Marin County Residents Rally In Defense of California Values
Board of Supervisors Holds TRUTH Act Community Forum to Examine Local Law Enforcement Agencies' Entanglements with Federal Immigration Authorities
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ICE Out of Marin y Justicia Para Todos, a coalition focused on ending deportations of Marin residents and curtailing local law enforcement's cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), held a community rally prior to a standing room only Board of Supervisors TRUTH Act Community Forum.
"We recognize the humanity and value of every person who calls Marin their home," said ICE Out of Marin co-chair, Lisa Bennett. "Sheriff Doyle's actions to support ICE are out of step with Marin's values, and as our elected representative we expect him to ensure the freedom and true safety of every person in our community."
More than 25 Marin organizations joined with ICE Out of Marin y Justicia Para Todos, a grassroots coalition of immigrant justice advocates, to request that Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle cease collaborating with ICE. Sheriff Doyle has transferred 133 people to ICE since 2017. These people are taken directly into ICE custody without ever being released from the secure areas of the jail, which has produced a growing community concern over the impact on the safety and well-being of Marin residents.
Speaking for ICE Out of Marin, Laura Eberly of YWCA San Francisco & Marin called on Sheriff Doyle to immediately end the practices of publicizing personal information of those in the jail's custody, responding to ICE requests for such information, and, most importantly, providing ICE access to the jail and facilitating direct transfers of custody to ICE. Of 41 community members testifying, all but one asked Sheriff Doyle to cease all cooperation with ICE, and many shared deeply personal testimony about the devastating impacts of deportation.
Despite Sheriff Doyle's protestations that "exchanges" in the jail's booking area do not constitute transfers under SB 54, Supervisor Damon Connolly did not parse semantics. "I don't want to see our local officials assist in enforcing a dysfunctional immigration policy for the federal government," he said in closing remarks. "I would like to see further policy change. The warm handoff of a person to ICE in the booking area before the person is released has the effect of an in-custody transfer, in my view…. ICE should conduct its business outside the jurisdiction of the Sheriff, without any help from the Sheriff's office."
Advocates also called on the Board of Supervisors to take a more proactive approach to oversight of the Sheriff's Office, based on their vocal support last year for SB 54, the California Values Act that provides sanctuary protections by prohibiting local law enforcement collaboration with ICE. ICE Out of Marin asked the Board of Supervisors to:
1) Set a goal of ending all deportations from Marin,
2) Establish community oversight of the Sheriff's office,
3) Host quarterly updates on all local cooperation with ICE,
4) Include immigrant justice in the County's Equity Plan.
ICE Out of Marin plans to follow up with Sheriff Doyle and the Board of Supervisors in January to determine next steps on ending local law enforcement's facilitation of deportation in Marin.
For more information, please contact Lisa Bennett, 415 272-4927 or visit
http://www.iceoutofmarin.org.
A video of the complete hearing is archived here:
http://marin.granicus.com/player/clip/9319?view_id=33
Organizations that called for the TRUTH Act Forum:
ICE OUT OF MARIN
A Grassroots Coalition
Lisa Bennett Chair
Email [email protected]
Phone (415) 272-4927
ABRIENDO CAMINOS: West Marin Latino Leadership
Socorro Romo
Maria Niggle
Program Co-Directors
(707) 364-3294
[email protected]
CANAL ALLIANCE
Omar Carrera
Executive Director
(415) 306-0423
MULTICULTURAL CENTER OF MARIN
Douglas Mundo
Founder – Executive Director
(415) 526-2486 x302
[email protected]
THE MARIN ASIAN ADVOCACY PROJECT
Vinh Lu
Project Director
(415) 847-2747
[email protected]
CIYJA – California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance
Yadira Sanchez
Northern California Regional Coordinator
[email protected]
ILRC – Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Grisel Ruiz
Staff Attorney
415-255-9499 ext. 474
[email protected]
Additional Organizations Supporting the Forum:
10,000 Degrees
ACLU Marin County chapter
African Human Rights Commission
Alcohol Justice
Building Bridges San Rafael
Community Congregational Church of Tiburon
Fair Housing Advocates Northern CA
Fairfax People Power
First Presbyterian San Rafael
Indivisible Marin
Indivisible Sausalito
League of Women Voters
Main Street Moms, Point Reyes
Marin County People Power
Marin Interfaith Council
Marin Peace & Justice Coalition
Marin Rapid Response Network
MV-CAN
¡Presente! Affinity Group
San Rafael Building Bridges
Sanctuary Marin
Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
St. Johns, Ross
SURJ Marin
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin
United Marin Rising
West Marin Community Services
West Marin Standing Together Immigration Committee
Youth Leadership Institute
YWCA San Francisco & Marin
Zen Center/Green Gulch
CONTACT Lisa Bennett,
ICE Out of Marin y Justicia Para Todos
415 272-4927 -- [email protected]
Juan Prieto,
California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance
510 414-0953 -- [email protected]
SOURCE ICE Out of Marin y Justicia Para Todos
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