On this International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, We Denounce the Raids Terrorizing Indigenous Communities

On August 6, 2025, during a worksite raid on the AZZ company in Canton, Ohio, Indigenous K’iche’ and Ixil Maya Peoples from Iximulew (Guatemala) were detained and humiliated, regardless of their immigration status Many are still in detention Children, mothers, fathers, and communities have been unjustly separated

“They locked everyone in the building. One by one, they asked them questions. They didn’t care if they had work permits They only looked at the color of our skin ” Eyewitness

This raid is part of a larger pattern of raids affecting multiple communities across the country and having a disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities through racist policies, including an early raid in Houston, Texas, on August 5th, affecting members of the Maya Q’eqchi’ Nation

This violence is not new to our People and communities It is a continuation of dispossession, structural racism, and the constant attempt to erase our identities As displaced Indigenous Peoples in the diaspora, we continue to face persecution, displacement, and imposed silence

The cycles of violence that we have lived through continue Between 1980 and 1983, our communities in Iximulew experienced one of the most painful chapters in our recent history Under the orders of former dictator Ríos Montt, the Maya were targeted for genocide, especially the Ixil and K’iche’ Peoples Our grandparents and parents were persecuted, murdered, and forced to abandon their lands During that dark time, many of us were forced into exile, fleeing to Mexico and then north, arriving in territories such as Ohio, where we still live with the memory of that pain

Although decades have passed, fear and trauma continue to accompany and haunt us

“When I hear helicopters or see the police, I get scared. They are the same noises and uniforms as those who burned down my mother’s house ” S , Maya K’iche’ woman, who was affected by the recent raid in Canton, Ohio

But from this territory of Turtle Island, we continue to walk as a people. We have not stopped being who we are.

“We create our way of life, speak our languages, wear our Maya clothing. That is part of our struggle, to remember that our grandparents were here before any invasion.” L , Ixil Maya man

We are still here As Maya Peoples, we know that our strength lies in community, in memory, and connection with our roots and Mother Earth From this territory where we now live, we honor our ancestors, care for our children, and weave a future with dignity

Today, on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we affirm: We are not immigrants; we are the original Peoples of this continent, Abiayala (the Americas) We will continue fighting for our People, communities, Mother Earth, and future generations Our presence here is not new, and we will not be erased