As we watch Arizona we can  see the impacts of  local police enforcing immigration law.  This enforcement starts with voluntary collaborations between Local Law Enforcement and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  In Arizona we can see dangerous and disastrous consequences of how those collaborations go array

In Washington DC, immigrants and civil rights activists successfully organized to deter and eventually stop the implementation of Secure Communities.  We too must work to stop implementation of this nasty program in our communities.

Impacts of Police/ICE Collaborations

-Community Safety: Portland and Multnomah County set out in 1989 to create a community policing program, with the goal of creating safer communities through better relations between police and local community members. ICE presence in our local county jail, and the belief by the Multnomah County’s immigrant and refugee population that interaction with police and sheriff’s officers may lead to deportation weakens the relationship between local law enforcement and the community and undermines the principles of community policing.

– Civil Rights and Access to Due Process: The cooperation between the Multnomah
County Sheriff’s Office and ICE raises significant questions of legality and liability. Problems arise when US citizens and others who are in legal immigration status are mistakenly flagged by ICE, when ICE places a hold on an individual who has been convicted of no crime and who was not involved in drug-related offenses, and when individuals are detained under an ICE hold for longer than the 48 hour time period permitted by federal law. Individuals are routinely denied the opportunity to be released on bond based on real or perceived irregularities in their immigration status. There is concern that Multnomah County may be incurring liability for unlawful detentions in these situations.

– Fiscal Responsibility: Public records fail to indicate where the federal government reimburses Multnomah County for the cost of detaining individuals who have been placed on ICE hold and who have not yet been convicted of a crime. This means that the cost of housing individuals held on ICE detainers is borne entirely by Multnomah County. It is our opinion that detaining and deporting individuals from our communities should not be a priority for Multnomah County.

– Family Unity: All deportations have a significant impact on families. Mothers and fathers are abruptly torn away from their children, single parents are forced to leave their children with a caregiver or bring them to a country that is completely foreign to them. As the discussion about immigration reform continues to develop, parties on all sides agree that the system is broken, and that it will take broad-based change on a national level to reach a fair solution. During this period of discussion, we believe that Multnomah County should not assist with enforcement-only policies on a local level that only serve to tear apart families and communities.

The next Safe Communities meeting is Thursday, June 10th from 6:30-8:30pm, if you’d like to attend, please email us for more information.

TAKE ACTION:  Tell AZ Governor to Veto Racial Profiling Bill
An urgent plea for help in Arizona: Stop Criminalization of Our Communities

Dear Friends,

We write with an urgent plea for your assistance. This week, the Arizona legislature passed the most anti-immigrant legislation the United States has seen in a generation. We are calling on all who have fought for immigration reform to assist our brothers and sisters in Arizona to turn the tide on hatred, bigotry, and scapegoating that threatens our community. In 2006, we marched by the millions in cities across the country to block a hateful bill that would criminalize immigrants and their supporters. The bill currently before the Governor in Arizona would make the nightmare of Sensenbrenner a reality. Indeed, the bill’s stated intent is to terrorize immigrant families into leaving the state. We must do everything we can to prevent this from happening.

TAKE ACTION! Click here!

Arizona’s SB 1070 would force police officers to arrest and detain people based on a “reasonable suspicion” that they are undocumented. It’s not surprising that news of this bill has shocked the nation. There is no such thing as looking American or undocumented, and mandating police officers to racially profile sets this country back to a shameful time in its history where racial segregation was the law of the land. The state of Arizona has become home to experimental laws that use immigration as an excuse to criminalize communities of color. We have all seen the devastation caused by Joe Arpaio and others like him. The result of this struggle in Arizona will set the tone for the national debate. We must prevail. The bill is an assault on this nation’s values. Everyone, including the President himself, acknowledges that this is a nation of immigrants: Undocumented immigrants are Americans in Waiting.

TAKE ACTION! Click here!

We must wait no longer. Please take action by going to www.AltoArizona.com to sign a petition urging the bill’s veto. When you sign the list, you will send a message that the nation is unifying in its condemnation of Arizona’s dangerous legislation. You will continue to receive updates on where we will take things, should the bill be signed into law. Please forward this email to 5 people asking them to do the same. We have all fought hard to earn equality for our friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family who currently live and work in the U.S regardless of immigration status. The time is now for full legalization, not criminalization enacted by racist local demagogues. The time is now for the country to come together to urge the federal government to stop immigrant bashing.

Together We Will, Turn the Tide.

Sincerely,

Pablo Alvarado,
Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.