Street Roots • March 10-16, 2017
E d it o r ia l
Destructive immigration policies call for a united front
t’s heartbreaking to watch. A young man,
taking his 13-year-old daughter to school, is
handcuffed and taken away by immigration
officers, all while his daughter - still in the car -
films it on her phone. Her wails are audible on the
recording.
It’s a scene of great sorrow and anguish,
brought to you by your tax dollars, and one played
out by families across the country as draconian
immigration policies hit the
streets.
ICE says it is simply
_________________ . doing business as usual.
But it is n o t It is a powerful
federal agency now
operating under authoritarian leadership from the
White House, pushing harder on arbitrary laws,
dredging up decades-old records and targeting
specific populations based on the color of their .
skin. It’s breaking up families, and lawmakers in
Washington DC., are now talking about taking
children from mothers who cross the border,
immediate deportations and spending more tax
dollars on new detention centers.
There’s no question that immigration laws in
this country are a mess, but doubling down on this
militarized, industrial immigration complex shows
the opposite of reform. It is terrorizing families
and children. It is breaking a vital social contract
In Oregon, it’s no surprise to see the familiar
slate of anti-immigrant bills raise their heads again.
One bill would abolish Oregon’s sanctuary state
designation, which essentially prohibits state and
local law enforcement from expending any
resources toward federal immigration efforts. This
statute creates a formal wall between the two, as
I
EDITORIAL
leadership has said it will not allow these bills to
move forward. Multnomah County and Portland
lawmakers have followed suit, defending people’s
civil liberties ànd declaring in favor of sanctuary,
not deportation.
But while there is the potential to tear
communities apart - and perhaps that’s the
intention here - in some ways the opposite is
actually happening. To be sure, the fear is real and
palpable: brown skin is now probable cause. But
people are talking. People are looking at not only
the rule of law as a defense, but also the rules of
solidarity, compassion and common sense. Since
1965, restoring families has been a cornerstone of
our immigration laws. And contrary to the
hyperbole of the right, immigrants - documented
or otherwise - pay taxes, enrich our community
and are essential to our economy.
People are sticking their necks out and figuring
out how to do the right thing, including the
academic and religious communities. People cure
not standing idly by. Nonetheless, action is not to
be undertaken carelessly. ICE is not our local
police bureau, and this isn’t politics as usual. The
current environment requires action, yes, but also
caution. Know your rights. Educate yourself with
the Immigration Defense Project and the ACLU,
which have a wealth of information about people’s
rights and options;
There’s a role in this for all of us. Support your
city and county representatives. We can draw a line
the sand, but it’s only as Strong as the solidarity
behind it.
Support your state représentatives for their
push back against 4he= trickle-down oppression that
th e r e sh o u ld 'be. T h e re is also tn e familiar effort to
vilifies im m igrants and refugees.
make English the official language of Oregon,
I Check within your community to learn more
about what you can do to protect yourselves and
others. There is too much at stake to sit by and
wait for people to show up.
apropos of nothing, and to require state employers
to use a specious federal verification database
when hiring workers. Wisely, the state’s Democrat
Sheeptoast
by Elizabeth Considine
Page 3
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Street Roots welcomes
Elizabeth Considine
to our pages with her
new cartoon,
Sheeptoast. Elizabeth
was bom in Portland
and has been
drawing since she
could hold a pen. She
loves theater, growing
food, poetry, chickens
and walking her
three dogs in the
Park. “I fin d
inspiration in the
strangeness o f life
and the character of
human nature. I
hope my art will
inspire
contemplation,
curiosity and an odd
thought or two.”
D irectors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson,
Sandra Hahn and John Brown
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