The Great Climate Migration Has Begun | Amanpour and Company

Open Letter to Biden from Border Communities

 An Open Letter from Border Communities

Executive Summary

The announcement of the no-bid contract being awarded to Endeavors, Inc. to provide short-term temporary shelter was a shocking surprise to Arizona border communities, particularly to those community organizations providing shelter and supporting asylum seekers released from temporary and long-term detention for the past ten years.  This decision not only shows a lack of transparency and blatant disregard for the well supported and ongoing community work for asylum seekers,but undercuts those efforts in favor of a model that perpetuates the militarization and criminalization of asylum seekers and their families. Not only is this approach in opposition to the promises made by the Biden Administration prior to the elections, but it indicates disregard for the rights of all asylum seekers seeking legal due process at the SW border and an astounding lack of understanding and awareness of the community support networks created by receiving border communities.

The issues facing asylum seekers at the US SW Border are not new, nor did they arise only under the last Administration. Current U.S. short-term border detention policies perpetuate inequitable treatment and blatantly violate international standards of human rights. These policies continue to place asylum seekers and refugees in vulnerable situations, often without a clear process for obtaining relief in a timely and reasonable amount of time. 

Issues raised in this briefing paper,  published as an open letter to the nation and internationally, which seeks transparency and the reassertion of human rights standards can be distilled into a few main areas:

• Issues with temporary and long-term detention - which include language rights, Indigenous asylum seekers, separation of families, psychological and traumatic effects of prolonged short and long-term detention, inadequate medical attention, inadequate food, confiscation of documents, due process and rights of asylum seekers, and the deaths of Indigenous children and youth that have died at a disproportionate rate in US/CBP/BP custody.

• Lack of transparency and community involvement - including several specific concerns about Family Endeavors, Inc., an organization that was unknown to local and border communities prior to their being awarded $86 million dollars for a 6.5-month contract.

• Concerns about the Contract itself - including the lack of consultation with the communities in which these “hotels” will be located and the irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars for a no-bid contract for $86 million dollars for a 6.5 month contract with Family Endeavors, Inc. to provide housing to only 1,239 individuals. 

• Additional concerns that include safety and transparency concerns, accountability questions/concerns about oversight, training and transparency, clarity about the legal status of individuals being housed, transparency in Funding, and most importantly, the lack of community involvement

Local Arizona communities for over a decade  come together to address the temporary needs of asylum seekers who have been released from DHS custody. They have served as established shelters and spaces that offer temporary housing, food, medical attention, clothing, assistance with travel arrangements to safely get to the homes of their sponsors, language identification and interpretation, and trauma/psycho-social support when needed. Sponsors, who are often relatives of the asylum seeker, have taken responsibility for asylum seekers. They are responsible for housing, feeding and ensuring that all appointed court appointments are attended. This support has continued through the COVID-19 pandemic, providing COVID testing and when needed, quarantine, plus  follow-up medical attention when needed. 

Given the concerns detailed above and the strong network of existing community organizations, we submit the following demands:

Our Demands 

Contracting 

1. We demand that the Biden Administration Immediately halt the contract established with Family Endeavors, Inc.

2. We demand full disclosure of the contract with Family Endeavors, Inc. and all related agencies party to the contract under the supervision of the Department of Homeland Security (BP, CBP, ICE, USCIS, FEMA, etc.) including a full description of the duties and role of each related agency

3. We demand that ICE make public any contracting documents that state services contracted for emergency family relief shelters, and all  expectations, requirements, and performance metrics.  required. 

4. We demand that any contracted shelter implement robust protocols to ensure basic human rights and human needs are fulfilled including for vulnerable populations of Indigenous language speakers, unaccompanied children, women, and LGBTQ immigrants. 

5. We demand transparency to the public about the process of selecting Family Endeavors, Inc. for the fulfillment of this identified need. 

Asylum and Due Process

6. We demand a comprehensive, transparent and public process be in place to ensure that all asylum-seekers and/or refugee community members are adequately cared for and served as per the UN 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol internationally acceptable standards in all DHS administered or contracted facilities.   

7. We demand lawyers have unfettered access to all individuals who are detained in contracted facilities.

8. We demand that the Biden administration end the enforcement of Title 42 and honor our obligations under international human rights laws and federal regulations that require immigration officials to protect against refoulement by properly processing noncitizens seeking asylum in the U.S. or asserting a fear of return. By law, asylum seekers who have entered the U.S. or arrived at any U.S. port-of-entry must be provided with due process and meaningful opportunities to assert their fears and claims to asylum officers as required by regulation. The fundamental right to life of these asylum seekers cannot be ignored, deferred, or overridden. Disallowing Central American and Mexican asylum seekers at the  Arizona border currently while allowing positive asylum applications for Venezuelans, Cubans,  and Brazilians, appears to be using the asylum system for foreigh policy ends.  There is no exception for avoiding our obligations under binding law and regulations. 

