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Policy Advocacy (Criminal Justice Reform)

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The Criminal Justice Reform program is committed to advocating for criminal justice on behalf of low income immigrant communities. We are currently doing active advocacy work on the following issues affecting criminal justice reform:

 

Secure Communities (S-Comm)

In 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s misleadingly-named “Secure Communities” Program (S-Comm) was implemented in the Bay Area.  The ALC has since been working with local, state, and national immigrants’ rights coalitions to combat the spread of this dangerous program.

Position: ALC advocates limiting local law enforcement and ICE collaboration by actively challenging the spread of ICE’s controversial and deeply flawed S-Comm program. For more information on S-Comm, visit www.uncoverthetruth.org.

Support Passage of the California TRUST Act (AB 1081-Ammiano) – The Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools(TRUST) Act will rebuild the trust that S-Comm hasundermined between immigrant communities and localpolice by establishing standards for responding to burdensome detainer requests.

To read the bill click here.

 

How you can help support the Trust Act:

Join us in Sacramento to show your strong support for the TRUST Act.  The Senate Public Safety Committee will likely hear this bill on Tuesday, June 12th.  Please email angelac@asianlawcaucus.org if your organization can attend the hearing.

Send a support letter on a behalf of your organization to Assemblymember Ammiano’s office for the TRUST Act. For a sample support letter click here.

Meet with your local police chief and sheriff to share your concerns about S-Comm and ask for their support of the TRUST Act. For a fact sheet on the TRUST Act click here.  To find out how many people have been deported from your county under S-Comm click here.

Pass a resolution at your city council or board of supervisors in support of the TRUST Act. For a sample resolution click here.

Tell your representatives that you support the Trust Act. Click here to send a support letter directly to your legislator with just a few clicks!

“Like” us on Facebook. For Trust Act updates and event information, “Like” Support The Trust Act and Stand Up Against S-Comm on Facebook.

 

Resources for Action

“The All-in-One Guide to Defeating ICE Hold Requests” by the National Immigration Project, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the Immigrant Defense Project, the Washington Defenders Association, and the National Immigration Law Center.

En Español: “Acta de la Confianza (AB 1081)  ¿Que es?” creado por NDLON.

 

Key Research:

“Secure Communities by the Numbers: An Analysis of demographics and due process.” by Aarti Aarti Kohli, Peter l. Markowitz and Lisa Chavez, Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, UC Berkeley School of Law, October 2011.

“Misplaced Priorities: The Failure of Secure Communities in Los Angeles County.”  By Edgar Aguilasocho, David Rodwin, and Sameer Ashar, Immigrant Rights Clinic, UC Irvine School of Law, January 2012.

“Life as an Undocumented Immigrant, How Restrictive Local Immigration Policies Affect Daily Life.”  By Angela S. García and David G. Keyes, March 26, 2012.

 

Select media coverage:

“California bill seeks to limit detention of arrestees facing deportation” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 2012.

“SF archbishop speaks against immigration program” Associated Press, Jan. 28, 2012.

“Immigration reform: Scrap Secure Communities” Editorial by the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2011.

“Immigration enforcement snares citizens in L.A. County, group says”  Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 2011.

“Noncriminals swept up in federal deportation program” Los Angeles Times, April 25, 2011.

“Assemblymember Ammiano Statement: Ice Director John Morton’s Remarks Deserve “Award for Irony” Statement from Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, District 13, March 9, 2012.

“Immigration Crackdown also Snares Americans” New York Times, Dec. 13, 2011.

“’I don’t trust them’: How fear of deportation is keeping some Miramonte parents quiet”  Multi-American, Feb. 9, 2012.

“Sheriff Mark Curran: Why He Changed His Mind About Secure Communities” Frontline, October 18, 2011.

“L.A. Mom Deported After Protesting Foreclosure of Former Home” Colorlines, Friday, March 2 2012.

“Fear of deportation stops human trafficking victims from reporting crimes, officials say most of 5,000 special T visas available to them go unclaimed” New York Daily News, March 28, 2012.

“Connecticut first to set ICE rules for holding undocumented criminal suspects (documents)” The Middletown Press, March 28, 2012.

“Mexican couple’s deportation leaves behind two small children in Lodi, Cali.”  The Sacramento Bee, November 2, 2010.

“End ICE’s hold on law enforcement,” The Sacramento Bee, Friday, Apr. 13, 2012.

“(In)-Secure Communities: The fox can’t guard the hen house,” Ella’s Voice, April 13, 2012.

“Preckwinkle ices ICE proposal, Rejects call for working group to resolve issues,” The Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2012.

“Homeland Security Office Accused of Faking Reports on Internal Investigations,” The Huffington Post Politics Blog, April 6, 2012.

“The complexities of L.A. County’s Sheriff Lee Baca, an undocumented immigrant’s son,” Multi-American, April 3, 2012

“Duncan Roy: Director Trapped in Men’s Central Jail,” LA Weekly, Thursday, Apr 5 2012.

“Rep. Lofgren on Homeland Security Inspector General’s Secure Communities Reports,” Statement by Congresswoman Lofgren.


Restorative Justice

Because of California’s overcrowded prisons and disproportionate confinement of people of color, especially youth of color, the ALC seeks to promote alternative means of addressing crime and delinquency. In particular, the ALC supports Restorative Justice, a community-based rehabilitative approach which seeks to “restore” the bond between the youth offender and his or her community through counseling, community service, and meaningful confrontations between victim and offender.

Position: ALC advocates for Restorative Justice as an alternative to the punitive approaches to crime and delinquency.

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Ensuring Due Process for Immigrant Youth

The Asian Law Caucus helped found the San Francisco Immigrants Rights Defense Committee (SFIRDC) to defend and protect San Francisco’s over two-decade-old Sanctuary Ordinance, which protects public safety and recognizes that immigrant residents are an integral and important part of this diverse community.

___Watch these videos for more information:

“Justice for Immigrant Youth” – Includes background information and how you can help. (October 2009)

“Restoring Due Process for Immigrant Youth” - Video by New American Media after the Board Of Supervisors Vote; includes interview with ALC Staff Attorney, Angela Chan (October 2009)

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SFPD Department General Order 7.01 – Recognizing Juvenile Rights with Law Enforcement

San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Department General Order 7.01 outlines the protocol for SFPD-youth interactions with the common understanding that juveniles should be treated differently than adults.

Text of the SFPD Department General Order 7.01

SFPD Know Your Youth Rights Brochures

ENGLISH, CHINESE, RUSSIAN, TAGALOG,VIETNAMESE, SPANISH

 

SFPD Department General Order 5.20 – Language Access with Law Enforcement

San Francisco Police Department Department General Order 5.20 ensures free language assistance for Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents and outlines protocols for SFPD when interacting with LEP communities.

Text of SFPD Department General Order 5.20 (Language Access)

SFPD Know Your Language Access Rights Brochures
ENGLISH, CHINESE, RUSSIAN,TAGALOG, VIETNAMESE, SPANISH


Select Press Releases and Legal Memoranda: