HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-28_07_00_PM-HRRC_MembersAgenda
Human Rights and Relations Commission
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Edina City Hall Community Room
4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
7:00 PM
I.Call To Order
II.Roll Call
III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda
IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes
A.February 28th, 2017 HRRC Meeting Minutes
V.Special Recognitions And Presentations
A.Introductions and Welcome New Member
B.Ian Nemerov, Planning Commissioner
VI.Community Comment
During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share relevant
issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit
the number of speakers on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking,
items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment.
Individuals should not expect the Chair or Board/Commission Members to respond to their
comments tonight. Instead, the Board/Commission might refer the matter to sta% for
consideration at a future meeting.
VII.Reports/Recommendations
A.2017 Work Plan Updates
B.Sanctuary City Resolution
C.Joint Work Session with Council
VIII.Correspondence And Petitions
A.Correspondence 3.28.17
IX.Chair And Member Comments
X.Sta3 Comments
XI.Adjournment
The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the
public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli6cation, an
interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861
72 hours in advance of the meeting.
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: IV.A.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Minutes
From:Kelly Dumais, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:February 28th, 2017 HRRC Meeting Minutes Action
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
Approve the February 28th, 2017 HRRC meeting minutes.
INTRODUCTION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
February 28th, 2017 HRRC meeting minutes
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Minutes
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Human Rights and Relations Commission
Edina City Hall, Council Chambers
February 28, 2017 7:00pm
I. Call To Order
Chair Arseneault called the February 28, 2017, meeting of the Human Rights and
Relations Commission to order at 7:02 pm.
II. Roll Call
Answering roll call were Chair Arseneault, Commissioners Beringer, Edelson, Edwards,
Kennedy and Nelson. Student Commissioners Chao and Sinha. Staff present: Liaison MJ
Lamon, City Management Fellow Kelly Dumais.
Absent Members: Commissioners Martin, Vecchio-Smith
Commissioner Meek arrived at 7:05.
III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda
Motion by Commissioner Kennedy to approve the February 2017 Human Rights and
Relations Commission meeting agenda. Motion seconded by Commissioner Edelson.
Motion Carried.
IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes
Motion by Commissioner Nelson to approve the January 2017 Human Rights and
Relations Commission meeting minutes. Motion seconded by Commissioner Edelson.
Motion Carried.
V. Special Recognitions and Presentations
Planning Commissioner Ian Nemerov was unable to attend; he will be invited to a future meeting.
VI. Community Comment
Leslie Lagerstrom (Address: 4548 Oxford Avenue)
Reported to the Commission about the activities of the resident group Edina Citizens Human
Rights committee, including an upcoming April 19 event featuring MDHR Commissioner Kevin
Lindsey on the current challenges to human rights in Minnesota, and a June 15 event with Rabbi
Latz on faith communities operating as sanctuaries for immigrants.
VII. Reports and Recommendations
A. Annual Elections
Chair Arseneault moved the nomination of Commissioner Nelson for Chair and
Commissioner Beringer for Vice Chair. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Kennedy. Motion Carried.
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
B. 2017 Workplan Updates
• Essay Contest: The Essay Contest Committee met on February 28; they plan to roll out the
contest in August. The committee is working on the flyer. Contest details to be provided later.
• Race and Equity Update: The city of Edina joined the Government Alliance on Race and
Equity (GARE) cohort of cities, counties, libraries and other government agencies in and
around Hennepin county and committed to a year-long program which will focus on how to
create long term sustainable results on race equity in all aspects of government. GARE is a
membership network of over 100 cities and jurisdictions in 30 states working on racial equity
at all levels of government. The Edina GARE team consists of Commissioners Arseneault,
Edelson and Meek, Council member Staunton, a police sergeant, and four city staff members.
The first meeting of GARE was a very intense two-day training in January. There was a follow-
up GARE Speaker Series event on February 22. Commissioners and city staff members on
Edina’s GARE team are also participating in the Edina Race and Equity Task Force and
Working Groups. The specific charge for the Edina Race and Equity Task Force is still being
defined.
C. 2017 Tom Oye Award Recipient Selection
The Commission reviewed nominations for the Tom Oye award.
Commissioner Kennedy moved to nominate Saumya Mangalick for the 2017 Tom Oye award
and to pay for her ticket as well as a ticket for her nominator (her brother) and an additional
guest. Commissioner Nelson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Commissioner Nelson will present the award on April 3 at the Volunteer Recognition Event.
D. Days of Remembrance Working Group
The committee met on Sunday to review the applications for the working group.
• The committee recommends that the Commission approve all four applications to the working
group, received from Jan Seidman, Elizabeth Ogren. Lina Lin, and Neeti Singhal.
• The Committee moved the date for the Days of Remembrance to May 7th to avoid competing
with other events in April. The event will take place at City Hall starting at 1:00 pm.
Commissioner Kennedy moved that all the applicants (Seidman, Ogren, Lin, Singhal) to the
Days of Remembrance working group be approved by the Commission. Beringer seconded
the motion. Motion carried.
E. Advisory Communication: Edina High School
The focus for the commission’s advisory communication to City Council is to make a statement
about speaking against discrimination in Edina and the normalization of discrimination. Discussion
to amend the first two sentences in the recommendation section to read: “As a Human Rights City,
the city of Edina has a responsibility and an obligation to be proactive in efforts to prevent hate
speech and discrimination. Our city must not engage with programs or with individuals demonizing
or denigrating anyone based on race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin, and indeed, must
publicly decry these actions.”
Commissioner Meek moved that the Commission send the draft letter as amended in the
recommendation section to Edina City Council as an Advisory Communication. The motion
was seconded by Commissioner Edelson. Motion carried.
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
VIII. Correspondence
Commissioner Kennedy reported that she chose to share the piece she submitted to MinnPost as
a request for commissioners to speak up and share your thoughts and concerns about human
rights issues, whenever and where ever you have the ability to do so.
IX. Chair and Member Comments
Commissioner Kennedy advised the commission about a yard sign of interest available for
purchase; and reported that some congregations in Edina are taking steps to become sanctuaries
for immigrants.
Commissioners requested that the topic of sanctuary cities be on the next agenda.
