FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2025
Media Contact: Sister Erin Zubal, OSU [email protected] 202-498-1809
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Condemns Escalation of Force Against Peaceful Demonstrators and Immigrant Communities
WASHINGTON— NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice condemns the recent escalation of military force by the Trump administration in response to large and peaceful demonstrations in Los Angeles. These demonstrations followed a series of violent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have violated human and civil rights and torn dozens of families apart in working-class neighborhoods across L.A.
“In this country, no matter where we come from, we value the sanctity of our families, and our freedom to live, work, and assemble in safety,” said Joan F. Neal, Interim Executive Director of NETWORK. “Yet, ICE is cruelly abducting our friends and neighbors and separating families. In response, people of goodwill have been peacefully protesting as a constitutionally protected demonstration. We applaud the peaceful demonstrators’ courage and are in solidarity with them.”
Neal continued, “The Administration’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and Marines against these peaceful demonstrators, over the clear objections of local leaders, is un-American, dangerous, and counterproductive.”
Giovana Oaxaca, NETWORK’s Senior Immigration Advocate, added, “Nationwide, ICE is targeting worksites, retail businesses, and courtrooms, trying to stoke fear and uncertainty in our communities, many of which include Catholic families now facing the threat of deportation. With these destabilizing, militarized raids, ICE threatens all our neighborhoods. We urge the Administration to stop these unjust raids. We also call on all elected leaders and the broader public to reject fear-based policies, which include rejecting a military response to peaceful protest, and uphold the dignity and rights of all people.”
In Los Angeles and across the country, our communities are coming together to protect our immigrant neighbors, family members, friends, and coworkers. NETWORK will continue to work in peaceful solidarity to stop this assault on our freedoms and build a future of freedom for all of us.
Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working for justice and equity for everyone. For 53 years, NETWORK has educated, organized, and lobbied for federal policies that serve the common good and honor the dignity of all people.
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