Sunday, April 30th 2017, at 12:30pm, in the community room of the Richmond Friends Meeting (4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA), Richmond's Quaker congregation is holding a focum which will focus on: a history of the sanctuary movement, specifically sanctuary provided by congregations and individuals; information about ICE detentions in the Richmond area in recent years and under the current administration; the Circles of Protection Sanctuary Network (VICPP); support and care for the vulnerable undocumented immigrants who have been detained or deported and their families; Power-of-Attorney clinics; and the legal aspects of providing sanctuary as a congregation or an individual.
Panelists will include Dr. Linda Rabben, author of books including "Give Refuge to the Stranger: the Past, Present and Future of Sanctuary"; Jennifer L. West, an immigration lawyer; and Lana Heath de Martinez, the Welcoming All Coordinator with the Virginia Interfaith Center.
Park on Commonwealth Avenue. Light refreshments provided. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sally Gudas at seatide1@gmail.com or (804) 399-8342.
Showing posts with label sanctuary city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sanctuary city. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Community Organizing Power: Fighting for Expanded Sanctuary with ICE Out of RVA
Wednesday, March 22nd 2017, from 7:30-9pm, at the VCU Globe building (830 West Grace Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is hosting a talk with Jacinta Gonzales, field director for Mijente. From the event description:
"The current President came into office inheriting a system where 1 in 3 people will be arrested by the age of 23, where nearly 1 in 100 people are currently in jail or prison, and where a Black person is killed by law enforcement or a vigilante every 28 hours on average. The legacy of the failed war on drugs, stop and frisk, and decades of over-policing receives added urgency with the continued practice of utilizing such contact with law enforcement as pretext for additional immigration proceedings and deportation when the person in question may be undocumented or a non-citizen.
"In order to effectively respond to these threats, Cities must both provide undocumented and other non-citizen residents effective protections and safeguards from immigration enforcement, while also reducing the over-policing and criminalization of immigrant communities, Black people, and other people of color, that leads to mass incarceration and deportation."
Free, open to the public. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Parking available on the street and at the West Broad Street parking deck at 1111 West Broad Street.
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
"The current President came into office inheriting a system where 1 in 3 people will be arrested by the age of 23, where nearly 1 in 100 people are currently in jail or prison, and where a Black person is killed by law enforcement or a vigilante every 28 hours on average. The legacy of the failed war on drugs, stop and frisk, and decades of over-policing receives added urgency with the continued practice of utilizing such contact with law enforcement as pretext for additional immigration proceedings and deportation when the person in question may be undocumented or a non-citizen.
"In order to effectively respond to these threats, Cities must both provide undocumented and other non-citizen residents effective protections and safeguards from immigration enforcement, while also reducing the over-policing and criminalization of immigrant communities, Black people, and other people of color, that leads to mass incarceration and deportation."
Free, open to the public. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Parking available on the street and at the West Broad Street parking deck at 1111 West Broad Street.
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Counter Protest: Corey Stewart's Anti-Immigrant Rally
This Saturday, March 4th 2017, at 1pm, at the Bell Tower at the Virginia Capitol (101 North 9th Street, Richmond VA), gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart will be holding a rally against sanctuary cities, cities which have taken steps to shield their immigrant populations from the brutality of ICE raids. There will be a counter-demonstration.
Corey Stewart, who is running for Virginia governor, was the chair of Donald Trump's Virginia campaign, until he was fired for staging a protest against the Republican National Convention, alleging that the "establishment pukes" were insufficiently pro-Trump. Stewart has made a name for himself promoting persecution of immigrants in Prince William County, where he is the chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He frequently boasts that he "was Trump before Trump."
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
Corey Stewart, who is running for Virginia governor, was the chair of Donald Trump's Virginia campaign, until he was fired for staging a protest against the Republican National Convention, alleging that the "establishment pukes" were insufficiently pro-Trump. Stewart has made a name for himself promoting persecution of immigrants in Prince William County, where he is the chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He frequently boasts that he "was Trump before Trump."
