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LOS AMIGOS OF ORANGE COUNTY Tel (714) 7558090; Cell (562) 397-9451 Email: Morenojo@sbeglobal.net February 2, 2016 Reference: Proposed Expansion of Santa Ana City Jail for Immigrant Detainees Honorable Mayor & Councilmembers: On behalf of Los Amigos of Orange Comity, please accept the following letter in support of RAIZ, OCIYU, and SABHC's strong opposition to the modification of the contract between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Santa Ana City Jail that will expand the capacity for the detention of undocumented immigrants, including those who identify as LGBTQ, as a means to generate revenue. We are hopeful that you will heed the call from our youth, families, and cormnunities that our City should not seek to profit from the often destitute conditions of our immigrant communities. As stated in RAIZ, OCIYU, and SABHC's letter to you, dated February 1, 2016: In previous occasions several Council Members have expressed disagreement with the use of the City Jail as detention facility for ICE, as well as a commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure the eventual termination of the use of the Jail as an immigrant detention center and stop the dependence on the ICE jail contract as a means for revenues. The proposal in the Council meeting agenda to expand the scope of the ICE contract undermines and contradicts any efforts by the city to end the entanglement the city has with ICE. It also creates an accountability issue with the city's immigrant community that for years has petitioned city elected officials to create an inclusive environment. We also urge you to consider the record of abuse at the Santa Ana City Jail. Immigrants held at the GBT pod have reported being subjected to disrespect related to their gender identity, verbal abuse, excessive use of isolation and lockdowns, unnecessary strip searches, and denial of medical care, including transition related treatment. These conditions have led thirty one women detained by ICE at the Santa Ana City Jail, 14 of whom are transgender, to file a civil complaint against immigration officials regarding the invasive strip searches at the detention facility, and to call for the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties at the Department Homeland Security to investigate their complaints, a clear violation of state and federal law. The Council must also take into consideration that mistreatment and abuse of LGBTQ detainees at Santa Ana City Jail contributes to the systematic problem of degrading treatment against transgender women in ICE detention, which includes sexual assault, denial of medical care, extended periods of solitary confinement, discrimination and abuse. Transgender immigrant women in ICE detention facilities are exposed to au increased risk of mistreatment, and even though transgender immigrants make up just one out of every 500 detainees, they make up for one out of five confirmed sexual abuse cases in ICE detention. It is for these reasons that we ask you to vote no on the expansion of the city's ICE jail contract. At this critical moment when immigrants are beset by attacks 5tom the anti -immigrant right and from the left by the Obama Administration's Department of Homeland Security, we look to you for leadership and support to advance the rights of all immigrants. Los Amigos of OC submits this letter in solidarity with youth and families in our communities and strongly urge that you meet with RAIZ, OCIYC, and SABHC to resolve how to best meet the needs of the City and its families and youth. With high hopes, ]0 -so F. Moreno President, Los Amigos of OC Cc: David Cavazos, Santa Ana City Manager