San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network Launches 24 Hour Hotline
The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (SFILEN) is a unique collaboration of legal and service organizations dedicated to aiding the immigrant community in San Francisco.
As San Francisco comes into sharper conflict with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement tactics, residents now have a hotline to call when they spot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps and dragnets. The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (SFILEN) set up the hotline at (415) 200-1548 to give the community a one-stop shop to report ICE raids. When tips arrive at the hotline about suspected ICE actions, such as check points or neighborhood sweeps, SFILEN sends its own personnel to the scene to canvass the area, inform community members of their legal rights, and provide legal support to intervene in deportation proceedings as needed.
The hotline, which was recently deployed, supports residents of San Francisco County. SFILEN is encouraging groups in other communities to set up similar efforts.
SFILEN has also released a tip sheet on how to confront ICE enforcement actions that can be found here. It is also available in Spanish here.
Beyond the hotline, SFILEN works with 13 partner organizations to provide legal support to the low-income immigrant community. Resources can be found at: http://sfilen.org/services/ “The civil liberties infringement at the heart of recent ICE raids and sweeps has broad implications for everyone. Residents and families are not obligated to submit to searches and coerced ID checks while engaging in law-abiding activities, which means that these broad ICE enforcements often involve an element of deception or coercion,“ said Ana Herrera, Managing Attorney at Dolores Street Community Services. “Immigration officials can still pursue appropriate actions with a warrant or as part of a legitimate investigation. This new hotline and San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy will help us avoid these legally questionable broad sweeps that have focused on law abiding, working people and families and which have employed racial profiling.”
Members of the community can donate to support the SFILEN’s hotline online through this link.
KJ