"Secure Communities"...Or Anything But?

"Secure Communities"...Or Anything But?

August 10, 2011
Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
AUDIO: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-21628-1.mp3

ST. HELENS, Ore. - Oregon's immigrant community is raising concerns about public safety in light of a Homeland Security Department decision that individual states cannot opt out of the "Secure Communities" program.

That program gives local sheriffs the responsibility of turning over immigrants accused of crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal immigration authorities. But an Oregon attorney says more than half the detainees are not criminals. Stephen Manning, with the Immigrant Law Group, says the program is alienating local police, who make the initial arrests, from those they are trying to protect.

"Those individuals, if they end up getting booked into the jail, they will be deported, they will be detained; they will be sucked into this very nebulous system. And the police take the blame for that - and it's not the police's doing. It's ICE's doing, and it's the sheriff's doing."

In rural areas, where local law enforcement is often focused on building relationships, Secure Communities has put police and sheriffs' departments at cross-purposes, according to Amanda Aguilar Shank, Columbia County organizer for the Rural Organizing Project, who says the result is less security.

"As we're in this budget crisis, it becomes even more important to have a level of trust and community-building in the community. When you're targeting one minority and making the community unsafe for them, that means that more crimes go unreported."

Manning says a simple traffic stop can throw a person into jail - and that person's family into turmoil.

"People call us in crisis all the time. They don't understand what's happening; it's a completely opaque process. And people call us frequently because people have disappeared - 'We don't know where this person is. They were coming home from work, and then suddenly, we get a phone call and they're now in this detention facility in Texas. How did that happen?' "

ICE sees Secure Communities as an effective partnership that has increased deportations. But three states - Illinois, Massachusetts and New York - have refused to be part of it. Oregon has not taken a stand on it, although Gov. John Kitzhaber has said he sees the need for clear boundaries between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.

Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21628-1

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DHS tells states they can't opt-out of flawed program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2011

Department of Homeland Security tells states they can't opt-out of flawed program

Salem, Ore. – During a teleconference today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that they are rescinding the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) on Secure Communities (S-Comm) with states like Illinois, New York and Massachusette that want to withdrawl from the program. DHS maintains that the Secure Communities program is mandated by federal law and that agreements were never necessary. The Department said it intends to implement the program regardless and that it will be made mandatory in 2013. The statement by the Department of Homeland Security contradicts their original position that the program would be optional for cities and states.

CAUSA, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Coalition, joins with public officials, law enforcement and public safety and immigrant rights advocates around the nation in expressing serious concerns over DHS's and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's continuing to force a program onto states that they recognize as severely flawed.

CAUSA joins with others in calling on DHS and ICE to:

1. Amend their rules so that states and localities, and not the federal government, decide if Secure Communities is appropriate for them.
2. Meaningfully address the erosion of public trust in law enforcement created by the Secure Communities Program.  
3. Address the severe flaws in the Secure Communities Program, as it lacks the internal safeguards to prevent profiling. ICE must also address bias and discriminatory practices that are feeding people into the program.  

Although no jurisdictions in Oregon have signed any letters to opt-out of the Secure Communities Program, there has been serious concerns raised in many counties around the state including Multnomah and Marion. In community meetings,  members of the public have made their serious concerns be known to county law enforcement over the program.

A study recently conducted by the City of Portland Human Rights Commission concluded that, among other disturbing findings, the flawed and costly program makes Oregonians less safe by undermining community trust of police and encourages local police to target immigrants.  During a recent interview with Univision Portland KUNP-TV, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber said that a line needed to be drawn between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement.

As this controversial program is shrouded in lies and deception, CAUSA maintains that the Secure Communities program must be halted immediately until these and other issues are addressed.

