Biography
José Jacques Medina was a Mexican political exile, attorney and labor organizer in Los Angeles and a leader of CASA (Centro de Acción Social Autónomo), which organized undocumented workers. A veteran of Mexico's 1968 student-worker movement who had defended its political prisoners, he fled Mexico and was arrested by federal agents in March 1976 and turned over to the INS on an "illegal entry" charge. The Black Panther reported his fight against deportation and his denied bid for political asylum, framing it as U.S. collaboration with Mexican repression. He was later a Mexican federal deputy.
The November 1977 comparison with Marroquin’s case dates Medina’s flight to the United States to 1973, his FBI arrest to March 1976, his asylum request to July 1976 and denial of that request to March 1977. It identifies his work defending undocumented workers and membership in CASA. Expected imprisonment and torture if returned to Mexico were warnings, not proof that U.S. authorities had already deported him or that he had been continuously jailed since arrest. The Militant, November 4, 1977, PDF page 27. Source: https://www.themilitant.com/1977/4141/MIL4141.pdf#page=27
The August 4, 1978 Militant reports Medina free on $5,000 bail while he pursued political asylum and publicly organized for undocumented workers. This dated observation does not establish the actual discharge day or uninterrupted custody from his earlier arrest.
