The recent series of S.F. Chronicle articles concerning a group of immigrant youth apprehended for drug sales in San Francisco is misguided and misdirected. Without any consideration of the desperate circumstances of their lives, the article demonize these immigrants and castigate the Juvenile Probation Department for returning these children to their families. Many of the youth disparagingly cast as common criminals, often are forced to flee their home countries in dire straits and arrive alone in a country in which they are marginalized, exploited and coerced into an underground world of drug dealing. With apparent zeal to paint these children in as unfavorable a light as possible, the articles fail to address the disturbing reality that many of these children are actually trafficked into the United States and forced to deal drugs to pay off their debt, much like the women and children forced into prostitution by sex traffickers.

The vast majority of unaccompanied youth from Central America are desperate to escape the crushing poverty and violence in their home countries. In the case of Honduras, the average annual income is $4,100, there is a 27% unemployment rate, and 50% of the population lives in desperate poverty. Official report from Amnesty International in 2008, indicate that at least 500 women and children were killed without anyone brought to justice for the crimes. These children are leaving their home countries with the hope that America offers a fresh start, or at least a chance to send some money home to put food on the table. Upon their arrival in San Francisco, the stark reality of an undocumented immigrant becomes evident and they are forced into jobs in the shadows of society.

The article miss the point when they blame San Francisco’s Sanctuary Ordinance as the rationale for not routinely turning these children over to Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials. Perhaps coaxed by US Attorney Joseph Russoniello — who similarly opposed churches and synagogues offering sanctuary to Salvadorans and Guatemalans fleeing death squads in the 1980’s — the article blaming the city’s ordinance are aimed at the wrong target. Neither the spirit nor the letter of the ordinance , which some of us drafted back in 1989, could have produced the current circumstance.

In point of face, these children are under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court, which is part of the Unified Family Court, not the criminal court. State law protects the confidentiality of the juvenile court proceedings and records. Moreover, contrary to the repeated assertions, federal immigration law does not require that San Francisco turn over information regarding the immigration status of juvenile detainees who appear to be in the country illegally. The Juvenile Court and Probation Department are legally mandated to consider the needs of each minor on a case by case basis and provide a plan that will protect the child’s best interest, which may include placement in foster care, a group home, release to local family or return to family out of the country. These laws apply to all children under Juvenile Court jurisdiction, regardless of immigration status.

The unhappy reality is that there are undocumented, unaccompanied children in our community who resort to drug sales or other unsafe, illegal activities in order to survive and to support their families. The preferred solution — to detain them in locked immigration facilities for as long as it takes to formally deport them — is one that naively assumes this will prevent them from returning to this country. We reject this inhumane solution for its failure to recognize and address the real crime: poverty, violence and exploitation.

Respectfully Submitted,

San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network, Legal Services for Children, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

On Friday, May 2nd immigration agents conducted a large-scale raid at several locations of the El Balazo chain across San Francisco and the East Bay, where about 60 employees were detained and interrogated without legal representation. Lots of community actions have been happening over the few days and we wanted to share with you links to articles, news report etc. It’s been beautiful to see faith leaders, city officials and community organizations coming together to fight the recent injustices.

photo courtesy of Rev. Israel Alvaran

Remember to protect yourself and your family by not answering any questions, not signing any papers and requesting an attorney if you are approached by an immigration agent. If your organization or business would like to host a Know Your Rights workshop at your venue, please contact Carolyn Tran (415)282-6209 ext. 15.

Monday’s Action in front of I.C.E Building, organized by Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition & East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy

SF Bay Guardian

SF Chronicle

Tuesday’s SFILEN Press Conference to Denounce I.C.E Raids & Reaffirm SF as a Sanctuary City:

ABC7News

On Wednesday, April 2nd Mayor Gavin Newsom reaffirmed San Francisco as a Sanctuary City! The SF Immigrant Legal & Education Network, along with other community groups, labor unions and city leaders, have been working hard to launch the public awareness campaign on Sanctuary City to let our immigrant communities know they’re safe from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) when accessing services.

SFGTV filmed the Sanctuary City’s press conference. If you missed it or want to see it again, click the link:
http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=18&clip_id=5151

Not sure what a Sanctuary City means? Read this helpful Q&A on Sanctuary:
Sanctuary City Q&A

Read the Mayor’s press release on the outreach campaign:
Mayor Newsom Press Release on Sanctuary City

Read the letter of support issued by Bishop Marc Andrus of the Episcopal Church:
Letter of Support by Bishop Marc Andrus

Also, check out the press coverage from yesterday’s press conference:

ABC Channel 7
SF Cements Its Role as “Sanctuary City”
Reporter: Vic Lee
For video clip and printed summary, go to:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6058431

KCBS 740 AM
SF Ups the Ante on Sanctuary City Status
Reporter: George Harris
For audio clip and printed summar, go to:
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/1933528.php

SF Chronicle
SF Promotes Services for Illegal Immigrants
by Cecilia M. Vega
For article, go to:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/02/BA0NVUM70.DTL

SF Examiner
City Reaches Out to Illegal Immigrants
by Joshua Sabatini
For article, go to:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1317643~City_reaches_out_to_illegal_immigrants.html

Sing Tao Daily
For the article, go to: http://www.singtaousa.com/

The SF Network was mentioned in the SingTao Daily News and MingPao for our work at the Chinatown New Year’s Festival.

Check out the articles: (They’re in Chinese)

SingTao USA

MingPao USA

At the beginning of February, the SF Immigrant Legal & Education Network, kicked off its series of immigrant rights workshop at City College of San Francisco Downtown Campus. This is a great collaboration for SFILEN to bring important information to CCSF immigrant students.

Our amazing community education team shared information about San Francisco’s Sanctuary ordinance and what services are available for immigrants.

If you missed the first workshop, don’t worry! We have another workshop scheduled for Friday, February 29th. We’ll be acting out scenarios and what to do if you encounter the police or Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). Check out our events page for more information!