Gang Member Deportations
A number of community based and local groups (Immigrant Legal Resource Center, NLG Bay Area Chapter, Homies Unidos, and National Immigration Project) are currently strategizing on how to combat Operation Community Shield and the deportation of alleged gang members throughout the country. They have decided to set up a pool of resources for both attorneys and activists on the National Immigration Project site to include the following:
- Sympathetic stories of noncitizens who have been caught up in this Operation but are not violent criminals, etc. in orderto organize both national and local press conferences to counteract all negative publicity by DHS
- Post strategies and briefs (many attorneys, for instance, are arguing asylum for their clients)
- Gather documentation proving that these people will be tortured and detained upon return to foreign countries, and
- Provide a community education curriculum to provide local community groups with materials to do outreach to the communities.
In local areas, such as LA, Bay Area, and DC, they also hope to hold press conferences and community forums to encourage alleged gang members to obtain status such as TPS and maintain their status.
Anyone working on these issues are encouraged to share strategies, arguments, briefs, and stories of clients with significant equities, by contacting Angie Junck at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Clients can remain anonymous. Angie’s email is ajunck@ilrc.org