LETTER: The Welcome Project director calls out attack on our democracy
Ben Echevarria
Friends,
On Jan. 6 we saw our democracy under attack when white supremacists took over our Capitol Building. Like you, I sat and watched the news shocked and dismayed over the events that were unfolding. As someone who has organized many rallies, my immediate question was “Where were the police?” I began to see the differences in how police handle protests between Black Lives Matter and white supremacist groups.
As an Afro-Latino, I couldn’t help but conclude that if I were doing the same thing that these terrorists were doing, I would be shot. My immediate reaction was to attack the inequities of policing and their treatment of BIPOC people compared to whites. However, policing is only a symptom of the disease of inequity that plagues this nation.
example of why that policy those cities need to go? well i think what we re showing here right? here s one fact that i think people have to understand. sanchez could have this could have been prevented if i.c.e. the immigration custom and enforcement had issued a warrant for his arrest. they never issued a warrant. they should have done that but they didn t have to. actually they had to do that will. no, they do not. i refer you, upon a determination by homeland security to issue a detainer local police shall maintain custody of the alien. a fact reiterated by the department of homeland security and i.c.e. today. i refer you to the associated chiefs of police who support the sanctuary city policy. here s what s really important. sanctuary cities exist so that immigrant who s live in cities can report to police.
example of why that policy those cities need to go? well i think what we re showing here right? here s one fact that i think to understand. sanchez could have this could have been prevented if i.c.e. the immigration custom and enforcement had issued a warrant for his arrest. they never issued a warrant. they should have done that but they didn t have to. actually they had to do that will. no, they do not. i refer you, upon a determination by homeland security to issue a detainer local police shall maintain custody of the alien. a fact reiterated by the department of homeland security and i.c.e. today. i refer you to the associated chiefs of police who support the sanctuary city policy. here s what s really important. sanctuary cities exist so that immigrant who s live in cities can report to police.
merely notification by i.c.e. the immigration custom and enforcement services in conjunction with homeland security to say just detain the person. and it s not necessarily that they re going to be deported immediately but there s some federal issue that the federal government wants to look after. and it s good for 48 hours. and so think about this. the drug charges, he was returned on march 26th. the drug charges were dropped on march 27th. he was held until april 15th. so all that would have been required was for the immigration detainer that is a notification to the federal government and the federal government comes, picks him up and they evaluate whether or not he should be deported is deportable or what the immigration status is. so when you talk about sanctuary cities essentially what you re saying is that they have a policy which is not going to honor federal law. and that within itself is very problematic. but the california law makes it if they are a fell on you have to hold