(984) 377-2622

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For voters of conscience, Raleigh mayoral candidate Caroline Sullivan’s connections to the for-profit immigrant detention system should be cause for alarm.

Sullivan’s husband, Richard, lobbies directly for GEO, one of the largest private-prison corporations in the United States. GEO has benefited tremendously from inhumane immigration policies and was a $250,000 donor to President Trump’s inauguration.(1)

According to Open Secrets, “GEO Group and its subsidiaries oversee a number of ICE detention facilities and have aggressively lobbied to secure contracts and influence the nation’s immigration policy. In 2017, the company spent $1.7 million on lobbying, the highest amount on record for a private prison contractor.”(2)

Additionally, GEO profits even after immigrants are released from custody. GEO subsidiary BI, Inc., for which Sullivan has also lobbied, “provides ankle bracelets and monitoring services to track those awaiting trial for immigration violations.”(3)

Caroline Sullivan’s campaign is being financed in part by donations from out of state from Democratic politicians connected to Richard. In fact, Hillary Clinton’s campaign benefited from Richard tremendously according to Politico, which noted that “Richard Sullivan of Capitol Counsel—until recently, a Raleigh, N.C.-based federally registered lobbyist for the for-profit prison operator GEO Group—bundled $69,363 in donations for Clinton in the fourth quarter, bringing his total for the year to a whopping $274,891.”(4)

In a recent candidate interview, Caroline Sullivan stated, “Our strength in this city and in this country lies in our diversity and welcoming all people.” (5) This statement is quite in contrast to the organization Caroline and Richard Sullivan are affiliated with. For someone who is benefiting economically from a corporation that makes millions off of the reality that not all are welcome, this is a bold statement indeed.

The profits of cruelty have no place in the government of the city of Raleigh. 

1.https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?id=Y0000011438L&year=2019

2.https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/06/zero-tolerance-immigration-is-big-money-for-contractors-nonprofits/

3.https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/06/zero-tolerance-immigration-is-big-money-for-contractors-nonprofits/

4.https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/02/clinton-campaign-gives-private-prison-lobbyist-cash-to-charity-218524

5.http://www.technicianonline.com/opinion/article_17b71ba8-e55b-11e9-8159-bfe15e3ec7c2.html

Caroline Sullivan Raleigh Mayor

Caroline Sullivan for Raleigh Mayor

The post Raleigh Mayoral candidate Funded by Private Prison and Immigrant Detention Lobbying Dollars appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

Contact: 520-243-9777

Para publicación inmediata

Declaración de Alerta Migratoria NC pidiendo a los demócratas que negocien con Trump

Alerta Migratoria NC fue fundada en 2014 para responder a las necesidades urgentes de una comunidad inmigrante que enfrentaba ataques por parte de la administración del previo presidente, Barack Obama. Con miembros en Carolina del Norte, Georgia, Carolina del Sur, Virginia y Tennessee, comprendemos de primera mano la realidad de lo que enfrentan los inmigrantes indocumentados a diario.
La urgencia de las vidas de los inmigrantes que representamos exige que aprovechemos cada oportunidad para promover sus derechos y avanzar. Nos oponemos a la propuesta “Poner fin al cierre de gobierno y asegurar la frontera”, ya que es inaceptable. Sin embargo, hacemos un llamado a los demócratas para que combinen el coraje de nuestros miembros y negocien directamente con Trump para una solución permanente.

Negarse a negociar con los republicanos y con el presidente Trump no es aceptable. Miembros del Congreso, les pedimos – luchen por nosotros! La oferta del presidente Trump para restaurar algunas protecciones temporales para los soñadores y las personas con TPS a cambio de fondos del muro es débil, y estamos pidiendo a Pelosi y otros líderes democráticos que vayan y negocien. Vayan a la mesa con una oferta real y luchen por una solución permanente para los destinatarios de DACA y TPS.

