RantCrush Top 5: February 9, 2017

Last night, protesters in Phoenix, Arizona, blocked an ICE vehicle that was supposedly on its way to deport a woman who has lived in the U.S. for 21 years. Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos went for a regular check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, but never came back. Her attorney said that she is facing deportation because of Donald Trump’s recent executive order that broadened the definition of “criminal alien,” opening up more people to the threat of deportation. She was arrested for impersonation in a 2008 raid by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, but her attorneys claim that raid was unconstitutional. She had been going to the regular check-ins for eight years without any incident, until now. Her husband and children joined protesters and were devastated that their mother will be taken away.

Happening now: protesters have blocked north lanes of Central Avenue in front of ICE pic.twitter.com/3zAeBjlPsJ

— Daniel Gonzalez (@azdangonzalez) February 9, 2017

“I’d ask him ‘why he would want to take her from me?’ She hasn’t done anything wrong and I’m not scared of him,” said Garcia’s daughter Jaqueline, referring to Trump. Seven protesters were arrested for blocking the ICE van.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.