Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monthly Vigil in Florence: Thurs Oct 20
Carpool from Tucson leaves at 5 pm. Ina and Oracle. In front of Bank of America. Look for a red Prius.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Upcoming PHX & Tucson orientations
You really can make a difference. And it’s not that hard. Write a letter. Send a card. Go listen to someone who is in immigration detention. It’s like prison there for them. It’s not supposed to be. But it is prison. And it is full of disregard of people’s humanity, dignity, and international human rights.
Learn more about our national immigration detention system, what it is like for the more than 3,000 people who are detained in Florence and Eloy, Arizona, why they are detained, and how you can write, visit, and offer hospitality to the men and women there.
Staff from the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and members of the Restoration Project at Casa Mariposa will offer trainings in Phoenix and Tucson soon.
Attending the training is the first step to participating in the writing, visitation, and hospitality program that is facilitated by the Restoration Project and the Florence Project. We try to offer these about once every other month in both cities. Bring snacks to share as we learn together and build a strong network of support and solidarity with those inside and outside of immigration detention centers in Arizona.
Phoenix Orientation
Saturday, August 27
10 am – 12:30pm
Quaker Meeting House
1702 East Glendale Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85020
Call 480-291-2203 for questions about PHX training
Tucson Orientation
Saturday, September 17
10 am – 12:30 pm
Casa Mariposa
340 S. 3rd Ave., Tucson, AZ, 85701
520-269-6597 for questions about the Tucson orientation
Learn more about our national immigration detention system, what it is like for the more than 3,000 people who are detained in Florence and Eloy, Arizona, why they are detained, and how you can write, visit, and offer hospitality to the men and women there.
Staff from the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and members of the Restoration Project at Casa Mariposa will offer trainings in Phoenix and Tucson soon.
Attending the training is the first step to participating in the writing, visitation, and hospitality program that is facilitated by the Restoration Project and the Florence Project. We try to offer these about once every other month in both cities. Bring snacks to share as we learn together and build a strong network of support and solidarity with those inside and outside of immigration detention centers in Arizona.
Phoenix Orientation
Saturday, August 27
10 am – 12:30pm
Quaker Meeting House
1702 East Glendale Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85020
Call 480-291-2203 for questions about PHX training
Tucson Orientation
Saturday, September 17
10 am – 12:30 pm
Casa Mariposa
340 S. 3rd Ave., Tucson, AZ, 85701
520-269-6597 for questions about the Tucson orientation
Monday, August 15, 2011
Human Trafficking Workshop
Come join in this workshop, Saturday, August 20, 2011.
What is smuggling? What is human trafficking? How to recognize if someone is being trafficked and how to best help.
Led by ALERT: Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking.
10 am — 12:30 pm
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
545 South 5th Avenue, Tucson
This training is open to all. And is free.
Help spread the word on Facebook. Here's the event page.
What is smuggling? What is human trafficking? How to recognize if someone is being trafficked and how to best help.
Led by ALERT: Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking.
10 am — 12:30 pm
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
545 South 5th Avenue, Tucson
This training is open to all. And is free.
Help spread the word on Facebook. Here's the event page.
Monday, July 11, 2011
ACLU releases detainee abuse doc: Tuesday in Tucson
Tucson Forum to Discuss Abuse of Detained Immigrants
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21101-1
TUCSON, Ariz. - The mistreatment of thousands of immigrants in Arizona detention centers will be discussed Tuesday evening at a community forum in Tucson. A two-year study by ACLU Arizona documents inhumane conditions, abuse and a lack of adequate legal protection for some 3,000 detained immigrants.
The July 12 forum starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Pima Community College downtown campus. Amethyst Room, Building CC, 1255 N. Stone Avenue, in Tucson.
Ten percent of the country's detained immigrant population is being held in Arizona. Many of the detainees have been held for months - or even years - while appealing their legal status.
ACLU Arizona staff attorney Victoria Lopez says some of the worst abuses were found at the Pinal County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts for bed space.
"They noted verbal and mental abuse by guards. They noted a lack of ability for detainees to have contact visits with their family members. They noted detainees not having the opportunity to have outdoor recreation."
ICE officials say conditions at the Pinal County Jail meet or exceed federal detention standards. However, Lopez says, no one but ICE monitors conditions, the standards vary from facility to facility and they are not legally enforceable.
