New ICE Policy Gives a False Sense of Security, Say Undocumented Students

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New ICE Policy Gives a False Sense of Security, Say Undocumented Students

Local undocumented students give insight into their struggle for legalization.
By Gloria Angelina Castillo, EGP Staff Writer

When the news broke that the Obama Administration will be more lenient in enforcing low-priority deportation cases—such as undocumented students brought to the US as children—a 20-year-old Boyle Heights resident and DREAM Act activist was behind bars being “threatened” by immigration officers for declining to state his country of birth.
Read this story IN SPANISH: Nueva Política de Deportación da un Falso Sentido de Seguridad, dicen Estudiantes Activistas


On Aug. 17, Isaac Barrera, a founding member of the San Gabriel Valley Dream Team and student at Pasadena City College, was driving his mother’s car to pick up one of his brothers when he was pulled over for having a broken headlight. He was driving without a license and had a warrant for his arrest for a previous ticket for the same infraction.
He was searched and arrested by a LA County Sheriffs Deputy; his 17-year old passenger was also searched, but let go. The car was towed away.
So began his two-day detention and a mobilization by friends to raise money for bail and to pressure officials to release him. Supporters switched out their Facebook profile pictures for one of a poster with a cartoon image of Barrera; many wrote words of encouragement on his Facebook page.

Jonathan Perez, also a founding member of the San Gabriel Valley Dream Team and an East Los Angeles College student, wrote updates on Barrera’s status, emphasizing the urgency of his potential deportation.

“If you’re a citizen and you’re driving without a license, you get a ticket. If you’re undocumented, you get arrested,” Perez told EGP Aug. 19. He highlighted what he sees as inequality that looks increasingly like a civil rights issue.
Both Perez and Barrera participated in a civil disobedience prote
st last month in San Bernardino and were arrested along with other undocumented students while protesting the federal Secure Communities program, which has been called an immigration dragnet by immigration reform activists. They were also among the Los Angeles area residents who testified and walked-out of the ICE Task Force on Secure Communities held in Los Angeles on Aug. 15.

The undocumented students came “out of the shadows” about a year ago and have become increasingly braver about serving as the voice for other undocumented youth who are even more afraid than them.
Perez said the news that ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would review 300,000 deportation cases to potentially allow them to stay in the country was “too little, too late.” How many DREAMers have been deported and how many families have been separated in the last three years through Secure Communities, the Montebello resident asked. “It’s not a pathway to citizenship, which is what we want,” he said.

Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security announced President Barack Obama no longer wants to focus DHS resources on low-priority cases, “such as individuals … who were brought to this country as young children and know no other home.”
“From a law enforcement and public safety perspective, DHS enforcement resources must continue to be focused on our highest priorities. Doing otherwise hinders our public safety mission—clogging immigration court dockets and diverting DHS enforcement resources away from individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” said Secretary Janet Napolitano in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Aug. 18.

The letter stated that discretion would be taken while prosecuting cases as recommended by ICE Director John Morton in a June 17 memorandum. DHS and the Department of Justice will form a workgroup to review deportation cases on a “case-by-case” review and move forward with deporting “aliens who pose a threat to public safety.” The new leniency, however, does not replace the need for the DREAM Act or a larger immigration reform, Napolitano stated.

Barrera was released Saturday morning, but says he’s certain Obama’s new policy had nothing to do with his release from custody. He pleaded the Fifth Amendment (the right to remain silent) and asked to talk to a lawyer, which he said enraged both ICE and Sheriffs deputies, who than cursed and insulted him. ICE officers even threatened to arrest his entire family if he didn’t admit to being undocumented, he told EGP.

Barrera doesn’t think the president’s new stance will change all that much. “ICE is not going to say ‘you’re okay, you’re Dream Act eligible,’ they’re going to say ‘you’re a criminal get out of our county,’” Barrera told EGP on Monday. “It’s a false sense of security [for immigrants], they think they’re safe but in reality not.”
Both Barrera and Perez say the low-priority deportation discretion is politically motivated and noted that Obama was elected with support from Latinos because he promised to work on achieving comprehensive immigration reform; a promise they say he has broken.
Barrera says it “sucks” to have ICE agents tell you to your face that you have no rights. No memo is going to “save you” from deportation, he says.

“Know your rights, know what to say, what not to say. Know your rights,” he said.
Both Barrera and Perez planned to participate in one of their boldest actions to date, a protest at the ICE detention facility in Downtown LA, where they would declare they are “undocumented and unafraid.”
Spanish language news service EFE reported late yesterday that ICE detained 5 of the protesters, including Barrera’s young brother Ruben, who was brought to the US illegally by his parents when he was just one year-old.

Well why the hell was he driving without a license especially after having been arrested for it before? Seems like a sure way to get one's ass deported.

And why would he complain that he was detained when he was declining to tell them his country of birth?

This piece of news is retarded, serves only to show the ignorance and self-importance among many of us Dreamers.

but what could he do its a reality for many dreamers, many places are very far apart some ppl here drive 30mins -1hr to get to college, also, why is remaining silent bad, its probably the only option he has if it isnt straight up lying, obviously if he said he was born away they would of locked him up anyway, ive heard of some papers that people flash to bp and usually they leave them alone, it has some bullets on undoc. rights, it would be nice if someone knew what they usually say or posted a copy, besides remaining silent, i dont know what other option he could of had but lying