Rights of Indigeneous Peoples

9. We demand U.S. immigration officials cease and desist from practices and patterns of infringements on the rights of Indigenous migrants. Indigenous migrants do not cede their rights to sovereignty and self-determination protected by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP 2007), and fully implement Executive Order 13166 with full funding to ensure language justice. 

10. U.S. immigration officials must consult with Indigenous migrants and leadership, and adopt policies and procedures that observe the unique rights and claims of Indigenous migrants under UN DRIP 2007, and train for,  and require all immmigration officials observe, special procedures to protect the unique rights of Indigneous migrants, including reunification of Indigenous children with family members or sponsors willing to provide humanitarian aid.

Local Community Consultation for Provision of Shelter

11. We remember the 287-G contracts started under the George W. Bush Administration, and then  extended under the Obama Administration that targeted immigrant communities in the border zone and reject any attempt to reinstate them.   

12. We demand consultation with local receiving communities which have been doing the work and have already created an alternative to the further militarization of (im)migrant communities.

13. We demand our tax dollars as a part of federal  funding be allotted to support and ensure that existing community networks are able to continue our work in a community model that departs from the existing framework of border militarization and mass detention. We demand a process that truly supports and promotes healing for the vulnerable (im)migrant and asylum-seeking individuals and families who have sought the refuge our policies deny but claim to ensure.

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Versión en Español (Spanish version): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aotjCbSecUnK-qiDzzx0HYDRxtoIrjNJP2mg5Dn0JcE/edit?usp=sharing 

No One Is Illegal -

DSA webinar: No One Is Illegal 

When:             November 21^st, 2019, 8:30pm EST, 7:30pm CST; 5:30pm PST

Register:          https://act.dsausa.org/signup/no-one-illegal-webinar-capitalism-imperialism-and-borders/

Sponsor:          Immigrant Rights Working Group – Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

Borders throughout the world have become sites of state violence, racist discrimination, and policing of workers freedom of movement. Governments from the US to Mexico, the EU and Israel to name just a few have militarized their boundaries, policed them with guards, forced migrants to take dangerous routes where they are losing their lives in record numbers, jailed those that survive in concentration camps, and exploited others as cheap labor denied the rights of workers with citizenship. On this webinar, experts on capitalism, climate change, imperialism and migration will explain the systemic roots of population displacement, the nature and function of the new border regime and present a case for working class unity against the oppression and scapegoating of migrants in the U.S. and throughout the world. 

Speakers:

Justin Akers Chacon, author of No One is Illegal and Radicals in the Barrio.

Todd Miller, author of Empire of Borders, Border Patrol Nation, and Storming the Wall.

Harsha Walia, author of Undoing Border Imperialism, cofounder of No One Is Illegal.

Jorge Mújica, author of Voces Migrantes: Movimiento 10 de Marzo, DSA member and Organizer with Arise Chicago, National Council member of the National Writers Union.

To get involved in DSA, become a member, join the Immigrant Rights Working Group, and find out more about activist campaigns. 

Causes of Migration- Honduras

Ismael Moreno Coto, SJ “Padre Melo”  will discuss the root causes of mass  migration from Central America, focusing on the ongoing human rights crisis in Honduras.
Sponsored by Sacramento Solidarity with Honduras Coalition St. Francis of Assisi Pathways for Justice St. Ignatius Parish Unitarian Universalist SS Sacramento Area Congregations  Together Racine Dominican Sisters	Date and Time: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM Location: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral 2620 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA  Enter on 27th Street for Free Parking  Cultural Presentation TBA Reception to follow International Human Rights Award Winner Director of Radio Progreso and ERIC-SJ  (center for reflection, research, and communications) in Honduras Free Will Offering

Trump and the Border Wall

Barefoot children. In diapers. Choking on tear gas. Mothers running in terror.

Now a 7 year old girl--Jakelin Maquin--has died from dehydration and exhaustion in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. The ACLU blamed “lack of accountability, and a culture of cruelty within CBP” for the girl’s death.

This is inhuman. I can’t shake the sense that the ground is cracking under my feet. I want to share what this makes me think and feel - I hope you stick with me here.

Trump gave the order to use CS gas on families and children at the border. I saw the pictures, and felt outrage. Then Trump distracted the media with his personal reality show. The photos were knocked off the front page with the next crisis.

I’m not OK with this. I’m guessing you aren’t either. But we are not powerless.

In June, I 

went to McAllen, Texas with my then-five year old son on Father’s Day. There is another picture that seared into my soul there - toddlers looking out of the armored windows of a bus as it left the detention center and their parents behind. I will never, ever forget the fear in their eyes.

