Press Release

RALEIGH (April 29, 2010) – Community churches are supposed to be a safe haven for worshippers, not sites for police to target. But Latino churchgoers in eastern Wake County say police officers routinely set up illegal checkpoints outside their parish – and even interrupt services themselves. This morning, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF), the North Carolina Justice Center, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice launched an investigation into the practice of targeting Latino churchgoers by the Zebulon Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. Congregants at the Iglesia de Dios “Catedral de Jesus” in Zebulon report that Zebulon police officers, with alleged participation by Wake County sheriff’s deputies, have repeatedly posted license checkpoints outside the church during church services. Members of the congregation report that police officers routinely “wave through” Caucasian and African-American drivers, stopping only those drivers who appear to be Latino. “The reality is that these types of license checkpoints are often no more than covers for blatant racial and ethnic profiling of the Latino community,” said Katy Parker, Legal Director of the ACLU-NCLF. “This includes those members of the community who are undocumented as well as those members who are American citizens and lawful permanent residents of North Carolina.” The groups have filed a public records request asking police to provide all documents related to license checkpoints, as well as all documents related to compliance with the North Carolina Racial Profiling Act. Police officers, congregants say, have entered church property and interrupted services to harass members of the congregation seeking information. Officers routinely select the entrance of the church at 717 S. Arendell Avenue to set up license checkpoints during regularly scheduled church events, such as church services on Saturday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., church members say. These scare tactics by police have caused a significant decrease in church attendance, as many congregants are afraid to attend church lest they be harassed by law enforcement in the process. “Even though Arizona’s outrageous new anti-immigrant law has made national headlines, we see similar disastrous policies and practices here in North Carolina,” said Dani Martinez-Moore of the NC Justice Center. “It’s shameful that checkpoints are routinely set up in Latino neighborhoods and in front of churches where services are conducted in Spanish.” The three groups sent a letter this morning to Zebulon Police Chief Tim Hayworth and Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison outlining the illegality and unconstitutionality of these practices under both state and federal law. “Using local police officers for immigration enforcement erodes public trust in law enforcement, systematizes racial profiling, creates incentives for illegal arrests and prevents police from doing their job, failing to keep some of our most vulnerable communities safe,” said Rebecca Fontaine of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. To read the three organizations’ North Carolina Public Records Request, visit http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=node/499. The public records request is part of “Uncovering the Truth,” a weeklong national campaign of coordinated actions and advocacy highlighting the effects of local law enforcement collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on community safety. CONTACT: Katy Parker, ACLU-NCLF, (919) 834-3466, acluncklp@nc.rr.com; Dani Martinez-Moore, NC Justice Center, (919) 856-2178, dani@ncjustice.org; Rebecca Fontaine, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, (919) 323-3380, rebecca@scsj.org

Contact: Erin Krauss, UNC Graduate Student intern with Reform Immigration for America; (828) 273-0927 or Rebecca Fontaine, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, (781) 277-1314, Rebecca@SCSJ.org Durham, N.C. - Four immigrant students walking 1,500 miles from Miami, FL to Washington, D.C. will arrive in the Triangle this weekend as part of their "Trail of Dreams" to demand just immigration reform. Peers at UNC-Chapel Hill are hosting the group and immigration reform supporters will be walking with the students for parts of their journey.Several organizations are also hosting events and dinners to support the effort and the message. North Carolina, like other southern states, has seen a significant increase in deportations, workplace raids, and barriers to higher education for immigrant students. "We hope to share our own experiences as immigrant students with the larger community, and to explain the fear and pain that detentions and deportations cause within families," said Gaby Pacheco, one of the walkers. "We seek real solutions to fix our broken immigration system and to stop the deportation of students just like us who know the United States as their only home and want to make it prosperous for all." Pacheco and the other students: Felipe Matos, 23; Carlos Roa, 22; and Juan Rodriguez, 20, started their walk on January 1 to raise awareness about the need to reform the U.S. immigration system; they are expected to arrive in Washington, DC on May 1. The Triangle community will welcome the walkers by hosting a number of events to promote dialogue on the issue of immigration reform and access to education for all immigrant students. Saturday, April 3: Walk begins at 7:30am at the McDonald's at 105 E South St, Raleigh; lunch will be held at the Fruit of Labor World Cultural Center at 4200 Lake Ridge Dr. Monday, April 5: A 12:00 noon rally at the Wilson Library at UNC, then the walk kicks off at 1pm at the Franklin Street Post Office and ends at 5:30pm with a community dinner at CAARE, 214 Broadway St., in Durham. Ron Bilbao, chair of the North Carolina Coalition for College Access said, "The Dreamers are an inspiration. Their presence at UNC, the nation's first public university, shows their commitment to achieving educational access for all students. We welcome them with open arms." To follow and support the Trail of DREAMS' campaign, send a text message to: 3-0-6-4-4 with the word TRAIL. For more information and biographies on the Dream Walkers visit www.trail2010.org