Los demócratas deben tomar esta obertura como una salva de apertura y participar en negociaciones serias. El momento de lograr un cambio es ahora. Resistir negociaciones es fácil para aquellos que no tienen nada que perder.
Hemos visto los problemas y las excusas de los líderes demócratas durante los últimos dos años. Hemos escuchado mientras senadores y representantes del Congreso nos dicen que no hay nada que puedan hacer cuando nuestros amigos y seres queridos desaparecieron, fueron encarcelados y sufrieron a manos de inmigracion. “Los republicanos controlan todo, lo sentimos. No podemos hacer nada “, nos han dicho.

El tema de la inmigración y la vida de los DREAMERS y los receptores de TPS ha sido un tema manipulado por los demócratas para su beneficio politico durante demasiado tiempo. Nuestra comunidad les está rogando, trabajen y negocien para un cambio real y permanente. Apenas en 2013, los demócratas votaron a favor de más  construccion, financiamiento y reclutamiento de oficiales de CBP. Si los líderes demócratas se oponen a los muros, deben derrumbar los muros y las cercas que ya existen en la frontera sur de los Estados Unidos.

Si los demócratas realmente se preocupan por la suerte de los receptores de Dreamers y TPS, negociarán con los republicanos en nuestro nombre.

Statement from Alerta Migratoria NC Calling on Democrats to Negotiate with Trump

Alerta Migratoria NC was founded in 2014 to respond to the urgent needs of an immigrant community facing increased attacks by the Obama administration. With members throughout North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, we understand first hand the reality of what immigrants face on the ground.

The urgency of the lives of the immigrants we represent demands that we take every opportunity to advance their rights. We oppose the “End The Shutdown and Secure the Border Act” proposal as it is unacceptable. However, we call on Democrats to match the courage of our members and negotiate directly with Trump for a permanent fix.

Refusal to negotiate with Republicans, and with President Trump is not acceptable. We ask you – go to the mat and fight for us! President Trump’s offer to restore some temporary protections for Dreamers and TPS individuals in exchange for wall funding is weak – and we are asking Pelosi and other democratic leaders to go and negotiate. Go to the table with a real offer and fight. Create a permanent solution for DACA and TPS recipients.  

Democrats should take this overture as an opening salvo and engage in earnest negotiations. The time to change is now. “RESIST” is an easy battlecry for those with nothing to lose.

We’ve seen the hand-wringing and the excuses from Democratic leaders for the last two years. We’ve listened while senators and congressional representatives tell us there is nothing they can do, when our friends and loved ones were missing, jailed, and suffering. “The Republicans control everything, we’re sorry. We can’t do anything.”

The immigration issue and the lives of DREAMERS and TPS recipients has been easy political fodder for the Democrats for too long. Our community is begging you, go to work and negotiate for real, permanent change. As recently as 2013, Democrats were voting for more fencing, funding and CBP officer recruitment. If Democratic leaders are opposed to walls – lets see the walls and fences that are already on the Southern US border come down.

If Democrats truly care about the fate of Dreamers and TPS recipients, they will negotiate with Republicans on our behalf.

The post Statement from Alerta Migratoria NC Calling on Democrats to Negotiate with Trump appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

Morrisville, NC – After submitting a petition for deferred action, Samuel reported at 8:45am this morning to a procedural biometrics appointment for a background check with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He was accompanied by countless clergy and community members. Just minutes after he entered the USCIS office with his son Daniel and representatives from the Duke Law Clinic, ICE officials in plain clothes surrounded Samuel and arrested him. The plainclothes ICE officers forced Samuel into a van in the rear of the office, where supporters who were waiting outside the office rushed to block the vehicle. The van had Department of Homeland Security plates.

Shortly after 11:30am, Morrisville Police (assisted by Wake County Sheriff’s deputies) arrested the people who were blocking the van from leaving. The arrests were authorized by Morrisville Chief of Police Patrice Andrews.

After supporters were arrested, Samuel was taken to the ICE office located at 140 Centrewest Ct, Cary, NC 27513. Please come immediately to stand with Samuel and his family.

If deported, Samuel fears for his life. If deported, Samuel will be returned to the state of Veracruz, where his family has recently faced threats and which is a state that is constantly in threat of drug cartels. If deported, ICE will be delivering Samuel to danger and death. Furthermore, ICE is not allowing us to give Samuel his diabetic pills or insulin medication, which is further putting his life in danger.

