. These militarized enforcements are terrorizing our community, spreading fear and victimizing our families and neighborhoods throughout Virginia and Maryland. We reiterate, the neighborhoods being targeted are home to diverse communities including large populations of Indigenous Peoples from Central and South America. In the case of the Maya Peoples, many were forced to flee North and seek refuge during the 1980s due to the war, internal armed conflict and genocide in Guatemala, which was supported by the U.S. Government’s foreign policies. Our relatives from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, also come from families who fled war, government persecution and repression. To see armored vehicles, officers in tactical gear using aggressive tactics such as breaking down doors to detain us, is a reminder of the repressive regimes that we were forced to flee. In the years that many of us have lived in this area, we have not experienced this level of violent targeting of our peoples, dehumanizing our very existence and dignity. To Elected Officials, what actions will you take to stand with us and denounce this violence that is harming our communities, separating and terrorizing our families? Such violence that we are living and witnessing today is detrimental to the mental health and wellbeing of our children. We ask for solidarity from our neighbors and allies, to stand up for all of us under attack. Join us as we build a response together, one rooted in our human dignity that uplifts our diverse peoples, cultures, and histories. “Our Elders tell us, as long as there is a grain of corn, our existence is assured.” We are stronger together in community.
In solidarity, light, and resistance, International Mayan League