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Contact: Rebecca Fontaine or Marty Rosenbluth, Immigration Unit, SCSJ (919) 323-3380x116 or (919) 949-9050 Rebecca@scsj.org or Marty@scsj.org Pat Malone, Director, National Immigration Bond Fund (212) 781-2140; pmalone@publicinterestprojects.org New Bond Fund Helps NC Immigrants Get Fair Day in Court; SCSJ works with the fund to help low-income immigrant families Durham, NC – A new Bond Fund is helping immigrants who are arrested post bond and access legal services. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partnered with the National Immigrant Bond Fund to provide zero interest matching loans to immigrants who cannot afford to pay a full bond. The fund was created from a pool of private donors committed to protecting dignity and due process for immigrants. Since its inception in September, SCSJ has used the fund to help seven families. Undocumented immigrants do not have the same right to due process and a fair trial afforded U.S. citizens. If immigrants cannot post bond immediately after entering Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, it can dramatically affect their ability to get justice. Detainees are then accelerated into deportation proceedings, which are difficult to contest because they do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one, face language barriers, and lack access to documents they need to build their case since they are in custody. Unlike bonds in the criminal courts, most families must pay immigration bonds in cash, rather than being able to pay 10% to a bond agency. Failure to post bond immediately can also result in a rapid transfer of detainees to courts outside of the state in which they were arrested. This was the case with Samuel, who was arrested in Greensboro and rapidly transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. "Everyone there was like me: we had no money and no resources. They treated us worse than criminals. They treated us like animals," he says, pointing to the freezing temperatures and the lack of adequate food and water, clean clothes or soap for bathing. In some cases, detainees have sufficient grounds to petition to be able to stay in the U.S., but are unable to explore those options and build their case while in detention. Even when these options are not available, being able to post bond and spend a few additional months with their family or being able to sell their property and prepare to return to their home country makes a huge difference. When Edwin Aly Ramirez was arrested while translating for a friend in Greensboro, his first thought was of his wife and two children — with another on the way. "I thought I would never get to meet my newborn," he said. Edwin came here at thirteen from war-torn El Salvador, "…this is my country. I don’t want to leave." "When immigrants are detained without being able to pay their bond, they are denied the right to fully defend their right to stay in this country, which often unjustly results in their being deported without being able to see their families or tie up outstanding obligations," says SCSJ staff attorney Marty Rosenbluth. "The Bond Fund is an important step in combating the injustice and inequities in the immigration system." The Southern Coalition for Social Justice empowers minority and low-income populations to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights. 115 Market St., Suite 470; Durham, NC 27701; www.scsj.org

