{"id":42301,"date":"2025-07-02T12:43:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T19:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=42301"},"modified":"2025-07-02T12:43:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T19:43:37","slug":"mission-residents-write-to-drag-performer-arrested-by-ice-were-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/07\/02\/mission-residents-write-to-drag-performer-arrested-by-ice-were-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission residents write to drag performer arrested by ICE: \u2018We\u2019re with you\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\" by\u00a0OSCAR PALMA<\/a><\/strong> July 1, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Ani Rivera, Executive Director of Galeria de la Raza, speaking to attendees who showed up to write letters of support to Hilary Rivers, the drag performer who was arrested by ICE last week, on Monday June 30, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Galeria de la Raza<\/a> filled up with about 30 people on Monday evening, all of them there to write letters of support to Hilary Rivers, the San Francisco drag performer who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday after an immigration court appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For about two hours, Galeria de la Raza offered pen, paper and its space to anyone interested in sending a message of love and support to Rivers, who is currently being detained about 270 miles from San Francisco, at the Golden State Annex, an ICE detention center in McFarland just north of Bakersfield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLetters of solidarity to people in detention can offer crucial emotional support, hope, and a sense of connection to the outside world,\u201d said Sarah Jimenez, one of the event\u2019s organizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mission<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Rivers\u2019 arrest came hours after she finished as a runner up at the Mr. and Mrs. Safe Latino<\/a> on Wednesday night. The event, which is organized by Galeria de la Raza, has for the last 30 years promoted the wellness of the Latinx LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Person
A portrait of Hilary Rivers. Photo from River\u2019s Instagram account.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rivers is just the latest person to be arrested<\/a> immediately following a court appearance<\/a>. In San Francisco and nationally, ICE agents are targeting those who voluntarily come into court<\/a> or check-ins with ICE agents<\/a>, arresting them immediately afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times, federal attorneys are relying on a novel tactic<\/a> of seeking to dismiss asylum cases so that asylum-seekers are put in legal limbo and can be arrested. In at least one case documented by Mission Local, an asylum-seeker was arrested, transferred to the same detention center where Rivers is being held, and put in front of a more conservative judge<\/a>, hurting his chances at asylum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening started with Jimenez and Ani Rivera, executive director of Galeria de la Raza, providing a few instructions to attendees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTry not to forget that people in ICE detention are just that, people,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cTry to avoid any overwrought language that could inadvertently lead to increased feelings of stress or anxiety. Keep in mind that what you write may be read by ICE and or detention facility staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
An attendee writes a letter of support to Hilary Rivers, the drag performer who was arrested by ICE last week, on Monday June 30, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The letters were to be written in Rivers\u2019 preferred language, Spanish. And for those who don\u2019t speak the language, don\u2019t worry, Jimenez said:  \u201cJust write in English or use Google Translate. Let the words come from your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rivera, who spoke with Rivers and River\u2019s mom in Guatemala on Sunday, said that Rivers had a message: She was following the law when she was arrested. And she is worried for her mother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe told me, \u2018I would be lying if I told you I\u2019m OK. I\u2019m making it day by day,\u2019\u201d said Rivera. \u201cShe was really worried about her family. She wanted her family to know that she\u2019s fine and that she has support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rivers had been told not to attend the hearing by those concerned she might be arrested, Rivera said, but decided to keep her appointment to continue the legal process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Felipe Flores, a contestant who won the \u201cMr.\u201d category at the Safe Latino contest, described Rivers as having a big, high energy personality that was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven when we were doing dress rehearsal and everything, whenever her music would come on it would just change the entire vibe of the space,\u201d said Flores. \u201cIt shifted the entire vibe of the room into this kind of high energy dance that you couldn\u2019t escape wanting to get up yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flores was one of the first people to be notified of Rivers\u2019 arrest. He was devastated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Attendees write letters of support to Hilary Rivers, the drag performer who was arrested by ICE last week, on Monday June 30, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust to imagine her being detained at that moment hurt so much,\u201d Flores said. \u201cI was lucky enough to win \u2026 but then it felt like I couldn\u2019t really fully enjoy myself because I just kept thinking about what was going on for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amongst those present on Monday evening was District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who said writing letters for someone in the community can feel small. But it\u2019s critical for those in detention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re with you. She\u2019s brought us together in this really difficult moment, people of all walks of life \u2014 queer, straight, Latinx, white,\u201d Fielder said. \u201cIt\u2019s really beautiful that someone can be so impactful even far away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder wrote a letter of support to Hilary Rivers, the drag performer who was arrested by ICE last week, on Monday June 30, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Xochilt<\/a>, another drag performer, said Rivers\u2019 arrest had brought together San Francisco\u2019s drag community \u2014 in solidarity and fear.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came because I\u2019m a member of the drag queen community, a member of the undocumented community. I\u2019m a DACA recipient, and so seeing her story just epitomizes a lot of the fear that\u2019s in the community right now,\u201d said Xochilt. \u201cWe need a rally when someone of our own community is taken in such a brute way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More details about the case are expected to be announced by Rivers\u2019 attorneys in the next few days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OSCAR PALMA<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

oscar.palma@missionlocal.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oscar is a reporter with interest in environmental and community journalism, and how these may intersect. Some of his personal interests are bicycles, film, and both Latin American literature and punk. Oscar’s work has previously appeared in KQED, The Frisc, El Tecolote, and Golden Gate Xpress.More by Oscar Palma<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0OSCAR PALMA July 1, 2025 (MissionLocal.org) Galeria de la Raza filled up with about 30 people on Monday evening, all of them there to write letters of support to Hilary Rivers, the San Francisco drag performer who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday after an immigration court… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42301"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42301"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42302,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42301\/revisions\/42302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}