The Trump administration has published a new rule that will effectively end the possibility of asylum for hundreds of thousands of people. Asylum is protection granted to persons forced to flee their home country due to persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Without asylum many of those who request it will suffer torture or death. Jefferson County Immigration Rights Advocates (JCIRA) strongly opposes the proposed rule and asks your help to influence our government to withdraw it.

JCIRA (Jefferson County Immigrant Rights Advocates) hopes to raise enough money to help families of local workers suddenly unemployed by the COVID-19 impacts to the economy:

 More than 200 forestry workers on the Olympic Peninsula no longer have
work
 About 100 people who worked in restaurants, motels and hotels no longer have work
 Elder caregivers, nursing home assistants, domestic workers and babysitters are losing their only sources of income
 Workers in the shellfish and oyster fisheries are gradually being laid off 

Our undocumented immigrant neighbors are unable to access support through unemployment benefits and government relief checks, or have equal access to healthcare. It is our most marginalized communities that suffer the most in a crisis.

JCIRA has been committed to supporting our local immigrant community through our Legal Defense and Family Support Fund since the winter of 2018. Since that date, we have provided over $22,000 in direct financial support to help pay for basic needs, rent, legal support, medical care, and education.

With the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that the need for financial support will only increase in the coming months. As of March 29, 2020, undocumented workers and their families will receive nothing - despite the fact that many have lived here for 10 years or more, have been fully employed, paid taxes to the federal government and have been strong participants in community life. Please donate to help keep our local immigrant families housed, safe and healthy during this unprecedented crisis.
Thank you so much for your support!


​Please give now - and give generously.

Monserrat Padilla, Co-Director, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) and Annie Benson, Senior Directing Attorney, Washington Defender Association (WDA) Immigrant Defense Project were the featured speakers at the well-attended January 21st event at QUUF. Among the many attendees were Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval, Jefferson County Sheriff Joe Nole, and County Commissioner Greg Brotherton. Padilla and Benson  spoke about the current status of the Keep Washington Working Act passed last year by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in May of 2019 as well as current legislation that will benefit the immigrant community. (See Legislative Update - Take Action in this newsletter.) ​​

What follows is a list of Washington Legislative bills that are of special importance to the immigrant community and to JCIRA as we continue to support and advocate for immigration rights. We ask that you let your voice be heard on the passage of these bills by contacting our legislative representatives and senator (see contact info below for our 24th Legislative District).

Our goal is that they will all successfully be passed by both the Senate and House this session. This is a short session that is scheduled to end on March 12. For up-to-date information please go to LEG.WA.GOV where you can message the legislature and get automatic updates on bills of interest. You can also find exact language and more detail of each bill.
 
Representative Mike Chapman (D)
Deputy Majority Whip
24 Legislative District
132B Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
(360) 786 – 7916

Representative Steve Tharinger (D)
314 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
(360) 786 – 7904

Senator Kevin Van De Wege (D)
212 John A. Cherberg Building
PO Box 40424
Olympia, WA 98504
(360) 786 - 7646

Note: You can also email them by going to LEG.WA.GOV
​
1) HB 2576/ SB 6442 Title: An act relating to private detention facilities.

Prohibits the operation of a private detention facility in the state by any person, business, or state or local governmental entity. Prohibits any person, business, or state or local governmental entity from entering into anating a private detention facility. Exempts specified facilities and contracts.

Note: The Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, known for its abuse of detained immigrants, is a private detention facility owned and operated by GEO Group on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The renewal of their contract is due in 2025, and if this bill passes, it will not be renewed. For more information on NWDC go to www.nwdcresistance.org
 
2) HB 2567/ SB 6522 Title: Concerning open courts.

Courts Open to All ensures that everyone has their day in court, regardless of immigration status. Immigration agents have been targeting individuals in and around courthouses in Washington. These practices impede due process and access to justice, spreading fear among people, families, and communities. This bill protects all people from warrant-less civil immigration arrests at courts, prohibits court staff and prosecutors from using state and local justice resources to report people for federal immigration enforcement, and requires courts to collect data on immigration agents’ surveillance of courthouses in Washington. These measures build community trust in local courts, prohibit immigration agents from interfering in local court functioning, and preserve access to our courts for everyone.

