CA: ACLU leads law suit against the city of Costa Mesa
Posted on Friday, February 05 @ 00:35:10 EST
Topic: Illegal Immigration News in the US
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 The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund [MALDEF] along with several immigration advocates filed a law suit in a federal court against the City of Costa Mesa Tuesday, for alleged harassment against day laborers who stand on sidewalks to look for work.
Topics = Illegal immigration, MALDEF, ACLU, law suit filed, Costa Mesa, day laborers, undocumented workers, deportations
February 3, 2010
Aurelia Fierros
Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a examiner.com
The laborers -most of them undocumented, had complained they’re constantly targeted by police and are now suing the city over its anti-solicitation ordinance. During the morning, holding signs in English and Spanish that read “Stop police harassment,” about 30 workers marched to Costa Mesa City Hall -southeast of Los Angeles- and rallied in front of the main building, where attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced the lawsuit .
MALDEF based the argumentation of the lawsuit on the First Amendment, to fight an ordinance that restricts the rights of a specific group — day laborers — from engaging in the same free speech rights that everyone else can on public. They also accused the Costa Mesa police department of running an undercover sting of day laborers during the month of September, which resulted on deportation for several undocumented workers.
Laborers complain that work is already slow due to the current situation of the economy, and additionally, that they are harassed by police officers, who instruct them to move from the sidewalk, and to leave the area. They also say that fines can go from $90 to over $300, depending on the number of occurrences of the violation.
Costa Mesa Police denied they harass in any way day laborers, and clarified officers only respond to complaints from neighbors. The department also informed there is a possibility to ‘refine’ the ordinance. Meanwhile, the federal lawsuit to reverse the ordinance will proceed. Other cities in Southern California including Lake Forest and Redondo Beach, have also experienced similar lawsuits, resulting on the cities revoking their anti-solicitation ordinances.
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