X. Staff Comments
A. Invoice: Liaison Lamon reported on the current League of Human Rights Commissions
membership request, and noted the commission participated in the past but let our membership
lapse. The Commission agreed not to renew membership.
B. Important Dates: Liaison Lamon advised commissioners regarding participating in the City’s
website redevelopment focus group and registration for the Volunteer Recognition Event.
XI. Commissioner Kennedy moved to adjourn the February 28, 2017, HRRC meeting at
8:26 PM. Motion seconded by Edelson. Motion carried.
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: V.B.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Other
From:MJ Lamon, Project Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:Ian Nemerov, Planning Commissioner Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
Ian Nemerov has volunteered to serve as the Human Rights and Relations liaison to the Comprehensive Plan
Task Force (Planning Commission).
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Comp Plan Resonsibilities
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: VII.A.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Report and Recommendation
From:MJ Lamon, Project Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:2017 Work Plan Updates Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
1)Days of Rememberance (Arseneault)
2) Race and Equity/GARE Update (Arseneault/Meek/Edelson)
3)Sharing Values Sharing Community (Edelson)
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
2017 Approved Work Plan
Committee and Working Group Rosters
Approved by Council 12/6/16
Board/Commission: Human Rights and Relations Commission
2017 Annual Work Plan
Initiative
1
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☒ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☐ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☒ Ongoing Responsibility April 2017 $75 for plaque +
possible cost for new
printed materials
• Register attendance at
event
• Track nominations
• Update website
Tom Oye Award
• In 2017 the committee will develop an annual theme.
Progress Report:
Initiative
2
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☒ 3 ☐ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☐ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☒ Ongoing Responsibility August 2017 None. • Coordinate Meetings
• Maintain record of meetings
about incidents Bias Offense Response Plan – review and update, if needed, annually
Progress Report:
Initiative
3
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☒ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☐ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☒ Ongoing Responsibility April 2017 $300 for marketing
materials and
refreshments
Day of Remembrance Event
Progress Report:
Initiative
4
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☒ 3 ☐ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility December 2017 $1000 fee for
workshop facilitators
• Event coordination
• Communications
• Marketing Serve as lead Commission for City’s new racial equity initiative as
assigned by City Council and the task force. [Initiative attributes to
Human Rights City Designation]
Progress Report:
Approved by Council 12/6/16
Initiative
5
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☒ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☐ New Initiative ☒ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility October 2017 $300 for marketing
materials and
refreshments,
depending on event)
• Event coordination
• Communications
• Marketing Sharing Values, Sharing Communities
Progress Report:
Initiative
6
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☒ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility May 2017 $200 for marketing
$100 for award
Communications
Marketing
Manage essays Human Rights Essay Contest
• Develop an annual theme
• Develop age categories
Progress Report:
Initiative
7
Council Charge
☐ 1 ☒ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4
Target Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support Required
(Staff Liaison)
☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility December 2017
Assist as requested with development of the City’s new
Comprehensive Guide Plan. [Initiative attributes to Human Rights
City Designation]
Progress Report:
Parking Lot: (These items have been considered by the BC, but not proposed as part of this year’s work plan. If the BC decides they would like
to work on them in the current year, it would need to be approved by Council.)
Transgender Rights – Educational presentation or other efforts to ensure welcome and safe environment for all within the city
Recognition for Community Members whose work addresses issues of racism (e.g., an MLK Award)
Proposed Month for Joint Work Session (one time per year, up to 60 minutes): June
EHRRC ROSTER: 2017 Committees and Working Groups
Responsibilities Chair Members Term Notes
Committee Tom Oye Award
Review nomination form & criteria to determine need for revision; Provide summary to commission; Update letters to nominees and nominators; Press Release / PSA on Ch. 16; Secure "award" for presentation; Present Award
Martin (2016)Catherine Beringer Cindy Edwards Kristina Martin Prasoon Sinha Renew Annually
Review of nomination criteria; Preparations for media/PR/announcements in fall; Volunteer Award Ceremony in spring (usually April)
Committee Bias Offense Response Plan Review plan, and if needed, propose updates to commission
Pat Arseneault Ellen Kennedy Michelle Meek Jim Nelson Renew Annually
Working Group Days of Remembrance
Adopt theme, create agenda, determine speakers; Set up holocaust survivors videos to run on Ch. 16; Work with Communications Department on poster update and program; Ensure event is marketed; Distribute posters; Secure refreshments for event; Send thank you notes; Update DOR historical notebook
Pat Arseneault Catherine Beringer Michelle Meek Connie Chao Prasoon Sinha Lina Lin Jan Seidman Neeti Singhal
Renew Annually
Process usually starts in fall and ends in April to coincide with National Holocaust Museum Days of Remembrance
Racial Equity Initiative TBD
HRRC to serve as lead Commission for City's race and equity initiative
Committee Sharing Values, Sharing Community Plan an event to advocate and embrace social justice and understanding in our community
Heather Edelson Michelle Meek Jim Nelson Connie Chao
Terms end December 2017
Committee, Working Group, Rep to External Committee
EHRRC ROSTER: 2017 Committees and Working Groups
Responsibilities Chair Members Term Notes
Committee, Working Group, Rep to External Committee
Committee Human Rights Essay Content
Develop theme, criteria, age categories, and timeline for acceptance of entries, review of entries, and announcement of winners; Secure awards
Heather Edelson Cindy Edwards Ellen Kennedy Connie Chao Prasoon Sinha
Terms end December 2017
Committee Comprehensive Guide Plan Assist as requested with development of City's new Comprehensive Plan
Heather Edelson Cindy Edwards Ellen Kennedy Jim Nelson Prasoon Sinha
Terms end December 2017
HRRC Rep to External Committee Edina Community Council
Council serves as Steering committee for Edina Family Services Collaborative; Attend meeting of the social service agencies serving Edina, the Edina school district, and other South Hennepin metro communities. Share information, participate in budget process
N/A Ellen Kennedy (3 year term: 2015-16; 2016-2017; 2017-2018)
Renew every 3 years (before start of school year)
Meets (7:30-9:00 a.m.) every other month during the school year (September - May)
HRRC Rep to External Committee Human Services Taskforce
Review requests for funding proposals from human service providers who serve Edina populations in need; Make recommendation to Council on the city's annual funding to providers
N/A
Renew biennially (at or before September Commission meeting)
Taskforce comprised of reps from Boards and Commissions; Meets every other year (next in 2017), 4 times in Oct/early Nov to consider requests; Meets with Council to make recommendation
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: VII.B.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Report and Recommendation
From:MJ Lamon, Project Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:Sanctuary City Resolution Discussion
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
At the February HRRC meeting, members requested to bring this topic back to the March meeting for discussion.
