Oakland Comdemns Federal Immigration Raids

Oakland resolutions condemn federal immigration raids
Jim Herron Zamora, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

(04-25) 18:22 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland city officials today announced two new resolutions condemning recent federal immigration raids and formalizing the city's intention not to cooperate with the U.S. government effort to deport undocumented residents.
The resolutions, one by Mayor Ron Dellums and the other by Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, both condemn the recent raids, which included one on Friday at an East Oakland manufacturer.
Both resolutions are also an effort to update Oakland's 1986 "City of Refuge" ordinance which only applies to refugees fleeing political violence in Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and South Africa, De La Fuente said. His proposed ordinance would give refuge to any undocumented immigrant regardless of national origin.
The council president, Dellums, Police Chief Wayne Tucker, City Councilwomen Jean Quan and Jane Brunner, and other city officials appeared at a City Hall news conference to support both resolutions.
The measure by De La Fuente and co-sponsors Quan and Brunner would direct city departments and staff not to cooperate with any federal immigration investigation, detention, or arrest procedures. They will introduce the measure Thursday to the City Council Rules Committee, De La Fuente said.
"The City of Refuge declaration is just as relevant today as it was 21 years ago, if not more, as our federal immigration policies are still in need of comprehensive reform," said De La Fuente, a native of Mexico and one of the Bay Area's more prominent immigrant elected officials.
Meanwhile, Dellums is introducing a similar measure that goes beyond the council measure to call for immigration reform nationwide. Dellums' measure asks for a moratorium on federal immigration raids and calls upon the federal government to adopt fair, comprehensive and humane federal immigration reforms. It also affirms the city's policy against local enforcement of civil immigration laws while permitting law enforcement cooperation with federal agents in situations involving public safety and serious crimes.
"Immigration is the Civil Rights issue of our time," Dellums said. "In order to realize the Model City vision, we must treat everyone fairly and humanely. It is not appropriate policy to intimidate and harm people that are already here. There are millions of immigrants in this country and we must approach this issue with enlightened and compassionate immigration policy."
Nationally, at least 20 other cities have ordinances restricting cooperation with the federal government on immigration while at least 80 cities and towns have laws designed to discourage illegal immigrants.
Tucker said the federal government currently does not seek police assistance on immigration raids and that local cops are not "in the business" of enforcing federal immigration law and are "too busy" fighting crime. But he added that police would still cooperate with the federal government on any "investigation of criminal conduct within the city limits of Oakland."
Both Tucker and De La Fuente also said that for police to get help from illegal immigrants in solving violent crimes, it is important to emphasize that Oakland officials will not report the immigration status of a crime witness or victim.
Quan noted that her great-grandfather was allowed to come to the this country to work but was not allowed to apply for citizenship. She said it is important not to repeat the mistakes of past generations. She said that immigration raids break up families because many children born here have parents who are here illegally.
"Children are unwitting victims of these immigration raids," Quan said. "Many Oakland families are afraid to send their children to school, and the children of those detained or arrested during raids become separated from their caretakers."