Everything Under The Sun: Protecting Immigrants Through Organization And Expertise

ILRC distributes these red cards that tell immigrants what to do if an ICE agent comes to the door.

This has to be one of the most difficult times for those who are immigrants to this country, made even more difficult by a xenophobic president. Not everyone born in the United States shares those beliefs; we realize that most of us are here because some family member immigrated to this country. It's this constant input from new people coming over here and seeking better lives that has contributed to this country's development.

I am quite appalled by the hatred displayed by some who call themselves Americans and patriots. That gives me some interest in organizations, like the IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER (ILRC), which advocates for immigrants' rights, provides legal training, raises awareness of the issues, extends community outreach services.

Just recently, ILRC released two significant pieces of information. A report, The Rise of Sanctuary, has found a significant increase in the number of areas that provide some form of sanctuary, refusing to honor ICE detainers that violate constitutional rights. Specifically, it was found that 410 localities have strengthened sanctuary policies during the previous year. That makes a total of one-fourth of counties throughout this country refusing to honor ICE holds, which would cause local law enforcement to illegally jail any immigrant cited. Along with this report is an interactive map, which shows jurisdictions which follow and do not allow ICE detention holds.

Lena Graber, Staff Attorney at ILRC, explained, "When it comes to sanctuary cities, President Trump is bullying local electeds and law enforcement to comply with illegal requests from ICE. Trump's anti-sanctuary attacks are so baseless that the Administration has lost every court ruling so far on their unconstitutional attempts to withhold federal grants. It is the Trump administration, not sanctuary cities, who are violating the law and constitution."

Ms. Graber continued, "While 98 percent of counties have no official contract with ICE, there is a great opportunity in 2018 to strengthen and establish new policies that actually protect our immigrant neighbors and do not spend local resources detaining and deporting our community members. Sanctuary policies are a commonsense response to a political agenda rooted in racism and exclusion and a step in helping to keep more families where they belong - together."

The latest report from ILRC.

There are ten counties that are home to the most immigrants; about 30 percent of all immigrants live in those counties. Fortunately most of them have some sort of sanctuary protection. Sanctuary protections include refusal to release information to ICE about release from legal custody, laws prohibiting immigration enforcement, restrictions on inquiries about immigration status, and protections against interrogations by ICE. This information suggests that a significant portion of Americans value our immigrants and oppose separating families by ICE. We need to keep speaking up and supporting the protections that our local and State governments provide.