The ACLU report findings demonstrate the need for immediate reform of the immigration detention system, Lopez says. She suggests that a good first step would be for the federal government to terminate a costly contract that pays the Pinal County Jail an estimated $13 million a year to house immigrants.
"Detention costs are much, much higher than some alternatives to detention, which can cost as little as $12 dollars per day. At the Pinal County Jail, for example, the federal government contracts $59 dollars per day, per detainee."
Lopez adds there's a major misperception among the public about who is being held in Arizona's federal detention centers. She says they detainees are not necessarily "illegal" immigrants.
"Many of those being held are people who have legal permanent resident status and, in fact, may have an opportunity under the current U.S. immigration laws to fix their immigration status or remain legally in the United States."
The report is available for download at http://www.acluaz.org/detention-report-2011.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/21101-1
TUCSON, Ariz. - The mistreatment of thousands of immigrants in Arizona detention centers will be discussed Tuesday evening at a community forum in Tucson. A two-year study by ACLU Arizona documents inhumane conditions, abuse and a lack of adequate legal protection for some 3,000 detained immigrants.
The July 12 forum starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Pima Community College downtown campus. Amethyst Room, Building CC, 1255 N. Stone Avenue, in Tucson.
Ten percent of the country's detained immigrant population is being held in Arizona. Many of the detainees have been held for months - or even years - while appealing their legal status.
ACLU Arizona staff attorney Victoria Lopez says some of the worst abuses were found at the Pinal County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts for bed space.
"They noted verbal and mental abuse by guards. They noted a lack of ability for detainees to have contact visits with their family members. They noted detainees not having the opportunity to have outdoor recreation."
ICE officials say conditions at the Pinal County Jail meet or exceed federal detention standards. However, Lopez says, no one but ICE monitors conditions, the standards vary from facility to facility and they are not legally enforceable.
The ACLU report findings demonstrate the need for immediate reform of the immigration detention system, Lopez says. She suggests that a good first step would be for the federal government to terminate a costly contract that pays the Pinal County Jail an estimated $13 million a year to house immigrants.
"Detention costs are much, much higher than some alternatives to detention, which can cost as little as $12 dollars per day. At the Pinal County Jail, for example, the federal government contracts $59 dollars per day, per detainee."
Lopez adds there's a major misperception among the public about who is being held in Arizona's federal detention centers. She says they detainees are not necessarily "illegal" immigrants.
"Many of those being held are people who have legal permanent resident status and, in fact, may have an opportunity under the current U.S. immigration laws to fix their immigration status or remain legally in the United States."
The report is available for download at http://www.acluaz.org/detention-report-2011.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Upcoming Orientations and Trainings
August 20, Tucson: Special Training on Human Trafficking.
Learn the difference between smuggling and trafficking. How to recognize it. And what to do.
Led by ALERT: Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking.
10 am — 12:30 pm
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
545 South 5th Avenue, Tucson
This training is open to all.
Contact us with questions.
August 27, Phoenix orientation
Learn about the immigration detention system. Get involved in the Restoration Project network of solidarity and support. Be part of starting the Phoenix Greyhound hospitality network.
10 am — 12:30 pm. Contact us for location.
September 17, Tucson orientation
Learn about the immigration detention system and how you can get involved in the Restoration Project network of solidarity and support by writing, visiting men and women detained, hosting asylum seekers and others just out of detention in your home, and being present at the Tucson Greyhound station to greet men and women just released from the Eloy detention center.
10 am — 12:30 pm.
Casa Mariposa, 340 S. 3rd Ave., Tucson
All events are free. Bring snacks to share.
Learn the difference between smuggling and trafficking. How to recognize it. And what to do.
Led by ALERT: Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking.
10 am — 12:30 pm
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
545 South 5th Avenue, Tucson
This training is open to all.
Contact us with questions.
August 27, Phoenix orientation
Learn about the immigration detention system. Get involved in the Restoration Project network of solidarity and support. Be part of starting the Phoenix Greyhound hospitality network.
10 am — 12:30 pm. Contact us for location.
September 17, Tucson orientation
Learn about the immigration detention system and how you can get involved in the Restoration Project network of solidarity and support by writing, visiting men and women detained, hosting asylum seekers and others just out of detention in your home, and being present at the Tucson Greyhound station to greet men and women just released from the Eloy detention center.
10 am — 12:30 pm.
Casa Mariposa, 340 S. 3rd Ave., Tucson
All events are free. Bring snacks to share.
