On October 21, 2011, just days after the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed a detainer policy praised by many community members, legal service providers, and immigrant rights advocates as one that balances public safety, honors civil rights, and protects immigrants, County Counsel Miguel Marquez sends off a letter to ICE notifying them of our County’s official stance. Click below to read the letter….
National Policies
ACJP organizer Gail Noble given Patriot Award by Bill of Rights Defense Committee!
De-Bug’s Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project is proud to announce that Gail Noble has been given the Patriot Award by the Bill or Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) — a national non-profit grassroots organization based in Washington DC. The BORDC’s mission defends the rule of law and rights and liberties challenged by overbroad national security and counter-terrorism policies. Below is the biography they did on Gail that they shared on their site and in their newsletter. Gail has been an endless source of inspiration for us here in the De-Bug community, and that is why we are so pleased to know others can hear of her story and her efforts in the name of justice! check out the article on her! Continue reading
Santa Clara County Ends Collaboration with ICE, Creates Local Protections Against Controversial “Secure Communities” Program
In what has been heralded as the most progressive policy in the nation, Santa Clara County today voted in a new set of guidelines for civil immigration detainers, which in effect ends the county’s collaboration with Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE). Continue reading
Rev. Pinkney Comes to De-Bug’s ACJP to Speak on Courtroom Injustice
EVENT: FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOM: REV. EDWARD AND DOROTHY PINKNEY
WHERE: DE-BUG HEADQUARTERS, 701 LENZEN AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CA 95126
WHEN: THURS, SEPT.29, 2011 7PM
This exclusive San Jose engagement is also sponsored by the San Jose Silicon Valley NAACP, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, and UNITE-HERE Local 19. Continue reading
Troy Davis Dies, But Will His Movement Live On?
After a number delays, and a groundswell of support which included celebrities and national civil rights organizations, Troy Davis was executed in Georgia. Author Demone Carter wonders about future of the movement which called for his freedom, one that was widely built through social media. — Post submission by Demone Carter
Troy Davis is dead and unfortunately the passion and energy of his supporters may die with him. Continue reading
Santa Clara County DA’s Office to Now Consider “Collateral Consequences” — Policy Shift Bodes Well for Immigrants
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen
As stated in a recently released document, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced they will change their policy regarding the consideration of collateral consequences (such as possible deportation consequences for a minor conviction) when negotiating plea agreements. The memo states, “It is not generally the duty of a prosecutor to mitigate the collateral consequences to a defendant of his or her crime. However, in those cases where the collateral consequences are significantly greater than the punishment for the crime itself, it is incumbent upon the prosecutor to consider and, if appropriate, take reasonable steps to mitigate those collateral consequences.” Continue reading
New America Media: More Double Punishment for Immigrants with Convictions
By Michelle Fei — The Obama administration’s Aug. 18 announcement of a new policy that purports to suspend deportations against immigrants without criminal convictions has sprouted a range of reactions from immigrant rights advocates, from full-fledged celebration to wary suspicion.
I can appreciate why some advocates are praising the announcement. First, it does seem true that the national outcry over the failure of immigration reform and the expansion of the deportation program known as “Secure Communities” – which requires police to share fingerprint data of all arrestees with federal immigration authorities — has prompted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to respond with this “new” policy. It’s worth noting, however, that advocates have long sought to get ICE to actually exercise the discretionary powers it has always held. Second, fewer deportations is certainly a good thing. To the extent that this announcement can actually help the small percentage of people who could qualify for a temporary reprieve from deportation, I share the temporary sense of relief of these immigrants. No family should know the devastation of deportation. Continue reading
New York Times: Rules Are Changed on Witness IDs
In landmark decision that will likely impact courts across the country, the New York Times reports on a New Jersey Supreme Court decision regarding eyewitness identifications. Post Submission by Aram James.
The New Jersey Supreme Court, acknowledging a “troubling lack of reliability in eyewitness identifications,” issued sweeping new rules on Wednesday making it easier for defendants to challenge such evidence in criminal cases.
The court said that whenever a defendant presents evidence that a witness’s identification of a suspect was influenced, by the police, for instance, a judge must hold a hearing to consider a broad range of issues. These could include police behavior, but also factors like lighting, the time that had elapsed since the crime or whether the victim felt stress at the time of the identification. Continue reading
Freedom Bound: Community Justice Network for Youth Video
Check out the inspiring video of our friends at CJNY at their national gathering!
San Jose Police Ends Collaboration with ICE After Months of Advocacy from Immigrant Communities
After months of advocacy from San Jose immigrant advocacy organizations, civil rights groups, and service agencies — the San Jose police is withdrawing their participation from the controversial Homeland Security/ICE program called “Operation Community Shield.” Initial news of the program drew a widespread backlash from immigrant communities who said placing two ICE agents within the SJPD would cause waves of distrust in local law enforcement. Groups such as Sacred Heart Community Services, SIREN, PACT, and De-Bug organized public community responses to share their message that community trust is an important feature of a smart public safety framework. Today, the SJPD sent out the following press release.
San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore has announced that the San Jose Police Department is concluding its partnership with Homeland Security Investigations as part of Operation Community Shield (OCS).
The San Jose Police Departments involvement in OCS began on June 24th as part of Chief Moores plan to halt an alarming increase in gang violence in the city. Other components to the plan involved redirecting the 38 member METRO Unit to focus on All gangs, all the time. The METRO Unit has since made over 315 arrests. Approximately 70% of the arrests have been gang-related. Chief Moore also directed the Patrol Division to deploy additional officers as daily gang suppression cars to further decrease gang violence. Continue reading
Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project 