A year ago, inside the lobby of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail on SW Macadam Avenue, a group of 20 people gathered to protest President Obama’s deportations, conducted through ICE, that had resulted in about 1.5 million people being torn away from their families and communities. They were demanding that immigrants detained by…
Tag: Immigration
Community Activist Aguirre Released from Jail Pending Early 2015 Trial; ICE Detainer Against Him Lifted
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Story by Pete Shaw Federal judge Janice Stewart ordered the release of immigrant justice activist Francisco Aguirre on November 7, one day after his arrest. Aguirre, who had been taking sanctuary, in Augustana Lutheran Church since September 19, was arrested by federal agents for alleged “illegal entry” in the US while appearing in Clackamas County…
Community Church Providing Sanctuary for Immigrant Rights Activist Francisco Aguirre Fighting Threatened ICE Deportation
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Story by Pete Shaw Francisco Aguirre became alarmed when 12 federal agents appeared at his Fairview, OR home at 7 AM on September 19. They refused to state the purpose for their visit, but, when pressed, the lead agent said it had something to do with Aguirre’s business. Aguirre found it suspicious that a dozen…
Artesia, New Mexico Ground Zero for Inhuman Treatment of Asylum Seekers
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Story by Pete Shaw In recent weeks there has been widespread media coverage of the plight of refugee children entering the US after fleeing violence in Central America. While those numbers had been steadily increasing over the past few years, they jumped to crisis levels a few months ago. Despite its obligations under international law…
Activists Call for Moratorium on Retaliation Against Refugee Children
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Story by Pete Shaw Since last October over 57,000 unaccompanied children have been detained while crossing the Mexico-US border. About 75% of them are fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, countries where US foreign policy elements such as so-called free trade agreements and the drug war have often resulted in corrupt and brutal…
ICE Protesters Boiling Over For-Profit Detentions
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Chanting “No More Deportations!” a crowd of 30 people gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in NW Portland to express solidarity with hunger strikers and other detainees in ICE prisons throughout the country. Over 1200 people jailed by ICE at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma,…
Undocumented Youths Pushing Boundaries to Remain in US
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Story by Pete Shaw Tired of waiting for the federal government to reform immigration law, a growing group of young people without documentation has decided to take matters into its own hands. Undocumented and Unafraid, they are taking the fight to the heart of the US immigration enforcement, challenging the system head on, and even…
Immigrants Rally to Keep Their Families Together
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Gathered around pairs of shoes representing fathers and father figures who have been detained and deported, over 70 people assembled in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office at 511 NW Broadway on Monday June 17th to demand Congress and President Obama create and pass immigration legislation…
Cooler Heads Prevail as County Finally Cracks Old ICE Agreement
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Story by Pete Shaw Multnomah County Commissioners unanimously supported a resolution on April 4th revising the Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) plan for handling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detainers. Under the new rule, which goes into effect on April 15th, the MCSO says it will only honor ICE requests to hold prisoners it believes to…
Immigration: Insecure Communities
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By Pete Shaw Immigrant deportation not only tears families and communities apart, it’s one of the most divisive political issues in the U.S. today. Those expecting the Obama presidency to result in fewer immigrant deportations have been bitterly disappointed. Recently, that figure passed the million mark, a number that exceeds the deportation statistics in both…