City of Northfield and Minneapolis examples are attached.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
City of Northfield Example
City of Minneapolis Example
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: VII.C.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Report and Recommendation
From:MJ Lamon, Project Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:Joint Work Session with Council Discussion
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
At the joint work session, HRRC will provide the Council with progress reports on 2017 work plan items.
Potential Talking Order:
1) DOR
2) Tom Oye
3) Comprehensive Plan
4) Race & Equity
5) Sharing Values, Sharing Communities
6) Human Rights Essay
7) Bias Offense
8) 2018 Initiative ?
Date: March 28, 2017 Agenda Item #: VIII.A.
To:Human Rights and Relations Commission Item Type:
Correspondence
From:Kelly Dumais, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Correspondence 3.28.17 Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
INTRODUCTION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Correspondence 1
Correspondence 2
Correspondence 3
S, Berman
44C) Morningside Road
Edna, MN 55416
TO--
ST PAUL MN 551
• :25 •••FEE 20:17 PM
Edina Human Rights & Relations Commission
City Hall
4801 W. 50th Street
EDINA, MN 55424
Administrative Offices
12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305
PHONE 612.543.8500 FAX 612.543.8600
February 21, 2017
Sanford Berman
4400 Morningside Road
Edina, MN 55416
Dear Mr. Berman,
Thank you for your letter on January 31, 2017 regarding your concern about the subject heading "illegal aliens."
Hennepin County Library staff have also been watching the discussion intently and support a change to this
subject heading. As you're aware, the Library of Congress announced the intent to change the subject heading
"illegal aliens" to two new subject headings, "noncitizens" and "unauthorized immigration." This change was
postponed for further comment and in response to concerns in the US Congress.
Just as Hennepin County Library supports the change of this subject heading, Hennepin County Library also
highly values our partnership with other libraries in the Twin Cities, the state of Minnesota, the United States
and around the world in resource sharing. Because of the high value the library places on partnering and
resource sharing, this means that staff must use the same language of authorized subject headings as our
partner libraries to provide the best possible customer service to our patrons. Furthermore, a manual change on
our part to this subject heading is not possible due to bibliographic service to which the library subscribes.
Hennepin County Library staff have hope that this subject heading change will happen soon as it is currently
listed on Library of Congress' Tentative Monthly List 06a (please see the Library of Congress website for more
information: https://classificationweb.net/tentative-subjects/1606a.html). As soon as "noncitizens" and
"unauthorized immigration" become authorized subject heading, staff will make a global change in the HCL
catalog.
Hennepin County Library supports the Library of Congress' autonomy to adjust outdated terminology. Library
staff are exploring ways to collaborate with other interested organizations in Minnesota to better advocate for
the Library of Congress' independence.
Thank you for expressing your concerns and your continued advocacy in the area of inclusive, plain language
subject headings.
Sincerely, •
ect,
annah Genett
•esource Services Division Manager
irgenett@hclib.org
CC: Lois Langer Thompson, Hennepin County Library Director
Dear Mayor and qity-Council Members,
Isn't it time
44h_best-(J
Edina to b000mo_~ sanctuary city?
anfo Berm n
4400 Mornin side Road
Edina, MN 5416
952 B25-5/38
2-22-17
Edina City Council
City Hall
4801 W. 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
Enclosure :
"Trump widens net for deportations," Star tribune, 2-22-17
Joshua K. Leon, "Sanctuary cities in)20.400 of .a•4titte.6alii,."
The progressive, March 2017
cc: Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission
2-24-17
Johanna Genett
Resource Services Division Manager
Hennepin County Library
12601 Rideedele Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Dear Colleague,
Many thanks for your 2-21-17 letter, stating why the select heading
ILLEGAL ALIENS (and its several permutations) remains the catalog,
despite having been condemned by the American Library Association
as pejorative and untenable*, ALIA recommended a direct replacement
by the accurate, familiar, and nen-defamatory UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.
That same approach was proposed in July 2016 by the ALA/ALCTS/CaMMS
Subject Analysis Committee Working Group On the LCSH "Illegal Aliens"
(enclosed), which compellingly critiqued LC's intended two-heading
substitution,(NONCITIZENS plus UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRATION).
It appears that due to bureaucratic inertia or Congressional intimidation
or both ILLEGAL ALIENS may not soon be replaced. Hence our LC-dependent
libraries are consigned to permanent acceptance of a manifestly unacceptable
descriptor, or--at best--the belated imposition of a palpably awkward,
clumsy, and unhelpful LC "solution."
The overriding issue, I fear, is decidiadly'net "the Library of Congress'
independence" and its "autonomy to adjust outdated terminology."
It's the autonomy and independence of every library system to
act fairly and ethically and responsibly, doing whatever necessary to
make its resources truly accessible and its services--like the catalog--
genuinely unbiased and helpful., That's the "autonomy" that's too often
neglected, over-looked, and simply never asserted.
If HCL honestly "supports" abandoning ILLEGAL ALIENS, what does such
support tangibly mean to library users who right now find ILLEGAL ALIENS
and its variations as valid, primary subject headings in HCL's catalog?
Who knows about this "support"? Has it been conveyed to LC, with an urgent
request to act immediately? What if LC never replaces ILLEGAL ALIENS?
Then HCL, too, will never supplant it? What if LC substitutes NONCITIZENS
and UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRATION far ILLEGAL ALIENS? Will HCL meekly accede to
that Byzantine "remedy"--or instead institute the superbly-crafted
SAC solution?
Berman: 2
Has HCL no inclination, no impulse, to exercise leadership in this
matter, swiftly executing thasst titution, announcing it with
prideful fanfare, and whips thus initiating a tidal wave of
similar actions amon libraries everywh re?
