On Friday, June 12, CAIR-Texas will join a broad coalition of civil rights, faith-based, and grassroots organizations for a “Townhall for Immigrant Rights and Free Speech.” The community gathering is a collective call to action demanding that the Arlington City Council publicly support and advocate for the release of community member Ya’akub Ira Vijandre, who has been held in ICE detention for eight months.
WHAT: Townhall for Immigrant Rights and Free Speech: Calling on City Council to Support the Release of Ya’akub Ira Vijandre from ICE Detention
WHEN: Friday, June 12, 2026, at 5:30 PM
WHERE: 5511 Mansfield Rd, Arlington, TX 76017
WHO: Hosted by CAIR Texas, Faith Power Alliance, CAIR Action, Tarrant4Change, ICNA Council for Social Justice, Palestinian Youth Movement Dallas, Students for Justice in Palestine at UT Arlington, and Sunrise Movement Tarrant County.
CONTACT: Mustafaa Carroll, CAIR-Texas DFW Executive Director, (832) 549-1042, mcarroll@cair.com; Noor Wadi, Faith Power Alliance Organizer, (214) 830-5031, noormwadi@gmail.com; Sameeha Rizvi, CAIR-Texas Civic Engagement Organizer, 512-893-1371, srizvi@cair.com
Organizers and community leaders will address the intersection of immigrant rights and the protection of free speech, urging local municipal leaders to stand against unjust federal detentions.
“A beloved member of our community, who stood up against countless injustices with us, is now in his eighth month of ice prison because he posted in support of the rights of the oppressed,” said Noor Wadi, organizer with Faith Power Alliance. “We are sorely mistaken if we think that the free speech repression happening in Ya’akub’s case isn’t coming for every single of one us next.”
“We are gathering in solidarity because an injury to one is an attack on our collective community,” said Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of CAIR-Texas’ DFW Chapter. “The eight-month detention of Ya’akub Ira highlights a critical need for our local institutions to protect civil liberties rather than remain complicit through silence. We are calling on the Arlington City Council to stand with its residents, protect the fundamental right to free speech, and advocate for an end to this unjust detention.”
CAIR-Texas’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-Texas es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Mustafaa Carroll, CAIR-Texas DFW Executive Director, (832) 549-1042, mcarroll@cair.com; Noor Wadi, Faith Power Alliance Organizer, (214) 830-5031, noormwadi@gmail.com; Sameeha Rizvi, CAIR-Texas Civic Engagement Organizer, 512-893-1371, srizvi@cair.com