SIREN January 2018 Newsletter

One year has passed since the start of the new administration. The attacks on immigrants and refugees have been non-stop with a level of racism and cruelty that we could not have imagined. Fear-mongering and the demonization of immigrants are at the core of this administration’s agenda. As you may have read, the White House’s newly released immigration proposal aims to dismantle our current immigration, using the future of DREAMers as a bargaining chip.  

We cannot allow for this.   

The President’s State of the Union address underscores an immigration agenda that seeks to criminalize members of our community and make even more impossible the process to immigrate to the United States.  

We cannot stand for this. 

This past week, Holocaust Remembrance Day (on January 27) calls on us to remember a time when millions were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime. We are also reminded of the many brave, self-less individuals who stood up and put their lives on the line to save the lives of strangers. Their sacrifices give us strength and courage.  

Today we ask you once again to stand with SIREN and the people we serve. Immigrants and refugees are the heart and soul of our great nation. Their hard work, sacrifices, and dreams have fueled this country from our inception.  

Join SIREN as a member. Join us a monthly donor. Become an ally or volunteer. We must confront the harsh realities of today and fight like never before. 

In community spirit, 
Maricela Gutiérrez
Executive Director

TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE STATUS (TPS) UPDATE 

 As you may have heard, the Trump Administration has announced that it will be ending Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Haiti and Nicaragua. Regrettably, it will be making announcements on other TPS countries over the coming weeks. We urge individuals currently protected under TPS to contact SIREN to speak with one of our legal experts as soon as possible. Filing renewal paperwork on time is very important. 

Salvadorans can renew their TPS for one more period of authorization. The deadline to submit their application is March 19, 2018. SIREN will be holding legal clinics on February 25 and March 3 from 10am-3pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe church at 2020 E. San Antonio St. in San Jose. Please RSVP to: info@siren-bayarea.org

SIREN will charge $100 to help with TPS renewal applications and people are requested to register for an appointment by calling SIREN at (408) 453-3017.   

When attending the clinics, people should bring the following:

1. Photocopy of their expired permit. 
2. Two passport photos. 
3. Paperwork on any criminal charges they may be facing. 
4. Any registration and paperwork received from immigration. 
5. A check or money order made out to “US Department of Homeland Security” for $85 if just applying for Temporary Protective Status; or $495 if applying for Temporary Protective Status and Work Authorization. 

SUPPORT DACA YOUTH LIKE LIZBETH 

Lizbeth attends the University of California Santa Cruz where she is pursuing a double major in Sociology and Art. She is a Dreamer driven by the need to help her family, and the belief that every person should be treated with dignity, respect, and deserves basic rights and protections. 

Lizbeth, like thousands of other young people, in our community are living in fear, not knowing what the future holds. Help us alleviate the tremendous burden on their shoulders by helping SIREN raise funds for DACA application fees.  We cannot let this be a barrier for Dreamers. 

We invite you to donate today.  

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

Clean Dream Act Central Valley Action

Friday, February 2, 2018

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm 

1108 Irwin Street,  Suite 110B, Hanford, CA 93230

Community Forum / Foro Comunitario

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 

Los Arboles Elementary, 455 Los Arboles Street,  San Jose, CA 95111

Citizenship and DACA Workshops

Thursday, February 15, 2018

3:00 pm to 8:00 pm

1110 Tucker Ave, Sanger, CA 93657

Friday, February 16, 2018

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

1282 Belmont Ave, Mendota, CA 93640

Sunday, February 25, 2018 & Saturday, March 3, 2018

10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2020 E. San Antonio Street,  San Jose, CA 95116

TPS Clinics / Clinicas de Beneficios de TPS

Sunday, February 25, 2018 & Saturday, March 3, 2018

10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2020 E. San Antonio Street,  San Jose, CA 95116

FREE Citizenship Clinics / Clínicas de Ciudadanía Gratuitas

Wednesday, February 21 & March 21, 2018

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm 

SIREN Office, 1415 Koll Street,  San Jose, CA 95112

FREE Weekly DACA Clinics every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in San Jose. No appointment is necessary.  

FREE Weekly Legal Consultation Clinics every Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in San Jose. No appointment is necessary.  

JOIN SIREN'S RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK

CONNECT WITH US

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Immigrants, DREAMers Gather for State of the Union Watch Party

Contact: Jeremy Barousse
Director of Civic Engagement, SIREN
jeremy@siren-bayarea.org
(408) 460-5807

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

6:00 PM

Immigrants, DREAMers Gather for State of the Union Watch Party

After a year of anti-immigrant policies by the White House, Immigrants Share Their Experience in a year of Trump, reaction to State of the Union address

SAN JOSE -- On Tuesday, January 30th immigrants, DREAMers and allies will gather at the office of Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose to watch and react to Donald Trump’s first State of the Union. In his first year in office, Trump has advanced a white nationalist agenda that includes ending DACA and TPS for millions of immigrants, an unconstitutional travel ban on mostly Muslim countries, and has continued to demand billions of dollars for a ridiculous border wall.