Fox News /Trump Create Fear About Honduran Caravan

Foul tactics: Fox News  fear creation about the caravan from Honduras.  See  how Trump is using the news cycle to build the Republican campaign


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/conservative-max-boot-slams-fox-news-on-caravan-coverage_us_5bcd054ce4b055bc9481f807

What can we do?  
This fear campaign may cost the Democrats several seats in the very close Congressional election on Nov. 6.  What we can do is work twice as hard to defeat the Trump/Republican campaign.

We must Defeat Trump and the  anti immigrant Republican agenda:. 

·      We must stop him now before he and his enablers can further consolidate power.  

·      The available way to stop him is to Vote to win control of the U.S. Congress in the 2018 election.  

We need to defeat Trump enablers Congressmen  Jeff Denham &  Tom McClintock. 

Elect a stronger advocate for U.S. Senate,   Kevin de Leon, rather than Dianne Feinstein. 

Who you vote for depends  upon which Congressional district you are in:

Congressional District 4  Jessica Morse

                   District   10  Josh Harder

          District 6.  Doris Matsui

          District 7 Ami  Bera 

       District 9   Jerry McNerney 

District 3 John Garamendi 

October 22, Last day to register to vote.  After 22, you will need to register for a provisional ballot. 

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New Government of Mexico Says No to Trump on Migration

500 Religious Leaders Condemn Trump Immigration Policies

July 19, 2018
Dear Members of Congress,
As 500 faith leaders and 111 faith-based organizations across traditions, we write to express our unequivocal opposition to the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that separates families and detains and prosecutes parents. We also stand against any proposal that would expand immigration detention, as family incarceration is not a solution to family separation. We are committed to humane immigration policies that reflect the values and expression of our faith to welcome the stranger and treat all human beings with dignity and respect. Instead of continuing unnecessary and immoral detention, deportation, and border militarization policies, we must carry on our nation’s proud history of hospitality and moral leadership.
As people of faith, our concern stems from shared values rooted in our sacred texts that remind us to love our neighbor and welcome the sojourner among us. As Leviticus 19:34 (CE) reminds us: “Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.”
In many faith traditions, family is the fundamental unit in society through which individuals are able to grow and experience the love of God. Many of our faith traditions also call on us to safeguard the well-being of children in particular. Tearing children away from their parents, absent a documented child protection concern, is unconscionable. Equally troubling is the inhumane and cruel expansion of family incarceration that is plagued with systemic abuse and life-threatening inadequate access to health and medical care, especially for children, pregnant or nursing mothers, and others with serious medical conditions.

International Day of Migrants - Dec 18.

On December 18, the international community recognizes and celebrates the rights of migrants around the world. This year, 2017, marks the 27th anniversary of the UN's International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (commonly referred to as the Migrant Worker’s Convention or Migrant Rights Convention). It was approved by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 18, 1990.

Read NNIRR's 2015 International Migrants Day Statement, "A Call to Affirm the Human Rights of All Migrants".

Let's honor International Migrants Day with a call to action to lift up and respect human rights of all migrants, and to commit to challenge and end all forms of racism and xenophobia. 2016 was a horrific year in terms of the increased flow of migrants "in vulnerable situations" and the rise of hateful, anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions. We continue to call for the recognition and respect and human rights at international borders, and urge an immediate end to the detention of migrant children and families. 

You can see more information on the issue of border justice here. Go here to learn more about the international initiative to recognize human rights at international borders.

The Convention affirms the human rights of all migrants, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, and recognizes that migrants are men, women, children, and families – not just economic commodities. In 2003, the Convention "entered into force"; today, 51 countries have ratified or acceded to the Convention.

Hoy Marchamos. Mañana Votamos

Challenging the Criminalization of

Immigrants in the Comprehensive

Immigration Reform Proposals:

A Human Rights Perspective.

Tues. April 16, 2013

11:00 Am. – 2 PM.

Redwood Room. University Union

CSU-Sacramento.

Free.

Sponsored by the Serna Center, DSA, The Progressive Alliance, LACLAA, Union Civica Primero de Mayo, Chican@Latin@ Faculty and Staff,  and others.

I do not know why this announcement has been showing up as blocked.

Information.  http://progressiveforum07.blogspot.com

This is a story the Sacramento Bee did not cover Thursday.  - The local connection.

Tens of thousands of immigrants and their allies marched Wednesday in a coordinated series of protest demanding that Congress approve new, comprehensive immigration reform for the 11 million immigrants currently living in the U.S.

Support rallies were held in cities and towns across the nation- including Sacramento.  In Sacramento Yvonne Walker, head of the California SEIU (see photo) , and Bill Camp of the Sacramento Central Labor Council , Phil Serna Sacramento County Supervisor  and local leaders held a rally at the Federal Building to insist on political action from Congress.

Note: the Bee does not cover items because they have laid off many of their reporters.