Thread: Activist groups hold protest against Priorities Enforcement Program PEP

Activist groups hold protest against immigration policy

BY JEFFREY PIERRE
JPIERRE@MIAMIHERALD.COM
01/16/2015 2:40 PM
01/16/2015 2:40 PM

Joel Aguilera, left front, talks to members of multiple organizations to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., on Thursday. The group gathered to challenge Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter to stand with immigrant communities and come out publicly against the Department of Homeland Security’s Priorities Enforcement Program, which they say will help law enforcement agencies identify and facilitate the removal of criminal illegal immigrants in the custody of state and local officials. PETER ANDREW BOSCH MIAMI HERALD STAFF

On Thursday, the day of Martin Luther King’s birthday, young activist and social leaders held a demonstration outside the construction site of what will be Homestead’s new City Hall building.

Saul Aleman, a member of the Quaker peace organization American Friends Service Committee, said the assembly site was picked to challenge Homestead mayor Jeff Porter “to stand with immigrant communities and publicly come out against the Department of Homeland Security’s Priority Enforcement Program (PEP).”

“We want to make sure that our elected officials and police are on the people’s side because we pay their bills,” said Aleman, 22.
PEP requests the voluntary collaboration of local law enforcement to notify the United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) of all immigrants — both legal and illegal —accused of a crime.

The President’s actions focuses on deporting immigrants who threaten national security and public safety — specifically detained suspects of terrorism, violent crimes, gang activity and undocumented immigrants at the top of the deportation priority list, according to the White House.

The new program, Aleman says, is set to “terrorize and racially profile” the immigrant community.

As part of the Obama administration’s changes in immigration policy in late November, PEP was created to replace ICE’s Secure Communities program, which was widely viewed as “overreaching,” by immigrants and civil rights groups. Under Secure Communities, participating jails submitted fingerprints to criminal and immigration databases providing ICE with a detailed inventory of individuals held in jails.

The program became a divisive issue in the immigrant community after traffic or immigration violators were held by local officials and turned over to immigration authorities. Many governors, mayors and state and local law enforcement officials around the country — including Miami-Dade County — refused to cooperate and immigration enforcement became more difficult.

Despite the change, Margarito Cruz, a member of United We Dream, is calling the new program a rebranding of its predecessor.

“The language says its first priority is people who are a threat to public security,” said Cruz, 27. “The truth is that it’s a law to racially discriminate the immigrant community.”

Aleman, Cruz and members of Homestead’s Equal Rights for All, Dream Defenders, and WeCount! concluded the demonstration by leaving voicemails at the office of Mayor Porter.

Joel Aguilera, a member of the Dream Defenders, says their mission requires continued persistence and a youth lead push.

“[Martin Luther King Jr.] started in his mid-20s,” said Aguilera, 21. “As you can all see, everyone here is around the same age. I’d like to think that if he could see all the youth lead groups, organizations and individuals that have come to join all the cause, he would be more than willing to pass the torch to us.”

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Activist groups hold protest against immigration policy

BY JEFFREY PIERRE
JPIERRE@MIAMIHERALD.COM
01/16/2015 2:40 PM
01/16/2015 2:40 PM

Joel Aguilera, left front, talks to members of multiple organizations to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., on Thursday. The group gathered to challenge Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter to stand with immigrant communities and come out publicly against the Department of Homeland Security’s Priorities Enforcement Program, which they say will help law enforcement agencies identify and facilitate the removal of criminal illegal immigrants in the custody of state and local officials. PETER ANDREW BOSCH MIAMI HERALD STAFF

On Thursday, the day of Martin Luther King’s birthday, young activist and social leaders held a demonstration outside the construction site of what will be Homestead’s new City Hall building.

Saul Aleman, a member of the Quaker peace organization American Friends Service Committee, said the assembly site was picked to challenge Homestead mayor Jeff Porter “to stand with immigrant communities and publicly come out against the Department of Homeland Security’s Priority Enforcement Program (PEP).”

“We want to make sure that our elected officials and police are on the people’s side because we pay their bills,” said Aleman, 22.
PEP requests the voluntary collaboration of local law enforcement to notify the United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) of all immigrants — both legal and illegal —accused of a crime.

The President’s actions focuses on deporting immigrants who threaten national security and public safety — specifically detained suspects of terrorism, violent crimes, gang activity and undocumented immigrants at the top of the deportation priority list, according to the White House.

The new program, Aleman says, is set to “terrorize and racially profile” the immigrant community.

As part of the Obama administration’s changes in immigration policy in late November, PEP was created to replace ICE’s Secure Communities program, which was widely viewed as “overreaching,” by immigrants and civil rights groups. Under Secure Communities, participating jails submitted fingerprints to criminal and immigration databases providing ICE with a detailed inventory of individuals held in jails.

The program became a divisive issue in the immigrant community after traffic or immigration violators were held by local officials and turned over to immigration authorities. Many governors, mayors and state and local law enforcement officials around the country — including Miami-Dade County — refused to cooperate and immigration enforcement became more difficult.

Despite the change, Margarito Cruz, a member of United We Dream, is calling the new program a rebranding of its predecessor.

“The language says its first priority is people who are a threat to public security,” said Cruz, 27. “The truth is that it’s a law to racially discriminate the immigrant community.”

Aleman, Cruz and members of Homestead’s Equal Rights for All, Dream Defenders, and WeCount! concluded the demonstration by leaving voicemails at the office of Mayor Porter.

Joel Aguilera, a member of the Dream Defenders, says their mission requires continued persistence and a youth lead push.

“[Martin Luther King Jr.] started in his mid-20s,” said Aguilera, 21. “As you can all see, everyone here is around the same age. I’d like to think that if he could see all the youth lead groups, organizations and individuals that have come to join all the cause, he would be more than willing to pass the torch to us.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...le6996572.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...#storylink=cpy

See, this is what happens when a broken President tries to divide a bunch of lawbreakers, targeting the worst ones and giving amnesty to the not so bad ones. The laws says quite simply, they all go, which is what needs and must be done. Telling these stupid people who don't know anything about our country, some of you can stay but others have to leave, makes them think they're being discriminated against and in a way they are, not because of their race but because of the degree of how many laws they've broken besides US immigration law.

Our immigration laws are written to dismiss that difference. It doesn't matter whether you're a serial killer or a pregnant Mexican wanting to drop a bun in the oven on US soil to draw welfare, the laws require that if you are in the country illegally, you are to be arrested, jailed and deported. And that's the law because that's what's supposed to be done because that's what needs to be done to protect all Americans, American workers, American taxpayers, American kids, and American citizens from the ravages of illegal immigration and excess legal immigration.

Now get these law-breaking, whining, narcissistic losers out of here and keep them out. Why anyone, let alone the Miami-Herald, gives them the time of day is totally beyond me. It must be just to agitate Americans as if we're not agitated enough already over this disaster.

Illegal alien invasion supporters dont even want violent criminals removed from America. They think it is ok to conduct violence here and then still get to stay! This should be a clear warning to all that this is how they will turn America into the failed violent slum that Mexico is today!

W