Street roots
July 20, 2012
Immigrant rights advocates seek protections against ‘Arizonafication’
S T A F F R E P O R TS
immigrant communities.
uman rights activists are
In March, the Multnomah County
campaigning to make sure
Commissioners passed a resolution in an
Multnomah County doesn’t go the
attempt to put some oversight into the
way of some parts of the country where federal program.
Arizona-style” policies have damaged
“The Board of County Commissioners
immigrant trust in the community.
shares the public’s deep concern regarding
Portland Jobs with Justice, which
issues raised by ICE’s mandatory
implementation of the Secure Communities
comprises several immigrant and labor
Program in County jails, including but not
justice groups, along with Voz Workers’
limited to, the erosion of public trust and
Rights Education project want local
public safety and the current and potential
authorities to back up a resolution they
impact it may have on the County’s General
passed months ago with stronger
Fund,” states the resolution, which is non
protections for immigrant residents.
binding.
“What we want is to continue the work
The resolution asks that ICE’s local
we have done,” says Romeo Sosa, executive
operatives exercise “prosecutorial
director of Voz, which works with day
discretion” and communicate with the
laborers. “We just don’t want the resolution
region on how it plans to fund, train and
on paper. We really want them to take more
implement its tracking and evaluation
action.”
methods.
The Restoring Trust campaign, which
The resolution also asks for information
seeks to regain trust between the immigrant
on the people from the region being
communities and law enforcement, was
deported, including the number of minors
spurred on by the Supreme Court’s recent
that have been deported or are in the
decision regarding the Arizona immigration
process of removal, U.S.-born minors whose
law. That decision struck down much of the
parents have been deported or are in the
law, but upheld the requirement that state
process of being deported. The county also
law enforcement officers determine the
wants to know how many men and women
immigration status of anyone they stop or
with child dependents that have been
arrest, if they suspect that person is in the
deported or are in the process, and how
country illegally.
many families have been separated as a
Nationally, the U.S. Immigration and
result of deportation.
Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has
On July 11, as part of a national week of
implemented a program of detainment
action, representatives from VOZ and Jobs
called Security Communities, which
with Justice addressed the Multnomah
requests that local law enforcement officers
County Board of Commissioners with
detain people they arrest for 48 hours
examples Multnomah County can follow.
longer than required in order for ICE
They cite the TRUST Act, passed in
officials to determine their status. It’s a
California earlier this month, which requires
practice that immigrant rights advocates say police to release individuals who have
leads to racial profiling and mistrust
posted bail, provided they do not face
between local law enforcement and
serious charges and have no serious prior
H
Fallen Off
the Edge
A new book by A rt Garcia
"Fallen Off the Edge" is a chronicle
of one man's experiences after returning
from the Vietnam War. Told through the
eyes of Street Roots columnist Art
Garcia, this book celebrates the major
victories born from a series of
questionable choices. Art's jocular
storytelling takes the reader along with
him in and out of the California prison
system over the course of 10 years until
he found the strength and courage to
pull himself up from the fall.
The book is available online at www.
blurb.com under searchword Art Garcia.
Join the Fight to Protect
Oregon Consumers.
Support fair and affordable utility rates.
Help us save even more.
CUB has saved
Become a
Oregonians over
CUB Member
$5,400,000,000
today!
since 1984.
convictions - regardless of federal detainer
requests. The Restoring Trust campaign
also heralds similar efforts in Cook County,
111., Santa Clara, Calif., the state of
Connecticut and Washington, D.C., that
have approved legislation that sets
standards for responding to ICE hold
requests to protect against racial profiling.
However, other states, such as Georgia,
have followed Arizona’s lead by enacting
harsher policies on the treatment of
immigrants.
Advocates say that in addition to racial
profiling and civil rights violations, ICE
holds also inadvertently lead to the removal
of victims and witnesses, the detention of
U.S. citizens, and serious economic burdens
on local law enforcement agencies who foot
the cost for longer incarceration periods.
The Restore Truth campaign also claims
that the 10th Amendment of the
Constitution, which prohibits the federal
government from “commandeering” state
and local resources for federal objectives,
prevents the federal government from
mandating state or local compliance with
ICE holds.
Lt. Steve Alexander with the Multnomah
County Sheriff’s Department says officers
have changed nothing in their practice of
holding detainees since the Secure
Communities come into operation several
years ago.
“We have not changed our procedures
here (regarding Security Communities) at
this time,” Alexander says. “ICE has a
separate process. We don’t notify anybody.”
The nearest ICE detention facility is in
Tacoma, Wash., but ICE does manage a
short-terms holding facility in Portland,
which sends detainees to Tacoma.
good, local, food.
ALBERTA
COOPERATIVE
GROCERY
1500 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
503.287.4333
www.albertagrocery.coop
open to everyone 9-10 daily
DINE OUT.
DIG IN.
MAKE A
campaign, Full Plate Project learn more at
w w w .s fs te rs o fth e ro a d .o rg .
DIFFERENCE.
'Thursday
SuhtUy . ;
3
1
2
Supper Club @
Sisters sponsored
by Whole Foods
Pearl
Davis Street Tavern Pacific Pie
Company
Mississippi Pina
Dovetail Bakery
Beulahland
n
8
9
IO
Davis Street
Tavern
People’s Sandwich Grain & Gristle
of Portland
Kenny & Zuke’s
The Blue Monk
Portobello
15
Ciao Vito
Beulahland
22
The Original
18
DeNicolas
i Restaurant
\ Havana West
12
; Pastini (9th
Taylor)
13
S
19
17
Davis Street
Tavern
■ Por Que No
i Green Beans
Back to Eden
Coffee & Tea
Bakery Boutique The Big Egg
: Big-A Sandwiches
Florida Room
Fing
23
Davis Street
Tavern
24
25
Salvador Molly’s
i Lincoln
Restaurant
i Savoy Tavern
Beulahland
29
30
31
Biwa
Davis Street
Tavern
The Observatory
Beulahland
i Prasad
7
Cafe Hibiscus
14
; Dove Vivi
i jade Teahouse
16
Beulahland
C it iz e n s ’ U t ilit y
Mi Mero Mole
Saturday
6
5
4
Tin Shed
The Bent Brick
http://oregoncub.org/streetroots
orego ncub.org/streetroots
The Restoring
Trust campaign
has launched a
new website www.
restoringtrust
together.org as a
resource for local
elected leaders,
law enforcement
leaders, and other
concerned
stakeholders.
20
21
St. Jack Patisserie
3 Doors Down
26
27
28
i Ruby Jewel
(Mississippi)
Pine State
Biscuits
(Belmont)
SubRosa
SISTERS
OF THE
ROAD
http://sistersoftheroad.org/