President Trump’s goal is for immigrants to be afraid to go to work, for classroom seats to be empty, and for families to be separated from loved ones. Without strong immigrant protections, all communities will live in fear of public spaces where they may be stopped or questioned. In a ripple effect, immigrant neighborhoods in San Francisco will be devastated.
We cannot let this happen in San Francisco.
San Francisco Reaffirms Immigrant Protections
Last week, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming the city’s commitment to uphold San Francisco’s long-standing commitment to sanctuary city ordinance.
San Francisco has a long history of defending and protecting immigrant communities.. In response to Trump’s scare tactics, the San Francisco Mayor, City Attorney, and Sheriff’s Office have all reaffirmed the City’s sanctuary policy and the city’s sheriff’s office does not arrest people for civil immigration violations. Recently, San Francisco joined a coalition of states in a lawsuit to block Trump’s executive order terminating birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States from going into effect. Please join our call to action here to protect birthright citizenship.
Anti-Immigrant Attacks Continue
Trump’s assault on immigrants has now gone even further with a directive rescinding ICE’s long-standing policy to steer clear of churches, schools, and hospitals. This means ICE will allow agents to arrest children at school or force hospitals to turn over patients. It instills fear in immigrant communities so we are afraid to access medical care, education, and other basic services.
How CAA Is Fighting Back
Our immigrants rights team has received an overwhelming number of calls to the City’s 24-hours rapid response hotline as community members and educators express fear of ICE and service providers ask for “know your rights” and ICE protocol training. Our team is working hard to respond to each and every one of these calls for help, reassuring immigrant communities by remaining calm and not panicking.
Our team has already scheduled dozens of training sessions in the coming weeks and created a list of immigration resources available in-language. These acts of resistance will slow down the Trump operatives. We know that our collective work is making a difference because Trump’s “border czar,” is complaining about immigrants being too “educated about their rights.” The more we equip the community with resources, the fewer families will be torn apart.
Along with many allies, CAA also testified in support of the city’s immigrant protections:
What Comes Next
Trump’s attacks on immigrants are part of a dark authoritarian vision that targets and dehumanizes all those he deems as the “other.” These assaults – from eliminating the U.S. Department of Education to sending migrants to Guantanamo Bay – target individuals as well as institutions that support our communities. Now more than ever, we know that our constitutional rights and diverse democracy must be protected.
