TN - Immigration advocates rally against federal initiative

9:00 PM, Apr 12, 2012

A group of Knoxville immigration advocates are rallying to keep a federal immigration program from coming to Knox County.

The Allies of Knoxville's Immigrant Neighbors protested downtown against the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287-G program.

The program is a federal initiative that allows designated local law enforcement officers the authority for immigration enforcement in their jurisdictions.

Next week, the Knox County Sheriff's Office has a planned meeting with ICE agents about the program.

The Department of Homeland Security says the program works to arrest illegal immigrants and keep the public safe.

Protesters say 287-G has many flaws.

"It encourages racial profiling; it drives a wedge between the community and the police," said Zach Hill. "People don't want to go to the police for domestic problems or anything because they're going to be deported because of it. And it makes everyone less safe."

Right now, only two other agencies in Tennessee have partnered with ICE for the program: Davidson County and THP.

We tried talking with the Knox County Sheriff's Office today, but they say they can't comment on 287-G until after next week's meeting.

Immigration advocates rally against federal initiative | wbir.com

Rally in downtown Knoxville against immigration laws
Posted: Apr 25, 2012 10:19 PM EDT



KNOXVILLE (WATE) - People gathered in downtown Knoxville Wednesday night to protest immigration laws locally and nationwide. Organizers said these policies are racist and lead to racial profiling.

The rally was to show solidarity for immigrants in Arizona as the Supreme Court debates the tough immigration laws there. They also protested a proposed policy in Knox County, 287(g), to check inmates' immigration status.

The crowd in Krutch Park for Knoxville United Against Racism was a mixed one, similar to the rally against racism held there three weeks ago in light of the Trayvon Martin case in Florida.

"We are all together in this," said Miguel Carpizo, who works for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition against 287(g).

"What this program does, they convert the local police into an immigration agency," Carpizo said.

He fears the local policy will spread from checking immigration status in jail to asking for proof of citizenship during routine traffic stops.

"It doesn't only affect people who are here without papers, but also people who are immigrants who maybe they went to Walmart and they don't have the papers and something happens," he said.

"It's a question of policy and are our laws actually just?" said Daniel Snider, who volunteers for a new group called Allies of Knoxville's Immigrant Neighbors.

"You can't just attack one group to make a whole community safer," Snider said. He wants people to see beyond the laws to the families that could be affected by deportation. "It destroys by communities taking hardworking people out," he said.

Rally in downtown Knoxville against immigration laws