Outraged by a series of startling revelations of abuse and misconduct, some 60 protestors staged a boisterous gathering yesterday outside the Oakland office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Spearheaded by the Service Employees International Union, Thursday's action was one of at least half-a-dozen from coast to coast - a national wave that even earned a mention for Oakland in the Washington Post.

Our ask: stop an out-of-control immigration enforcement strategy that only wastes taxpayer resources, hurts hardworking people, and devastates communities. The only real solution to the nation's broken immigration system is a just and comprehensive immigration refom.

We made sure our message reached Washington by whipping out our cellphones and calling Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano en masse - a moment that KTVU, Univision, and Telemundo's camera crews all dramatically swooped in to capture. 
 
Yesterday's spirited protest represented true labor-community collaboration, with members of Mujeres Unidas y Activas walking and chanting side-by-side with SEIU cleaning workers.

Sad you missed out on the excitement? You can still make your voice heard by calling 202-282-8495 and telling ICE to clean up its act.

Photo credits: Rachele Huennekens