The following was sent to Multnomah County Commissioners on February 27, 2012

To: Multnomah County Commissioners

501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 600

Portland, OR 97214-3587

Jeff Cogen, County Chair

Deborah Kafoury

Loretta Smith

Judy Shiprack

Diane McKeel

RE:      Upcoming Resolution calling on ICE to Exercise Prosecutorial Discretion

Dear Multnomah County Commissioners:

The Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) supports the Multnomah County Resolution calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to exercise prosecutorial discretion for its effort to address the negative impacts of the federal government’s Secure Communities Program and local police collaboration with ICE.  Secure Communities (S-Comm), a federal mass deportation system, and similar programs do not accomplish their professed mission of keeping communities safer; instead, they have proven costly for our local community.

            S-Comm does not make our neighborhoods or families safer.  S-Comm is touted as a deportation system that only targets violent criminals who pose a threat to the broader community.  However, ICE’s own statistics demonstrate that 77% of persons detained in Oregon were arrested for minor offenses (such as traffic violations), and 28% of those deported had no criminal record at all.

           Instead, S-Comm drives us apart and makes us less safe.  S-Comm increases fear of police, rather than facilitating cooperation in immigrant populations.  Because of S-Comm, those who engage with law enforcement may be deported, effectively tearing their families apart.  Rather than making us safer, S-Comm, and local law enforcement/ICE collaboration, makes members of immigrant communities reluctant to contact police in serious situations, such as reporting incidents of domestic violence or witnessing a crime.

           S-Comm places the cost of federal immigration enforcement onto Multnomah County taxpayers.  Although immigration enforcement is the federal government’s responsibility, S-Comm places the burden and cost of such enforcement on local municipalities and police departments.

          ICE’s “detainers” are requests, not mandatory.  ICE places “detainers” requesting local law enforcement detain individuals beyond their legal release date, wasting vital and limited resources while burdening local agencies and officers. These programs have the effect of rendering people otherwise eligible for bail release unable to gain release.  The County should not honor these requests, as they may violate basic principles of due process.

           S-Comm is fundamentally flawed, and needs to be reined in.  We join the chorus urging the Commissioners to act on their pledge to work with community-based groups to save precious County resources, protect immigrant families, uphold constitutional due process protection, and restore public trust between local law enforcement and the immigrant community.  We urge Commissioners change County policy to deny ICE detainer requests in County jails unless certain conditions are met.

Please pass this resolution as a first step towards creating a mechanism for oversight and accountability in a program that is dire need of it.

For a Better World,

National Lawyers Guild

Portland, Oregon Chapter

J. ASHLEE ALBIES

Co-Chair, Portland NLG Chapter

MEGHAN BARNER

Treasurer, Portland NLG Chapter

There will be a NLG Legal Observer training on Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30pm at the Portland Law Collective (1130 SW Morrison St. Ste. 407).
If you plan on attending, please RSVP to jltrinkle@lclark.edu. If no one RSVP’s, the training will be postponed.

The Annual Northwest Regional Conference of the National Lawyers Guild will be held on April 2, 2011 in Olympia, WA.  Panels range from criminal defense, to civil rights litigation, to resistance movements in Wisconsin and across the globe. CLE credit for some panels. Cost to attend the event is $15.00 minimum per person. Please register at http://www.nlgseattle.org/node/31

Schedule:

10-10:30 am Welcoming

10:30-11:50 am Wisconsin Update and Analysis-

This presentation will be an analysis of the legal backdrop of the popular protest to Governor Walker’s efforts to strip public unions of collective bargaining rights, the peoples’ response, and the historical context. Panelists include Labor Lawyer Cathy Highet.

10:30-11:50 am Career Information for Students

A discussion about career paths and answer questions about life with a law degree. Panelists include Kenneth Kreuscher from the Portland Law Collective, Richie Eppink from Idaho Legal Aid, and Antonio Gonzalez from St. Andrews Legal Clinic and will discuss traditional and non-traditional career paths.

12-12:50 Lunch & Community Building

1-2:20 pm Business meeting & Chapter Check-in

Election of new regional leadership, chapter updates featuring student-lead work, and report back from NEC.

** 2:30-3:50 pm Report Back from Tunisia Human Rights Delegation & Discussion of Libya **

Portland attorney and International Committee member Steven Goldberg will report back from his recent participation with a human rights delegation to Tunisia, and discuss the on going status of international involvement in Libya.

2:30-3:50 pm Police, Monell, and the state of 1983 in the 9th Circuit

CLE credit expected. LA Civil rights layer Carol Sobel will discuss recent updates to 1983 litigation and answer questions about effective litigation for civil rights attorneys.

3:50-4 pm Afternoon Break + snacks

4-5:30 pm Secure Communities

Co-Chair of the Portland Chapter Ashlee Albies, Shizuko Hashamoto from Portland’s Safe Communities Project and Maru Mora Villalpando, volunteer with Pueblo Unido por la Dignidad in Seattle and member of Community to Community in Bellingham, will present and answers questions about the the federal government’s Secure Communities Program and community responses.

