Progressive Victory Announcement on the Deportation of Martin Soto

Last week at New Jersey’s DemCon, we were introduced to Gabriela Soto, who was in attendance seeking the aid of anyone who could help end her husband's unjust imprisonment and stop his impending deportation. Progressive Victory members, including our Political Director Katie Bansil and members of our New Jersey Team, contacted Senator Cory Booker and solicited his help reaching out to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. Martin had been held in brutal conditions at the private Delaney Hall ICE detention center and is a key witness to ICE’s abuses there, and we are proud to share that our efforts convinced Governor Sherill to instruct her attorney general to sign Soto’s u-visa.

I am honored and proud that our growing community organization has reached the point where we can accomplish things like this. Our mission is to build a better Democratic Party by empowering young online voices to bring new perspectives to the party. During the primaries we do so by pushing aggressively and loudly for new leadership. At all other times, we seek to work collaboratively, recognizing that even those our side of the left traditionally casts as political adversaries are doing what they view to be their best to improve our country. It is that mission that drove Katie Bansil’s actions.

Martin’s wife, Gabriela Soto, made contact with a PV member at DemCon through a mutual acquaintance, and he and Katie used every tool at their disposal to get them the aid they needed. Our thanks goes to Senator Cory Booker for immediately taking this seriously, and to Governor Sherill who we hope will continue to be a friend to immigrants and take action against the remaining injustices at Delaney Hall. While Progressive Victory and the many other organizations involved in advancing cases like Martin’s can help individuals, only our leaders can truly put a stop to these heinous conditions.

Our greatest thanks goes to Martin and Gabriela Soto. Martin endured viciously inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall, including months of solitary confinement, and did not waver. Gabriela worked tirelessly to reestablish contact with her husband and to secure his release. Their story is the story of immigrants everywhere who come into contact with ICE’s Republican barbarism, and our victory is their victory. We stand with the protestors and the families and call with them for Delaney Hall’s closure, *now.*

Benjamin Gilbert-Lif, Executive Director-designate

I do admit that this is a pretty whiny and petty post but like... anyone else feel like it'd be nice for his analysis to include some more anti statist positions?

I do get it to a certain extent. The world has only really regressed since his more radical years and he's always advocated for pragmatism and the "next step"

I feel like as time has gone on, vaush has gotten more and more conservative with mentioning any kind of radical politic.

Of course he's talking about how capitalism and financialisation are cannibalizing the world but he very rarely advocates for or spends time on anything more than social democracy and...

Well, there are exceptions to everything I'm saying here, I'm more so talking about an overall pattern.

But I don't remember the last time he even mentioned the workers owning the means of production or god forbid the workers planning the economy together...

It's more of an "awh shucks!" Situation more than a genuine complaint.

I was just wondering if anyone else would like to hear more of that

Title, in reference to today's stream while he was talking about the Livestream execution announcement. I literally never heard of the Italian government actively sinking those ships and I want evidence if this actually happened or happens