Los Angeles, CA – “Sheriff Baca led a reign of terror on immigrants, especially against Mexican and Latinos,” states veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes. Baca made the public announcement Jan. 7 that he would be stepping down as the head of the largest sheriff department in the U.S. “He believed that undocumented people did not have any civil rights,” said Montes.

Baca was a strong proponent of SCOMM, which goes by the name ‘Secure Communities.’ This is the program where Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) joins up with local police. It attacks poor and working class immigrants, mostly Mexican and Central American, who are caught up in traffic or other minor infractions. Montes said, “His L.A. County jails detained and deported, along with ICE, more people than the notorious Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.”

Baca helped implement the sheriff and police checkpoints that led to undocumented people without drivers licenses having their cars taken to the 30-day car impound lots. Many never get their vehicles back.

At the time of his resignation, Baca was under intense fire for the systematic brutality carried out by L.A. Sheriff’s Department. “He supported deputies who shot and killed Black and Chicano youth. He allowed his deputies at the L.A. County jails to use violence and terror on prisoners awaiting trials,” said Montes

Speaking on the future of the L.A. Sheriff Department without Baca, Montes stated, “The racism and violence of the L.A. County sheriffs will continue.” And so would the struggle for justice.

#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #CarlosMontes #SheriffBaca

Los Angeles, CA – Immigrant rights organizations staged a press conference here July 12, to demand that Sheriff Lee Baca stop cooperating with the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ‘Secure Communities’ program. The Secure Communities program has resulted in the repression of thousands of immigrants. The press conference was organized by the National Day Labors Organizing Network. Participants included representatives from CARCEN Day Labor Center, ACLU, Pomona Day Labor Center, Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) and CHIRLA.

Pablo Alvarado, with National Day Labors Organizing Network, said the L.A. County jail under Sheriff Baca deports more people per year than Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Alvarado also said that when President Obama was looking to push Secure Communities, he wanted Sheriff Baca’s support, because Los Angeles is trend-setting city.

Carlos Montes spoke on behalf of the Southern California Immigration Coalition, demanding that Sheriff Baca stop collaborating with ICE and that Baca support the Trust Act legislation. The Trust Act, which already passed in the California Senate, allows local police to not honor ICE detainer requests. This would prevent the deportation of thousands of mostly Mexican immigrants.

Montes also stated that SCIC has been organizing against the police department’s car checkpoints and car impounds, and in support of street vendors. “The police/ICE collaboration causes the detention and deportation of immigrants for minor infractions like traffic violations or street vending, not serious crimes. Many of these police actions are in poor Mexican/Chicano and Black communities – which led to more racial profiling. This leads to distrust of local police for fear of detention and deportation and separation from families,” says Montes.

#LosAngelesCA #immigrantRights #CarlosMontes #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #SecureCommunities #SheriffBaca #SComm #NationalDayLaborsOrganizingNetwork

Los Angeles, CA – Demanding “Stop SCOMM” and “No deportations,” members of the Southern California Immigration Coalition denounced Sheriff L. Baca at his annual prayer breakfast here, Jan 14.

SCOMM, which goes by the name “Secure Communities,” is the Immigration Custom Enforcement/police program that attacks poor and working class immigrants, mostly Mexican and Central American, who are caught up in traffic or other minor infractions.

SCOMM advocate Sheriff Baca wrote an editorial saying undocumented people do not have civil rights. His jails are under investigation for brutality against people awaiting trial and for corruption by Sheriffs deputies.

The protesters told Baca that they will not accept the detainment and deportation of thousands of their people by his police/ICE collaboration by SCOMM and 287g.

Protesters, including veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes, whose home was raided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s SWAT team May 17, 2011, demanded that Baca resign now.

The Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) has been working with many groups who support these demands.

To get involved in the fight for immigrants rights and unite for an upcoming May 1, 2012 march and rally, come to SCIC meetings, which are held the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month. For more information: www.immigrationcoalition.org.

#LosAngelesCA #deportations #SouthernCaliforniaImmigrationCoalition #287g #SecureCommunities #SheriffBaca #SComm

Los Angeles, CA – Sheriff Lee Baca was met by an angry protest, Dec. 18, as he arrived to speak at Village Church in West Lost Angeles. When he arrived, his car quickly sped off and he tried to get into the church via the back driveway. But young protesters ran and confronted him chanting, “Baca estamos en la lucha, alto a la Poli/Migra, alto a las deportaciones!”

Lupe Ramirez, a vendor, spoke about the Sheriff Department’s harassment of vendors near L.A. Metro stations and of vendors being deported after arrests for minor infractions – like vending.

The Community Service Organization (CSO) and Southern California Immigration Coalition organized this protest to express their anger that Sheriff Baca would be honored keynote speaker at an event sponsored by faith leaders.

Baca spoke on the topic of “Unity in Diversity.” Earlier this year, Sheriff Baca wrote a Los Angeles Times editorial saying immigrants shouldn't have civil rights. Sheriff Baca is a strong advocate of Secure Communities (SCOMM), the ICE/police program that has led to the detention and deportation of thousands of primarily Mexican and Central American working class immigrants.

The L.A. city council and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have officially opposed SCOMM. Several major cities like New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco have opted out of SCOMM.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Baca are facing two investigations by the FBI for corruption and physical abuse by Sheriff’s Deputies of Blacks and Chicanos awaiting trial in the L.A.’s overcrowded county jails.

Alicia Alvarez, the mother of Johnathan Cuevas, killed unjustifiably by the L.A. county sheriffs, spoke to the media and protesters about the killing of her young son. She and her family have united with the grassroots immigrant rights movement to demand justice for victims of SCOMM and killings by the sheriffs. The L.A. county sheriffs have a long history of killing Chicanos; in the early 1990s the killing of Smokey Jimenez at the Ramona Housing Projects and David Angel Ortiz led to many protests and some reforms. The killing of famous Chicano reporter Ruben Salazar, on Aug. 29, 1970, during the Chicano Moratorium protest against the Vietnam War, is still a major controversy with the Chicano community.

The protest is part of an ongoing campaign to pressure Sheriff Baca to opt out of the Secure Communities ICE program. “Wherever Baca goes we will be there,” shouted the protesters.

Carlos Montes is a CSO (Community Service Organization) organizer. For more information: www.csosite.org

#LosAngelesCA #SecureCommunities #SheriffBaca