After the Trump administration announced ICE raids in 10 major U.S. cities beginning July 13, and moved to further restrict asylum law last week, Immigration Integration Coordinator Itzel Guillen said Alliance San Diego, a local non-profit organization, is increasing efforts to assist the local immigrant community.
“As President Trump continues his attack on our communities by calling for immigration raids, we are redoubling our efforts to help families protect themselves by learning their rights,” Guillen said.
Alliance San Diego offers education on immigrant rights and relief, application assistance and immigration consultations with immigration lawyers in San Diego. Guillen said she feels empowered to be working at Alliance San Diego amid “increased uncertainty and threats.”
She added that social media has played a large role in how Alliance San Diego is spreading information. Shareable lists of immigration rights in English and Spanish can be found on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page.
In an effort to give families the opportunity to prepare for an immigration related emergency, Alliance San Diego will host the event, “Know Your Rights and Family Preparedness Plan,” on July 31 at Otay Mesa-Nestor Branch Library from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
At the event, Alliance San Diego will provide forms for families to collect important information in one place, including contact information for doctors, lawyers and family members that will be needed during a time of emergency.
Families will also be advised as to what documents to keep together in one safe place, such as birth certificates and vaccination records. Immigration consultations will not be provided at this event. For more information, contact Nora Cardona at nora@alliancesd.org.
Workshops and presentations regularly facilitated by Alliance San Diego offer information on immigrant rights in a variety of situations, including what to do if ICE agents show up at your home, workplace or in an educational setting.
If an ICE agent knocks on your door, you don’t have to open it unless they have a warrant signed by a judge, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) San Diego Chair Jonathan Montag echoed that you do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with immigration agents.
“You can refuse to answer their questions,” Montag said.
Chula Vista Police Lt. Dan Peak confirmed that police cannot collaborate with ICE and do not enforce immigration law, citing bill SB-54 which was amended in October 2017 to prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from investigating, interrogating, detaining, detecting or arresting people for immigration enforcement purposes.
The amendment also required limiting immigration enforcement as much as possible by October 2018 in public schools, public libraries and health facilities run by the state.
The bill states that law enforcement cannot cooperate with immigration authorities, unless an individual has committed a serious or violent felony, or any of 31 specified offenses including but not limited to assault, battery, obstruction of justice and kidnapping.
No U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reports have been released citing major sweeps of arrests after ICE raids were scheduled to begin July 13 in 10 major U.S. cities, however, ICE did report 20 arrests in San Diego County July 12 after a five day enforcement surge which focused on “immigration fugitives with a final removal order and a criminal conviction(s) or a criminal charge.”
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego is another non-profit organization that provides services to immigrants for free at all three of its locations in Chula Vista, Mission Gorge and El Centro. Services CCDSD offers include immigrant application processing, affirmative asylum assistance and assisting eligible residents become U.S. citizens.
Recently there has been a huge increase in the need for their services, according to Director of Refugees and Immigrant Services Nadine Toppozada.
In conjunction with increased efforts by ICE, Toppozada said many of their clients are afraid to leave their homes or come into CCDSD offices because they have a sign that says
“Immigration Services.” She added that CCDSD works hard to maintain relationships with enforcement agencies to make sure there is an understanding. In the past CCDSD has not been subject to ICE operations.
“It’s very difficult to do this work, particularly during this period,” Toppozada said. “When we think we have a strong case, suddenly there’s a change in policy that puts us back to square one.”
On July 15, the Trump administration moved to further restrict asylum-seekers by forbidding migrants who have resided in or traveled through a third country before arriving to the U.S. from claiming asylum, effectively hindering any immigrants who are not Mexican or arriving to the southwestern border by sea from seeking asylum.
“With limited exceptions, an alien who enters or attempts to enter the United States across the southern border after failing to apply for protection in a third country outside the alien’s country of citizenship, nationality, or last lawful habitual residence through which the alien transited en route to the United States in ineligible for asylum,” the bill reads.
So far the 2019 fiscal year, the nationalities with the most family unit apprehensions and unaccompanied alien children apprehensions at the southwest border are El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras according to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website.
Under new asylum law, anyone seeking asylum from El Salvador or Honduras would have to apply for asylum in Guatemala or Mexico, and be denied in order to apply for asylum in the U.S. Guatemalans would have to seek asylum in Mexico and be denied in order to do so.
The narrowed possibility for claiming asylum raises Toppozada’s concerns about the impact on the existence of local non-profit organizations that make it their mission to assist immigrants in need.
Though the interim final rule on asylum-seekers went into effect immediately, the ACLU, Southern Poverty Center, and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit challenging it last week on the basis that it violates the Immigration and Nationality Act.