Photos from Dignity not Detention Vigil
More than 70 people from across Arizona gathered to call for an end to the ICE contract with Pinal County Jail. Monthly vigils will continue until action is taken. Next vigil: August 11.
This first gathering was a beautiful, organic, peaceful, grassroots beginning. Poetry, personal testimony by two men who had been detained, ways to get involved, Aztec dances, singing, were all part of the vigil.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Vigil to ask ICE to terminate contract with County Jail in Florence
MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Contact:
Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU of Arizona at 602-418-5499 (cell)/602-773-6006 (office)
COMMUNITY VIGIL CALLS FOR “DIGNITY NOT DETENTION”
Advocates Call for an End to Detention Contracts between
PHOENIX— A coalition of immigrants’ rights groups, civil rights organizations and community members from across the state will hold a vigil at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 7th at the Pinal County Jail (PCJ) in Florence to highlight abuses of immigrant detainees and call for an end to the detention contract between PCJ and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a report recently released by the ACLU of Arizona, detainees at PCJ face conditions that jeopardize their safety and well-being including inadequate medical care, no contact visits with family, no outdoor recreation and verbal and mental abuse by jail personnel. Pinal County Jail is one of five detention centers contracted by ICE to detain 3,000 immigrant detainees on any given day in Eloy and Florence, Arizona.
Advocates are calling on ICE to terminate its contract with Pinal County Jail, which according to news reports makes about $36,000 a night – or $13 million a year – off its contract with the federal government to house immigrants.
WHAT: Vigil outside of Pinal County Jail in support of immigrant detainees
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, 2011
WHERE: In the parking lot of the Pinal County Superior Court (in the same plaza as the jail) at 971 N. Jason Lopez Circle in Florence, Arizona
WHO: The vigil is being organized by The Puente Movement, ACLU of Arizona, No More Deaths, The Restoration Project at Casa Mariposa, Corazón de Tucson, The Black Alliance for Just Immigration and other organizations and individuals
WHY: To support all of the people inside immigration detention centers and to bring awareness about misguided immigration detention policies that have led to the dramatic increase in the number of detained immigrants who are subjected to inhumane conditions and injustices perpetuated by county contracts with ICE.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Streamline steamrolls human dignity
Vicki is a community member of Casa Mariposa in Tucson and a volunteer with the Restoration Project visiting, writing, and offering hospitality to detained immigrants. This article by her was published on the National Catholic Reporter blog.
Tougher immigration enforcement ignores the humanitarian needs of migrants
Jun. 13, 2011TUCSON, ARIZ. — Every day, the courtroom in the De Concini Federal Courthouse which hosts Operation Streamline is typically full of 70 men and women from various parts of Mexico and Central America. Processed in groups, they are divided up into groups of people who will receive the same sentence. Each group, listening to the proceedings through interpretation headphones, waits its turn to be called in front of the Magistrate. Each person is given a plea bargain that has been created in advance between prosecutors for the U.S. Government, and defense attorneys who have met with each defendant for a few minutes that morning.
Operation Streamline was created in Del Rio, Texas, in 2005 to place criminal penalties on illegal entry into the various jurisdictions along the border. These criminal charges were to act as a deterrent to people; the idea was that the threat of jail time would prevent people from attempting to enter the United States without authorization.
I'd been there before, and this was all I expected to see when I walked into the courtroom recently. But it was not all: I walked into the courtroom and was greeted by a friend, a young man named Jaime*, with whom I had been visiting over the course of several weeks in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Arizona Daily Star/ La Estrella article
Newspaper article about our greyhound station hospitality with men and women just released from Eloy detention center...
Sí tenemos una cara amable para indocumentados: los voluntarios
Una noche, hace muy poco, dos mujeres, una de China y la otra de México, entraron a la terminal de autobuses Greyhound del centro de Tucsón. Se veían perplejas y cansadas, y cada una llevaba una bolsa transparente de plástico y un sobre grande color amarillo, además de algunas pertenencias personales.No conocían a nadie en la prácticamente vacía sala de espera. Ninguna hablaba inglés.
Pero al cabo de algunos minutos, Vicki Kline y Jean Boucher amablemente recibieron a las dos temerosas mujeres...
Read the full article in Spanish and English here...
http://azstarnet.com/article_dfc17698-87d1-11e0-848f-001cc4c03286.html
On a recent night, two women, one from China and other from México, walked into the downtown Greyhound bus terminal. They looked bewildered and tired, and each carried a clear plastic bag and a large yellow envelope, plus a few personal belongings.
