Category: Immigration

Make Your Opinions Count!

Posted on October 20, 2018 by - ICE, Immigration, News, Your Voice

Under current law immigrant children cannot be detained by the government longer than 20 DAYS. The Trump Administration wants to be able to detain children and their families INDEFINITELY.

The Justice Department is trying to modify the decades-old settlement agreement Flores v. Reno to allow the government to detain children longer than the 20 days currently allowed, and in ICE detention centers as opposed to licensed facilities. The proposal has been published in the Federal Register and is open for public comments until November 6. We know that there are low-cost and effective alternatives to detention for children and families and that even short-term detention is harmful to children.

HELP STOP THIS BY WRITING BEFORE NOV. 6!

Key Points

  • This would disregard basic human rights standards, including where and how children and families are housed and fed.
  • Children who are detained may suffer long-term effects, including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. See American Academy of Pediatrics, Detention of Immigrant Children http://bit.ly/AAPChildDetention.
  • Alternatives to detention such as letting people out on bond and formal monitoring programs have been shown to be effective, more humane and far less costly. See National Immigration Forum, Math of Immigration Detention http://bit.ly/DetentionCost and Alternatives to Detention http://bit.ly/DetentionAlternatives

PLEASE TAKE 15 MINUTES AND SEND COMMENTS TO: http://bit.ly/stopfamilydetention

How To:

  1. Review the key points listed above.
  2. Click on the link above and use your own words to submit a comment arguing that the changes would be harmful and would not have the benefits suggested by the government.
  3. Use facts. Cite studies, point out costs, make policy arguments, and include personal stories about yourself or others to illustrate your points.
  4. Only one comment per person.
  5. Share widely on social media and by email family, friends and colleagues.

To see the Administration’s proposal: Apprehension, Processing, Care, and Custody of Alien Minors and Unaccompanied Alien Children: http://bit.ly/FloresRules

Download the flyer HERE.

 

Speak-Out at Diversity Plaza

Posted on October 7, 2018 by - Immigration, News

August 16, on a hot and humid evening, JHISN hosted a lively speak-out at Diversity Plaza. About 70 local residents and activists met to discuss immigration issues, including family separation, DACA, Temporary Protected Status and the need to resist ICE brutality in all its forms. A wide range of Jackson Heights neighbors participated.

The speak-out was the first event to take place at newly-renovated Diversity Plaza; a warm welcome was provided by Plaza businessman and activist Agha M. Saleh.

At the heart of the event were dramatic accounts by immigrant families in our community who are struggling to defend themselves from ICE’s cruel deportation machine. We heard from the family of Alfredo Flores, who was detained when the Greyhound bus he was riding unexpectedly crossed into Canada. The family is fighting hard to stop his deportation with the help of Jackson Heights supporters.

Also speaking out were two young sisters from Jackson Heights who are trying to reverse the unjust and deeply hurtful deportation of their father to Bangladesh. And “Dreamer” Denise Romero described the stress and pain of facing potential deportation after growing up and living almost her whole life in the US.

Other speakers reported their first-hand experiences fighting against ICE’s family separation policy at the US-Mexico border: Julie Schweitert Collazo from Immigrant Families Together, attorney-activist Carolina Rubio MacWright and local immigration attorney Ed Cuccia, as well as community organizers Zoey Levine and Shekar Krishnan. There were expressions of resistance and solidarity from Howie Hawkins of the New York Green Party, JHISN’s Melissa Greenberg and others. Translation was provided in English, Spanish and Bengla.

The event was co-hosted by UnLocal, the Elmhurst Baptist Church, and the Jackson Heights Beautification Group. JHISN sponsored the event as part of our commitment to work with others to mobilize our whole neighborhood in solidarity with immigrants under attack.