#FreeSzaSza Campaign: Jennifer Codner aka Sza Sza, a Jamaican trans woman who was detained at Aurora Contract Detention Facility, is now FREE as of October 26, 2020!

Sza Sza endured violence and persecution in her country of origin, which drove her to seek asylum and refuge here. Being both Black and migrant, she was criminalized and shuttled into the Prison-To-Deportation Pipeline, which has been strengthened over the years. As a result, she suffered imprisonment in a cage for 3,599 days (almost 10 years). The fact that she is a Black trans woman meant that her time in detention was longer and her experiences while detained harsher. Sza Sza was ferried from one immigrant prison to the other, subjected to solitary confinement, targeting and harassment from guards, placed in men’s facilities, and experienced a host of other atrocities. For Black migrants, especially people like Sza Sza, this experience is far too common and rarely a focal point of the migrant or racial justice movement in the US.

The fight to liberate Sza Sza from immigrant prison was long and arduous. We extend our deep gratitude to the village of community members, journalists, organizers and lawyers who made this win possible, including Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Colorado American Friends Service Committee, National Immigrant Justice Coalition, Transgender Law Center, the member organizations of the Black Migrant Working Group, Casa de Paz,Transcend Arizona, Tina Vasquez, Congressmen Neguse and Crow, as well as BLMP’s membership. This victory was made possible by a tremendous show of support via thousands of individuals signing petitions, contacting ICE and elected officials coupled with a brilliant legal strategy. Though the work to ensure that Sza Sza is truly free from deportation is not yet over, we are thankful for her release and the strong community that will continue to fight alongside her.