Thread: How To Protect You and Your Family During Immigration Raids

North County, San Diego, California
REGION: Immigrant rights guide stirs controversy

Pamphlet being distributed by county education officials

By EDWARD SIFUENTES - esifuentes@nctimes.com North County Times - Californian
Posted: Sunday, October 17, 2010 12:00 am

A pamphlet prepared by a Maryland-based Latino and immigrant rights group that tells people how they should behave and what they should do when questioned by authorities is being distributed to students by San Diego County educators.

The eight-page, illustrated pamphlet, titled "Know Your Rights! Learn How To Protect You and Your Family During Immigration Raids," does not appear to violate any district policies or state or federal laws, but it has raised eyebrows among some law enforcement and elected officials.

San Diego County Office of Education spokesman Jim Esterbrooks said his agency began passing out the pamphlet this summer to students who officials felt might benefit from its contents. The pamphlet, which is free to download from the Internet, was provided to the district by a local immigrant rights group.

Esterbrooks said teachers in the Office of Education's Juvenile Court and Community Schools program found that some of their students were having trouble studying because they had family members who were deported or were worried that they themselves could be deported.

The program serves about 2,800 at-risk students through various storefront locations and campuses, including San Pasqual Academy in Escondido and about a dozen other sites in North County. The students include children in the foster care and juvenile court systems.

Although students in the program come from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, many are Latinos who come from "mixed-status" families, meaning some family members are legal immigrants, some are illegal immigrants and some are U.S. citizens, Esterbrooks said.

"A lot of those students were distracted and weren't able to concentrate," Esterbrooks said. "When the teachers asked why, they said that they were worried about immigration enforcement by police and Border Patrol."

The pamphlet was produced by CASA de Maryland, a Latino and immigrant rights group founded by various religious congregations in 1985, said Rodolfo Pastor, a spokesman for the group. It can be downloaded from the group's website, www.casademaryland.org.

Available in English and Spanish, the pamphlet includes information on what an illegal immigrant should do when questioned by immigration authorities. The tips include:

-- You have a right not to answer questions.

-- If you have legal immigration documents, keep them with you at all times.

-- Don't say anything about where you were born or how you came into the country.

-- Don't carry legal documents from a foreign country.

-- Above all, don't provide false documents and don't lie.

The pamphlet uses comic-book-like illustrations. It shows uniformed law enforcement officers asking for ID cards. In one panel, when an officer asks a Latino-looking man wearing a baseball cap to show identification, the man responds, "I need to speak to my lawyer."

Some of the drawings show muscled officers in uniform with dark glasses.

Escondido Police Department spokesman Lt. Craig Carter said he was concerned about how law enforcement officers were depicted in the illustrations.

"It portrays the officers as heavy-handed thugs," he said.

Carter said he was also concerned about some of the information the booklet provides. Although people have a right to remain silent, he said, not answering an officer's questions could result in people who might otherwise be released being taken to the police station for further investigation.

The Escondido Police Department has been criticized by some Latinos for its increased cooperation with immigration agencies, including its partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Four ICE agents work with the department to identify and deport criminal illegal immigrants.

Joe Kasper, a spokesman for Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, raised other concerns.

"The big question is whether any state tax dollars are being used to distribute the material," Kasper said.

Esterbrooks said no expenses are incurred in distributing the material, other than possibly making a few copies.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for ICE in San Diego, said the agency has no problems with the information provided in the pamphlet.

"ICE fully supports efforts to inform people about their legal rights," Mack said. "Generally, this pamphlet, which has been distributed in other major metropolitan areas, offers sound and practical information about the enforcement process."

Esterbrooks said copies of the pamphlet were distributed to teachers and staff members at a meeting held at the Office of Education in September. Copies were also given out at another meeting in June, when representatives of the immigrant rights group American Friends Service Committee were invited to speak.

Benjamin Prado, a program coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, said he spoke at the Office of Education meeting and provided copies of the pamphlet. He said concerns are growing in the Latino community about the close working relationship between local law enforcement and immigration authorities.

Prado said it is important that schools teach students about their constitutional rights.

"It's what they should be doing," he said.

Call staff writer Edward Sifuentes at 760-740-3511.

NORTH COUNTY TIMES

DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE WITH PICTURES



KNOW YOUR RIGHTS PAMPHLET

Know Your Rights!* The contents of this booklet do not constitute legal advice. Consult an immigration attorney for legal advice.
* The contents of this booklet do not constitute legal advice. Consult an immigration attorney for legal advice.
If you are undocumented...
Do not answer any questions or say only “I need to speak
to my lawyer.â€

EscoNative59 said on: October 17, 2010, 11:40 am Ed Sifuentes is not a REAL reporter. My cousin is a supervisor at AP and NORMAL reporters report on a variety of issues. Ed is a trouble maker and NCT supports him. You know ACE is going to close these comments because AMERICANS, even Americans of Latino descent DON'T SUPPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and their ANCHOR BABIES. BTW Ed that is what they are.