They knew no one in the near-empty waiting room. Neither spoke English.
But within minutes, Vicki Kline and Jean Boucher gently greeted the two scared women.
The twoare volunteers who welcome immigrants released from the Eloy immigration detention facility. Five nights a week a government vehicle arrives at the Greyhound station, housed in a temporary building squeezed between Interstate 10 and the federal courthouse, and deposits the freed immigrants. They are released with the belongings they had with them when they were detained.
They are given nothing else but their release papers in the envelope.
That’s why a few Tucson volunteers with the Restoration Project have stepped in to offer assistance and, more important, a friendly smile.
“They’re free,” said Boucher.
Some of the immigrants require no assistance or don’t want help, said Boucher and Kline. Most do, however.
“Some people don’t know how to use a phone or don’t speak English,” said Kline.
The Restoration Project is a small, faith-based group which offers respite and hospitality to immigrants like María García. She was released from detention and looking to return to her New York City home.
Full article
Things we need
Four people have stayed at Casa Mariposa in the last week and a half. And volunteers have met dozens of folks at the greyhound station. Some one goes every week night.
We bring water and snacks, extra bags and sweatshirts. If you'd like to help out this effort, we could currently use:
toothbrushes
toothpaste
bags, like cloth shopping bags, duffle, or back packs
longsleeve shirts or sweatshirts (the buses are cold)
Thanks to Jim M. who has brought us a lot of water, drinks, and snacks. And to Sean's mom who has donated a great deal of supplies and water as well. Thanks to all the amazing crew of volunteers too. If you'd like to get involved, please contact us.
Thanks.
We bring water and snacks, extra bags and sweatshirts. If you'd like to help out this effort, we could currently use:
toothbrushes
toothpaste
bags, like cloth shopping bags, duffle, or back packs
longsleeve shirts or sweatshirts (the buses are cold)
Thanks to Jim M. who has brought us a lot of water, drinks, and snacks. And to Sean's mom who has donated a great deal of supplies and water as well. Thanks to all the amazing crew of volunteers too. If you'd like to get involved, please contact us.
Thanks.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Women and immigration
A series of articles about women and detention and the impact of immigration policy on women and families...
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/tag/14th-amendment
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/tag/14th-amendment
Medical care being denied in detention
A woman chose to be deported from Arizona instead of continue to receive no medical care inside the detention center. Read about her in this article by Meghan Rhoad of the Human Rights Watch: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2011/05/03/immigration-detention-reformmatter-life-death
We have heard terrible stories. Inside Florence Correctional Center, an entire unit requested that one of the men being held with them receive medical and mental health attention. The men being held with him were afraid of him and for him. Weeks went by. He eventually pulled one of his own teeth out. Only once he was covered in blood, was he taken away to receive care.
Medical care in detention is a matter of basic human decency. The United States should honor the dignity of every one.
We have heard terrible stories. Inside Florence Correctional Center, an entire unit requested that one of the men being held with them receive medical and mental health attention. The men being held with him were afraid of him and for him. Weeks went by. He eventually pulled one of his own teeth out. Only once he was covered in blood, was he taken away to receive care.
Medical care in detention is a matter of basic human decency. The United States should honor the dignity of every one.
121 Died in ICE Custody in 10.5 years
At least 121 people have died while in ICE Custody from October 2003 - April 29, 2011. Eleven men have died while in custody in Florence or Eloy detention centers.
A full list and report is available from ICE here:
One man who hung himself with a towel in the Pinal County Jail in Florence is listed on the report as death by "asphyxia." Several others seem to have died of heart attacks and stokes, which most certainly could have been brought on by stress.
Below are the names and details of the 11 men on the ICE list who have died while custody in Florence or Eloy, since October of 2003.
