San José, CA – On September 21, CSO San José and Human Agenda joined the Legalization for All National Weekend of Action to protest the Supreme Court ruling allowing racial profiling. Activists present demanded legalization for all, freedom for Ulises Peña López and an end to masking of ICE agents and law enforcement in San José.

On September 8, the Supreme Court gave the green light to racial profiling in Southern California. This comes after the District Court in July ordered the Department of Homeland Security to stop racially profiling Chicanos, Centro Americanos, Mexicanos, and Latinos in southern California during ICE stops.

Chief of staff for District 5 City Councilmember Peter Ortiz’s office, Brisa Morales, gave a statement on behalf of Ortiz against the Supreme Court ruling. Morales stated that the ruling was “a direct attack on the dignity, safety and humanity of our immigrant neighbors.” Peter Ortiz, along with others, are currently in the process of passing a memorandum to ban ICE agents and law enforcement from masking their identity.

Activists with the Community Service Organization San José gave statements in response. Misrayn Mendoza, long time community organizer, stated, “Our communities are under pressure, our faith in these institutions is further deteriorating and that is why we must continue to keep organizing, go door to door in our barrios here.”

Uriel Magdaleno spoke about CSO San José’s monthly barrio walks, saying, “We are able to engage with community members on a one-to-one basis and educate them how to protect themselves from ICE as well as build with them as CSO San José and continue to mobilize.”

Larissa Bitterli of CSO San José spoke about community defense of detainees. CSO San José has been publicly active in protests and community outreach for Ulises Peña López, who was detained in the South Bay Area. Bitterli stated, “He is currently being held at the California City detention center, we are calling upon the community to participate in a call in to Representative Ro Khanna to visit Ulises at California City detention center.”

Felipe Romero Jr., an immigration lawyer with Human Agenda, stated, “The court in granting the state of injunction essentially allowed immigration enforcement officers to continue making stops based on a set of vague and subjective criteria that disproportionately targets people of color.” Romero Jr. continued, “This decision will have a chilling effect on immigrant communities, our communities.”

Other cities cited as participants include LA, Oakland, Orange County, Jacksonville, Florida and Aurora, Colorado.

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #CSOSJ

From Fight Back! News via this RSS feed