3) HB 1697 & SB 5814 Title: Apple Health to Age 26: Healthy Youth, Healthy Washington

Access to medical care is a basic necessity of life. When poverty, institutional racism, or immigration status pose barriers to accessing health care, everyone loses. Assuring that Washington’s young people have health care coverage reduces discriminatory barriers to medical care and keeps entire communities healthy. This bill will extend access to Washington’s Apple Health program to youth up to age 26, providing significant benefits to over 17,000 low income youth who are unable to receive federal coverage due to their documentation status. It will provide critical health care coverage for youth living at or near the federal poverty line at a time in life when a health crisis could have a lifelong impact on career, community engagement, and self-sufficiency.
 
4) HB2422 Title: Repealing certain provisions related to civil immigration enforcement.
​
Whenever a person is committed to a state correctional facility, county jail, or any other state or county institution which is supported wholly or in part by public funds, the individual in charge of the facility may inquire into the citizenship or immigration status of the person and may notify federal immigration authorities of the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of a person in custody. The individual in charge of the facility may assist and cooperate with the appropriate federal immigration authority, to include the sharing of the date of and reason for the person's commitment, the length of commitment, the person's country of citizenship, and the date on which and the port at which the person last entered the United States, to the extent consistent with state and local laws.

Note: The intent of this bill is to end the cooperation between ICE/CBP and local and state correctional facilities so that, for example, an immigrant stopped due to a traffic violation does not get released to ICE.

5) SB 6247 and HB 2511 Title:An act providing labor protections for domestic workers.

In addition to general workers’ rights, the legislation also mandates a written agreement between workers and their employers, and expressly prohibits employers from threatening workers with regard to their immigration status. Under the bill, domestic workers could not be fired without proper notice, and the Department of Labor & Industries could investigate complaints and issue penalties. A work group on domestic worker issues would also be established. A hiring entity may not (among other things) communicate to a person exercising the rights of employment in any employment action such as an evaluation, promotion, or termination, or discipline, the intent to inform a government agency of the worker's or family members suspected citizenship or immigration status
​

6) SB 5834 and HB 1779 Title: AN ACT Relating to providing for educational equity regardless of immigration or citizenship status.

For more than thirty years, Plyler v. Doe has ensured equal access to education for children regardless of immigration status. It is important for Washington state to protect its immigrant students and ensure that they have every opportunity to  continue their education without fear or undue risk.

When a federal immigration officer or law enforcement officer working on behalf of a federal immigration agency requests information or access to school grounds, principals, and other school administrators, must direct the officer to the school district superintendent, or the superintendent's designee. The superintendent, or the superintendent's designee, may only provide information or access to the officer after the officer presents a dated, signed judicial warrant. Following the officer's request for information or access, the superintendent, or the superintendent's designee, must report the request for information or access to the school board of directors in a timely manner and in a manner that ensures the confidentiality and privacy of any potentially identifying information.

Note: The intent of this bill is to create a positive school climate in which all students, including immigrant students, educators, and staff feel safe, welcomed, supported, and connected.

​
Information on the bills:

Prohibiting For Profit Prisons (House Bill 2576/Senate Bill 6442):

If approved, this bill would ban all for-profit prisons in Washington State! This would impact the operations of the Northwest Detention Center. Check out the link below for more information on the bill. 

https://crosscut.com/2020/01/washington-could-become-next-state-ban-private-prisons

You can also see the call to action at this link:
 https://www.jcira.org/home/urgent-call-to-action

Courts Open to All Act (House Bill 2567/Senate Bill 6522):  

​Scheduled for executive session today and Wednesday.

If approved, this bill would help prevent warrant-less arrests by ICE and CBP at courthouses in Washington state. Check out the link below for more information on the bill and a phone number and script to call your representatives today. 

https://www.seattleindivisible.com/daily-actions/2020/1/26/keep-ice-out-of-our-courts

​If you have questions about the bills being considered contact WAISN: info@waisn.org