Maricela Gutiérrez, Executive Director of SIREN said, “In the last year, Donald Trump has created a reign of terror for immigrant families. With his executive orders on immigration, the Muslim Ban, and termination of TPS and the DACA programs, he has clearly laid out his racist and anti-immigrant agenda. It is up to the community to push back against these hateful policies.”


 

WHAT: STATE OF THE UNION WATCH PARTY

WHO: Immigrants, DREAMers, Allies

WHEN: Tuesday, January 30 at 6pm

WHERE: SIREN Office located at 1415 Koll Cir. Suite 108, San Jose, 95112
 

Statement on White House Immigration Policy

After reviewing initial reports of the White House immigration proposal, SIREN condemns in strong terms what President Trump is proposing. Even though the White House won’t officially discuss it’s immigration proposal until Monday, it has confirmed the suggestions of what will be included to the media. In the confirmed detail, President Trump is proposing to offer a path to citizenship for up to 1.8 million DREAMers, including the more than 800,000 DACA recipients who had seen their legal status put into jeopardy by President Trump’s ending of the program. Furthermore, President Trump's proposal seeks to provide relief to these undocumented young people by criminalizing their parents and refusing to extend a path to citizenship for their family members; ending the diversity visa program; ending certain family-based immigration routes which allows people to sponsor their immediate family; making the already insurmountable political asylum process even harder to achieve; hiring thousands of more Border Patrol agents and ICE officers with even fewer hiring standards or processes of accountability; and of course, building a $25 billion border wall that will be completely ineffective. Any one of these proposals is unacceptable, but together as a package, it is clear that President Trump is trying to bargain the future of DREAMers for acceptance of his worst immigration proposals. SIREN’s Executive Director, Maricela Gutiérrez,  “It is beyond a reasonable doubt, an unacceptable political game that seeks to trade a future for DREAMers to pander to the worst elements of his base with racist, white supremacists immigration policies that have repeatedly been debunked and proven to be ineffective. SIREN strongly condemns this horrible proposal to rewrite the immigration system through racist policy, unfounded political rhetoric, and failed ideas." The future of DREAMers is not something that can be traded in a political card game, especially through offering proposals that are unacceptable and represent the worst elements of a racist, right-wing policy that seeks to criminalize members of our community and make even more impossible the process to immigrate to the United States.

---

Después de revisar los informes iniciales de la propuesta de inmigración de la Casa Blanca, SIREN condena en términos enérgicos lo que el presidente Trump está proponiendo. Aunque la Casa Blanca no discutirá oficialmente su propuesta de inmigración hasta el lunes, ha confirmado las sugerencias de lo que se incluirá en los medios. En el detalle confirmado, el presidente Trump propone ofrecer un camino a la ciudadanía para hasta 1.8 millones de DREAMers, incluidos los más de 800,000 beneficiarios de DACA que vieron peligrar su estatus legal por el final del programa del presidente Trump. Además, la propuesta del presidente Trump busca brindar alivio a estos jóvenes indocumentados al criminalizar a sus padres y negarse a extender el camino a la ciudadanía para los miembros de sus familias; poner fin al programa de visas de diversidad; poner fin a ciertas rutas de inmigración basadas en la familia que permite a las personas patrocinar a su familia inmediata; hacer que el ya insospechable proceso de asilo político sea aún más difícil de lograr; contratar a miles de agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza y oficiales de ICE con aún menos estándares de contratación o procesos de responsabilidad; y, por supuesto, construir un muro fronterizo de $25 mil millones que será completamente ineficaz. Cualquiera de estas propuestas es inaceptable, pero juntas como un paquete, está claro que el presidente Trump está tratando de negociar el futuro de DREAMers para la aceptación de sus peores propuestas de inmigración. La Directora Ejecutiva de SIREN, Maricela Gutiérrez, comento "Es más que una duda razonable, un juego político inaceptable que busca cambiar el futuro de los DREAMers para complacer a los peores elementos de su base con políticas de inmigración racistas y supremacistas blancas que han sido desacreditadas y comprobadas repetidamente ser ineficaz. SIREN condena enérgicamente esta horrible propuesta de reescribir el sistema de inmigración a través de una política racista, una retórica política infundada e ideas fallidas." El futuro de DREAMers no es algo que se pueda intercambiar en un juego de cartas políticas, especialmente ofreciendo propuestas que son inaceptables y representan los peores elementos de una política racista y de derecha que busca criminalizar a los miembros de nuestra comunidad y hacer aún más imposible el proceso para inmigrar a los Estados Unidos.

