Organizers from the Los Angeles and Orange County CSO Center group gathered outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana on Wednesday to support Nadia Topete, an activist who insists she is under investigation by authorities for her involvement in protests against ICE raids last year.

"Nadia did nothing wrong. Protesting against ICE is not a crime, defending the rights of immigrants is not a crime," said Verita Topete, the activist's sister. "This is an attempt by the Trump administration to harass and dismantle the immigrant rights movement. The targeting of Nadia is part of a system of political repression by the federal government."

According to Verita, on July 1, Los Angeles authorities showed up at the immigrant rights activist's home to serve her with a second subpoena ordering her to appear before a grand jury on July 8. Topete had already been summoned to testify in May, but did not attend the hearing.

Activist groups that support Nadia believe that the summons is related to the young woman's participation in protests against immigration operations last summer and remember how thousands of people took to the streets to demand an end to the mass incarceration of members of their community, after a series of violent ICE arrests in Southern California.

They believe this is an attempt to reexamine the case of Alejandro Orellana, another immigrant rights activist who participated in protests against ICE last year. Orellana was accused of conspiring to provoke civil unrest. Charges were ultimately dropped against the East Los Angeles activist, who was arrested for handing out face shields during a protest against federal immigration raids.

“Today is a good day because our partner entered the court and was able to walk free!” said Gabe from Centro CSO.

On Wednesday, Nadia attended the court where she had been called to give her testimony about the multiple demonstrations of 2025, but although she attended her hearing she decided not to testify, as she thinks they could use anything she says against her and her colleagues.

“Nadia is a first-generation Chicana who is proud to be one and dedicated herself to the defense of human rights after our father was kidnapped and detained in the Adelanto concentration camp, where he spent three years suffering all types of abuse and medical neglect,” said her sister. "She has never gone out on the streets to cause harm; she was just defending the rights of our neighbors, like everyone here has done since this nightmare began."

Topete did not take the news that she had been summoned to appear lightly, since she is not the first activist that the authorities have requested to give a statement. This year, anti-ICE protesters were sentenced to decades in prison after a protest outside a detention center in Texas.

Carlos Montes, of the CSO Center, said that Nadia has been a part of their organization for a long time and, during that time, she has supported her community by providing “know your rights” cards, doing community surveillance and even painting children's faces at many of the community events they usually hold.

"She's never done anything wrong; she's just defending people who can't defend themselves," said Montes, who has been organizing in Los Angeles for years.

Although Nadia was not able to give any interviews, since her case is still open and she may be called again, she did take a moment to thank the more than 30 people who came to support her. At the end, he took a moment to take a photo with the group.

“Depending on what happens, we are ready to act, ready to be there and support Nadia until the end,” said Sol Márquez, of the organization Legalization for All. “We have to stick together because we are under attack; today it is Nadia, but tomorrow it could be any of us.”