[GPSCC-chat] Fwd: PLEASE SIGN ON: Support Letter to Protect Santa Clara County's Immigrant Detainer Policy

[Spencer Graves]

Hello, All:


ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM FOR DECEMBER 27:   Does the Green Party of Santa 
Clara County wish to endorse the statement below by the Forum for 
Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (FIRE) supporting the current immigrant 
detainer policy and opposing the attempt by Santa Clara County District 
Attorney Jeff Rosen to deport more people with minimal due process of law?


BACKGROUND:  Last year, Santa Clara County effectively said they would 
not comply with the federal "Secure Communities" program. This federal 
program requires local government to detain people without complete 
documentation of citizenship for 48 hours while Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) decides if they want to deport the individual.  In Los 
Angeles and Colorado, these 2-day holds have in practice averaged 20 
days or more.  California Attorney General Kamala Harris has ruled that 
any community (such as Santa Clara County) can choose to opt out of this 
federal mandate. FIRE wants an answer by January 8.


       Spencer


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	PLEASE SIGN ON: Support Letter to Protect Santa Clara County's 
Immigrant Detainer Policy
Date: 	Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:00:02 -0800
From: 	Jazmin Segura <jazmin at siren-bayarea.org>
To: 	'Jazmin Segura' <jazmin at siren-bayarea.org>



Apologies for the Cross-Postings. Please distribute widely.

Dear community allies,

We are the Santa Clara County FIRE Coalition, a broad cross-ethnic
collaboration among community groups, faith-based groups, immigrants rights
advocates, immigrants rights service providers, youth organizations, legal
service providers, and civil rights groups.  In October 2011, our County
became a beacon for counties in the nation to protect immigrants rights and
public safety by passing the most progressive detainer policy in the nation.
Our County rightly and courageously stood up to ICE, and for our community.


Most recently, District Attorney Jeff Rosen is trying to force the Board to
re-neg this policy.  We are asking you to please sign on to this letter and
urge the County Board of Supervisors to protect it.  To sign on, please
email Jazmin Segura at SIREN at jazmin at siren-bayarea.org or Charisse Domingo
with Silicon Valley De-Bug at charissedomingo at gmail.com  We would like to
get as many organizations to sign on by Tuesday, January 8, 2013.

Thank you so much for your support.

Sincerely,
Santa Clara County FIRE Coalition

SIGN ON LETTER:
We, the undersigned, stand together in strongly supporting Santa Clara
County's current Civil Detainer Policy 3.54 voted in by the Board of
Supervisors that separates local law enforcement from federal immigration,
builds needed trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, and
creates a safer Santa Clara County for all. As such, we also collectively
reject any attempts to undermine the policy.

  

Since October 2011, when the policy was passed, Santa Clara County has
become a beacon for counties nationwide to follow as an intelligent and
value-driven response to immigration detainer requests in a way that
protects immigrant rights. As a region where one-third of our residents are
immigrants, nearly half of our workforce is foreign-born and close to
two-thirds of those under the age of 18 are children of immigrants -- it was
appropriate that our county lead the way. Refusing to buy any more lies from
ICE who strung along the entire country with the failed promises of the
Secure Communities Program, Santa Clara County wisely took a stand to not
fuel this broken immigration system that to date, has deported more than
over 80,000 from California alone.

The policy, guided through a lengthy process that included input from
elected decision-makers, law enforcement officials, legal experts, and
community advocates respects the criminal court system in imposing and
overseeing the appropriate punishment on criminal behavior.   Local law
enforcement's use of detainer requests to determine public safety even after
the courts have determined the appropriate custodial status only erodes
trust and causes confusion between immigrant communities and the local law
enforcement. ICE, which has proven to be as unaccountable as it has been
deceptive, should not be controlling our county's local justice system. When
this happens, public safety and belief in the integrity of our local justice
system becomes compromised.  The current policy demonstrated our County's
capacity to elevate local policy setting beyond the false choice propagated
by ICE of public safety OR immigrants rights.

In addition, it is a failure of leadership if the County decides to even
reconsider - or worse revoke -- this policy only a year after it was passed.
We count on our leaders to be consistent, strong, and enduring in their
commitment to the people of this county. To retreat from a policy you voted
in just a year prior would send a confusing message to the public that would
cause a crisis of confidence. How much can we depend on our elected
officials if they believe in a policy enough to vote for it one year, then
flip flop just a year later?

The County spent more than a year deliberating on this policy which was
passed by the Board of Supervisors and supported by a cross-ethnic
collaboration of faith based organizations, civil rights groups, community
groups, immigrants rights service providers, and immigrant rights advocates.
Santa Clara County had it right the first time.  Protecting immigrant rights
results in public safety.  We urge you to protect the Civil Detainer Policy
3.54 as it stands, and let our community continue to build a County that
respects the rights and well-being of all its residents through sound and
principled policies.




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