Federal Government Shutdown As Anti-Immigrant Members of Congress Endorse Racism

Media Contact: Erik Schnabel, Development and Communications Manager

Phone Number: 415-377-0387

Email: erik@siren-bayarea.org

Tonight, the U.S. Senate voted to shut down the government because the anti-immigrant wing of Congress caved into Trump’s white supremacist agenda. The government’s fundamental job is to keep our country running for American families and communities. Yet, rather than fulfilling these basic duties, Trump and his supporters in Congress chose to allow their hatred against immigrants and children needing health care dictate budget negotiations. Throughout the continuing resolution debate, indeed emblematic of his past year in office, Trump has poisoned all political debate with racism and cruelty. Even though, Trump’s anti-people of color agenda comes directly from the playbook and at the bidding of hate groups, too many members of Congress have failed to stand up to him. And the consequences are serious for all Americans.


“What we need are legislative solutions from a mature leadership in Congress to address real problems caused by Trump’s hand. We must not forget that putting DREAMers in the position of having no certainty in their lives right now was the White House’s own making. Shutting down the government was entirely avoidable but they instead chose to play politics with the real lives of immigrant youth and their families. This shutdown is about nothing less than Trump’s extremism and anti-immigrant lawmakers spinelessness in the face of racism,” said Maricela Gutiérrez, Executive Director of Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN).
 
Many members of Congress from California, including Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, voted with their conscience tonight. In the days ahead, SIREN urges members of Congress to commit to finding a solution by passing a budget and a clean DREAM Act. Let’s hope in the coming days that we are able to actually make this happen and a vote can be had on the future of DREAMers, children, and immigrant families impacted by this.

Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network
http://siren.nationbuilder.com/

We Demand a Clean Dream Act

SIREN has been working relentlessly for a Clean Dream Act. Just this past week, SIREN leaders were in Washington, DC along with hundreds of other activists in the largest showing of civil disobedience in immigrant rights history. Maricela Gutierrez, SIREN’s Executive Director, was arrested in Washington, DC as she and hundreds of immigrant rights leaders demonstrated their unwavering commitment to fight for justice.

While SIREN staff and youth leaders represented Northern California in Washington, DC to fight for a #CleanDREAMAct, SIREN also led an action in Modesto with partners at Rep. Jeff Denham's office in Modesto. We delivered nearly 1,000 postcards and sang some holiday carols to support a CLEAN DREAM Act before the end of the year!

Here are two news articles about SIREN’s advocacy efforts:

Mercury News, 12/6/2017
Immigration activists push Congress to act on DACA

Daily Kos, 12/6/2017
Two members of Congress among the over 200 demonstrators arrested in support of Dreamers

#SIRENCARES Holiday Giving Campaign

The holidays are a special time to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. For many immigrants and refugees in our community, it is a time of sadness and anxiety, as many families have been torn apart. Many fear the malicious political environment that threatens their lives every day. 

SIREN’s work, helping immigrant and refugee families, has never been needed as much as today. We are working around the clock providing free legal services, pushing for more just public policy, and strengthening our community’s grassroots leadership.

During this holiday season, we ask for you to consider making a donation to our holiday campaign #SIRENCARES. Your generous donation will support continued policy advocacy, leadership development, and free legal consultations to keep families together this holiday season and all year-round.

If you would like to get involved and make a difference today, here are a few ways that you can help:

• You can donate here: https://siren.nationbuilder.com/donate
• You can raise money by organizing a fundraiser - online or in other traditional ways.
• You can share SIREN’s Facebook posts about holiday giving with your friends, family and community and encourage them to give.

Thank you for your kind consideration and your on-going support of the work we do. Together, we can make a difference.

SIREN’s Statement on Trump Administration’s Decisions regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

President Trump’s decision to eliminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nicaraguans and leave Hondurans in limbo is the personification of evil as these families will be forced to return to countries where they are in extreme danger of violence. 

This week, the Department of Homeland Security decided to terminate TPS for nearly 3,000 Nicaraguan nationals and leaves 57,000 Honduran nationals to face uncertainty for another 6 months. In addition, more than 50,000 Haitians will be stripped of work authorization and prioritized for deportation when their TPS expires.

In light of Trump’s clear pattern of treating anyone who is not White as not being Americans, we urge Congress to intervene. This is imperative, not solely on a moral level, but also on an economic level. These very families facing expulsion from the United States are the very families that make up the fabric of this country and support the nation’s economy to make our nation the strongest. The bedrock of the United States is welcoming those seeking protection from turmoil in their home countries. 

As activists, we will not stand by idly as the current federal administration works feverishly to return the United States to era hearkening back to Jim Crow. Regardless of political ideology, the fight for immigrants is a fight for the future of our nation.