The Biden Administration Announces Rebrand of ‘Transit Ban’ Trump Policy

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The Biden Administration Announces Rebrand of ‘Transit Ban’ Trump Policy

A temporary, new asylum rule announced by the Biden administration on February 21st aims to severely limit the ability of migrants to request asylum at the U.S border by first forcing them to request asylum in other countries they have traveled to. This policy is no different than the ‘transit ban’ policy first implemented by the Trump administration, a policy crafted by far-right advisor to then president Trump, Stephen Miller. With Title 42 set to expire in May, this new policy set to be in place for 2 years will only extend the harm and trauma set into place by the Trump administration to punish refugees and asylees seeking help. 

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SIREN Statement on Santa Clara Board of Supervisors Decision to Build a New Jail in Santa Clara County

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For Immediate Release:

January 26 2022

Contact: Jose Servin, Director of Advocacy and Communication, SIREN

jose@sirenimmigrantrights.org, 714-728-2520

SIREN Statement on Santa Clara Board of Supervisors Decision to Build a New Jail in Santa Clara County

California - Maricela Gutiérrez, the Executive Director of the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) and SIREN Action issued the following statement:

Yesterday’s majority decision by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to move forward with building a third jail in our community was a cruel commitment to racial injustice. 

The majority of San Jose residents wholeheartedly oppose the creation of a new jail in Santa Clara County, as evidenced by the nearly unanimous opposition expressed through hours of public comment. 

Despite years of community opposition and a bold proposal by Supervisor Susan Ellenberg to expand mental health resource facilities rather than build a new jail,  Supervisors Otto Lee, Joe Simitian and Mike Wasserman voted in favor of expanding the carceral state in San Jose.

The recommendations in the Framework for the County’s Justice-Involved Clients report presented at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting did not reflect the reality that Santa Clara county residents live and experience. The Framework report acknowledges that the County of Santa Clara is committed to reducing the jail population and states that the proposal to create this new jail is supposed to lead to a reduction of population, but as expert advocates with 35 years of experience advocating for immigrant communities that are often the target of incarceration in both the criminal justice system and the immigrant carceral system, the SIREN team is well aware that when a county decides to expand incarceration, they are unequivocally committing to incarcerate more people of color, not the other way around. It is extremely concerning that despite nearly unanimous opposition through public comment yesterday, the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted to move towards building a new jail.

Yesterday, SCC County Supervisors had the opportunity to turn the tide on California’s dependence on mass incarceration as an outdated, tried-and-failed practice. What residents in Santa Clara County actually need are housing support services, wrap-around care and mental health services not rooted in the punitive carceral system. 

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Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN): Here to stand for immigrants and refugees rights!

Undocumented Communities Need Permanent Protections, ‘Parole’ Falls Short 

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Undocumented Communities Need Permanent Protections, ‘Parole’ Falls Short 

It is without exaggeration that we say that the future of many people in this country depends on what will be included in the Build Back Better Plan.

Undocumented immigrants have fought for decades for legislative relief, and this past election cycle Democrats campaigned heavily on immigration reform. Now that they are in power, these elected leaders are caving to interparty pressure and robbing American’s of a once in a lifetime opportunity to rectify a key part of our broken and disastrous immigration system.

The ‘parole’ option that is now being offered to the undocumented community as ‘relief’ is restrictive, inaccessible, and costly to immigrant communities already being impacted by economic exploitation during a global pandemic. Additionally, temporary solutions like parole are a tried-and-failed tactic. DACA, for example, is a temporary policy solution with an uncertain future that has faced legal battles since its inception.

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