For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 2, 2017
Press Contact: Marisela Esparza – 510-877-2857 – Marisela@dscs.org
NEW HOTLINE GIVES SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS A WAY TO REPORT ICE IMMIGRATION RAIDS AND PROTECT NEIGHBORS
San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network Launches 24-Hour Hotline (415) 200-1548 Operating in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif — As San Francisco comes into sharper conflict with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement tactics, residents now have a hotline to call when they spot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps and dragnets.
The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (SFILEN) set up the hotline at (415) 200-1548 to give the community a one-stop shop to report ICE raids. When tips arrive at the hotline about suspected ICE actions, such as check points or neighborhood sweeps, SFILEN sends its own personnel to the scene to canvass the area, inform community members of their legal rights, and provide legal support to intervene in deportation proceedings as needed.
The hotline, which was recently deployed, supports residents of San Francisco County. SFILEN is encouraging groups in other communities to set up similar efforts.
“Our hotline will ensure that members of our San Francisco community are informed about ICE actions, any false rumors, and are immediately connected to legal representation if detained. We are concerned by tactics designed to intimidate or confuse immigrant communities about what information they are legally obligated to give to ICE,” said Marisela Esparza, Program Manger for SFILEN. “In other cases, we can clarify whether a suspected ICE action is legally questionable, which has happened several times in the current climate.”
SFILEN has also released a tip sheet on how to confront ICE enforcement actions that can be found here. It is also available in Spanish here.
Beyond the hotline, SFILEN works with 13 partner organizations to provide legal support to the low-income immigrant community. Resources can be found at: https://sfilen.org/services/
“The civil liberties infringement at the heart of recent ICE raids and sweeps has broad implications for everyone. Residents and families are not obligated to submit to searches and coerced ID checks while engaging in law-abiding activities, which means that these broad ICE enforcement actions often involve an element of deception or coercion,“ said Ana Herrera, Managing Attorney at Dolores Street Community Services. “San Francisco’s new rapid response hotline will enable local advocates to monitor and respond to legally questionable broad sweeps and raids that terrorize our immigrant community.”
Members of the community can donate to support the SFILEN’s hotline online, at: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/rrnsf.
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The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (SFILEN) is made up of the following 13 organizations: African Advocacy Network, Arab Resource & Organizing Center, Asian Law Caucus, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, Central American Resource Center, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Filipino Community Center, La Raza Centro Legal, La Raza Community Resource Center, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights, Causa Justa:: Just Cause, and Dolores Street Community Services as the lead agency. We represent immigrants from African and Afro-Caribbean, Arab, Asian, and Latino communities, providing free immigrant legal assistance and community education to low-income immigrants in San Francisco. Collectively the Network provides services in over 20 languages and dialects.