You admit that HCI, make -"global anges." You now have thS SAC
temp 14E Just d
With best wishes
-de Road
N 55 6
952 925-5738
41%
42%
Tnt..„ wine s
for deporta
2 -- 2 2-17
STAR TRIBUNE
JERRY HOLT • jerry.holt@startribune.com
XEMPT FROM ORDER: Jessica Rivera, who works in Eagan, benefits from Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
initiative, which means she is exempt from the Trump order. She called it a "giant relief" to know she is not among those targeted.
Goal is to find, arrest and deport
everyone in the U.S. illegally.
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and RON NIXON
NewYork Times
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has
directed his administration to more aggressively
enforce the nation's immigration laws, unleashing
the full force ofthe federal government to fmd, arrest
and deport those in the country illegally, regardless of
whether they have committed serious crimes.
Documents released Tuesday by the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security revealed the broad
scope of the president's ambitions: to publicize
crimes by immigrants; enlist local police officers
as enforcers; strip immigrants of privacy rights;
erect new detention facilities; discourage asylum
seekers; and, ultimately, speed up deportations.
The new enforcement policies put into prac-
tice the fearful speech that Trump offered on the
campaign trail, vastly expanding the definition of
See TRUMP on AS
The nrPsident's
first 744 hours. A4
Threats are
denounced
More must be
done to end
hatred, bias,
Trump says. A4
Russia
investigation
Senate panel calls
for all Russia-
related records to
be preserved. A4
In Minn., some churches pledge
to safeguard "our community."
By MATT McKINNEY and MIGUEL OTAROLA
Star Tribune staff writers
The sweeping immigration orders being put
into effect by the Trump administration are draw-
ing concern from Minnesota immigration attor-
neys, and from some church leaders who have
vowed to offer sanctuary to those affected.
Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday
that the new measures don't herald a mass depor-
tation, but more than a dozen churches across the
state have already pledged to offer sanctuary to
individuals and families facing deportation.
"This is not just about people somewhere out
there far away" said the Rev. Lisa Friedman ofUnity
Church-Unitarian in St. PauL "This is about our
neighbors, our fellow students at our schools, our
community wherever we are." Some churches are
already hosting families or individuals, she said.
See MINNESOTA on A5 IP-
DErORTATIONS WITH CRIMINAL RECORD
U.S. deportations have dropped from a 2012 high of over
400,000 while the percentage of those deported with criminal.
convictions has risen slightly.
IN Deportations with Deportations for
criminal convictions other reasons
TRUMP from Al
"criminal aliens" and warning
that such people in the coun-
try illegally "routinely victim-
ize Americans," disregard the
"rule of law and pose a threat"
to people in communities
across the U.S. Research shows
lower levels of crime among
immigrants than among
native-born Americans.
But taken together, the new
policies are a rejection of the
sometimes more restrained
efforts by former Presidents
Barack Obama and George W.
Bush and their predecessors,
who sought to balance protect-
ing the nation's borders with
fiscal, logistical and humani-
tarian limits on the exercise
of laws passed by Congress.
"The faithful execution of
our immigration laws is best
achieved by using all these
statutory authorities to the
greatest extent practicable,"
John Kelly, the secretary of
homeland security wrote in
one of two memorandums
released Tuesday. 'Accord-
ingly, department personnel
shall make full use of these
authorities."
The immediate impact
of that shift is not yet fully
known. Advocates for immi-
grants warned Tuesday that
the new border control and
enforcement directives would
create an atmosphere of fear
that was likely to drive those
in the country illegally deeper
into the shadows.
Administration officials
said some of the new policies
— like one seeking to send
unauthorized border cross-
ers from Central America
to Mexico while they await
deportation hearings could
take months to implement and
might be limited in scope.
For now, so-called Dream-
ers, who were brought to the
United States as young chil-
dren, will not be targeted
unless they commit crimes.
Trump has not yet said
where he will get the billions
of dollars needed to pay for
thousands of new border con-
trol agents, a network of deten-
tion facilities to detain people
in the country illegally and a
wall along the entire southern
border with Mexico.
But politically, Kelly's
actions Tuesday serve to rein-
force the president's standing
among a core constituency —
those who blame people in the
country illegally for taking jobs
away from citizens, commit-
ting heinous crimes and being
a financial burden on federal,
state and local governments.
The changes mean millions
of immigrants in the country
illegally now face a greater
likelihood ofbeing discovered,
processed and deported.
"Under this executive order,
ICE will not exempt classes or
categories of removal aliens
from potential enforcement,"
a fact sheet released by the
Department of Homeland
Security said, using the acro-
nym for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement. 'All of
those present in violation of
the immigration laws may be
subject to immigration arrest,
detention, and, if found remov-
able by final order, removal
from the United States."
That includes people con-
victed of fraud in any official
matter before a governmental
agency and people who "have
abused any program related to
receipt of public benefits:'
The policy also calls for an
expansion of expedited remov-
als, allowing Border Patrol and
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents to imme-
diately deport more people.
Under the Obama adminis-
tration, expedited removal
was used only within 100
miles of the border for people
who had been in the country
no more than 14 days. Now it
will include all those who have
been in the country for up to
2010 1.11.111111111111
2011
2012
2013 NININNINNIIIM
2014
2015
2016
50% 391,903
45% 39'3,906
45% 409,849
41% 360,644
44% 315,943
235,413
240,255
agency would no longer pro-
vide privacy protections to
people who are not U.S. citi-
zens or green card holders. A
policy set in the last days of the
Bush administration in Janu-
ary 2009 provided some legal
protection for information col-
lected on nonresidents..
The new policies also target
people in the country illegally
who seek to smuggle their chil-
dren into the country, as has
happened frequently with
Central American children
seeking to reunite with par-
ents living in the U.S. Under
the new directives, such par-
ents could face deportation or
prosecution for smu Mg or
human trafficking.
Senior homeland security
officials told reporters Tues-
day that some of the propos-
als would roll out slowly as
the department finalizes the
logistics and legal rules.
two years, no matter where.
The change in enforcement
priorities will require a consid-
etable increase in resources.
With an estimated 11 million
people in the country illegally,
the government has long had
to set narrower priorities,
given the constraints on staff-
ing and money.