NAME, SEX, DATE OF BIRTH, COUNTRY OF BIRTH, DATE DIED, LOCATION OF DEATH, LOCATION OF LAST DETENTION, IHSC STAFFED, FACILITY TYPE, FINAL CAUSE OF DEATH
PEREZ‐AYALA, MANUEL M 12/24/1949 CUBA 3/14/2004 St. Thomas More Hospital, Canon City, CO (BOP) Florence No BOP Sudden Cardiac Death
LOPEZ‐LARA, JOSE M 10/20/1948 MEXICO 10/24/2004 Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cerebral Infarct
LOPEZ RUELAS, ELIAS M 2/16/1950 MEXICO 1/4/2005 RTA Hospice in Casa Grande, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cirrhosis of Unclear Etiology
NAND, MAYA (AKA NARID, MAYA) M 2/24/1948 FIJI 2/2/2005 Eloy ‐ St Mary's Hospital, Tuscon, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cardiac Arrest
SALAZAR‐GOMEZ, JUAN M 6/24/1976 MEXICO 12/14/2005 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Asphyxia
LOPEZ‐GREGORIO, JOSE M 1/1/1974 GUATEMALA 9/29/2006 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Asphyxia
CHAVEZ‐TORRES, MARIO FRANCISCO M 11/10/1979 COLOMBIA 12/13/2006 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Ruptured Arteriovenous Malformation Midbrain
RODRIGUEZ‐TORRES, FELIX M 10/31/1970 ECUADOR 1/18/2007 Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Germ Cell Tumor with Metastasis
CANALES BACA, ROGELIO M 3/28/1972 HONDURAS 7/8/2008 Pike County Jail, Milford, PA Pinal County Jail Yes IGSA Asphyxia
DAWOOD, NAIL YOURSEF M 8/13/1966 IRAQ 7/21/2008 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr Yes IGSA Coronary Artery Vasculitis
OWUSU, EMMANUEL M 1/10/1946 GHANA 10/6/2008 Casa Grande Regional Hospital, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr Yes IGSA Complications of Acute Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
A full list and report is available from ICE here:
One man who hung himself with a towel in the Pinal County Jail in Florence is listed on the report as death by "asphyxia." Several others seem to have died of heart attacks and stokes, which most certainly could have been brought on by stress.
Below are the names and details of the 11 men on the ICE list who have died while custody in Florence or Eloy, since October of 2003.
NAME, SEX, DATE OF BIRTH, COUNTRY OF BIRTH, DATE DIED, LOCATION OF DEATH, LOCATION OF LAST DETENTION, IHSC STAFFED, FACILITY TYPE, FINAL CAUSE OF DEATH
PEREZ‐AYALA, MANUEL M 12/24/1949 CUBA 3/14/2004 St. Thomas More Hospital, Canon City, CO (BOP) Florence No BOP Sudden Cardiac Death
LOPEZ‐LARA, JOSE M 10/20/1948 MEXICO 10/24/2004 Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cerebral Infarct
LOPEZ RUELAS, ELIAS M 2/16/1950 MEXICO 1/4/2005 RTA Hospice in Casa Grande, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cirrhosis of Unclear Etiology
NAND, MAYA (AKA NARID, MAYA) M 2/24/1948 FIJI 2/2/2005 Eloy ‐ St Mary's Hospital, Tuscon, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Cardiac Arrest
SALAZAR‐GOMEZ, JUAN M 6/24/1976 MEXICO 12/14/2005 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Asphyxia
LOPEZ‐GREGORIO, JOSE M 1/1/1974 GUATEMALA 9/29/2006 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Asphyxia
CHAVEZ‐TORRES, MARIO FRANCISCO M 11/10/1979 COLOMBIA 12/13/2006 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Ruptured Arteriovenous Malformation Midbrain
RODRIGUEZ‐TORRES, FELIX M 10/31/1970 ECUADOR 1/18/2007 Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr No IGSA Germ Cell Tumor with Metastasis
CANALES BACA, ROGELIO M 3/28/1972 HONDURAS 7/8/2008 Pike County Jail, Milford, PA Pinal County Jail Yes IGSA Asphyxia
DAWOOD, NAIL YOURSEF M 8/13/1966 IRAQ 7/21/2008 Eloy Detention Ctr Eloy Detention Ctr Yes IGSA Coronary Artery Vasculitis
OWUSU, EMMANUEL M 1/10/1946 GHANA 10/6/2008 Casa Grande Regional Hospital, AZ Eloy Detention Ctr Yes IGSA Complications of Acute Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
Trans and Gay immigrants in detention centers
Florence Service Processing Center is named in this civil rights complaint filed last month on behalf of gay and transgender immigrants held in detention.
