Janet Napolitano Target for California Immigrant Rights Rally Sunday

A California coalition calls on DHS Secretary Napolitano to end Arizona-style immigration enforcement programs that lead to racial profiling and the violation of due process rights in area communities. The group targets neighborhood raids, empowering of local police to enforce immigration laws.

Following a march to protest the discriminatory immigration enforcement policies of the Department of Homeland Security, a rally will be held at Shelton Park in Claremont. Speakers will address the ongoing criminalization of immigrant families that has resulted from these harmful policies, and the impact in area communitiesof federal programs that empower local police to enforce federal immigration laws.

Coalition representatives hope that DHS Secretary Napolitano receives this mesage while she is in the area to deliver the commencement address at Pomona College.

Sunday, May 16, 8:30 a.m.
Begins: Claremont Greyhound Station (location of Border Patrol raids)
888 S. Indian Hill Blvd, Claremont, CA
Corner of Indian Hill Blvd and American Ave.

Ends: Shelton Park
Corner of Bonita Ave. and Harvard Ave, Claremont, CA

Who: May 16th Coalition, consisting of immigrant workers, community residents, labor unions, students, immigrant rights organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based groups, national immigrant advocacy organizations, statewide immigrant policy groups, and more.

Speakers: Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director, National Day Laborer Organizing Network; Connie Levya, President of the California Labor Federation and the United Food and Commerical Workers Local 1428; Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrants of Los Angeles; Jose Calderon, Professor at Pitzer College, President of Latina/o Roundtabl; Emilio Amaya, Executive Director, San Bernardino Community Service
Center; and leaders from the Los Angeles and Inland Empire Immigrant Rights movements.

At the rally, immigrant rights leaders, immigrant workers and their families, and students will share their experiences with the disastrous impact of local immigration enforcement on innocent, hard-working
immigrants and their families.

“In light of what has been happening in Arizona, we believe it is more important than ever to terminate police enforcement of federal immigration laws and urge DHS Secretary Napolitano to stand up for civil rights, due process, family unification, and freedom from discrimination and racial profiling,” said Pablo Alvarado, Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

Workplace and street corner raids have increased and been expanded under Janet Napolitano, along with programs allowing local police to work with immigration enforcement or act as immigration agents. The Inland Empire has been especially hard hit, with over 50 local raids in the last year alone, hundreds of firings through E-Verify, and the implementation of 287g and Secure Communities. The Coalition calls for DHS to stop the criminalization of immigrant families, terminate local enforcement programs like 287g and Secure Communities that allowed for the formation of discriminatory laws such as Arizona S.B. 1070, return the powers of immigration enforcement to federal authorities, end workplace and street corner raids, and take leadership in setting federal immigration reform efforts in a more humane direction.

Similar Posts:

Comments are closed.