ONE BIG THING: TRUMP’S ILLEGAL DEPORTATION AGENDA
What Happened?
On Tuesday this week, the City Council heard from representatives from the Coalition for Humane and Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and the ACLU of Southern California, as they provided an update on the federal immigration raids that have been occurring all over the City over the last few months.
Despite two Temporary Restraining Orders - one barring the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security, from racially profiling people, and stopping people without reasonable suspicion, and the other ordering DHS to provide detainees with access to counsel at the federal detention facility in Downtown Los Angeles - it has become abundantly clear that the Trump Administration is not going to comply with the law, and is continuing to engage in illegal operations, like the so-called “Operation Trojan Horse”, which we saw at the Home Depot in Westlake just two weeks ago.
We also heard reports that detainees at the B18 Federal Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles were being held in freezing temperatures, with one detainee being told by a guard that they needed to keep it cold “to kill the bacteria on you.”
Why it Matters
According to CHIRLA’s Executive Director, Angelica Salas, “There is an indiscriminate dragnet unleashed by the federal government upon immigrant Latino communities in Los Angeles, and it is violating individual civil and constitutional rights, irrespective of immigration status and endangering public safety.”
We have seen videos of people being kidnapped by federal agents, heard stories of their treatment, and watched as due process has been cast aside by the federal government. This aggressive and illegal approach to immigration enforcement is not just a violation of the law and people’s constitutionally protected rights, it is also a frightening omen of what could follow. Already, we have seen Trump deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, and now in an unprecedented show of force, he has sent the National Guard to take over Washington DC.
These are clearly testing grounds for future actions, and we need to do everything we can to stop them at the root.
What’s Next?
One key point that was made by these organizations was that we all need to play our role and do what we can to mitigate the effects of these federal actions. As a City Council, we passed several motions that same day that would provide needed protections to immigrant communities, including a motion asking LAPD to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a law enforcement officer, one supporting State legislation to prohibit federal law enforcement agents from covering their faces, and another motion which would keep federal immigration agents out of non public areas in schools, and protect student data.
These motions and others are important as we work to meet this moment, but there is much more that still needs to be done to support immigrant families in all aspects of their lives. Among the other actions we can take that these organizations asked for were increased eviction protections, a 3% cap on rent increases in rent-stabilized units, and increased funding for legal resources for immigrants.
Stay tuned here for more updates in the coming weeks, and please follow us on our social media accounts to get plugged in to important resources.
Two Quick Hits
- Preventing AI From Collecting Our Data
In our Public Safety Committee meeting this week, we entered two no votes on items having to do with individual privacy and data. The first would allow for automatic license plate readers in the City, and the second would accept a donation that would give LAPD command staff access to Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
As we witness the rise of authoritarianism at the national level, we should be extremely wary of any technology that could lead to the collection and misuse of our personal information. While we are a Sanctuary City, and LAPD has protocol against sharing information with immigration enforcement, we have already seen violations of these policies. It is simply too risky to implement this new technology, without ensuring additional checks to make sure our data is not used for the wrong purposes.
These motions did pass through committee, and will now be moving on to the full City Council, so stay tuned for more updates and information on how you can give public comment on them.
- Community Resource Fair TODAY, August 23
Stop by the Bellevue Recreation Center in East Hollywood TODAY, August 23, for a FREE Community Resource Fair hosted by our office. There will be a backpack giveaway, free health screenings, resources for immigrants, and so much more!
The fair will take place from 10am to 4pm, so stop by any time, and get important resources for you and your whole family.
CD13 Pet of the Week
Meet Peach, our pet of the week!
It’s peak peach season right now, so this sweet girl is in HIGH demand – and we understand the hype.
Peach is a pitbull terrier mix, California-grown, and ready to be picked <3
Don’t waste any time, visit her TODAY at East Valley Animal Shelter!