4-5:30 pm Ethics of representing activists

CLE credit expected. Carol Sobel and Kenneth Kreuscher will discuss the ethics of representing activists as clients.

6 pm Social

Hosted at The Evergreen Law Group’s office in downtown Olympia, this is a chance to meet, connect, and discuss the day with members of the Northwest National Lawyers Guild in an informal setting.

L o d g i n g Options

Fertile Ground

311 9th Ave SE, Olympia, WA (360) 352-2428

Governor Hotel

621 S Capitol Way, Olympia, WA (360) 352-7700

Phoenix Inn

415 Capitol Way, Olympia 98501 (360) 570-0555

Chez Cascadia

323 Milroy St. NW Olympia, WA 98502 (360) 570-0823

DIRECTIONS

From Seattle: Hop onto I-5 South – 60.8 mi ► Take exit 104 to merge onto US-101 N – 3.6 mi ► Take the exit toward Mud Bay Rd/The Evergreen State College- 0.3 mi ►Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Evergreen State College and merge onto Evergreen Pkwy NW/The Evergreen College Pkwy –1.2 mi ► Turn left at 17th Ave NW -0.4 mi ►Continue onto Brenner Rd NW 0.2 mi ► Turn right at Simmons Rd NW 0.6 mi► Take the 1st right onto Lewis Rd NW►

Destination will be on the right

From Portland: Merge onto I-405 N 1.2 mi ► Keep right at the fork to continue toward I-5 N 0.1 mi ►Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Interstate 5 N/Seattle and merge onto I-5 N Entering Washington 110 mi ► Take exit 104 to merge onto US-101 N toward Aberdeen/Port Angeles 3.4 mi ► Take the exit toward Mud Bay Rd/The Evergreen State College 0.3 mi ► Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Evergreen State College and merge onto Evergreen Pkwy NW/The Evergreen College Pkwy 1.2 mi ► Turn left at 17th Ave NW 0.4 mi ► Continue onto Brenner Rd NW 0.2 mi

Turn right at Simmons Rd NW 0.6 mi ► Take the 1st right onto Lewis Rd NW Destination will be on the right 0.5 mi

From Moscow: W Pullman Rd Entering Washington 1.5 mi ► Continue onto WA-270 W/Pullman Moscow Hwy Continue to follow WA-270 W 7.4 mi ► Turn right at N Grand Ave 417 ft 5. ► Take the 1st left onto NW Davis Way/State Route 270 W (signs for US-195/Colfax/Spokane) Continue to follow NW Davis Way 2.3 mi ► Continue onto US-195 N 13.8 mi ► Slight left at W Walla Walla Hwy 338 ft ► Turn left at WA-26 W/Ward St W 134 mi ► Slight right to merge onto I-90 W toward Seattle 112 mi ►Take exit 25 for WA-18 W toward Auburn/Tacoma 0.3 mi ► Turn left at WA-18 W 27.9 mi ► Take the exit onto I-5 S toward Tacoma/Portland 37.5 mi ► Take exit 104 to merge onto US-101 N 3.6 mi ► Take the exit toward Mud Bay Rd/The Evergreen State College 0.3 mi ► Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Evergreen State College and merge onto Evergreen Pkwy NW/The Evergreen College Pkwy 1.2 mi

Turn left at 17th Ave NW 0.4 mi ► Continue onto Brenner Rd NW 0.2 mi ► Turn right at Simmons Rd NW 0.6 mi

Take the 1st right onto Lewis Rd NW Destination will be on the right 0.5 mi ►

From Boise: Continue onto I-184 W 4.1 mi 4 ► Take exit 0 to merge onto I-84 W toward Ontario Entering Oregon 417 mi ► Take exit 9 on the left for I-205 N/I-205 S toward Seattle/Salem 0.4 mi ► Keep right at the fork and merge onto I-205 N Entering Washington 14.9 mi ► Merge onto I-5 N 96.4 mi► Take exit 104 to merge onto US-101 N toward Aberdeen/Port Angeles 3.4 mi ► Take the exit toward Mud Bay Rd/The Evergreen State College 0.3 mi

Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Evergreen State College and merge onto Evergreen Pkwy NW/The Evergreen College Pkwy 1.2 mi► Turn left at 17th Ave NW 0.4 mi ► Continue onto Brenner Rd NW 0.2 mi ► Turn right at Simmons Rd NW 0.6 mi ► Take the 1st right onto Lewis Rd NW Destination will be on the right 0.5 mi

Please contact ashlee.albies[at]gmail[dot]com or peggylherman[at]yahoo[dot]com with any questions.

When: Thursday, January 20th at 5:30.

Where: Migration Brewing Company, 2828 NE Glisan Street

Who: Public interest lawyers, law students, legally-minded non-lawyers, and all friends of the people, including children!

We hope to see you there. We picked a child-friendly establishment, so feel free to bring the kiddos. Happy hour ends at 6:00, so get there early to enjoy the cheap food and drinks. Kids are allowed in the pub until 8:00 p.m.

You can find more info about the location, menu and drinks at http://migrationbrewing.com/