GREEN PARTY OF UTAH CONDEMNS DRACONIAN SENTENCING OF DANIEL “DES” SANCHEZ ESTRADA AND THE PRAIRIELAND DEFENDANTS

The Green Party of Utah (GPUT) strongly condemns the recent federal sentencing (June 23, 2026) of immigrant, tattoo artist, and political activist Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada, alongside his fellow Prairieland defendants. This troubling escalation in the federal prosecution of political dissent—rooted in a demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Texas—represents a severe threat to basic democratic freedoms and constitutional rights.

Daniel Sanchez Estrada was targeted, trailed by federal agents, and arrested following a minor traffic stop, ultimately facing federal charges for distributing widely available anarchist zines. The federal government’s campaign to map peaceful political expression onto fictitious “domestic terrorism” networks is an explicit attempt to silence critics of immigration enforcement and border militarization.

This prosecution directly undermines the core tenets of a free society. The GPUT stands firmly on our party’s national platform and Four Pillars: Peace, Ecology, Social Justice, and Grassroots Democracy.

GPUT members maintain that the weaponization of the judicial system to criminalize alternative literature and target immigrant communities is a direct assault on Grassroots Democracy and Social Justice. The party asserts that when independent media and political zines are treated as contraband or evidence of terrorism, the state is actively intimidating regular people into silence. Green Party members emphasize that free speech cannot be conditional on whether the government approves of the literature being printed.

By exploiting Des’s immigration status to maximize prosecutorial leverage, federal agencies are setting a dangerous precedent that criminalizes the right to assembly and free speech. This strategy disproportionately targets immigrant, migrant, and refugee organizers who speak out against systemic human rights violations inside detention centers.

In alignment with the foundational Green value of Non-Violence, GPUT members stand opposed to this institutional violence being used to crush peaceful political opposition. Party members point out that Des and the other Prairieland activists chose to bear witness to the cruelty of the immigration system. The GPUT holds that handing down heavy prison sentences for the simple act of sharing ideas and carrying zines is a severe federal overreach that should deeply alarm all people, regardless of political affiliation.

The GPUT previously signed onto the “Free Des” solidarity letter and continues to stand in unwavering alignment with the dozens of legal, civil rights, and grassroots organizations demanding systemic accountability. True safety and justice cannot exist in a society where political speech is criminalized, and where a small, authoritarian minority dictates what ideas are safe to read, share, or possess.

We call for the immediate release of Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada and all political prisoners targeted for their defense of immigrant rights. A threat to political dissent anywhere is an immediate threat to the freedom of us all.

Free Des History and Press Statement, June 23

Prairieland Defendant Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines, June 23

Zines Are Not a  Crime! Free Des Sanchez, January 12

The GPUS Annual National Meeting Promo on Green Livestream, with GPUT Co-Chair and Others

Wednesday night’s Green Livestream, promoted the Green Party Annual National Meeting (ANM)! Dee Taylor, GPUT Co-Chair and GPUS ANMC Co-Chair is on along with Rita Maniotis (WI) and Kalia Fitzgerald (NC), interviewed by Host Scott Free.

The ANM is JUly 23-26 in Chicago. Featured speakers will include Medea Benjamin, Cam Gordon, Briahna Joy Gray, Roger Waters, Cheri Honkala, Butch ware, Jill Stein and more! Check out the programming here! gp.org/anm

Governor Cox’s “Fidelity Month” Proclamation is a Betrayal of LGBTQ+ Utahns and Our Shared Values

Photo source:  Advocate.com

The Green Party of Utah (GPUT) stands in resolute solidarity with our LGBTQ+ neighbors, family members, and allies following Governor Spencer Cox’s decision to designate June as ‘Fidelity Month’ rather than “LGBTQ+ Pride Month.”

This official proclamation is not a harmless celebration of commitment; it is an intentional, politically motivated erasure of the queer community. By capitulating to extreme right-wing culture war rhetoric, Governor Cox has taken a massive step backward, discarding his previous promises of inclusivity in exchange for partisan convenience.

A Pattern of Capitulation and Political Cowardice

The Governor’s actions represent a stark betrayal of his own past public stances. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, Governor Cox officially recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month, urging Utahns to support their queer friends and family. However, as the political climate shifted, his commitment dissolved.

  • In 2024, he replaced Pride Month with a watered-down “month of bridge building.”
  • In 2025, he avoided a proclamation altogether.
  • In 2026, he has fully embraced a right-wing counter-observance designed explicitly to supplant LGBTQ+ visibility.

This trajectory proves that the Governor’s past support was hollow—a symbolic gesture easily abandoned when under pressure from corporate donors and the far-right wing of his party.