In guidance documents
released Tuesday, the depart-
ment is directed to begin the
process of hiring 10,000 immi-
gration and customs agents,
expand the number of deten-
tion facilities and create an
• office within Immigration and
, Customs Enforcement to help
families of those killed by peo-
ple in the U.S. illegally. Trump
had some of those relatives
address his campaign rallies,
and several were present when
he signed an executive order
on immigration in January
Under the directives, the
Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement MARK BOSWELL • Star Tribune
±r raises concern, indign, lion in Minnesota
37% 63% r
Under 18,IF 52,176
18 and over =nom
BY REGION OF ORIGIN
-41MINNESOTA from Al
The immigration execu-
tive orders were signed by
President Donald Trump last
month, but two memos issued
Tuesday by the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS)
explained how they will be
implemented.
The orders list seven cat-
egories of immigrants who
will now be prioritized for
deportation, including any-
one convicted of or charged
with a crime.
One of the categories
includes anyone deemed a
threat to public safety by an
immigration officer, essen-
tially opening the door for
deportation of any immigrant
in the country illegally.
The orders also call for the
hiring of 10,000 Immigration
and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) agents, 5,000 Border
Patrol agents, 500 air and
marine agents and the con-
struction of new detention
facilities and a wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border.
Through the ISAIAH faith
coalition, 15 congregations
have vowed to become sanc-
tuaries and nine other con-
gregations said they would
offer other support.
Pastor Eliot Howard of
Linden Hills United Church
of Christ said the members
of his congregation voted to
become a sanctuary church
on Sunday.
"Initially this was seen as
something that could pos-
sibly happen to people," he
said. "Now it just feels more
and more likely."
Howard said the church
needs several weeks of ren-
ovation and would like to
get more legal advice before
comfortably lodging an
immigrant, but would take
in someone immediately if
necessary. Howard arid Fried-
man said their congregations
were motivated to act by their
Christian principles.
Deporting children
Immigration attorney John
Keller of the Immigrant Law
Center of Minnesota said he
was disheartened to see the
order's treatment of children
who are fleeing violent places.
Those cases, said Keller, often
involve children fleeing gang
violence in countries where
the local governments are so
overwhelmed that they have
essentially given up trying to
protect people.
The U.S. government in
the past has granted special
protections to children who
arrive alone at the border,
classifying them as "unac-
companied alien children."
Some 155,000 have been
apprehended at the southern
border in the past three years,
according to the DHS.
The new measures issued
by the DHS on Tuesday point
out that about 60 percent of
those children end up with a
parent living illegally in the
United States.
It called for a review of
such cases because the chil-
dren would no longer meet
the definition of "unaccom-
panied."
If the review meant the
child lost the protections
afforded them as "unaccom-
panied alien children." it
could expedite their return
to the country they were flee-
ing, said Keller.
"They're not seeking to
enter illegally; they are seek-
ing protection," he said, call-
ing the new measures "the
definition of mean-spirited-
ness and cruelty."
Keller predicted a wave of
litigation will result from the
new measures.
The order exempts peo-
ple covered by the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arriv-
als initiative, or DACA, cre-
ated by the Obama admin-
istration in 2012, which says
children 15 or younger who
have lived in the country
for at least five years, attend
school or graduated from
high school and who avoid
criminal prosecution are not
a priority for deportation.
That exemption brought
relief to Karen Velez, a
20-year-old student. Covered
by DACA, she now believes
the Trump administration
won't issue another execu-
tive order calling off DACA.
"At this moment, I'm not
worried," said Velez, who was
born in Mexico City. "We are
a huge help to this economy
and to this country."
Tuesday's order also calls
for the expansion of a federal
program known as 287(g) that
deputizes local police officers
to enforce immigration rules.
Several police departments
contacted Tuesday, includ-
ing those in Minneapolis and
St. Paul, said. they don't plan
to start deporting people or
asking for someone's immi-
gration status.
Henry Jimenez, the execu-
tive director of the Minnesota
Council on Latino Affairs, a
nonpartisan advisory group
to state government, said the
memo left him with more
questions than answers.
"There's almost this
assumption that immigrants
are a criminal threat to our
safety and security," Jimenez
said. "We don't believe that."
He pointed to research
by the Urban Institute think
tank, which has conducted
immigration studies in the
past.
"There's anecdotal evi-
dence that the 287(g) pro-
gram has led to strained
relationships between the
state and local law enforce-
ment and the local communi-
ties," Jimenez said. "We feel
it's important that people
feel they can trust in local
law enforcement regardless
of their legal status."
Worthington's take
The new executive order
won't change community
policing in Worthington, a
southwest Minnesota city
bustling with immigrants
who work in the local pork
processing plant.
Immigration law is a
federal civil matter, said
Worthington Police Capt.
Kevin Flynn. "We don't
enforce federal law," he said.
Latino residents made
up more than one third of
Worthington's population
of 13,000 residents in the last
census, and the community
has been targeted for large-
scale immigration raids in
the past.
In 2006, ICE agents
descended on the former
Swift & Co. packing plant in
Worthington and arrested
hundreds of workers. The
plant lost an estimated tenth
of its workforce in a single
day. At that time, Swift, which
was targeted for simultane-
ous raids at facilities in six
states, saw 1,300 workers
detained and deported.
"The key element is not to
panic," Flynn said. "Let's see
what develops."
Staff writer Jennifer Brooks
contributed to this report.
mckinney@startribune.com
612-673-7329
miguelotarola@startribune.com
612-673-4753
MINNESOTA'S IMMIGRANTS BY STATUS
About half of the state's foreign-born population are naturalized
U.S. citizens. The others could be living here on student or work
visas, be authorized refugees or asylum seekers or be living here
illegally, but that kind of breakdown is not available.
CITIZENSHIP BY AGE
Xi Naturalized Not a U.S.
U.S. citizen citizen
— Percent
naturalized
Percent not
naturalized
Oceania on 76% 2,561
Latin America 73% 114,833
Northern America (not U.S.*) assampir 53% 13,963
'Northern Arnica Asia mingiffm includes Canada,
Bermuda, Greenland Africa aummagge and St.Pierre and
45%
43%
177,257
100,742
Miquelon. Europe 35% 47,829
Source: American Community Surrey, 2015 MARK BOSWELL • Star Tribune
49% 405,009
. e
New York's 7th Congressional D
the crowd "we are the beneficiaries of the
immigrant experience.'