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Alerta Migratoria NC is a community hotline and platform for immigrants and refugees.

The post Samuel Oliver–Bruno DETAINED at USCIS Biometrics Appointment appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

RESOLUCIÓN EN APOYO AL MOVIMIENTO NACIONAL DE CONGREGACIONES DE FE

Instando al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos a que otorgue un ejercicio favorable de discreción procesal a Samuel Oliver-Bruno y José Heriberto Chicas;

CONSIDERANDO que los Estados Unidos tiene una orgullosa tradición humanitaria desde fines de los años 70 de acoger a refugiados de todas las nacionalidades y religiones – una tradición que está profundamente arraigada en nuestros valores nacionales y fundamentales;

CONSIDERANDO que la ciudad de Durham tiene un compromiso firme, no solo de ser abiertos y acogedores con los inmigrantes y refugiados, sino también de reconocer que nuestras comunidades de inmigrantes y refugiados son una parte integral de la vida de nuestra ciudad;

CONSIDERANDO que Samuel Oliver-Bruno, residente de este país por más de 20 años, ingreso a este país como un joven para escapar de la pobreza y es un padre amoroso y solidario de 1 hijo ciudadano estadounidense y cuya esposa que está crónicamente enferma, el único sostén de su familia, un estudiante de la Escuela de Teología en la Universidad de Duke, ha recibido refugio de la deportación durante 4 meses en la Iglesia Metodista Unida de CityWell en Durham;

CONSIDERANDO que José Heriberto Chicas, residente de este país por más de 30 años, ingreso al país como un joven huyendo de una guerra civil violenta y es un padre amoroso y solidario de 4 niños, 3 de los cuales son ciudadanos estadounidenses, ha recibido refugio de la deportación por 9 meses en la Escuela de Conversión de la Iglesia Bautista de San Juan en Durham;

CONSIDERANDO, la deportación a El Salvador, en el caso de José, y a México, en el caso de Samuel, pone en peligro la vida de estas familias, y significaría la separación permanente de sus familias, comunidades e iglesias;

CONSIDERANDO, que el Concejo Municipal de Durham reconoce que otros cuatro están en santuario en Carolina del Norte: Juana Tobar en Asheboro; Oscar Canales en Greensboro; Eliseo Jimenez en Raleigh; y  Rosa del Carmen Ortez-Cruz en Chapel Hill; Urgimos a estas ciudades aprobar resoluciones en solidaridad con ellos; y

CONSIDERANDO que ICE (Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas) tiene la discreción de no perseguir o diferir la aplicación de la ley de inmigración cuando el interés servido por la deportación no es sustancial o se ve compensado por la consideración de la presencia de factores de simpatía, muchos de los cuales son evidentes en los casos de Samuel y José.

AHORA, POR LO TANTO, SE RESUELVE:

Que el Concejo Municipal de Durham se une y afirma el liderazgo del Movimiento Nacional de Congregaciones de Fe que proporciona refugio a personas desplazadas debido a amenazas inminentes de deportación; y

El Concejo Municipal de Durham urge al Congresista G.K. Butterfield y al Congresista David Price a presentar proyectos de ley privados para detener la deportación de Samuel Oliver-Bruno y José Heriberto Chicas, para que puedan regresar a casa con sus familias inmediatamente sin la amenaza de deportación; y

Que el Concejo Municipal de Durham implora al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos que otorgue un ejercicio favorable de discreción procesal a Samuel Oliver-Bruno y José Heriberto Chicas, para que puedan continuar proveyendo para y apoyando a sus familias, incluidos los niños ciudadanos de los EE. UU.; y

Que el Secretario Municipal le envíe copias de esta resolución a Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional; Elaine Duke, Directora Adjunta de Seguridad Nacional; Thomas D. Homan, Director de ICE; y Sean Gallagher, Director de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de la Oficina local.