Rooted in the Green Party Platform

As Greens, our opposition to this proclamation is not just an emotional response; it is a direct application of the fundamental principles that guide our movement. While the two corporate-backed parties treat human rights as bargaining chips, the Green Party platform anchors our fight for equality in core values:

1. Social Justice and Equal Opportunity

Our national and local platforms explicitly demand total civil and social equality for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Governor Cox’s proclamation relies on a false dichotomy—suggesting that “fidelity, family, and country” exist in opposition to LGBTQ+ identities. The Green Party firmly rejects this regressive worldview. Queer, transgender, and non-binary Utahns build loving families, anchor local communities, and deserve equal protection and visibility under the law.

2. Respect for Diversity

We view diversity not as a threat to be managed, but as an essential ecological and social strength. Forcing state-sanctioned conformity via “Fidelity Month” aims to pushes marginalized groups back into the closet. A healthy society protects and celebrates its cultural, social, and gender diversity.

3. Grassroots Democracy

Real power belongs to the people, not the ruling elite. Pride was born from radical grassroots organizers fighting back against state oppression. The LGBTQ+ community does not need a permission slip or a proclamation from the Governor’s office to exist, celebrate, and organize.

Voices from Our Movement

“Governor Cox’s ‘Fidelity Month’ declaration is a textbook example of political cowardice. A true leader stands by marginalized communities when the wind blows hard, rather than trading their symbolic protection for right-wing political points. True fidelity means being faithful to all your constituents, not just the ones who vote for you in a closed primary.”

— Dee Taylor, Green Party of Utah Co-Chair

“By erasing Pride Month, Governor Cox is validating a harmful, regressive agenda that treats the LGBTQ+ community as an existential threat to ‘traditional values.’ The Green Party of Utah believes in an ecosystem of community care that celebrates diversity, rather than a state-sanctioned mandate that demands conformity and erases queer joy.”

— Adam Guymon, Green Party of Utah National Delegate and ADA Coordinator

Our Commitment

The corporate duopoly has failed Utah’s LGBTQ+ community. While Republicans actively roll back visibility and rights, corporate Democrats offer little more than passive resistance and empty platitudes.

The Green Party of Utah remains unyielding in our dedication to the total liberation, safety, and healthcare access of LGBTQ+ individuals. We urge our members and all Utahns to bypass state-sanctioned erasure this June. Show up in record numbers to grassroots local Pride events, protect your trans and queer neighbors from systemic bigotry, and help us build a political alternative that refuses to compromise on human dignity.

Want to help us fight for social justice and independent grassroots politics in Utah? Join the Movement Today!

“The Renewed Attack on Public Workers” Webinar

What:  “The Renewed Attack on Public Workers” webinar


When: Wednesday May 6, 5:30 pm PT, 6:30 MT, 7:30 CT, 8:30 ET.

Who: Sponsored by the Green Party of St. Louis with these participating Panelists:

  • Jonathan Smith, National President, American Postal Workers Union.
  • Carron “MsCeeJay” Johnson, MO President, American Federation of Teachers
  • Marc Mixon, IATSE, Local 15, Chair, Green Party of Washington State
  • Howie Hawkins, Retire Teamster, Green Party nominee for President, 2020

How to Participate: Register for the free webinar here: https://bit.ly/DefendPublicWork

More information contact

Image of a cogwheel (gear) with a hammer and wrench inside of it. The text describes the webinar and its panel participants.

Transgender Day of Visibility

The Green Party of the United States stands in solidarity in honoring Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), March 31st. Since 2009, TDOV has been a day to celebrate the lives, contributions, and resilience of transgender people, and to recommit to the ongoing struggle for their rights.

This year, that recognition comes at a time of intensifying attacks.

Across the country, transgender people, especially trans youth, have been targeted by an unprecedented wave of legislation, executive actions, and political rhetoric aimed at restricting healthcare, education, and even the basic right to exist openly and safely.These are not abstract policy debates; they are direct assaults on human dignity, safety, and survival.

Too many elected officials in the parties of War and Wall Street have failed to meet this moment with the clarity and courage it demands. While conservatives have driven these attacks, leaders in the so-called opposition party have too often stayed silent—or worse, treated the rights and safety of trans people as politically expendable.

The Green Party of the United States rejects compromise when it comes to fundamental human rights. We stand firmly with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and all gender and romantic minority communities; not just in words, but in policy and action.

Our National Lavender Green Caucus represents LGBTQIA+ members and allies within the party. If you’re eligible, we invite you to join and help strengthen this work. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

We believe that meeting this moment requires bold, systemic solutions, including:

  • A comprehensive national healthcare system that guarantees full access to gender-affirming care, as well as behavioral, dental, hearing, and vision services.
  • Explicit protections against discrimination in healthcare based on gender identity, sexuality, race, nationality, or income
  • Increased funding for HIV/AIDS research and prevention
  • A guaranteed living wage and a serious commitment to ending homelessness, which disproportionately impacts LGBTQIA+ youth
  • Inclusive, affirming K-12 education and free public education through college
  • Ending mass incarceration and the War on Drugs, which disproportionately harm queer and trans people, especially in communities of color

At a time when trans people are being pushed out of public life, we affirm something simple but powerful: trans people belong everywhere. Visible. Valued. Liberated.

