FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2012

Guardians of the Most Vulnerable

Attorneys representing families in the Miramonte School sex scandal call for swift and coordinated assistance to victims, written assurances by Sheriff Baca that undocumented victims will not be deported through Secure Communities program, and a culture of collective vigilance to prevent these crimes from happening again

Los Angeles – Just a couple of days before a completely different set of teachers and administrators was to begin a new chapter at Miramonte Elementary School, the first lawsuits were filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of eight children and their families who were victimized by the sex scandal that has attracted international attention.  The laws firms of Owen, Patterson & Owen and The Law Office of Jessica Dominguez, with support from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a human rights organization based in Los Angeles, announced this Thursday their intent to seek protections and assistance for the most vulnerable in this case of despicable violations of sacred trust and responsibility.  The most salient concern for these advocate attorneys and CHIRLA is the children who were victimized by the inability of the LAUSD staff to appropriately protect them from harm and their families, many who are immigrants and fearful of immigration retaliation.  The following are statements from Angelica Salas, CHIRLA executive Director; Jessica Dominguez, immigration attorney; and, Gregory James Owen, attorney at Owen, Patterson & Owen.

Soon the California State legislature may get a chance to vote on the TRUST Act, a bill limiting the extent to which local police and immigration officials will enforce ICE's "holds" on undocumented immigrants.  Thus far, local police have voluntarely collaborated with the flawed program resulting in thousands of deportations of undocumented immigrants without a criminal record.  Although "S-Comm" is suppossed to focus its resources on catching "criminal elements", 60-70% of all those detained under this program are not a threat to the community.  In this newsreport, CHIRLA argues why S-Comm should be ended and why it hurts the community.  Video courtesy of Univision network evening news.  Click on video image below.

For Immediate Release: January 27, 2012                   

Los Angeles— Inspired by Monday’s Republican candidate debates in Florida, Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, filed a bill that would give young people who serve in the military — not college students — a path to U.S. citizenship.  Rivera is quoted in the Miami Herald as stating:  “If somebody is willing to die for America, then certainly they deserve a chance at life in America.”  The proposal is called the Adjusted Residency for Military Service Act — the ARMS Act. The following is a statement from Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a regional human and immigrant rights organization based in Los Angeles with national impact.

“Yesterday, Congressman David Rivera (R-Miami) introduced a bill that in essence will bastardize the spirit of the federal DREAM Act.  The DREAM Act we support is a real opportunity for undocumented students brought by their parents to the United States as children to adjust their status if they attend college or serve in the military.  Rivera’s proposal is a clear and timed political bow to insincere pronouncements on the campaign trail that call only for the legalization of young people who serve in the military.