WRFI Interview with Beth Harris and Patricia Rodriguez

"Beth Harris and Patricia Rodriguez from the steering committee of the Tompkins County Immigrant Rights Coalition (TCIRC) talk about a range of immigration related issues. A "Rapid Response Training" will take place on January 28th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Buffalo Street. In Tompkins County people can call the following hotline number in case of emergency (for example if an ICE raid is in progress): 607-358-5119. It is the hotline number for the Rapid Response Network. In Ithaca, during January 2018 three people have been arrested at work by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Nationally, president Trump has rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is scheduled to be discontinued in early March, meaning young people who are currently documented with temporary authorization to stay and work in the U.S. will because of government action become undocumented. Similarly, tens of thousands of people who had Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have been targeted to lose their status. The federal government officially claims to be detaining and deporting "criminals" but does not report what the nature of the crime was. Often it is merely unauthorized presence, which in the past was treated as an administrative infraction. Unlawful entry falls under civil law, not criminal law, which is also the reason why undocumented immigrants are not able to get free court appointed lawyers. Another problem has been that people, who had received work authorization under the Obama administration because their case has not yet been decided and it may be years before it proceeds through the courts, are now finding it difficult to renew their work permits. Backlogs mean that renewals now take six months, which makes it difficult for people to continue working or to get a new job. Beth Harris talks about her visit to Austin, Texas and northern Mexico, where she met with activists from "Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera" (ATCF) and the "Comite Fronterizo de Obreras." They try to address labor violations, including violence at the workplace, in the maquiladoras in northern Mexico. Beth also recently attended a state-wide meeting with the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). The coalition is working on three main issues: 1) the Green Light New York Campaign to make it possible for undocumented New Yorkers to get drivers licenses; 2) getting funds for people's legal defense; 3) expand literacy programs such as English as a Second Language (ESL)."