Today, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and others including Jobs with Justice made public an authoritative report condemning the Secure Communities deportation program and recommending its termination.

The report includes testimony from former District Attorney of New York Robert Morgenthau, heads of law enforcement, and victims of Secure Communities like Isaura in Los Angeles whose 911 call for help resulted in her deportation proceedings.

In contrast to the DHS appointed taskforce which has failed to enlist the voices of affected communities, scholars, or critics on the subject, this report constitutes a real deliberative and representative review of the program.

The report recommends that the Secure Communities be terminated, that the current OIG investigation of S-Comm be expanded to all ICE Access programs, that the Department of Justice begin its own investigation into the mysterious role of the FBI in Secure Communities, and that states not be compelled to share biometric data with ICE.

The following statement can be attributed to the National

Continue reading Authoritative National Report Condemns Secure Communities Program

Dear Friends,

On July 2010, a Chinese immigrant in California called the police for help in a domestic violence case, but instead of receiving the help she needed, she was arrested.

Pursuant to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program known as Secure Communities (or S-Comm), her fingerprints were immediately sent to ICE and she was transferred into ICE custody even though no charges were filed against her.

Unfortunately this type of injustice is not isolated, this is happening every day in over 600 counties across the country as a result of this rapidly spreading, dangerous police/ICE collaboration program.  Please join us in demanding that counties be allowed to opt out of S-Comm by signing a petition to Secretary Janet Napolitano. Sign the petition at www.bit.ly/optoutnow

Under S-Comm, local law enforcement automatically shares with ICE any fingerprints taken right after individuals are arrested, even if the criminal charges are eventually dismissed or if it’s the result of an unlawful arrest.  This secretive program is roping in local law enforcement to execute ICE’s goals

Continue reading Demand that ICE Stop Coercing Locals to Enforce Immigration Laws

Phoenix, Arizona.  This weekend 100,000 people marched six miles from Steele Indian School Park to the State Capitol to denounce SB1070 and demand President Obama intervene in the growing human rights crisis in Arizona.  We were joined by supporters ranging from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka to the voice of her people, Grammy Nominated Singer, Jenni Rivera, and attendees who drove from as far away as Boston to support the local people leading the effort to overturn SB 1070.

In a gathering Sunday morning, movement-building organizations from across the country share their commitments to bring the Arizona human rights crisis fight back to their communities. 

Participants heard from local leadership, national allies, and from veterans of the Mississippi Freedom Summer the urgency of a national response.  Organizations shared ways to connect their struggles, campaigns, and creativity in breakout sessions and committed to ongoing peaceful resistance.    A global call for escalating resistance

Continue reading Call for Peaceful Escalating Resistance to Arizona SB1070

Tens of thousands are mobilizing to Phoenix on May 29 to show the world that people from all backgrounds across the country are unified in denouncing SB1070.  From Seattle to Miami, the demands are clear, that President Obama needs to end the criminalization of people of color in the state of Arizona and stop SB1070.

Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, stated, “The eyes of the world are watching and President Obama must act.  SB1070 is where we draw the line and say enough is enough.  Enough of a disastrous and dangerous ‘enforcement first’ strategy to immigration reform.  Enough to the criminalization of workers and families.  We will escalate our struggle if the President does not act concretely and immediately to stop the implementation of SB1070.”

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Eliseo Medina, International Executive Vice President of SEIU, Luis Gutierrez (Illinois, D), Raul Grijalva (Arizona, D), and artists such as Alex Lora of El Tri and Jenni Rivera will all

Continue reading May 29 Mass Mobilization Against Arizona SB1070

Opinion

President Obama announced a decision to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border.  Mr. Obama is trying to appeal to enforcement-first and enforcement-only activists in and out of Congress with this escalation, but Republicans continue to distance themselves from any measures that include a path to citizenship for those in the US without documents.

The President has also continued to expand Bush-era policies that promote or force cooperation between Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement, like Secure Communities and 287(g).  Obama has offered mild criticism to Arizona’s S.B.1070, which forces police departments (often against their will) to demand papers from anyone who appears illegal, but his Administration’s own policies are moving the whole country in that direction. While DC Jobs with Justice was able to stop Secure Communities from coming to the nation’s capitol, efforts in other places, like San Francisco, have encountered roadblocks in fighting the program.

By expanding enforcement, the President opens the door to laws like Arizona’s and copy-cat bills across the country and promotes a

Continue reading A Climate of Fear

As a catastrophe unfolds in Arizona, people across the country are preparing to defend their communities against the racist immigrant policies being implemented under the banner of “secured communities” in America.

Arizona has been in the forefront of the most deplorable immigrant enforcement tactics, with Sheriff Joe Arpio‘s shameful treatment of undocumented workers,  the signing of the  SB1070 bill by Governor Jan Brewer that will lead to racial profiling and distrust between the police and immigrant communities, and today the passage of a ban on ethnic studies programs.

These despicable actions in Arizona have led to organizing and involvement of all sectors of the community to show their disgust against these policies and remind elected officials, especially Arizona’s governor, that their actions will lead to massive mobilization at the polls.  As one good friend said “Justice delayed, election denied”

Many people across the country are fighting to keep their communities safe from these xenophobic policies and are creating safe communities for

Continue reading Standing Up to Arizona’s Racist Immigration Law

Members of community, labor, religious and student organizations gathered on February 11th to hear from and support workers facing exploitation at the hands of Gillette stadium’s contractor and the outrageous tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in ambushing  dozens of immigrant workers.

Earlier this year ICE detained 58 workers who were on their way to work at Gillette Stadium at a roadblock in Foxboro.  The workers were hired to shovel snow from the stadium seats in preparation for a New England Patriots game.  These hardworking Rhode Islanders now face deportation.

This ICE attack is the most high-profile act by ICE against Rhode Islanders since the raids at six RI courthouses in 2008.  It is the largest number of Rhode Islanders detained by ICE since the 2007 raid at the Bianco Factory in New Bedford.

While ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have tried to claim that the raid was directed toward people with criminal records, the vast majority of people arrested had no record whatsoever, and were unknown to ICE at the time of their arrest.  According to Juan Garcia of the Immigrants

Continue reading RI JwJ Demands Justice for Gillette Stadium Workers Ambushed by ICE

Mass deportations and workplace raids continue to terrorize communities across the United States.  Racist immigration policies further divide families and communities and force millions of people to live under the constant threat that any interaction with police—however minor—could lead to detention and even deportation.

On January 26th, hundreds rallied outside the Department of Homeland Security and dozens blocked streets to bring attention to the need for immigration reform NOW.  The protest was organized by CASA de Maryland and brought activists from DC Jobs with Justice, Nakasec, National Day Labor Organizing Network, and more.

Mackenzie Baris of DC JwJ explained, “this broken immigration system not only hurts the individuals and families who are caught in raids, but also hurts all workers and the economy as a whole by allowing employers to exploit the differences in immigration status to take advantage of workers and deny their rights.”

Tuesday’s action also drew attention to The Trail of DREAMs.  Drawing inspiration from the civil rights movement, four

Continue reading Dozens Block Traffic Protesting Inaction on Immigration Reform