Recently we met a lesbian who had been detained in Eloy. She said that a transgender woman there was held in isolation. They tried to put her in isolation but she protested and said they couldn't do that just because she was gay. She said the guards also were always suspicious and often harassed her when she was talking to other women at break times. And that they strictly enforced a no-touching rule inside the CCA-run Eloy detention center. None of the women being detained could touch each other in any way. No pats on the back, hugs, high-fives, or even sitting and talking closely.
When Cortez-Reyna once asked why dayroom time for gay or transgender immigrants at the Theo Lacy facility in California was cut to less than two hours, a guard responded, "Because you need to learn not to be a faggot."
The guard's response is part of a civil rights complaint filed Wednesday on behalf of Cortez-Reyna and 12 others. It alleges systemic abuse and neglect of gay and transgender immigrants while in custody at facilities owned or contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chicago-based Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center filed the action with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Inspector General's Office.
Read rest of article:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-04-13/news/29416136_1_immigrants-transgender-civil-rights
Recently we met a lesbian who had been detained in Eloy. She said that a transgender woman there was held in isolation. They tried to put her in isolation but she protested and said they couldn't do that just because she was gay. She said the guards also were always suspicious and often harassed her when she was talking to other women at break times. And that they strictly enforced a no-touching rule inside the CCA-run Eloy detention center. None of the women being detained could touch each other in any way. No pats on the back, hugs, high-fives, or even sitting and talking closely.
Group alleges abuse because of sexual orientation
For 22 hours a day, Alejandro Cortez-Reyna, who is transgender, was confined to a 5-by-9-foot cell in immigration custody. Eventually the time out of the cell was reduced to about 45 minutes.When Cortez-Reyna once asked why dayroom time for gay or transgender immigrants at the Theo Lacy facility in California was cut to less than two hours, a guard responded, "Because you need to learn not to be a faggot."
The guard's response is part of a civil rights complaint filed Wednesday on behalf of Cortez-Reyna and 12 others. It alleges systemic abuse and neglect of gay and transgender immigrants while in custody at facilities owned or contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chicago-based Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center filed the action with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Inspector General's Office.
Read rest of article:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-04-13/news/29416136_1_immigrants-transgender-civil-rights
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Welcome to Shellbyville showing in Tucson
A new documentary about how towns are working together to truly welcome refugees and immigrants into their community is showing in Tucson next week.
Watch Welcome to Shelbyville for free at several libraries in Tucson and nearby towns.
See more about the movie here:
http://www.shelbyvillemultimedia.org/
The director of Welcoming America will be in Tucson next week too. And will be on a panel after the Wednesday showing. He and the director of the film will also meet with community folks who are already welcoming refugees and immigrants here in Tucson. Call Mary (a librarian) at 520-594-5394 if you'd like to know more about or attend that Tuesday afternoon gathering.
http://www.welcomingamerica.org/
Just learned about Welcoming America. It seems to have a lot of the same spirit that we are trying to foster. Hospitality, community building, honoring the human dignity of all. They are the next step in the process. We offer short term hospitality to folks at times of transition. They foster connections in communities where people settle and try to find home.
Here's the scoop from the Pima County library website:
For more information call 520-791-4010.
Watch Welcome to Shelbyville for free at several libraries in Tucson and nearby towns.
See more about the movie here:
http://www.shelbyvillemultimedia.org/
The director of Welcoming America will be in Tucson next week too. And will be on a panel after the Wednesday showing. He and the director of the film will also meet with community folks who are already welcoming refugees and immigrants here in Tucson. Call Mary (a librarian) at 520-594-5394 if you'd like to know more about or attend that Tuesday afternoon gathering.
http://www.welcomingamerica.org/
Just learned about Welcoming America. It seems to have a lot of the same spirit that we are trying to foster. Hospitality, community building, honoring the human dignity of all. They are the next step in the process. We offer short term hospitality to folks at times of transition. They foster connections in communities where people settle and try to find home.
Here's the scoop from the Pima County library website:
- Monday, May 9, 2011
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- Himmel Park Branch Library
- Here's your chance to watch and discuss the film Welcome to Shelbyville by Kim Snyder at a Community Cinema screening event. Set in the heart of America's Bible Belt, Welcome to Shelbyville focuses on a small Southern town as they grapple with rapid demographic change and issues of immigrant integration. The film captures the complexity of the African American, Latino, white, and Somali subjects as their lives intertwine against the backdrop of a crumbling economy and the election of a new president. & showing again on:
- Wednesday, May 11, 2011
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- Joel D. Valdez Main Library
For more information call 520-791-4010.