NCT COMENTS ON THIS STORY

Does Casa de Maryland use the FEDERAL GRANT money that it receives to print this stuff.
Why are California county emplyees passing them out? I that aiding and abetting?

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Does Casa de Maryland use the FEDERAL GRANT money that it receives to print this stuff.
Why are California county emplyees passing them out? I that aiding and abetting?

I live in Maryland. Casa de Maryland is one of the most corrupt, anti-American organizations in Maryland. It is partially funded by Maryland tax dollars. Yep, I am FORCED to fund Casa de Maryland because I pay my taxes, and some of that money is used to support Casa.

Casa de Maryland aids & abets illegal aliens in Maryland. They use taxpayer dollars to bail illegal aliens out of jail. They use tax dollars to help illegal aliens find jobs. They use tax dollars to assist illegal aliens in getting government assistance like food stamps, welfare, and Section 8 housing.

Casa de Maryland controls our state. They "cry foul" whenever any sort of illegal alien crackdown takes place. They have our Governor O'Malley wrapped around their finger.

Recently, there was a radio interview with the director of Casa de Maryland. She stated that over 3,900 Maryland employers use Casa de Maryland to "hire workers regardless of their immigration status."

This is an organization that needs to have its records subpoenaed so that we can all see which employers are using their "services" to hire illegal alien workers. Since MY tax dollars fund this organization, shouldn't the Maryland citizens be able to know which employers are handing out jobs to illegals?

Just take a look at their site. They openly admit to assisting illegal aliens. Absolutely disgusting that I have to pay into this:

http://casademaryland.org/index.php?opt ... &Itemid=78

An article where Casa de Maryland staged a protest when correctional officials DID THEIR JOB by forwarding a woman's fingerprints to ICE. More of MY tax dollars at work for Casa:


Md. mom may face deportation

A 26-year-old Maryland mother of three children is at the center of a deportation fight that is being used to highlight a new law enforcement tool critics claim is being misused to target illegal immigrants, Fox 5 reports.

Florinda Fabiola Lorenzo-DeSimilian was arrested at her home last Tuesday for allegedly selling $2 phone cards without a license, a misdemeanor. Her fingerprints were taken when she was booked into the Prince George's County Correctional Center. Those prints were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI forwarded them to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There was a hit. Sources say ICE had placed a hold order on Lorenzo-DeSimilian in 2004 for overstaying her visa. She was released from jail last Friday pending a deportation hearing.

On Monday night, CASA of Maryland staged a protest outside the Prince George's County jail. About 60 members of the county's Latino community are calling attention to Lorenzo-DeSimilian’s case. They're blaming correctional officials for sending her fingerprints to the FBI, Fox 5 reports.

Prince George's County is taking part in a new U.S. Homeland Security program called Secure Communities targeting violent criminals. Police officials say it has nothing to do with enforcing federal immigration laws but acknowledge people charged with misdemeanor crimes will sometimes have their fingerprints sent to the FBI.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local- ... d=newswell

Oh, and my tax dollars also go towards helping Casa de Maryland stage protests at ballparks because they are offended by Arizona's illegal immigration laws:

Pro-immigrants group takes protest to ballpark

As Gustavo Andrade walked across the playing field of the Washington Nationals major league baseball park in defiance of Arizona Law SB1070 here today, many in the crowd of 21,695 hissed and booed.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ fans and home team supporters reflected a mixture of bewilderment and anger as immigration tensions resurfaced in the nation’s capital.

During the fifth inning, Andrade, senior organizing manager for Casa de Maryland, sprinted across the field joining three other activists as security guards scrambled to catch them. Andrade managed to dodge the first guard and then locked into a high five with a fellow protester.

All four were apprehended and later released, marking the 17th attempt activists have made to pressure Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Phoenix.

Referring to Selig, activist Natali Fani explained, “He’s breaking the legacy of baseball because it‘s about a social institution. We want to move the game to a state that holds the law of this country.â€

Above all, don't provide false documents and don't lie.

Their entire existence in this country is based upon "lies and providing false documents!" That's exactly why it’s outrageous that school administrators would provide this garbage, which aids and abets illegal invading criminals!

No matter, they have a right to keep their mouth shut and we have a right to deport them. No foolish pamphlet is going to prevent that.

This election will be an interesting one.

Our current Governor supports illegal immigration, and only refers to illegals as "New Americans". The man running against him, the pro-American Bob Ehrlich, wants to end taxpayer support of illegals. Casa de Maryland has been working hard to register as many Latino voters as possible.

If Ehrlich wins, Maryland will take a turn for the better.

If O'Malley (and Casa de Maryland) wins, Maryland might as well change its name to Little El Salvador.

Keeping fingers crossed for Ehrlich.