Local artists fight Trump policies through creativity and community

Arizona artists respond to growing ICE raids with community art and fundraising to support their undocumented neighbors.

Under the Trump administration, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been tasked with carrying out what President Donald Trump’ hopes to be the largest mass deportation effort which has upended lives in Arizona, a state with a high undocumented population.

Longtime Arizona residents, DACA recipients, mothers attending court-hearings, and countless more have been targeted by ICE, fueling local organizations to push back in new and unique ways to defend Arizona’s immigrant communities. 

Arizona is home to an estimated 273,000 undocumented people, making the state a prime target for ICE agents working to meet a daily quota–implemented by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller– of 3,000 arrests per day.

When Arizonans are detained by ICE, families are often left behind to deal with the fallout — including legal costs, paying rent, and other expenses needed to stay afloat while a breadwinner is held.

One local DJ and city planner, Lyle Begiebing, looked on in horror at the ongoing raids, and knew it was time to do something about it. 

That’s why Begiebing, along with Sebastian Del Portillo, an organizer with Organized Power in Numbers (OPIN,) a pro-worker organization, began planning a fundraiser to give back to families targeted by ICE through a campaign fueled by art, music, and community. 

“All the norms are broken. We really have no idea how far this could go. And it’s only getting worse by the week,” Begiebing said. “We wanted to utilize the reach we already have to organize our friends and community to inspire real action and positivity in our local arts scene, bridging together the arts scene with amazing local activists to create a real impact.”

Feeling dismayed at the growing list of Arizonans targeted by ICE, he and Del Portillo began brainstorming ways they could help Arizonan’s impacted by the Trump administration’s policies.  

The two landed on a two-week-long online fundraiser and auction, named Voices United Phoenix, led by fellow community advocacy groups including Puente Arizona and Poder in Action and MELT Fest — a music festival held in September outside Flagstaff.

To grow visibility, Begiebing reached out to dozens of his personal contacts in the music and art scene, inquiring if they’d be willing to help in whatever capacity they could. The team also reached out and formed partnerships with 35 local businesses, including Brickroad Coffee, The Theodore, Gracies, and more 

“Everyone I talked to was for this, I got no negative feedback. It’s been, ‘oh yeah, of course, I’ll be there,’ ‘I’ll throw a few bucks,’ or ‘I’ll share it.’” Begiebing said. “[It’s] just really good to feel that in the community right now, because it’s pretty obvious how crazy things are.”

Some artists shared information about the fundraiser on their accounts, others offered to auction some of their art to raise money, and a few offered to host events at their places of business. At the end of the two weeks, set for this Sunday, the group will host its final event at Central Records to conclude its art auction with DJ’s, food and drinks, prizes, and a sense of community.

Afterwards, the proceeds will go to OPIN’s Emergency Worker Legal Defense Fund, which launched in June to help families affected by ICE.

So far, OPIN has been able to raise $23,000 for the defense fund in Arizona. The group knows the Trump administration won’t relent, and that means the need for financial assistance will only increase. That’s why they have set a goal to raise $2 million across the Sunbelt states over the next few years to help families with the fallout.

The money is allocated to families dependent on need. For a lot of Arizona families, when a parent is detained, that leads to a loss of household income, leaving the remaining family members to deal with rising expenses. 

That’s why the group gives out money to families targeted by ICE for things like mutual aid, legal defense, and rent. 

Del Portillo is encouraged by the money raised, but more so impressed with the sense of community. In this fractured political climate, it’s been endearing for the organizers to see how many local businesses, concerned citizens, and advocates came together to assist Arizona’s undocumented communities. 

“Culturally, this has the potential for us to, as a larger community, constantly be bringing up the very intense reality that our people are being disappeared, that they’re being kidnapped,” Del Portillo said. “And that we in our social spaces and our third spaces, will not stand for this. We are not okay with this. We are not complicit in what’s happening.”