No other national political party matches the Green Party’s commitment to the liberation of all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex. 🌈

Your continued support helps ensure that candidates and organizers committed to these values have the resources to fight—and win. Please consider supporting or getting involved today.

In Solidarity,

Daniel Bumbarger
Co-Chair, National Lavender Green Caucus

https://www.gp.org/

P.S. You can provide financial support directly to the National Lavender Green Caucus or donate your time and volunteer! Or consider showing off your Lavender Green Pride with one of our Queer Liberation T-Shirts!

Green Party of the United States · PO Box 75075, Washington, DC 20013, United States

Support the Green Party of Utah. Find out how here.

Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

On March 25 we marked the anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, where 146 garment workers, mostly young immigrant women, perished due to locked doors and corporate greed. Their sacrifice ignited the modern movement for workplace safety and the right to organize.

Garment workers take to the streets in mourning and solidarity following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911.

As we honor their memory, we see history’s chilling echoes in today’s escalated ICE attacks on our immigrant neighbors. These raids and enforcement actions create a climate of fear that corporations exploit to suppress wages and silence workers.The Green Party of the United States stands in firm solidarity with all workers, regardless of documentation status. We recognize that the same corporate greed that locked those doors in 1911 continues to threaten workers today through the criminalization of immigrant communities and the erosion of essential labor protections.

We believe a healthy and just economy must serve people over profit. We demand:

  • An end to ICE raids and deportations that tear families apart and leave workers vulnerable.
  • A living wage and safe workplaces for every worker, regardless of documentation status.
  • Strengthened unions and the protected right to collective bargaining for all.

The 1911 tragedy was a failure of a system that prioritized profit over human life. The Green Party is dedicated to replacing that system with one rooted in social justice and dignity for all workers.

The Green Party of the United States has unwavering solidarity with workers and vulnerable immigrant communities because we don’t accept money from the billionaires and corporations that fund the two parties of war and Wall Street. It’s supporters like you who make this possible. Please consider a donation or even a becoming a monthly sustainer so that we can keep challenging the duopoly as the party that always puts people and planet over profits.

Let us honor the memory of those lost in 1911 by continuing the fight for a future where every worker is treated with the respect, protection, and dignity they deserve.

In Solidarity,
Green Party of the United States

Green Party of the United States · PO Box 75075, Washington, DC 20013, United States

Join the Green Party of Utah at the March 28 No Kings March & Rally!

On Saturday, March 28, the Green Party of Utah is taking to the streets with thousands of other Utahns for Democracy, Immigrant Rights, and an End to Wars. Meet up at Washington Square at 2:00 PM. This is a call for #PeoplePower and a demand for system change. No kings!

Let’s stand together for a just and equitable future. #UtahGreenParty#SocialJustice, #NoKings

(The meetup is at 2pm at Washington Square, march to the capitol at 2:30pm, rally at 3:30pm at the capitol.)

Green Party of Utah Condemns ICE Killings – Calls for Urgent Action

The Green Party of Utah (GPUT) strongly condemns the Killings committed by Federal Employees during the month of January 2026, as well as the failure of the elected officials associated with both the Republican and Democratic Parties to put an end to the violent and inhumane violations of Constitutional Rights plainly evident to the Public.

“The current and recent actions committed by, and at the behest of, the Executive Branch of our National Government are plainly in violation of not only multiple Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, but of virtually every definition of Human Rights,” states Tom King, member of the GPUT. “And yet, the Elected Representatives of the People, orders from State and Federal Courts, and hundreds of Court Cases have all failed to stop these actions from continuing.”

Matt Styles, Secretary of the GPUT adds, “Renee Good and Alex Pretti were innocent, law-abiding U.S. citizens who were executed in the street for no other reason than for resisting unlawful coercion by Federal ICE agents. They are not the only victims either, with many more dying in ICE detention centers even when they do comply. The only thing arguably more horrendous than this may be the complicity of our elected officials in allowing this to continue. At this point it is clear that the only way we will get the message across is to organize together and shut the system down with a general strike. When we stand together, we win.”

The GPUT therefore issues an urgent and strong call for these actions:

  • The Elected Officials from both Major political parties work with each other in their respective chambers of Congress to quickly and urgently put an end to the current GOP Regime’s actions against the American People and the Constitution of the United States.
  • The removal of funding from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
  • The immediate suspension of the illegal and deadly actions in which ICE and CBP are engaged
  • The investigation and prosecution of any violations of Court Orders or Laws in which this Regime has engaged.

More information:  greenpartyofutah.org greenpartyutah@gmail.com