• Bottom: Demonstrator in D'ag flammarskjold
Plaza, where the Migrants Day march started.
• Photos by Joshua K. Leon
our! NEW YORK
IS
IMMIGRANT
NEWYORK
On .a rainy Saturd
in mid-December,
thousands of people
Dag Hammarskjold
Plaza for a Migrants
Day march to Trump
Tower. Amid the diverse
throng were scores -
of undocumented
residents, targeted for
expulsion in Trump's
America. Yet the
message of the moment
was not fear, but hope.
"We are proud to be called a sanc-
tuary city," New York City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito de-
clared at the event, which was orga-
nized by the New York Immigration
Coalition and sponsored by eighty-
five groups. Her remarks and those of
other speakers were galvanizing, and
comforting, like the sanctuary city
movement itself.
"I can feel this sense of security:'
Jan Bautista, a sophomore at Queens
College, told me afterward. "If I were
somewhere else, it would feel pretty
tense and scary. With the political cli-
mate, sanctuary cities are very helpful
to us. The sense of security is what we
value the most from the progressive
community:'
An ambitious student exploring a
career in finance, Bautista could imag-
ine himself leaving New York City, but
only for another sanctuary jurisdic-
tion. He is among scores of undocu-
mented residents whose status was left
unresolved under President Obama
and could turn critical under President
Trump. Obama's centerpiece immigra-
tion initiative was Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which
lets people who migrated as children
work without threat of deportation.
Because of this status, an estimated
50,000 people can legally live and work
in 'New York City. Bautista met every
bullet point in the long list of criteria
but one: He didn't arrive before 2007.
Bautista moved to New York City
from the Philippines because he and
his mother could no longer afford his
rising tuition coSts: Before he reached
Manila, he subsisted with his family
on a farm. He knew full well that going
without a private education could
limit his options in the Philippines
for the rest of his life. He entered the
United States on a temporary tourist
visa to live with his cousin, a recent-
ly discharged Iraq War veteran, who
looked after him while he finished his
last two years at Flushing High School
in Queens.
Without the benefit of DACA, Bau-.
tista turned to New York City's munic-
ipal ID program, a critical sanctuary
policy in a state that bans the undoc-
urnented from obtaining driver's li-
censes. This ID, which anyone over age
fourteen can obtain, allowed Bautista
to open a bank account. Natalia Aris-
tizabal, lead organizer with the advo-
cacy group Make the Road New York,
says the program enables the undoc-
umented to engage in daily activities
citizens take for granted. Parents can
get on public school premises to see
their children or attend parent-teach-
er conferences. And undocumented
residents can now identify themselves
to police, if necessary, without calling
attention to their immigration status.
This effort is a small component
of a much larger sanctuary city move-
ment.
'Across the nation,' The New York
Times reported, "officials in sanctuary
cities are gearing up to oppose Presi-
dent-elect Donald J. Trump if he fol-
lows through on a campaign promise
to deport millions of illegal immi-
grants:' The Times story said more than
500 local governments have "some
kind" of policy limiting cooperation
with Immigration and customs En-
forcement (ICE). That number could
increase.
"With every attack on sanctuary
cities, they become more sophisticated
and expansive,"-explains Peter Manci-
na, Who wrote a dissertation on San
Francisco's sanctuary history. "I don't
know if Republicans anticipated the
expansion of them."
After Trump's election, mayors
vowed to protect their immigrant
communities using 'policies of non-
'cooperation with ICE. "We'll proud=
ly stand as a sanctuary city:' declared
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. New
Haven Mayor Toni Harp promised
"no city official will be an agent for
ICE:' New York City's Bill de Blasio is
mulling whether to delete records, of
undocumented residents who regis-
tereclior municipal IDs, vowing not
"to sacrifice a half-million people who
live amongst us:'
For all the ensuing talk about
sanctuary cities as siege fortresses in
Trump's assault on immigrants, there
is a broad misconception of what they
really are. Sanctuary cities can't stop
ICE, froth crashing into people's homes
or raiding workplaces. What city agen-
cies can do is avoid reporting the im-
migration statuses of their residents
to ICE, which is seldom required of
them anyway. Local police can release
their temporary detainees instead of
handing them over to ICE for depor-
tation proceedings, since iimnigration
enforcement is well beyond their job
description.
Mancina notes that sanctuary cit-
ies are hardly radical. "There is a very
big difference he argues, "between
the sanctuary movement and sanc-
tuary cities." Far from exemplars of
civil disobedience, sanctuary cities by
definition require employees to "follow
the law to a T:' When the federal gov
ernment issues warrants, for example,
city officials must cooperate or face
criminal penalties. Despite the tough
talk, Mancina adds, no sanctuary city
calls for summary noncooperation
with ICE. What sanctuary cities do—
or ought to do—is the bare Minimum
required bylaw, and nothing more.
f
n fact, local governments routinely
stick their necks lout for ICE. Since
2014, federal courts have repeated-
ly found that ICE violated Fourth
• • • • • •
Joshua K Leon is an assistant professor of political science and international studies at Iona College. His writing has ulipecired in venues including the Chicago
Tribune, Dissent, and Metropolis. His book is called The Rise of Glebal :Health. He lives in Manhattan.
14 • March 2017
oseeeo•oso•oeeoet,•••0000•oo•o•o••••••G0•ego .... ..... .......... ooe.....00 0 00•oee••• ........ o ••
Sanctuary cities have no legal definition. What they do is minimize cooperation with federal immigration
enforcers. While hardly radical, they provide lines of defense against deportations and recognize _migrants'
value to their communities. These six cities offer best practices:
Chicago
Chicago's Cook County is home to U
immigrants, third highest in the nation. it was one of
two counties in 2,556 to earn a perfect score on the
Immigrant Legal Resource Center's sanctuary metric.
Chicago's sanctuary laws date back to 1985, and limit
its agencies' ability to detain people for Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or to ask about
status.
