Top headlines of the week

1. San Francisco disproves insidious immigration myths
2. Supreme Court clears way for Texas police to arrest and deport migrants
3. Ankle Monitors and Curfews: Inside Biden’s New Tracking System for Migrant Families

4. This immigrant group used to fill S.F.’s bars, fire houses with workers. The pipeline has gone dry

    

Republicans, including Trump, have repeatedly connected immigration with crime. The connection doesn’t exist. In the US, immigration is up and crime is down. In San Francisco, immigration is up — last year migrants were responsible for reversing years of population decline, and the city has about three times the number of immigrants as the national average — and crime is down. 

The myth persists, however, and is being used to push horrific policies. This week, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case from Texas over a law that would criminalize undocumented immigration — allowing police to arrest and deport undocumented migrants.

As Elie Mystal (and others) pointed out, this law has all the same problems as one from Arizona that was struck down in 2012. It’s unconstitutional and blatantly racist: People of color arrested by a random police officer who suspects them of being undocumented must prove their legal status in front of a judge. If they fail, they can take a one-way ticket to Mexico — whether they are Mexican or not — or to jail. Repeat offenders face felony charges and decades in prison.

As of Wednesday 20, an appeals court has paused the law again. It’s a sign, though, of just how extreme Republican anti-immigration policy will be, should they regain national power.

For another sign, look at what Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated from the upcoming government funding bill: a 20% cut to NGOs helping newly arrived migrants, a 6% cut to foreign aid programs, and a total ban on funding for UNRWA.

The cruelty of all this is the point. Fortifying the border, however, will not stop people from trying to cross. Take Sandra, a Colombian woman who fled to the US with her son after gangs threatened her life. “I didn’t want to come,” she explained. What choice did she have? “We know we didn’t come here legally,” she said, “but we didn’t have a way to do it legally.”

Sandra was entered into a test program for expediting asylum claims because she ended up in the Bay Area, near one of the program’s offices. Like thousands of other asylum seekers, she was forced to wear an ankle bracelet that tracked her movements while she went through the initial screening process. If she broke her curfew, she could be deported. If she failed her screenings — deported. Obama’s ICE director highlighted the program’s speed, which he approvingly noted has “increased our family unit removals.” That speed, though, has almost certainly forced families back into the deadly situations they risked everything to flee from in the first place.

One would think seasoned Democrats would remember the lessons of their studies from Obama’s tenure, which showed that any discussion of immigration pushed undecided voters to the GOP. Beyond the overwhelming economic and moral arguments for not ceding ground to extremist border arguments, then, is the realpolitik — it’s just politically stupid. Surely the Democrats wouldn’t be politically stupid, would they?

Weekly nonprofit news

Tarjimly

Volunteer highlight

Meet Sher Shah Wesa, a dedicated volunteer within the Tarjimly community. Our volunteers' combined efforts enable us to offer free and affordable translation and interpretation services to those who need it most. Follow the link to find out more about Wesa. And click here to read about Ikram Ahmad, another dedicated volunteer.

Centro Legal de la Raza

Festival announcement

Join us on Saturday, March 30th for the Cesar Chavez Festival in the Park. Centro Legal along with other community organizations will be present to share community resources, as well as performances from Mio Flores All Star Band, DJ Prime Frequency, Grupo Ballet Folklórico Netzahualcoyotl, & some special Edutainment Teatro from Eden Jequinto.

The importance of legal counsel

"Everyone, regardless of their immigration status, deserves their fair day in court." - Rep. Norma Torres, sponsor of the Fairness to Freedom Act.

61 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Gideon v Wainwright that legal counsel is a fundamental right and essential for a fair trial. While people facing criminal charges won the right to an attorney that day, immigrants facing deportation did not. This means that thousands of immigrants every year—including the elderly, children, and even babies—are forced to defend themselves in court without the right to an attorney.

The consequences of having inconsistent or no legal representation are dire – all too often leading to detention, deportation, and family separation. The Fairness To Freedom Act would change that. Help us keep families together and make the right to an attorney a reality for all.