The post RESOLUCIÓN EN APOYO A LOS REFUGIADOS EN IGLESIAS appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

The post #TheFeed: Sanctuary Churches in North Carolina appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

 “Sanctuaries are a foundation, you feel stronger, more supported. I hope that at least the mayors will fight against these deportations because being in sanctuary is truly difficult. By stopping these deportation orders, we can return to our families and communities. Why don’t they let our children to be happy? ” – Rosa

Councilwoman Javiera Caballero will visit: 

From 9 am to 10 am – Rosa del Carmen Ortez-Cruz, at Church of Reconciliation and the Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship (Chapel Hill)
From 10:30 am to 11:30 am – José Chicas, at the School of Conversion (Durham)
From 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm – Samuel Oliver-Bruno, at CityWell United Methodist Church (Durham)
From 2 pm to 3 pm – Eliseo Jimenez, at Umstead Park United Church of Christ (Raleigh)

“These visits mean so much because we can share, live and in person, how we feel living in sanctuary separated from our families.”- Samuel

 Rosa, José, Eliseo, and Samuel have each resided for over a decade in the United States and all have families and children who depend on them. They have each been displaced from their homes and separated from their children because of the threat of imminent deportation.

 “The leadership of local government officials, like Councilwoman Caballero, is essential in order to truly protect our community members from deportation and fight for them under the Trump Administration. We hope to see members of congress follow suit and take concrete action to stop the deportation of the six members of our community currently in sanctuary,” said Daniela Hernández Blanco, organizer of Alerta Migratoria NC.

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Alerta Migratoria NC is the only rapid response deportation defense hotline and platform led by immigrants with a track record of stopping deportations in NC. Migration is a human right.

Contact: Viridiana Martinez, Director
(984) 377-2622 Hotline
(919) 704-0599 Cell
[email protected]

The post ADVISORY: Durham’s First Latina City Council Member to visit immigrants in Sanctuary appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

Clarence Birkhead, a former Duke University and town of Hillsborough police chief, is vowing to do things differently than Sheriff Mike Andrews if he succeeds in the Democratic primary on May 8—his second attempt to unseat Andrews.

Over the past year, Andrews has frequently been criticized for unclear statements about his agency’s relationship with ICE and for honoring so-called ICE holds, constitutionally problematic requests from ICE to hold people in local jails after they otherwise would have been released so that ICE can assume custody.

A thirty-eight-year veteran of Durham law enforcement, Andrews was sworn in as sheriff in 2012 after retiring Sheriff Worth Hill selected him to finish out his term. In response to community concerns, Andrews selected an officer to serve as the liaison to the Hispanic community and has staffed a Spanish-speaking officer at the county jail. Under Andrews, the agency also accepts Faith IDs, a non-government-issued form of identification. Andrews told ABC11 he contacted state legislators to oppose a 2017 bill that would have prohibited law enforcement agencies from accepting Faith IDs.

What’s more, the DCSO “does not, has not and will not participate” in the federal 287(g) program, which deputizes local officers to carry out some immigration enforcement duties, Andrews wrote in response to a questionnaire from the People’s Alliance PAC, which endorsed him over Birkhead in 2014. (Andrews wasn’t available for an interview before press time.)

In public statements, the agency has variously said that it does and does not participate in another ICE program called Secure Communities, through which booking information makes its way from local jails to the Department of Homeland Security. In North Carolina, the information-sharing aspect of this program is basically unavoidable—fingerprints and other booking information are sent from jails to the State Bureau of Investigation, which is linked to the FBI’s database. Federal law mandates that the FBI share that information with Homeland Security.

Local jails, however, do have some latitude in whether to honor requests from ICE to continue to hold people who land on the agency’s radar as a result. In January, then-DCSO spokeswoman Tamara Gibbs told the INDY that all detainer requests are honored at the Durham County Detention Facility. Asked for a copy of the policy by which jail staffers decide whether to honor a detainer request, Gibbs said that “at last check, the staff had no specific policy that addresses this question.”

Last year, 114 people were held at the Durham jail under ICE holds, including 57 who were released directly into ICE custody.

Multiple courts have found that detainers amount to a new arrest under the Fourth Amendment, and that the administrative warrants that typically come with them—which merely require an immigration officer, rather than a judge, to attest that someone is deportable—are not sufficient proof that probable cause exists to continue to hold a person who would have otherwise been released. Just last month, a federal judge in California ruled that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had violated thousands of inmates’ constitutional rights by holding them on ICE detainers. (Andrews didn’t respond to an email from the INDY asking why all ICE detainers are honored and if he would keep that practice if re-elected.)