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CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit http://www.causaoregon.org

For more information contact Erik Sorensen, Communications Director at 503-488-0263 or at erik@causaoregon.org

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Hispanic Affairs Commission calls for end to Sheriff’s Office collaboration with ICE

Hispanic Affairs Commission calls for end to Sheriff’s Office collaboration with ICE

Portland, Ore. -- The Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs (OCHA) has sent a letter to Chair Jeff Cogan of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners expressing concerns over the Multnomah Co. Sheriff's Office’s participation in the "Secure Communities" Program. This voluntary collaboration, they say, “has diminished trust in law enforcement and other County services”, and has “degraded public safety”.

The “Secure Communities” program allows state and local police to check the fingerprints of an individual they are booking into a jail against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration databases. If there is a “hit” in an immigration database, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is automatically notified, even if the person has not been convicted of any criminal act.

The critical problem with this program is that immigrant communities that know or believe police are involved with ICE are less likely to go to police for assistance. Crimes go unreported and victims go unprotected when entire communities fear the police. Even legal immigrants fear cooperating with or seeking help from law enforcement if they fear they could somehow be placed into removal proceedings, or if they have family members who are undocumented.

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PHOTO: Oregonians call for an end to deportations and killings on the border

Oregonians stop traffic in front of the Portland Office of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and call for an end to deportations, the separation of families and killing of immigrants on the U.S-Mexico Border by U.S. Border Patrol Agents.

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PHOTOS: Over 100 turn-out to ICE Office in Downtown Portland

Portland, Ore--Over 100 people including union members and immigrant and human rights advocates turned-out today at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland to call for a halt to deportations of hard-working immigrants and a stop to killings of immigrants by U.S. Border Agents. 

The March and Rally was organized by CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, Rural Organizing Project, and SEIU Local 503 OPEU.  The groups called on Congress and President Obama for a humane solution to the nation's broken immigration system by passing comprehesive immigration reform.

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Groups to protest ICE program that divides families and threatens community security

MEDIA ADVISORY
June 14, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, (503) 984-6816
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director (503) 488-0263

Groups to protest ICE program that divides families and threatens community security

Joint demonstration will call for an end to federal immigration program which harms the trust between local law enforcement and Latino Families

WHAT: MARCH AND RALLY TO CALL FOR AN END TO ICE PROGRAM THAT DIVIDES FAMILIES

WHEN: 4:30PM, TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010

WHERE: U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE) OFFICE, 511 NORTHWEST BROADWAY, PORTLAND, OREGON

WHO: CAUSA, RURAL ORGANIZING PROJECT, SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION (SEIU) LOCAL 503

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Rev. David Ostendorf: ICEing the White House

Rev. David L. Ostendorf is the managing editor for Imagine 2050. Contributors to the Imagine 2050 include activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.

ICEing the White House

July 15, 2009

By Rev. David L. Ostendorf
www.imagine2050.net

Let’s face it. With the expansion of the 287(g) program, the new employer audit initiative, the growth of the Border Patrol, and the relentless, unconscionable construction of the border fence, the Obama Administration has completely succumbed to the ICE (and Democratic Party) enforcement agenda.

The new and expanded agreements that enable local and state law enforcement agencies to act as ICE surrogates build on a program (287(g))that has wreaked havoc across the country. In those jurisdictions where the agreements prevail, no immigrant has been safe from zealous law officers who turn a minor traffic stop, for example, into a wider deportation roundup. Instead of curbing the practice, the White House is expanding it into even more jurisdictions.

Continue article at http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2009/07/15/iceing-the-white-house/

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Napolitano to Investigate Bellingham ICE Raid

According to the Associated Press, the raid that took place in Bellingham Washington on Tuesday came as a surprise to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Napolitano told lawmakers that she was unaware of the raid and was only briefed about it on Wednesday morning.

By Wednesday afternoon, Napolitano was calling for an investigation into the raid and how it was conducted.

"I want to get to the bottom of this as well," she said. She said work-site enforcement needs to be focused on the employers.

The backlash from around the country over the raid was very large and came from civil rights, faith and immigrant advocacy organizations. The collective message was that inhumane raids must be stopped, and comprehensive immigration reform passed.

The AP spoke with Marissa Graciosa of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

She said “it is disappointing that ICE has executed a raid since Obama took office saying the raids were destructive and ineffective.”

