What: As Congress faces a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), regional leaders in San Diego will come together for a press conference Thursday to send a message to lawmakers: No more funding for abuse, violence and impunity — Congress must protect our communities by:
- Limiting use of force by DHS agents to protect life
- Ensuring criminal investigations of use of force are independent
- Ending warrantless searches, detentions and arrests
- Increasing oversight and transparency
- Ending racial and identity profiling
For more than a century, border communities have borne the brunt of violence and impunity by immigration and border agents in the #FightForDignity. That harm has fallen on citizens and immigrants alike and has remained largely invisible to those outside the border region, which has served as the testing ground for abuse and impunity. [SEE VIDEO] Now, communities across the country are being subjected to border-style abuse of power by DHS agents who are eroding fundamental human rights, terrorizing communities, and threatening our democracy. From the killing of Anastasio Hernández Rojas and the roundup of people in San Diego to the unabashed cruelty of agents in Minneapolis and other cities, it is clear that one of the greatest dangers we face is the unchecked power of the largest law enforcement agency in the country — DHS.
When: Thursday, February 12, 9:00 am PT
Who: Confirmed speakers include:
- Lilian Serrano, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition
- Brigette Browning, president of San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council
- Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego City Councilmember, District 9
- Ian Seruelo, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium
- Crystal Irving, president of Service Employees International Union Local 221
Where: San Diego County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101, east side of building
For in-person RSVP or to schedule interviews with speakers,
email Mallory at [email protected]