Birkhead says that, if elected, he would have a more open dialogue with the agency’s critics and would allow members of the public to tour the jail “in a controlled manner.” Building trust with Durham’s Hispanic and immigrant communities would be part of a larger effort to increase transparency and public engagement that would also include the establishment of “an office that is a liaison to all people,” particularly communities of color.

“I think the main difference I will bring is having conversations with those who want to protest,” he says.

Birkhead served as Duke’s police chief from 1998–2005, when he became chief of police in Hillsborough. He left that post in 2010 to run for Orange County sheriff but was unsuccessful. (A few months later, it was made public that the Hillsborough department was being investigated for improper recordkeeping at the direction of an accreditation manager during Birkhead’s tenure.)

He was associate vice president of safety and security at Queens University until 2012 and has worked as a security consultant since. In the 2014 primary, Birkhead won about 39 percent of the vote, to Andrews’s 56 percent.

If he becomes sheriff, Birkhead says he will only honor detainer requests that come with a judicial warrant or an outstanding warrant for arrest.

“If the federal government wants to criticize us for not honoring detainers, I’m OK with that, because I think the community at large will be appreciative of that approach and appreciate us being good stewards of local resources,” Birkhead says. “There’s nothing in the federal law that says I must participate.”

The change would bring Durham County’s policies more in line with Orange County, which, since Sheriff Charles Blackwood took office in 2014, has not honored detainer requests “unless continued custody is supported by probable cause to believe that a criminal violation of federal immigration law has occurred”—for example, by a judicial or outstanding warrant.

“Enforcement of federal laws should be accomplished by federal actors and not by local law enforcement,” Blackwood says. “I am committed to being responsive to the needs of all members of our community regardless of a person’s immigration status.”

Blackwood is also up for reelection this year and faces a Democratic challenger in Tony White, a former investigator with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office whose platform emphasizes reforms within the agency.

Blackwood began his law enforcement career with the OCSO in 1980 and retired as major of operations in 2012 to run for sheriff. In a statement, he identified emergency services infrastructure, opioid use, racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and school safety as challenges he’d like to address.

White worked for the Orange County schools’ transportation department for nine years before joining the OCSO in 1997, serving in the resource officer and patrol divisions before joining criminal investigations. He retired in 2016 for personal reasons, on which he declined to elaborate.

White told the INDY that he would cut spending, engage more with local youth, work to prevent drug overdoses, and “have more of a diverse department” if elected. “I would ensure that everyone—regardless of who they are, where they live, what color, what race or religion—that they get treated the same,” he says.

On immigration enforcement, White says he isn’t fully familiar with the OCSO’s current polices, but he is “totally against the ICE program.” He says he would have to look into his obligation to honor detainers with administrative warrants, but he would only honor requests accompanied by valid warrants with which the Sheriff’s Office is obligated to comply.

The primary is May 8. There are no challengers from outside the Democratic Party in either the Orange County or Durham County sheriff’s race.

The post Durham County’s Friendly Relationship With ICE Could Hinge on Its Sheriff’s Reelection Bid appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

Keep reading on INDY News

The post Alerta Migratoria: Immigrant ‘Violently’ Detained at Durham Apartment appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

RELATED: Judge signs bond order for Durham teen detained by immigration officials

Wildin David Guillen-Acosta, 19, was being held in the Stewart Detention Facility in Lumpkin, Georgia awaiting his fate after being picked up by immigration agents outside his home on his way to school back in January.

Keep reading on WNCN

The post Durham teen detained by immigration officials months ago now free on bond appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.

Incidents that have caused alarm include a confirmed arrest witnessed by elementary students and school personnel on the west side of Charlotte on Thursday morning. The incident prompted an email from the principal to her staff.

Keep readin on Triad City Beat

The post ICE arrest witnessed by students in Charlotte causes alarm across NC appeared first on Alerta Migratoria NC.