"We urge President Obama to deliver on his promise of change by stopping the raids, and signing just and humane immigration reform into law," Graciosa said.

The response from the Whitehouse with Napalitano calling for an investigation is a great victory for pro-immigrant organizations and advocates and the first step first step to passing just and humane Immigration Reform.

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Raids hurt our businesses, our communities, all workers and immigrants

Yesterday, 28 workers, including 3 mothers, were chained and arrested in a factory in Bellingham, Washington as part of ICE enforcement operations.

In this time of economic hardship, it is completely unacceptable for the Obama Administration to be executing raids on workers, businesses and communities.

Raids not only hurt our businesses, our communities, all workers and immigrants, but they victimize the very people that helped to bring change to the White House and elect President Obama.

These inhumane raids must be stopped, and comprehensive immigration reform passed NOW! It is time for the President to hear from us.

We must fight back against this first worksite raid. We must tell the Obama Administration:

Stop the Raids, Pass Just and Humane Immigration Reform
CALL the WHITE HOUSE NOW at 202-456-1414 and tell President Barack Obama:

• The raid in Washington state is unacceptable, and hurts all of our communities.
• He must stop the raids, and pass comprehensive immigration reform - NOW!

or
FAX a letter to: 202-456-2461

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Another ICE official arrested on suspicion of bribery

ICE attorney arrested for alleged immigrant bribes

LOS ANGELES - An attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and his wife were arrested on suspicion of accepting thousands of dollars from both legal and illegal immigrants in exchange for immigration benefits, authorities said.

ICE Assistant Chief Counsel Constantine Peter Kallas, 38, and wife Maria Kallas, 39, both of Alta Loma, were arrested Thursday at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, where authorities believed they were accepting such a bribe, U.S. Attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek said in a statement....

"The egregious acts of corruption alleged in this case are extremely disturbing to those of us who have sworn to serve the United States," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said in a written statement. "As a law enforcement official, Mr. Kallas abused his position in the Department of Homeland Security simply to line his own pockets."...read full article

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The Truth About Immigrant Detentions

From our allies at FIRM:

Possibly related posts:
Detainees can’t be found after closing of detention center….

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OP-ED: Collaboration with feds hurts community policing

by Ramón Ramírez

November 8, 2007

Anyone concerned about public safety should be paying close attention to the new policy of increased collaboration between Marion County jails and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Minority community organizations have worked for years to build trust and communication between Marion County law enforcement and communities of color. Marion County civic and business leaders must resist the attempts of some who seek to vilify the Latino immigrant community at the expense of everyone's public safety.

"Community policing" is a reciprocal policing strategy in which residents and local law enforcement each assume a role in promoting the safety of their communities. The success of community policing hinges upon a relationship of trust between community residents and law enforcement officials, a relationship that is broken down when immigrants fear immigration-related consequences for approaching state or local police.

From New Jersey to Los Angeles, chiefs of police are embracing community policing as an effective strategy to combat crime. Los Angeles is now in the early stages of a potentially historic decline in crime.

Earl Paysinger, deputy to the Los Angeles Police Department police chief, recently commented to The New York Times that the decline in crime in his city could be attributed to efforts to "reach out to communities that years ago we didn't even talk to." One of the benefits, he said, is that "people are more willing to call the police."

Sheriff Russ Isham wisely adopted community policing policies when he was a sergeant in the Salem Police Department, increasing participation in the Neighborhood Watch program from 1,900 to 5,000 households and launching a Drug Activity Response Team.

If the lines between local police and immigration authorities become too blurred, undocumented immigrants don't feel safe reporting crimes, resulting in regrettable situations for everyone including unreported burglaries, violence and drug activity.

Domestic violence advocates also have cited the damaging effects of police collaboration with ICE, as victims of battering would rather endure the abuse than risk deportation. Being serious about combating the meth epidemic in Marion County especially means we should advocate for community policing that facilitates all residents' cooperation with law enforcement.