New Report out about Parents in Detention, Kids
Here's a situation. A parent is living in the United States. Their kids are U.S. citizens. They do not have legal status for themselves. They are arrested and held in immigration detention. Their kids are taken into state custody and put in the foster care system. The parent, unable to make calls, attend court, or visit their children has their rights as a parent severed.
This report details what is happening, not just here in Arizona, but all across the country. It gives concrete recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security, the child welfare system, the department of Justice and Congress. Let your U.S. Congress person know about the new report and ask them to support these recommendations through new legislation. Write Janet N. and let her know what is happening here and that you care about it.
Let's hope they are listening. And act. Our immigration system is broke. And it is hurting children and families. Let's stop locking up mamas and keeping them from their babies. Let's stop ripping fathers out of the lives of their children, with no path to reunify them.
Full report here:
http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/bacon_program/disappearing_parents_report.cfm
This report details what is happening, not just here in Arizona, but all across the country. It gives concrete recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security, the child welfare system, the department of Justice and Congress. Let your U.S. Congress person know about the new report and ask them to support these recommendations through new legislation. Write Janet N. and let her know what is happening here and that you care about it.
Let's hope they are listening. And act. Our immigration system is broke. And it is hurting children and families. Let's stop locking up mamas and keeping them from their babies. Let's stop ripping fathers out of the lives of their children, with no path to reunify them.
Full report here:
http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/bacon_program/disappearing_parents_report.cfm
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Report on parents in detenion coming out May 5
Disappearing Parents:
Immigration Enforcement and the Child Welfare System
Thursday, May 5, 2011
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
James E. Rogers College of Law, Room 168
The presentation will include an overview of the report’s findings and recommendations, followed by remarks from panelists offering a range of perspectives on working with immigrant parents in the child welfare system.
Sponsored by
The Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program
James E. Rogers College of Law
&
The Southwest Institute for Research on Women
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Questions? Please contact the report's author, Nina Rabin, (520) 621-9206, nina.rabin@law.arizona.edu
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Realities of visiting in Florence
Why it would be good to have a hospitality house in Florence.
From the Reform Immigration for America blog
Read the rest of the article here:
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/blog/i-was-in-florence-az-at-the-ice-detention-center/
From the Reform Immigration for America blog
I was in Florence, Arizona two days ago at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. I went to visit a friend of a friend from NY but they didn’t let me in. The info a corrections officer gave me over the phone was wrong even though I called on the same day I planned to visit to verify visiting hours & policy. So after driving 2 hours there I left without seeing her and they wouldn’t allow me to leave any money in her account either. I was sad.
I also met 2 girls that had been traveling all day. They came in to Phoenix from NYC and took a cab to Florence, AZ to the detention center. Only one of them was allowed in to see their family member. The other had to stay outside with their bags and cell phones — it was 105 degrees that day. They asked me if I knew a good immigration lawyer and of course I didn’t.
There is absolutely nothing close to the detention center. Nothing is within walking distance. So my heart went out to those girls who were going to have to walk two miles to the nearest motel.
Read the rest of the article here:
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/blog/i-was-in-florence-az-at-the-ice-detention-center/
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tucson Community Brunch
Saturday, May 14, we'll offer the first monthly potluck brunch for those involved in the network of solidarity.
If you are writing, visiting, hosting someone, have gone to the Greyhound station as people are released by ICE, or have been detained yourself, we invite you to come share with one another about what you are learning and experiencing.
We'll offer the brunches on a monthly basis in Tucson from here on. We'll offer a regular gathering in the Phoenix area soon. Anyone who has been involved is welcome to come no matter where you live.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
9:30 am to 11 am
Potluck Brunch for those involved in the network of solidarity
The Restoration Project at Casa Mariposa
340 S. 3rd Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
No need to RSVP. We just hope to see you there.
If you are writing, visiting, hosting someone, have gone to the Greyhound station as people are released by ICE, or have been detained yourself, we invite you to come share with one another about what you are learning and experiencing.
We'll offer the brunches on a monthly basis in Tucson from here on. We'll offer a regular gathering in the Phoenix area soon. Anyone who has been involved is welcome to come no matter where you live.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
9:30 am to 11 am
Potluck Brunch for those involved in the network of solidarity
The Restoration Project at Casa Mariposa
340 S. 3rd Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
No need to RSVP. We just hope to see you there.
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