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Inland Empire June 2019 Update



Recent Successes

Rony and Derwin, two young Honduran men seeking asylum who were bonded out of detention have been hosted and accompanied for the last six months. They are now receiving English classes and continue to thrive with the support of the congregation and the larger community that has embraced them both.

We helped find a host congregation for a recently reunified 14 year old and his dad.  They traveled to the U.S. from Honduras together and sought asylum. Trump’s  zero tolerance separated them and dad was placed in a detention center for 10 months while the child was placed in a resettlement foster care program.  We are happy to announce they will be making their home in Southern CA and a group of church leaders will be accompanying them to help them adjust as they settle themselves.

The Justice for Immigrants Seeking Asylum  and the Fe y Justicia groups continue to visit the men and women in the Adelanto detention center.  They have been able to help nine women and two men who, after being detained for months, were granted asylum.  When these persons were released they were welcomed by familiar faces that hosted them overnight and helped them with their travel arrangements to their final destination, where they are now living with loved ones.

Justice for Immigrants Seeking Asylum visitation volunteers and Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity interns

We are responding to asylum seekers that are being dropped off by ICE.  These occurrences have been happening since last November (2018) in San Diego, the city of Mecca and Coachella and now San Bernardino. Several churches have stepped up to the plate to support and welcomed these immigrants. There are shelters that offer them a safe place to rest, shower, clean clothes in a welcoming atmosphere till they are able to travel to their final destination with either friends or loved ones. Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity has been recruiting volunteers for these shelters and asking for much needed donations from various congregations.

Fe y Justicia visitation volunteers
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Lourdes Barraza, Northern California: “Turning Our Anger and Fear into Action”

A message from Lourdes Barraza, Immigrant Support Coordinator, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity

With the announcement last week, that several major U.S. cities would be terrorized by the cruel machine known as ICE, our family was once again forced to imagine what it would be like if we were separated and what our plan of action would be if this actually happened. Undoubtedly, threats such as these, serve as further proof that this administration thrives on intimidating immigrant and mixed status families. They do not seem to be satisfied knowing that we are already living with so much uncertainty about what our family will have to endure in the coming weeks, months, and even years. I have had many mixed emotions to deal with this past week and a half; feelings of fear, anger, disgust, and anguish. For those of you who know our families’ story, you know I have tried so very hard to stay strong for my husband Fernando and our girls, but I have come to the realization that I do not always have to be the strong one and that I must allow myself the opportunity to be afraid and to be mad just like all of you are.

Ever since we were notified that Fernando’s protection against deportation was revoked, we have had to live with the continuous fear that when he leaves for work in the morning, he may not return home. In all honesty, it is torture for me when I call or text him while he is at work and I do not hear back from him immediately because my mind takes me to a place I wish I never had to return to. The idea that he is not returning a call because he was detained by ICE is very real and I do not wish this upon any human being. However, not only are they causing this torture upon us by making threats of raids, they take it even further by playing with our existing fears and using us as pawns. It is incredibly painful to live this way and it is even more painful, as a parent, to know that your children are living with the same emotions and that it is out of your control. While we can attempt to ease their consternation, we cannot give them the guarantee that tomorrow we will wake up together, as the family unit of five that we are.

There is one thing that is for sure though, and that is that we must continue to demand that our elected officials, that WE put into office, do not allow this administration to use immigrants and their families to their advantage. I wanted to share my feelings with you, so that you could take them and multiply these feelings by hundreds and thousands of others who are living the same way. As I have done in the past, I will work through these fears and turn them into action and I invite you to do the same. Let’s continue fighting for the right that our immigrant communities have to live in peace, without having to look over their shoulder every time they leave their home or when they hear an unexpected knock at the door.

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Responding to Threats of Mass Immigration Raids (Tools & Resources)

Dear Friends,

Last night Trump posted out a tweet claiming ICE will be conducting mass arrests starting next week. The Washington Post reports that our government is sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout the nation to round up and deport millions of immigrants whom they believe to be undocumented. You can read the story here.

It is sometimes hard to distinguish this new activity with ICE’s ongoing “removal operations.” Unfortunately, it’s had another chilling effect and the fear that is spreading to immigrant communities is hard to ignore. We ask you that you are a peaceful and calming presence and that you help us dispel the fear that is paralyzing our people. Encourage people to resume their normal activities. Remind people that there is a strong network- of legal and community defense that is organized and will work to stop any deportations. Trump is announcing to incite fear and panic in our communities. Trump is developing his re-election campaign, and he will continue to run on the abuse and violence toward of immigrants. To the immigrant and faith community: we encourage you to stay alert and informed for upcoming ways to act. We specifically call on ICE enforcement agents to resist orders for increased raids and roundups.

We also must remember that we have been developing networks of protection in our cities, congregations, and across our states, so we will be leaning into these mechanisms and it will be important for all of us to be prepared so we are not only in reaction mode. Specifically as immigrant and faith communities, we strongly encourage you to Breathe, Pray, Stay Grounded, and Connected so that we all can respond with utmost clarity and wisdom in these difficult moments.

Below are some resources we wanted to re-share, and ideas on how we can take this opportunity to be more prepared for the worst.


Guides and Resources

Emergency Planning Guides
Sit with your close friends and family to make a communication plan in case of an emergency. Here are some examples of free and reliable community resources

Spanish:

Chinese:

English:

Rapid Response Hotlines (Northern California)
If you know someone has been detained OR are witnessing an ICE Raid, immediately call:
Alameda County (510) 241-4011
San Francisco County (415) 200-1548
San Mateo County (203) 666-4472
Santa Clara County (408) 290-1144
San Bernardino and Riverside County (909) 361-4588
More Northern California hotlines from Northern California Rapid Response & Immigrant Defense Network

General Resources
The National Immigration Legal Services Directory, a joint project of the Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net.

Things Congregations Can Do

  • Co-host or co-sponsor an educational workshops facilitated at your congregation or in a community to give practical information on deportation defense and sanctuary.
  • Discern and establish Sanctuary in your congregations with sanctuary tools and be an active member of the network of protection in the following ways
  • Be trained to be a volunteer with local rapid response network to document local ICE Raids in the Inland Empire
  • Organize bond fundraisers to free individuals who are detained
  • Engage in a deportation defense campaign by accompanying people to court
  • Form a team in your congregation that can perform accompaniment or accommodation to a recently arrived or released immigrant.

IM4HI Sanctuary Resources flyer (Northern California)

IM4HI Calendar: opportunities to connect and get involved.

Know Your Rights

More language options for Know Your Rights, from Immigrant Legal Resource Center.


Immigration Resource Videos (Spanish)


Thank you for your continued solidarity and commitment. We will move forward together.