For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Undocumented Immigration and Trump's Executive Order: What we know as it pertains to Richmond
Jackie Kruszewski of Style Weekly has written this very useful article, "Giving Sanctuary: What We Know About Richmond’s Role in the Immigration Debate," about where the city of Richmond stands right now in regards to immigration. You should read the article, but I've included some of the most important take-aways in my explanation below.
What is a sanctuary city, and why?
In the broadest sense, a "sanctuary city" is a municipality that has policies in place to avoid using local resources to prosecute undocumented immigrants for violation of federal immigration law, and to make public services available to people regardless of their status. This can mean different things: in some sanctuary cities, the police and sheriff's departments are instructed simply not to inquire about citizenship when they interact with the public, in others they're directed not to furnish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests for information or assistance on enforcing immigration laws, and in a minority of places, local law enforcement is directed not to surrender undocumented people for deportation.
Generally, municipalities implement sanctuary policies because they understand that the system for legal immigration to the U.S. is broken such that obtaining status as a permanent legal resident is just not possible for many people; undocumented immigrants are here, they're going to be here are long as a legal option is out of reach, and since they're here, it's on our local governments to treat them humanely. Terrorizing communities where undocumented people are suspected to live with ICE raids, detentions, and deportations isn't humane.
What did Trump do to threaten sanctuary cities?
On January 25th, Trump signed Executive Order 13768, titled "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States." The order's couched in the assertion that undocumented immigrants are dangerous criminals whose presence in the country threatens the fabric of society. (The order doesn't suggest a region of origin or race for this wave of criminals, but the subtext provided by Trump's entire campaign makes it pretty clear that they mean for us to think of Latinos and people from the Middle East here.)
What the order does is declare that: 1. sanctuary cities will have their federal funding cut off (and the Director of Homeland Security can decide which municipalities count as sanctuary cities), 2. deportations will be sped up, and 3. prioritizes the deportation of anyone convicted of, charged with, or suspected of a crime, or anyone an immigration officer judges to "pose a risk to public safety or national security." This appears to be broad enough to mean "anybody undocumented."
What is the situation of Richmond, and of Virginia as a whole?
Richmond is not a sanctuary city at the moment. Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham says that it is not the practice of RPD to ask about immigration status during routine policing, but this may not be reflected in the actions of officers on the ground. Mayor Stoney released a statement about inclusion and equal protection in the city last week (you can read it here), in which he outlined Richmond's existing policies and criticized the Trump administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric and two anti-sanctuary city bills going through the state legislature. It's a very solid statement.
There are two bills currently in the Virginia General Assembly which pertain to sanctuary cities. HB 2000, sponsored by Del. Charles Poindexter (R), would make sanctuary city policies illegal under state law. SB 1262, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black (R), would make sanctuary cities legally liable for any crimes committed against a person or property by an undocumented immigrant. Both bills are still alive as of this writing.
How do I help?
This section is not comprehensive.
ICE Out of RVA, a grassroots group, is working on (among another things) getting Stoney's inclusion statement parlayed into policy changes. If you want to help, they are who to talk to.
At Virginia Commonwealth University, PLUMAS (Political Latinxs United for Movement and Action in Society) has been conducting Undocually trainings for people within the institution, and is promoting a petition to President Rao, urging him to support VCU's immigrant community by standing up to Trump (here's my post on the petition, which gives some additional context if you're not up on DACA). People unaffiliated with the university are encouraged to sign, too.
That's the situation as I understand it so far. Did I miss something? Comment or shoot me an email at activerva@gmail.com.
What is a sanctuary city, and why?
In the broadest sense, a "sanctuary city" is a municipality that has policies in place to avoid using local resources to prosecute undocumented immigrants for violation of federal immigration law, and to make public services available to people regardless of their status. This can mean different things: in some sanctuary cities, the police and sheriff's departments are instructed simply not to inquire about citizenship when they interact with the public, in others they're directed not to furnish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests for information or assistance on enforcing immigration laws, and in a minority of places, local law enforcement is directed not to surrender undocumented people for deportation.
