For Immediate Release:April 6, 2002

Los Angeles – On Friday the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released two reports addressing how the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) communicated the intent and requirements for participation in the wrongly-named “Secure Communities” (S-Comm) program to states and local jurisdictions and how the program is meeting its priorities. The OIG is tasked with periodic audits, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of the oversight responsibilities within DHS.   The following is a statement from Angelica Salas, executive director for CHIRLA, a regional human and immigrant rights organization based in Los Angeles.

"The reports do not even begin to address the myriad, factual and legitimate concerns that communities across the country have long had about DHS-ICE's metastasized deportation dragnet, "S-Comm".

The program is turning local police departments into de facto immigration agents, often against their will as we have just seen in the case of Oscar Carrillo in Pasadena, CA.

While the OIG reviews the history of S-Comm, the current program represents a time bomb for the community: public trust in law enforcement continues to be undermined. While it may be acceptable collateral damage in the eyes of certain politicians in Arizona, Alabama and Kansas who have no qualms about relying on racial profiling, in California it is intolerable.

For Immediate Release:  April 5, 2012

U.S. on Track with Family Alienation Program

Report to Congress highlights fast and furious deportation of immigrant parents of US-born citizens

Los Angeles – In a seven-page report to Congress this week, the office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acknowledged it has deported nearly 47,000 parents of US-born citizens the first half of 2011 alone.  The report describes an additional 40,000 parents of at least one US-born child that ICE sought to place in deportation, exclusion, or removal proceedings – only half of these were ultimately ordered deported. It is unclear how many of these immigrants were deported during the same record period, their cases are likely still pending. The report entitled “Deportation of Parents of U.S.-Born Citizens Fiscal Year 2011” was requested by Representatives Price (GA) and Roybal-Allard (CA) and members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

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.

“The ICE report on deporting parents of U.S.-born citizens underscores what is morally wrong with our immigration system.  Through a blind, careless, and erratic approach to immigration law enforcement, the U.S. is actively alienating families and leaving tens of thousands of U.S.-born children to fend for themselves. 

Massive deportation of parents of American-born citizens is a cruel, irrational, and un-American approach to patching antiquated immigration laws that require urgent updates."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 27, 2012