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Alcala, Abigail From: Huizar, Maria Sent: Monday, March 6, 2017 5:22 PM To: eComment Subject: ECOMMENT - 85B -Transgender ICE unit at Santa Ana Jail Begin forwarded message: From: "Kanter, Laura"<laura.kanteria,,lgbtcenteroc.orR> Date: March 6, 2017 at 3:27:31 PM PST To: <citycouncil cr,santa-ana.org>, <stinajero a,santa-ana.org>, <ivillegas@santa-ana.org>, "Benavides, David" <dbenavidesgsanta-ana.org>, <mimartinez@santa-ana.org>, <vsarmiento cr,santa-ana.org>, <isolorio@santa-ana.org>, <mpulido@santa-ana.orQ> Subject: Transgender ICE unit at Santa Ana Jail March 7, 2017 Dear Mayor Pulido and Members of the City Council, It has been brought to my attention that some of our city leaders have been exploring the possibility of continuing the contract with ICE in order to detain transgender immigrants in the Santa Ana Jail. I would like to suggest that this would be a disservice to the population and the city and I hope that the Council will allow the contract to expire as anticipated in mid-May. Many city leaders have voiced sincere concern about the fate of the transgender detainees if they were to be transferred to places like Adelanto or Texas. As we are well aware, there is no such thing as a "good" detention center, especially for at risk populations like transgender women who suffer abuse and neglect in these settings. But the attempt by ICE to increase the safety and well- being of these women by creating a trans -specific pod in the Santa Ana jail has not been seen as a successful alternative to incarcerating transgender women with the general population. The binary nature of the prison system, which detention is a part of, is unable to effectively and safely care for transgender women. Multiple alternatives to detention have been proposed but mostly dismissed since these programs are resource depleting as opposed to incarceration, which provides policing jobs and helps to pay down the jail debt. Given the absence of discussion about resources and support for alternatives, it is difficult to dismiss the possibility that the impetus to sustain this part of the ICE contract stems from fiscal pressure as opposed to ensuring the wellbeing of the population. An effort to sustain the ICE detention center in Santa Ana in order to "protect" transgender women will do nothing of the sort. To begin, the incarceration of any person because of their immigration status is inhumane and should not be supported. Further, if the city were to extend the ICE contract to house transgender women, they would be essentially creating a transgender jail and incentives for ICE to search out and imprison transgender women in order to fill the beds. This would only increase the fear and marginalization experienced by not only transgender women, but the entire community.