The arrest and swift release of a Valley immigrant rights activist that took place early this week is raising concerns over the right to document immigration enforcement and the agreements local police departments enter into with federal agencies to carry out those operations.
Community leaders and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside the Mesa Police Department’s Northeast Public Safety Facility on Tuesday, Nov. 25, just hours after learning that Martín Hernández, organizing director for United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 99, had been arrested that morning. Later that day, Hernández was released, but the legal basis for his arrest remains contested.
According to the Mesa Police Department, Hernández was arrested for trespassing. Community members and activists, however, say he was detained for doing something he has done for years: documenting immigration enforcement activity in his community…