To ensure the new policy doesn't result in unintended consequences, Marion County should consider monitoring law enforcement officers to prevent racial profiling. Eight years after the New Jersey State Police acknowledged that its troopers were focusing on black and Hispanic drivers at traffic stops, federal monitors announced last month that the department had made remarkable progress in eliminating racial profiling and no longer needed federal supervision.

And on Sept. 25, a Virginia Illegal Immigration Task Force concluded that it couldn't recommend forcing police departments to enforce federal immigration law or require officers to ask about the immigration status of anyone they encounter.

In order not to undermine the trust that has been built with communities of color in Marion County, we are committed to working with the sheriff to ensure that our police officers are behaving in the most professional manner towards all residents of Marion County.

Ramón Ramírez is the president of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United, Oregon's farmworker union. He can be contacted at ramonramirez@pcun.org.

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Study: Kids Hurt by Immigration Raids

By OSKAR GARCIA

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Children whose parents are arrested in immigration raids face mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety and depression, according to a study released Wednesday.

Researchers visited three cities where officials arrested 900 suspected illegal immigrants in workplace raids over the past year, causing 500 children to abruptly lose contact with their mother, father or both parents.

That left them with a combination of unstable supervision, stress, emotional trauma and material needs that can lead to mental health disorders, according to the study.

"Those children were born in America, and we forgot about their rights during the raids, because they were left parentless," said Steve Joel, superintendent of Grand Island Public Schools, which worked to get parents to keep their children in school following a December raid at the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant. >>continue

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RELEASE: Congress Returns from Recess to Renewed Calls for Immigration Reform

For Immediate Release
September 6, 2007

Contact:
Erik Sorensen, Communications, CAUSA 503-789-8213
Aeryca Steinbauer, Coordinator, CAUSA 503-984-6816

Congress Returns from Recess to Renewed Calls for Immigration Reform

Senate inaction intensifies need for real solutions; House to hold immigration hearing

Salem, OR – When the Congressional delegation from Oregon returns to Washington DC this month after the August Recess, they will return to renewed calls for real and workable immigration reform that will secure our borders, restore the rule of law and provide a practical solution for dealing with the country’s 12 million undocumented workers who are a vital part of the national economy.

“If our elected members of Congress think they’re going to breeze back into the nation’s Capitol, and not make themselves accountable to their constituents for the undue burden being placed on state and local governments, they’re in for an abrupt reality check.,” said Aeryca Steinbauer, Coordinator with CAUSA.

Since the death of the immigration bill in the Senate, we’ve already seen a preview of the problems that come with the failure of the federal government to fix our immigration system. Local governments all over the country are attempting to implement their own immigration ordinances, leading to chaos in the system and divisive battles within their respective communities. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has turned to enforcement-only mechanisms which led to a lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO and an order by U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney to halt the program. Stunningly, an already badly broken immigration system is getting worse thanks to the failure of Congress to get its act together and implement true immigration reform.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee is holding a hearing this Thursday on STRIVE Act, the House bill on immigration reform co-authored by Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). “The country is clamoring for real and workable immigration reform that will secure our borders, restore the rule of law and provide a practical solution for dealing with the country’s 12 million undocumented workers who are a vital part of the national economy,” said Steinbauer. “We need constructive debate on this issue – our elected officials should be held accountable to create, and not destroy, the opportunity for dialogue and reform.”

The renewed calls for immigration reform stem from growing concerns over the staggering number of anti-immigrant ordinances that have been proposed across the country, the increase in raids by I.C.E, and the Bush Administration’s new plan to issue “no match” letters to companies whose employees' names and Social Security numbers do not match those on record at the Social Security Administration.

“We’re all in agreement that the system is broken and reform is needed. That’s not the issue. The concern is that the enforcement-only policies are only half the answer, and the public is being sold a bill of goods that won’t really get them what they want—true immigration reform. Without more realistic immigration laws, the current path we are on will lead to chaos in the system,” said Steinbauer. “The public does not need that. Why are the Bush Administration and Congress forcing this situation rather than solving the problem? Is that really what the public wants?”

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