LID,§"Ailiereg
Los Angeles County has 3.5 million immigrants, more
than any other county. The city and county have
promised $10 million In legal aid to people facing
deportation proceedings. Studies show competent
legal defense drastically reduces deportations.
Nov Haven
This Connecticut community launched the nation's
first municipal ID program in 2007 serving as a
model for several Maj or cities. Mayor Toni Harp
vowed to fight Republicans in court if they attempt
across-the-board federal funding cuts in retaliation
against New Haven's sanctuary policies.
New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasi() improved the city's mixed
sanctuary record from the Giuliani and Bloomberg
eras, which included blanket NYPD spying on
Muslims. His municipal ID program reached 900,000
cardholders by last year and is popular among
migrants. A 2014 law enhancing discretion in ICE
detention requests spares up to 4,000 New Yorkers
from deportation annually,
daklah.
Mayor Libby 'Schaaf gave exceptionally forceful
reassurances to immigrants terrified by Trump's
hateful rhetoric, saying "I like to compare this to
conscientious objector status."
San Francisco
San Franciscans pioneered grassroots sanctuary
activism in the 1980s, developing elaborate systems
to harbor refugees. At present, San Franoisco County
scores perfectly,on the ILRC county-level sanctuary,
metric. As with Oakland and Los, ngeles, California's
TRUTH Act Jimitifig ICE interrogations helps the city
maintain its longstanding protections.
0000000000 — OtO GO "veva". cooesoei.o•eoeoe•oeopecoveo•ove000 O0000000.000 0000000" O0000000000
cases by extension, creating massive
backlogs in immigration courts. Ac-
cording to Fernandez, one of NMCIR's
clients had her green card revoked
because of a decades-old conviction
stemming from being at a party where
drugs were present, even though she
herself wasn't using. Now she lives
under the threat of deportation from
the country where she has lived since
childhood.
As defendants, people in deporta-
tion cases lack attorney rights because
immigration is technically civil rather
than criminal law. Deportation cases
are distressing, drawn out, expensive
undertakings. If they are not detained,
defendants who go before New York's
immigration courts win three-quar-
ters of their cases. Without counsel,
that figure drops to 13 percent. Having
a lawyer increases detainees' chances
six-fold. By one 2011 count, just 40
percent of immigrants in New York's
courts had lawyers when their cases
concluded.
"De Blasio has done more than
any recent mayor in New York City"
Fernandez says. After Trump won, the
mayor and City Council reaffirmed
the city's sanctuary commitments in
writing, quickly passing a resolution
intended to reassure restive commu-
nities. She says deportation forces
responded to the mayor's sanctuary
policies with more home raids.
These tend to happen by surprise
in the early morning. ICE officials, she
says, can make arrests without saying
why. Fernandez tells of one instance
in which agents went to a home for
recovering drug addicts looking for a
longtime resident in his sixties who is
now in deportation proceedings. This
happened, she says, after a social work-
er encouraged him to apply for a green
card, which requires fingerprints that
go into a national database.
Trump and other Republicans have r loudly threatened to choke off fed-
eral funding to sanctuary cities, with a
headline figure of $650 billion at risk.
One of Trump's first acts as President
16 o March 2017
Amendment "safeguards against un-
lawffil arrest and detention. That leaves
municipal authorities potentially liable
for jailing people beyond their release
dates, without probable cause, at ICE's
voluntary request (what the govern-
ment calls "detainers"). In one case, a
judge forced a county in Oregon to, pay
damages to a detainee: Last October,
the Northern District Court of Illinois
determined that most detainers issued
by ICE's Chicago field office were in-
valid on these grounds.
The rightwing anti-immigrant Fed-
eration for American Immigration Re-
form (FAIR) claims ICE has only one
agent per 2,000 undocumented resi-
dents. If the goal is to expel all eleVen
million "people who are simply in the
country illegally," as FAIR's Ira Mehl- .
Sanctuary" found widespread cooper-
ation with ICE in the 2,556 counties it
surveyed. ICE's deportation machine
relies most heavily on county jurisdic-
tiOns, the report argues, potentially
compromising even the most disci-
plined sanctuary cities. The report
revealed that 97 percent 'of counties
allow ICE to interrogate imniigrants
in their custody. Ninety-four,percent
alert ICE when iminigrants are sched-
uled for release. Seventy-five percent
are willing to hold these immigrants
at ICE's request.
Few counties have policies in place
to avoid unnecessarily inquiring about
immigration status. Only San Franeis-
co Connty and Cook County (which
includes Chicago) had rules in place
to prevent all of these excesses. The
unfavorable court rulings as a factor in
the growth of sanctuary cities, leaving
them at risk of lawsuits if they main-
thin the status quo. Plus, immigration
enforcernent diverts police resources
from serious crimes.
In short, says Graber, "The cost of
deportations really fallS on localities?'
n 2013, activist groups fought for,
and got, a pilot program in New
York City that provides funding for
immigration defenses. After Trump's
election, Los Angeles—city and coun-
ty—pledged $10 million for legal aid
in deportation cases, a proactive form
of sanctuary.
"It turns out that quite a few mi-
grants facing deportation can win
their case, but they have to have an
oo ....•oo •000000 •o••••••••••oose000000s••••••••••000 • 0 0 0 . ... .0 a a a a . a a a p a
can feel this sense of security. If I were somewhere else, it would
feel pretty tense and scary. With the political climate, sanctuary
cities are very helpful to use The sense of security is what we
value the most from the progressive community.'
s0000O000000•ooOoop000st0000 os'opo4;c00000g000.'oo.o•0000.oio'o-0000•o -oo.•vo'i0000v000eo.o .ovoo .000
• • .
man put it to me, then Trump's prom-
ised "deportation force" sounds like
small beet FAIR's answer is to enlist
900,000 local police.
Barack Obama's record three mil-
lion deportations leaned heavily on
pliant localities. His Priority Enforce-
ment Program requires local author-
ities to submit the fingerprints of all
arrestees to a national database, put-
ting the undocumented at risk Lack-
ing the power to enforce immigration
law, a handful of counties even take
part in a federal program that depu-
tizes local officials for this purpose.
When ICE wants to keep migrants
imprisoned as they go through de-
portation proceedings, infrequently
relies on local governments to lease
them jail space.
