How American cities are getting ready: NPR



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On Friday, President Trump confirmed reports that US immigration and customs services plan to conduct nationwide campaigns to arrest thousands of families of undocumented immigrants who, according to the government, have failed to appear in court or have been expelled from the country.

"It starts on Sunday, and they're going to get people out, and they're going to bring them back to their countries, or they're going to get the criminals out – put them in jail or put them in jail in home countries," Trump told reporters. outside the White House.

Operations, which would be similar to the one canceled last month, are expected to take place in at least 10 cities in the United States and last for several days. According to reports, ICE would be ready to target more than 2,000 newly arrived migrant families – most of whom have no criminal history.

The raids will take place over several days. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced that they would continue until July 18 and that they would include "collateral deportations", which means that undocumented migrants who are on the places but are not the target, could also be placed in detention.

Kevin Cuccinelli, acting director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Thursday there were about 1 million people in the country with removal orders.

"As always, the ICE gives priority to the arrest and expulsion of illegal aliens who pose a threat to national security, public security and border security," the spokesman said. ICE's word, Matthew Bourke, in a statement. "However, anyone who violates immigration laws can be subject to arrest, detention and – they can be revoked by a final order – from a referral from the United States. "

The ACLU filed a lawsuit in a federal court in New York to try to block the searches, claiming that many migrants did not receive a proper notice of hearing and were subsequently fired for failing to appear in court. . But, it is not clear if the lawsuit will have an impact on the actions planned by ICE over the weekend.

As the raid looms, local leaders and immigrant rights advocates are trying to appease the growing fear among immigrant communities. Here are some actions planned in each city to deal with impending detentions.

San Francisco

A series of rallies was organized as part of a national action to protest the planned deportation blitz as well as detention of children in migrant centers. The demonstrations began on Friday and are expected to last the entire weekend.

The "Rise Up" rally, which took place Friday afternoon in front of ICE headquarters in San Francisco, called for the closure of child detention centers and the reunification of separated migrant families. A similar event is expected to take place in Palo Alto, in front of the headquarters of Palantir Technologies. The data mining company won a $ 41 million Trump administration contract for the construction and maintenance of an intelligence system called Investigative Case Management.

Lights for Liberty coordinated national actions "for children in migrant detention centers", which will include protests in all states, from Friday to weekend. Many events were held in the Bay Area, including events in San Francisco, Berkely and Oakland.

Los Angeles

CHIRLA, the Coalition for Human Rights in Los Angeles, is asking undocumented immigrants living in the sprawling metropolis to remain calm and "continue to live without fear for their lives".

"We have been ready for many months to inform the community of their rights," Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications, told NPR.

The immigrant rights group has set up a strong group of lawyers willing to provide legal assistance through a phone number to anyone without a lawyer who is caught off guard. Three hundred lawyers make up the L.A Raids Rapid Reaction Network and are reachable via a phone number, Cabrera said.

Individual lawyers will be assigned and deployed to meet people either at home – while being scanned – or at any location. Some will also be stationed at the Los Angeles Detention Center in the downtown area to offer their services to people as they arrive, Cabrera said.

"If we are unable to help them for X or Y reasons, we will provide references to the community lawyers we can trust," he added.

The CHIRLA website also provides information on where to call to locate a person detained by ICE. "We also have examples of letters that [people] can use to write to make sure their children are cared for by a loved one and we have step by step instructions on how to set up a family plan, "said Cabrera.

Denver

Prior to the raids, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock explained that the 10 cities preparing for a generalized sweep had been selected because they "corresponded to the immigration court summonses that were established to quickly process the families." ".

He added that he thought the operation would involve bringing the children together.

"We have pretty good authority on the fact that ICE is calling the targeted cities and contacting social service departments and asking them for help in case they bring up kids," Hancock said.

According to the mayor, the local government is mobilizing its resources to convey the message that "the police will not be involved in the raid". Hancock added that immigrants arrested for other crimes by local officers will not be detained "spent their time in our prison cell without an official warrant".

Hancock also noted that the city had a "legal defense fund" designed to help immigrants withstand their legal costs while they were fighting our opposition to deportation and hopefully to stay with their family ".

Houston

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told NPR that the prospective polls had "increased the level of anxiety of the residents of my city".

"I can not really see the bright side," said Turner, noting that such widespread goals prevent residents from seeking the local services they need and also encourage people not to call the police for help. report criminal activity.

Turner also echoed what other mayors in the country said about the use of the local police force. "We will not participate with ICE in this kind of raids," he said, especially in the case of "DREAMers and people who have been here for some time or people who came to this country because they are looking for better opportunities. "

But he left open the possibility of officials being involved in cases involving undocumented migrant criminals. "If we're talking about people with criminal records, people who have committed violent crimes, people who have committed crimes, people belonging to bands like MS-13, that's one thing because we do not want certainly not those people in our city, period, agree? "Turner said.

Tuner has encouraged people likely to be confronted with ICE to seek legal help through the help line for immigration rights.

Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who strongly criticized the Trump government's immigration plans, said she was ensuring that the Chicago Police Service does not cooperate with ICE in any way.

"This means that they will not team up with ICE to stop a resident.We have also cut access to ICE from any CPD database and this will remain permanent," Lightfoot said. a press conference Thursday.

Advocates of local immigrant rights, however, have found that existing loopholes allow ICE to enlist the help of the police service. As WBEZ's Hunter Clauss reports, "Chicago cops can help ICE agents if a person is in the city's gang database, is a criminal, is criminally liable, or has a pending warrant." .

Activists seeking to expand the protection of undocumented immigrants living in the city are urging Lightfoot to sign a decree to eliminate "carver outs" before the raids begin.

