JCIRA February Newsletter

2/8/2020

Our mission is to support the rights of immigrants and their families, giving priority to those who live or work on the Olympic Peninsula and immigrant detainees within Washington State, through access to legal services, standing witness, family support, community education and advocacy for local, state and national issues.

Upcoming Events!!

1) Tuesday, February 11, 5:00 to 6:30 pm, Indivisible Huddle Meeting Unity Center of Port Townsend, 3918 San Juan Ave
JCIRA will present new research on all the Democratic candidates' platforms on immigration.

2) Tuesday, February 18, 4:30 to 6 pm, JCIRA General Meeting. Email jcirawa@gmail.com for location.

3) Friday, March 6 in Port Angeles 9:00 to 3 pm, Tabling at Community Resource Connections in Port Angeles
If you'd like to help staff the table, call Jean 360.385.1105.

Guest Speakers from the January JCIRA meeting

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.)

WAISN (Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network)
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE ADVOCACY DAY Olympia, February 5, 2020

JCIRA Board Members Jean Walat, Linda Murphy, Kathleen Holt & Libby Palmer attended this all-day event, WAISN Lobby Day, at the Capitol. An incredibly diverse group of over 200 people from Spokane to PT (we were the only ones from the Peninsula) were there to hear about the current immigrant rights bills being considered during this short 60-day legislative session. Several committee meetings were taking place during the day, with exciting announcements of support about the bills being made as we met.

In the day's orientation WAISN did a magnificent job of cramming detailed information about the bills, with practical do's and don’ts of lobbying, small group sessions to plan strategy, informal meetings with people from around the state, and of providing really good food for everyone.

We gathered outside the State Legislative Building to hear from the Lieutenant Governor, several DACA recipients, folks who’d been seized by ICE, young people impacted by those seizures, and then we broke into legislative district groups to actually meet with our State Representatives about the immigration rights bills. The four of us from JCIRA met with Representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger in their offices, and with an intern to Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, who couldn't be present because he had to be at a committee meeting.

The session ends March 12; we’ll keep you posted on results and/or any needed actions, including what you can do right now (See Legislative Update - Take Action below), and...

Mark this event, the WAISN Lobby Day, on your 2021 calendar, first week of February. Not to be missed!!

Call to Action!
Oppose Immigrant Filing-Fee Increases!

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reopened the public comment period for its proposed fee schedule changes until Monday, February 10. Among other things this new rule will:

Impose a de facto wealth tax on naturalization.
Impose a fee for asylum.
Raise fees on those that afford them the least:

You will be able to submit a comment through regulations.gov. For resources to help you respond to this proposed rule, please see Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.’s

Fee Schedule Webpage, which has additional analysis of the proposed changes and a template comment to help you draft your response.

Legislative Update - Take Action!!

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.

If you're interested in How a Bill Becomes Law go to this link: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

Good News Department

Judge Reverses Convictions of Activists Who Left Water for Migrants. A Tucson federal judge reversed convictions against four members of a humanitarian group, No More Deaths, who left food and jugs of water for migrants crossing illegally into the United States.

Click this link to see this Feb. 5th New York Times article.