A recent report by the Immigrant
Legal Resource Center, "Searching for
other 2;554 counties could do more
to stop ICE.
"Counties don't get it at all," said
the report's co-author, Lena Graber.
"First, they don't necessarily think
about it very Critically. And thou-
sands of them don't even pay atten-
tion to federal courts saying that what
they are doing is illegal. This is partly
because it is very much not in ICS's
interest to tell them. Also, there's lots
of misinformation swirling because of
the:politics of it, and the threats from
Republicans that make it sound like
not actively helping ICE with whatever
they want is illegal."
Even in the Trump era, activists
can.pressure localities to adopt the full
array of sanctuary policies; especially
in places where migrants area political
force. Doing so may well be in cities'
interests in any case. Graber sees the
attorney to defend them," says Angela
Fernandez, executive director of the
Northern Manhattan Coalition for
Immigrant Rights (NMCIR), one of
the groups that pressured the city
A Bloomberg era study by NMCIR
with the help of the New York Univer-
sity School of Law Immigrant Rights
Clinic described Northern Manhat-
tan's Dominican neighborhoods as
"ground zero"- for deportations. In a
five-year Span, 7,000 New. York City
children lost a parent this way.
"We have been targeted in the
Obama presidency," Fernandez says. _
Obama's emphasis on deport-:
ing criminals meant that the people
NMCIR advocates for—mostly indi-
gent legal residents—were at risk of
deportation for minor convictions
committed years ago. An expanding
war on drugs increased deportation
The Progressive • 15
was to sign an executive order to his
effect.
It's no coincidence that deep blue
Chicago, San Franciscd, New York
City, and Los Angeles are in the GOP's
crosshairs. Sixty-six percent of House
Speaker Paul Ryan's proposed cuts
come from programs for people with
low and middle incomes.
"It's a full-on federal assault on
Mancina says. "They're saying,
`We're going to cut infrastructure for
everyone: whether they're citizens or
not:'
Fiscal threats-against. sanctuary
cities are part of a longstanding aus-
terity. agenda. In the pre-Reagan years,
central Cities counted on federal and
state governments fOr as much as 44
percent of their budgets. Now federal
funds comprise only about 10 percent
of New York City's budget. For Los
Angles and San Francisco, this figure
' drops to 6 and 5 percent respectively
In fact, it's unlikely that Congress
could enact across-the-board cuts as
part of an anti-sanctuary bill without
getting mired in legal challenges. They
could, however, target law enforce-
ment-related programs, potentially
forcing civic leaders to shift funds
away from the social contract.
In effect, cities encourage gentrifi-
cation to offset eroding' tax bases, cul-
tivating luxUry class residents. Leading
sanctuary cities have exorbitant living
costs as a result. New York's housing
Shortage leaves immigrant households
twice as likely to live in crowded con-
ditions and more rent stressed. It isn't
hard to imagine thern moving from
a sanctuary city to far less hospitable
municipalities for these reasons.
Potential funding gaps leave the
door wide open for city leaders to
further privatize municipal functions.
Half of Los Angeles's legal defense
fund reportedly comes from private
fimdraising. Oakland now seeks phil-
anthropic funding sources to which
wealthy donors can attach strings. A
crackdown on sanctuary cities could
lead to service cuts or deepening de-
pendence on handouts with terms set
by Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
"This is going to affect all low- and
moderate-income people," Mancina
says.
he real movement driving city
sanctuary isn't in any hall of
power, but on streets, in homes, and
in churches. It draws strength not from
urban elites;'who will' ultimately obey
unjust deportation laws, but in groups
like the New Sanctuary Coalition of
New. York City.
This consortium of religious con-
gregations helps an estimated 200 to
300 people per year. It informs people
of their rights, accompanies them to
hearings, and provides physical sanc-
tuary. The last is particularly painful
for migrants who have final deporta-
tion orders, says the group's organizer,
Ravi Ragbir, at his office in Greenwich
Village's Judson Memorial Church.
Sanctuary stays are open-ended and
confining. Even then, there's no hard
and fast rule that says ICE can't raid
church-provided sanctuaries.
"If there is :a civil administration,
we would expect them to uphold the
sanctity of the space," Ragbir told me
before Trump's inauguration. "The
facade Of civility is:going to go out the
window very soon."
During our interview last Decem-
ber,-Ragbir kept-an eye-on-his comput-
er screen. The latest news was about
how ICE had rounded up eighty-two
migrants in New Jersey. The article he
showed me dutifully noted ICE's suc-
cess in finding seven serious criminals.
No further information was provided
on the other seventy-five, who could
be stuck in the Kafka-esque prison
archipelago that flourished Under
Obama.
Ragbir should know, having him=
self spent two years in detention, 'A
legal resident from Trinidad, Ragbir
narrowly avoided deportation because
Community activists rallied around his
case. I ask about his prison conditions,
and get a succinct answer: horrible.
You could file grievances, he said, but
guards won't respond because you're
on the verge of deportation.
"Those conditions are going to get
extremely harder, Ragbir believes, pre-
dicting counties will fall in line as ICE
seeks jails. Tveryone is terrified. They
don't know what to do. All they know is
they're afraid that [under Trump] their
lives are going to be in upheavar
If nothing else, Trump inspires
awareness, argues Salvador Sarmiento
of the National Day Laborer Organiz-
ing Network. "I think some are just
realizing how much hate there is, but
we've been seeing aggressive violence
against day laborers for some time he
says, frOm police harassment to wage
theft. He anticipates more workplace
raids by an' administration that sees day
labor hiring as a criminal enterprise.
Bautista risks deportation if he
works to pay for his education. Being
undocumented expanded hiS politi-
cal consciousness despite a conserva-
tive military family background. He
works with other young adults at the
Queens-based MinKwon Center for
Community Action, a co-sponsor of
the Migrants Day Mardi. MiiiKwon
helped Bautista navigate byZantine
immigration riiles, and in the process
brought him into the activist fold. This
is how a broken SyStein generates its
own opposition; rio matter who Sits
in the White House.
"Out power has never been in
Sarmiento, the day- laborers'
organizer, says. "This is the time to
build loCally for the resistance that's
coming:' •
The Progressive • 17