HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - #28
Orozco, Norma
From:Drew Chatterton <drewchats@hotmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, March 16, 2021 3:53 PM
To:eComment
Subject:In Support of Item 28
I am calling in support of item 28, the Immigration Legal Defense Services funds contract renewal for
immigrant defenders law center.
Santa Ana residents should not be forced to face immigration court alone without a lawyer.
I call upon Santa Ana city council members to approve the contract as written including the full amount and
extended time period. Because immigration court backlogs last four years, Santa Ana residents need support
from our local government for longer than one-year increments. Santa Ana residents that benefit from this
funding includes parents, partners, essential workers, soul bread winners, and are vital to the fabric of our city.
According to a poll conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice in 2020, 79% of Santa Ana residence support
government funded attorneys for immigrants facing deportation.
The city of Santa Ana must fight against the unjust immigration system that targets Black and brown
communities, like Santa Ana.
Immigrant justice is racial justice our community members should be reunited with their families, not spending
years and ICE prison where they are at risk of Covid-19 or forced onto deportation flights. The same cruel
system that hurt Santa Ana residents and families under Trump - continues under Biden - and in their first 29
days, the Biden administration deported 26,248 people.
The council members cannot turn their backs on its most vulnerable community members. In addition to full
scope removal defense illegal services, ImmDef's program includes links to social services which our
community desperately needs in this pandemic.
By approving the contract as presented we can #FreeThemAll and keep Santa Ana families together.
Drew Chatterton
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Orozco, Norma
From:Lisa Okamoto <Lisa@ImmDef.org>
Sent:Tuesday, March 16, 2021 3:51 PM
To:eComment
Subject:Public Comment for Item 28
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Lisa Okamoto and I am the Directing Attorney serving the residents of Santa Ana through the Immigration
Legal Defense Services fund. I write to support Item 28 and the renewal of the fund with Immigrant Defenders Law
Center as the service provider. I write to request that the Santa Ana City Councilmembers approve the contract as
written including the full amount and the extended time period.
With the City of Santa Ana and the rest of the country in the first steps of recovery from the pandemic, now is the time
to invest and uphold programs that serve the most vulnerable in Santa Ana. Santa Ana residents should not face
immigration court alone and needs support from our local government for the long-term. Santa Ana residents that
benefit from this fund are parents, partners, essential workers, sole-breadwinners, and vital community members to this
city. The fund is largely supported by Santa Ana residents and should exist as a long-term program.
I urge the Councilmembers to not turn their backs on the immigrant community during this crucial time, no matter who
presides in federal government. By approving this contract as presented, we can free all those who are detained and
continue to work together so that due process for all can be achieved for Santa Ana families.
Thank you.
Lisa Okamoto | Directing Attorney
Pronouns: She/Her
Immigrant Defenders Law Center
th
634 S. Spring Street, 10 Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tel: (213) 674-9436
Fax: (213) 282-3133
lisa@immdef.org
www.ImmDef.org
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