“Our own government is threatening us!” Detroit City Councilmember Gabriel Santiago-Romero said to a packed house at Urban Neighborhood Initiatives in Southwest Detroit. “It is making us all suffer!”

The front line in the fight to resist the second Trump administration, particularly its racist anti-immigrant attacks, is not just done by activists, but everyday working people — at our schools, hospitals, and on the job, the Councilmember said.

The event, organized by a group of engaged youth and community members, gathered for Southwest Talks on Jan. 24, a youth-organizing initiative focused on addressing critical issues impacting Latino youth and the broader immigrant community. Issues such as economic inequality, poverty, environmental degradation, and basic civil rights violations affecting local residents were central discussion topics.

The overriding theme of the event was “community solidarity and living our lives with dignity.” Councilmember Santiago-Romero emphasized the importance of grassroots organizing and the role of community values in fostering a more just and equal society. Drawing from her own experience as a Mexican immigrant who has lived in Southwest Detroit since the age of two, she acknowledged the systemic challenges the Latino community faces, while encouraging collective action.

A key topic of discussion was immigration enforcement and local policing. Santiago-Romero reassured attendees that the Detroit Police Department (DPD) does not collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement. However, she stressed the importance of staying vigilant and prepared, reminding the community that ICE and Border Patrol remain active threats to immigrant and undocumented workers alike.

“Let’s remember our rights,” she urged. “We’ve been through this before.”

To equip the community with knowledge and tools for self-defense, the event included “Know Your Rights” training sessions. Guests were encouraged to make a plan in case of encounters with immigration enforcement, ensuring they understood their legal protections.

One community member raised a pressing concern: “What should people do if they don’t have IDs?” In response, Santiago-Romero highlighted the Detroit Health Department’s municipal ID program, which provides identification options for residents who may otherwise struggle to obtain official documentation.

Following the councilmember’s remarks, youth organizers engaged in a collaborative workshop to identify key issues they wanted to organize around. Their priorities included:

• Expanding job opportunities and more productive jobs programs
• Improving public transportation services
• Erasing debt and financial burdens weighing down working families
• Increasing access to affordable housing and childcare services
• Strengthening community control of policing and removing law enforcement from schools
• Expanding Spanish-language translation services for non-English speakers
• Addressing environmental concerns and pollution in local neighborhoods, particularly from trucking

“These important discussions laid the groundwork for future organizing efforts, reinforcing the power of youth activism in shaping local policies and initiatives,” said Josh Medina, the youth director of UNI and member of the Communist Party USA.

“This is the beginning of our neighborhood’s popular front to fight back against the fascist threat.”

Several community groups were present at the event, providing information and resources to the community.

Organizations such as the Detroit Union Education League and the IBEW Local 58 shared a table to provide resources on union organizing, opportunities to join the building trades, and how a union contract can be a line of defense in the upcoming anti-worker, anti-immigrant attacks by the Trump administration.

Other groups, such as Michigan United and the Coalition for Police Transparency & Accountability, participated and expressed their solidarity with the community’s efforts around policing, environmental concerns, and immigration defense.

A large community defense initiative was called for, the People’s Assembly, which will be the centerpoint for Southwest’s Rapid Response network for community allies to respond to raids, stops, and other attempts to detain undocumented neighbors.

The Southwest Talks event served as a powerful reminder that real change begins with community-driven, working class action. Continued organizing, education, and advocacy is planned with Southwest Detroit residents — especially its youth — who are working to build a future where economic justice, immigrant rights, and community well-being remain at the forefront of the resistance movement.

Image: Young people gather and discuss their issues by Congress of Communities (Facebook); CPUSA members at the youth event (CPUSA)

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