As far as we know, vulnerable Sonoma County residents living in Cloverdale, Geyserville, Windsor and Healdsburg have not been detained by ICE or DHS; however, the threat and fear are real. Many immigrants all over California have been picked up and detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
The sad and horrific stories of people getting picked up after or while taking their kids to school or childcare are heartbreaking. People are being detained at their place of employment and getting picked up at courthouses.
Any of these individuals could easily be our neighbor. We can all help our immigrant community members by becoming part of our local 24/7 Rapid Response Network — all it requires is getting legal observer training so that you know what you can lawfully do to document detentions.
Documenting these incidents involves using your smart phone to video the event and helps the detainee’s family find him or her, get legal help and hopefully get their family member out of the immigrant detention center to prevent deportation. It seems like it is the least we can do. As a trained legal observer, you will receive a text when an ICE incident occurs within 1 to 5 miles from you. At the scene, you are not to intervene in any way other than to video the event. Periodic trainings occur throughout Sonoma County.Â
The next upcoming legal observer training will be held on Saturday, March 3, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Community Church of Sebastopol — United Church of Christ, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol. To participate, send an email to [email protected] or call 481-2970.
At the end of 2017, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, designating California a sanctuary state. SB 54 prohibits law enforcement agencies throughout the state (including community police, sheriff departments, school police and security departments) from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest people for immigration enforcement purposes.
In addition, the governor also signed AB 450 into law, which became effective on Jan. 1, 2018. This new law requires employers to verify that immigration officials have a judicial warrant or subpoena prior to entering a workplace and that employers provide notice to employees if there has been a request to review the employer’s immigration documents, such as Form I-9s.
The new law puts employers in a difficult situation of having to comply with federal immigration law obligations on one hand and state law requirements on the other. Large penalties can result for violations of either law.
There is an upcoming employer training to learn about how to comply with this new law on Saturday, March 3, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Community Church of Sebastopol — United Church of Christ, 1000 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol. To participate, email [email protected] or call 481-2970.
Vicky Groom is the founder and co-leader of Cloverdale Indivisible, [email protected].