Southern Coalition for Social Justice MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, October 2, 2009 Contact: Marty Rosenbluth, Immigration Attorney (919) 323-3380x113, (919) 949-9050 cell; Marty@SCSJ.org Elena Everett, Community Media Director (919) 323-3380x112, (919) 413-1276 cell; Elena@scsj.org Durham, NC – Yesterday, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a letter to President Obama urging him to “immediately terminate all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) under the 287(g) program and cease to establish further such agreements.” The caucus calls for action due to a “serious concern” of local law enforcement agencies using these “new powers to target communities of color, including a disproportionate number of Latinos, for arrest.” Additionally, two Massachusetts law enforcement agencies – the Framingham police and the Barnstable County sheriff’s department – have discontinued their participation in the 287(g) program, stating that they felt pressured by federal officials to broaden their enforcement in ways inconsistent with department policies. The 287(g) program was initially established by I.C.E. with a stated goal to combat terrorism and criminal activity by partnering with local law enforcement agencies. Currently, Alamance, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Gaston, Henderson, Mecklenburg, Wake Counties and the city of Durham have 287(g) agreements. In February 2009, the UNC School of Law Immigration Human Rights Clinic and ACLU of North Carolina released a 152-page report on the problematic outcomes of law enforcement agencies' partnerships with the 287(g) program. On August 27, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice was one of over 500 civil rights, community, and immigrant rights organizations to ask that the program be immediately terminated. In a letter to President Obama, these organizations, which included the NAACP, ACLU, MALDEF, and Anti-Defamation League, cited the civil rights abuses, specifically the racial profiling, endemic to the program. "It is our hope that law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and around the country acknowledge the legitimate concerns of the Congressional Caucus and follow the lead of their Massachusetts counterparts by ending their involvement in this dangerously misguided program," stated Marty Rosenbluth, immigration attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, September 1, 2009 Contact: Marty Rosenbluth, SCSJ Immigration attorney (919) 323-3380x111; Marty@SCSJ.org Bob Hildeth Chairperson, National Bond Fund (617) 423-0211 rhildreth@ibsboston.com Newly Launched Bond Fund Partnership to Help Low-Income Immigrant Families in the South Durham, NC – The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) and the National Immigrant Bond Fund (NIBF) have formed a partnership to provide legal and bond assistance to persons arrested by local authorities and detained for removal proceedings. The purpose of the joint project is to: (A) educate the public about the importance of getting out of immigration detention and obtaining an attorney to have a fair hearing; (B) call attention to the problems of local enforcement of immigration law; and (C) provide bond assistance to individuals who cannot otherwise afford to pay an immigration bond. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is one of few legal organizations in the south providing pro-bono legal support to immigrants facing deportation; this is particularly significant as undocumented immigrants are not entitled to indigent defense or legal counsel. “We are very excited to partner with the National Immigrant Bond Fund – every week I see families whose lives are being torn apart because a father or brother was picked up on a minor and sometimes unsubstantiated charge - and because their immigration status is not current, they are put into removal proceedings without being able to see their families or tie up outstanding obligations. The Bond Fund will help us help more families,” said Marty Rosenbluth, immigration attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Bond Fund Chairperson Bob Hildreth states, “the Bond Fund works on a simple principle – we can provide up to 50% in matching funds to enable families to post bond for their loved one – we do this because we believe immigrant detainees should be afforded basic rights and that our current immigration laws are in urgent need of reform.” “Through our partnership, families and communities come to SCSJ with their case, they raise 50% of the bond and apply for a match, and then we can give SCSJ the balance of the bond in the form of a 0% interest loan, which is repaid when the immigration case is completed.” The National Immigrant Bond Fund (NIBF) is a project of Public Interest Projects, Inc. www.publicinterestprojects.org. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice empowers minority and low-income populations to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights. www.scsj.org

Contact: Marty Rosenbluth, immigration attorney, Southern Coalition for Social Justice (919) 323-3380x111 or cell (919) 949-9050; Marty@SCSJ.org Durham, NC – Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to announce major changes to the department’s policies regarding its 287(g) program. 287(g) enables ICE to enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with local law enforcement agencies and give them training and authority to enforce immigration law. This program has led to widespread criticism from communities who feel it is being misused, and from advocates who charge that the lack of oversight is creating conditions that encourage racial profiling and targeting of immigrant communities. Southern Coalition for Social Justice immigration attorney and policy specialist, Marty Rosenbluth, will be available to give comment on the changes when they are made public. The announcement from ICE is expected to come out today or over the weekend.