Lightfoot has not signed the order yet.

At the same time, Mony Ruiz-Velazco, executive director of the PASO West Suburban Action Project, warns undocumented residents trapped in not opening the door to ICE agents, unless they can produce a mandate including specific members of their family and signed by a third party. judge.

Dozens of religious leaders participating in the Resurrection project have pledged to be present in immigrant communities to help "protect the families under attack".

They call the members of the congregation to "defend, block and testify" while ICE seeks to execute deportation measures. Throughout the week, religious leaders and other members of the community intend to "spend time in immigrant communities" including Pilsen, Little Village, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn and Hermosa, the group said in a press release.

Atlanta

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms decried the raids in an interview with MSNBC on Friday, adding that they were not needed to protect local residents from any harm.

She noted that President Trump had raised sweeps as a way to expel MS-13 gang members from the country, saying that it was bad faith. "I meet my police chief several times a week, she never mentioned that we needed help to help a gang through the ICE company."

Like many other mayors across the country who are preparing for the ICE to spill over into their cities, Mr Bottoms pointed out that the Atlanta police department would not cooperate with federal agents. She called the raids on the ice "inhuman".

"Our city does not support ICE We do not have a relationship with the US Marshal[s] At the service, we closed our detention center for CIE detainees and we would not look for people for immigration violations, "she said.

At the same time, members of a Jewish advocacy group called Never Again Action announced their intention to "close" the ICE office in downtown during a rally on Monday .

An evening to raise awareness of immigrants at the 2020 census is scheduled for Sunday at Sara J. Gonzalez Memorial Park. The mayor said the ICE officials had confirmed that they would not "interfere in the party bloc as part of its operations," according to the Atlanta Journal's constitution.

New Orleans

Tropical Storm Barry put an end to the immigration incursions that were to take place Sunday in New Orleans.

City officials made the announcement Thursday and ICE spokesman Bryan Cox confirmed the information, according to NOLA.com.

"Immigration controls will be temporarily suspended over the weekend in the affected areas of Barry, Louisiana and Mississippi, so make preparations for the storm safe no matter what your status is." of immigration, "city officials said. tweeted.

In addition, ICE spokesman, Bryan Cox, told NOLA.com in a statement: "There will be no law enforcement initiative in the area of ​​privacy. immigration associated with evacuations or storm-related shelters, except in the case of a serious threat to public safety ".

Miami

Immigrant rights advocates in the city of Florida are scrambling to make makeshift shelters for undocumented migrants before the arrests.

NPR member station WLRN reported that activists are setting up "secure sanctuary spaces in secret places for those seeking to avoid being caught in raids".

According to the Miami Herald, other pressure groups are collecting supplies, including food and sleeping bags, which they will distribute to individuals and churches where families, in the hope of escaping ICE, could seek a shelter.

Volunteers also scour the neighborhoods with leaflets containing information on immigrant rights throughout the state, where one in five residents is an immigrant.

Law enforcement officials told the press that evicted persons remain the main target, but federal officials will also ask "the people who have been sent to other household members of an undocumented immigrant to obtain their immigration documents ".

Earlier this week, Miami-Dade Commissioners presented a plan to "expand the list of minor crimes that can be treated as civil violations, offenses that result in a ticket rather than a stay in prison." " Miami Herald also reported.

The move is an effort to keep undocumented residents whose immigration status is discovered when booking off the system.

The Miami-Dade police have an agreement with ICE to detain suspected immigration offenders to allow federal officials time to detain them.

South Florida does not have a family detention center. ICE therefore plans to use local hotels to house families up to 24 hours prior to their transfer to institutions located outside of the state. Local prisons can also be used to accommodate adults.

Baltimore

Hundreds of people rallied to demonstrate against ICE at several rallies across Baltimore on Friday night. And city leaders, including Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison have promised that they would not support federal agents in their immigration efforts in the coming days .

"Immigrants who live in Baltimore should not be afraid of the separation and expulsion of their families, and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that all residents of Baltimore, including immigrants, feel safe and welcomed in our city, "said Young at a statement Friday evening, reported the Baltimore Sun.

The CASA advocacy group plans to hold a series of legal aid clinics early next week. The spokeswoman, Lizette Olmos, said that they would begin as early as Tuesday and unfold in several cities in Maryland. They will provide legal assistance to people whose family members have been arrested during CIE raids and will also help locate their places of detention.

the Baltimore Sun estimated the ICE operation, "could be similar to those conducted since 2003 that often produce hundreds of arrests".

New York City

Although New York is one of the 10 cities targeted in the ICE operation reports, CBS affiliate member, WLNY, says sweeps could extend to other regions from the state and New Jersey.

In anticipation of scans, places of worship are also joining immigrant communities. Some quietly offer refuge to undocumented immigrants while others do so openly, the media reported.

The Bnai Keshet Synagogue in Montclair, New Jersey, will provide shelter for people at risk of eviction.

The New York Immigration Coalition urges all undocumented residents to seek free legal aid to inquire about all their rights before Sunday.

"You could have an eviction order against you, that does not give an ICE agent the opportunity to enter your home," said Executive Director Steven Choi, during a meeting with the NPR member station, WNYC. "I would just say that the advice to immigrant families and communities is not to open the door.

"You should be able to get a free immigration lawyer almost anywhere you are … talk to a legal immigration provider, he will be able to help you and let you know exactly what you can do, "added Choi.

He leads the migrants on the coalition's website to consult a "Know Your Rights" fact sheet, available in many languages, as well as tips on creating a family plan in case of parents would be detained by ICE.

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