Decorah, IA – On Monday night, August 4, the Decorah City Council chambers was packed as residents demanded the city move forward with a proposed “separation ordinance” to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The ordinance, drafted by immigrant rights advocates, would restrict the city from engaging in unnecessary collaboration with ICE. Supporters say it would help protect immigrant communities from harassment, racial profiling and federal overreach.

During public comments, speaker after speaker called on the council to take the first step by placing the proposal on an upcoming agenda for official discussion.

“I’m proud to be one of the many Decorah residents asking you to put the separation ordinance on a future agenda and commit to talking openly and officially,” stated immigrant rights organizer Joshua Ratel-Khan. “This issue deserves daylight. Our city will not be a tool of federal repression. We won’t hand over our time, our labor, our data, or our public dollars to help ICE terrorize our neighbors.”

Community members spoke about the fear spreading among immigrants due to growing anti-immigrant rhetoric and state and federal policies. They outlined the ordinance’s three main goals: reduce unnecessary cooperation with ICE, limit harmful data collection, and establish oversight and transparency.

Several pointed out that similar laws exist in over 200 cities and counties across the U.S., proving such policies are both legal and effective. Others stressed that the draft ordinance is a starting point, not a final product, and could be adapted to meet Decorah’s needs.

While a small number of speakers questioned the legality of certain provisions, they still affirmed their support for immigrants and opposition to discrimination.

Mayor Lorraine Borowski cut off public comment before all speakers could be heard, prompting Ratel-Khan to push for more time so residents’ perspectives could be fully aired. Borowski said there would likely be more opportunities for input in the future.

Because the ordinance was not listed on the August 4 meeting agenda, council members were barred from formal discussion. Still, some thanked residents for speaking out and encouraged continued engagement.

Whether the separation ordinance will be scheduled for future debate remains uncertain, but supporters made it clear they are organized and determined to keep fighting until the city takes action to protect immigrant communities.

#DecorahIA #IA #ImmigrantRights #DCIR #SanctuaryCity #SeparationOrdinance

At the Oshkosh Public Library, UAO and others from the community gathered to hear and discuss information about sanctuary cities. The presentation addressed myths and facts about sanctuary cities, benefits to the community, the reasons behind undocumented immigration, and the efforts in the campaign by United Action Oshkosh.

Discussion between attendees took place on many different topics, including local immigrant issues. Two of the attendees were members of the Chicano community, who spoke about their experience. They shared their own struggles with filing and paying taxes without receiving any benefits as well as the exploitative hiring and labor practices of restaurants, hospitals and staffing agencies they have witnessed in Oshkosh and the surrounding area.

“It was excellent to hear from members of the community familiar with and affected by U.S. immigration policy,” UAO member Alvin Jarvenpaa, Jr. said after the discussion. “It’s inspiring to know people can overcome hardships and gives hope that if given a fair opportunity they can do amazing things. It emphasizes why a sanctuary city is something worth fighting for.”

With the success of their first sanctuary city workshop, UAO plans to hold monthly workshops, continuing to invite the community to learn of the resolution proposal. United Action Oshkosh also intends to celebrate May Day next month, which is set to highlight the current strikes across the nation by teachers as well as to show solidarity for workers worldwide.

#OshkoshWI #SanctuaryCity #UnitedActionOshkosh

Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 12, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) made their presence felt at the first meeting of the newly-elected Minneapolis city council.

Before the start of the city council meeting, the groups held a press conference at the Father of Waters statue inside the City Hall rotunda, where they explained that they will stand together to demand that the new city council members take immediate action toward making Minneapolis a true sanctuary city for it’s immigrant residents and for community control of the police.

MIRAC member and pastor Daniel Romero began the press conference saying, “To the mayor and the city council, with the very lives of immigrants at stake, your lack of urgency on immigration issues is unacceptable, and it’s time for you to speak up and to act. On Sept. 20, MIRAC introduced its Sanctuary Now platform, a set of 13 immigrant rights proposals that, if enacted, will help the city become a welcoming city, not only in rhetoric, but in reality. A top priority of MIRAC is a municipal ID for all city residents.”

Loretta Van Pelt of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar said, “I would like to tell the new leadership of the city council and the city that we demand community control of the police. That we, the community, not some pseudo-committee, get to hold the police accountable when they harm a member of our community. In the last few years we have seen cops get away with murder, and the murder victims not seeing justice. Community control would be one way those families would see that justice. We are also standing in solidarity with our immigrant siblings who call the Twin Cities home. We support the Sanctuary Platform because we see that local law enforcement and ICE work hand-in-hand to terrorize communities.”

After the press conference, the group went into the city council meeting, where they made up most of the audience. They held signs and banners reading, “Sanctuary now,” “Resist attacks on immigrants” and “Municipal ID for all.”

The city council meeting was very short, and as they were about to adjourn, the activists asked to speak. After a couple minutes of council members discussing whether to allow the public to speak and what parliamentary motions were needed to do that, the council finally suspended the rules and Erika Zurawski of MIRAC and Loretta Van Pelt of TCC4J spoke directly to the members of the city council about the urgency of passing the Sanctuary Platform and community control of the police.

On Sept. 20, 2017, MIRAC publicly launched their campaign for Sanctuary Now in Minneapolis, unveiling a 13-point Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform for immigrant residents of the city. A key part of the platform is a municipal ID for all city residents. One of the 13 points was passed in the final sessions of last year’s city council, and MIRAC is pushing for rapid action on the other 12 points.

From Jamar Clark to Justine Damond, unarmed innocent civilians are killed by Minneapolis police who are not prosecuted, disciplined or held accountable in any way. On Oct. 20, 2017, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar and family members of Jamar Clark called on the city council to establish a Minneapolis Police Accountability Council, and true community control over the police. The activists from MIRAC and TCC4J pledged that they will continue to organize until the city takes action.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantsRights #PeoplesStruggles #MIRAc #SanctuaryCity