Generally, municipalities implement sanctuary policies because they understand that the system for legal immigration to the U.S. is broken such that obtaining status as a permanent legal resident is just not possible for many people; undocumented immigrants are here, they're going to be here are long as a legal option is out of reach, and since they're here, it's on our local governments to treat them humanely. Terrorizing communities where undocumented people are suspected to live with ICE raids, detentions, and deportations isn't humane.
What did Trump do to threaten sanctuary cities?
On January 25th, Trump signed Executive Order 13768, titled "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States." The order's couched in the assertion that undocumented immigrants are dangerous criminals whose presence in the country threatens the fabric of society. (The order doesn't suggest a region of origin or race for this wave of criminals, but the subtext provided by Trump's entire campaign makes it pretty clear that they mean for us to think of Latinos and people from the Middle East here.)
What the order does is declare that: 1. sanctuary cities will have their federal funding cut off (and the Director of Homeland Security can decide which municipalities count as sanctuary cities), 2. deportations will be sped up, and 3. prioritizes the deportation of anyone convicted of, charged with, or suspected of a crime, or anyone an immigration officer judges to "pose a risk to public safety or national security." This appears to be broad enough to mean "anybody undocumented."
What is the situation of Richmond, and of Virginia as a whole?
Richmond is not a sanctuary city at the moment. Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham says that it is not the practice of RPD to ask about immigration status during routine policing, but this may not be reflected in the actions of officers on the ground. Mayor Stoney released a statement about inclusion and equal protection in the city last week (you can read it here), in which he outlined Richmond's existing policies and criticized the Trump administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric and two anti-sanctuary city bills going through the state legislature. It's a very solid statement.
There are two bills currently in the Virginia General Assembly which pertain to sanctuary cities. HB 2000, sponsored by Del. Charles Poindexter (R), would make sanctuary city policies illegal under state law. SB 1262, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black (R), would make sanctuary cities legally liable for any crimes committed against a person or property by an undocumented immigrant. Both bills are still alive as of this writing.
How do I help?
This section is not comprehensive.
ICE Out of RVA, a grassroots group, is working on (among another things) getting Stoney's inclusion statement parlayed into policy changes. If you want to help, they are who to talk to.
At Virginia Commonwealth University, PLUMAS (Political Latinxs United for Movement and Action in Society) has been conducting Undocually trainings for people within the institution, and is promoting a petition to President Rao, urging him to support VCU's immigrant community by standing up to Trump (here's my post on the petition, which gives some additional context if you're not up on DACA). People unaffiliated with the university are encouraged to sign, too.
That's the situation as I understand it so far. Did I miss something? Comment or shoot me an email at activerva@gmail.com.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
ICE Out of RVA: City Council Rally/Santuario para Todxs Demostración
Monday, February 13th 2017, from 4:30-5:30pm, at City Hall (900 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is holding a rally and press conference in support of establishing Richmond as a true sanctuary city. From the event description:
"On Monday, January 30th, over 400 Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from Richmond came together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL."
There will be an area designated for sunset prayer. For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
"On Monday, January 30th, over 400 Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from Richmond came together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL."
There will be an area designated for sunset prayer. For more info and to RSVP, see this link.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
United for a Sanctuary City for All– Press Conference and Rally
Para español, mira la página.
Monday, January 30th 2017, from 5:30-7pm, at the Federal Courthouse Building (701 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is hosting a press conference and rally in support of making Richmond a sanctuary city for all. From the description:
"Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from across Virginia are coming together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL.
We are coming together in strength, love and resistance, to create Sanctuary communities where we protect and support each other."
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
Monday, January 30th 2017, from 5:30-7pm, at the Federal Courthouse Building (701 East Broad Street, Richmond VA), ICE Out of RVA is hosting a press conference and rally in support of making Richmond a sanctuary city for all. From the description:
"Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ+ individuals, and allies from across Virginia are coming together to send a message to local, state, and federal government that we, The People, stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to craft and support policies that create true Sanctuary Cities for ALL.
We are coming together in strength, love and resistance, to create Sanctuary communities where we protect and support each other."
For more information and to RSVP, see this link.
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