TRUST Act picks up co-sponsors, prominent endorsers across state
Sacramento – Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D- San Francisco) announced today that AB 1081 (the TRUST Act) has won the backing of three legislative co-sponsors and over 50 organizations and local officials, with Santa Cruz County weighing in just this week in support of the pro-safety, pro-transparency proposal.
The Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools Act (“TRUST”) would improve a controversial agreement between the State of California and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so as to honor the right of local governments to opt out of the troubled S-Comm or “Secure Communities” immigration program The Federal program’s misleading focus, over-broad reach and lack of transparency have eroded trust between police and immigrant communities and sparked considerable open government concerns, problems the TRUST Act aims to fix. The bill also sets basic safeguards for those that do participate in the program to guard against racial profiling, protect the rights of children and domestic violence survivors, and upholds the right to a day in court by only reporting for deportation individuals convicted, not merely accused, of crimes.
Joining Asm. Ammiano as co-sponsors are Asm. Gil Cedillo (D-LA), Asm. Bill Monning (D- Carmel) and Sen. Leland Yee (D-SF). Endorsers include local governments and elected officials such as the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County Boards and SF Sheriff Michael Hennessey; the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence; the California Labor Federation and various unions; and civil rights and faith groups ranging from the San Bernardino Catholic Diocese to the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The list of TRUST Act supporters continues to grow; a full list as of today is below.
“Unlikely allies are lining up behind this bill because ICE misled the public about S-Comm, whose real focus is more spin than safety. In fact, seven in ten Californians deported under S-Comm had committed no crime or were picked up for minor offenses like traffic violations,” said Assemblymember Ammiano. “The program is ruining trust between immigrant communities and the police. But here in California, we can do better. This bill is a practical solution that lets local governments have a say and restores some balance to this dysfunctional system.”
AB 1081 has also galvanized domestic violence survivors and advocates. “Under S-Comm, a desperate call for help can quickly turn into a nightmare situation for victims of domestic violence,” said Tara Shabazz, Executive Director of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. “We’ve seen victims of abuse reported for deportation from San Francisco to Lodi, California. This bill will protect abuse victims and remove an important barrier to reaching out for help, and we are proud to support it.”
These serious public safety and civil liberties concerns have pushed local governments to seek a way out of the program, imposed on communities with no transparency or opportunity for local oversight. For example, the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors unanimously requested to opt out of the flawed program in September 2010, but after months of confusion, ICE refused to honor the county's request.
“The Federal Government forced this program on my jail without my consent," added San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey. “By allowing local governments to opt out of this flawed program, AB 1081 will help law enforcement win back some trust with immigrant communities. That, in turn, will help improve public safety for everyone."
The growing support for the TRUST Act comes on the heels of a similar bill introduced last week in Illinois, the SMART Enforcement Act, which would also empower counties in that state to choose whether or not to participate in the program.
In recent weeks, new figures issued due to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and other rights groups have shown that 13 California counties rank among the nation’s top 38 in terms of non-criminal deportations under the program. Chris Newman, Legal Director at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network explained, “The TRUST Act raises this unregulated and inaccurate program to California’s standards and ensures transparency and accountability through clear data reporting requirements for local jurisdictions opting to participate in S-Comm.”
Appendix: AB 1081 Endorsement list
Asian Law Caucus, co-sponsor
National Day Laborer Organizing Network, co-sponsor
African Advocacy Network
Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO
American Civil Liberties Union
American Friends Service Committee, San Diego
American Friends Service Committee, Pacific Mountain Region
Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality
Asian Law Alliance
California Labor Federation
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
California State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Canal Alliance
Central American Resource Center
Centro Legal de la Raza
Centro Laboral de Graton (Graton Day Labor Center)
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
City of Berkeley
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Community United Against Violence
County of Santa Cruz
Diocese of San Bernardino
Filipino Advocates for Justice
Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of Richmond
George Shirakawa, Supervisor District Two Santa Clara
Hayward Day Labor Center
Immigration Center for Women and Children
Institute of Popular Education of Southern California
La Raza Centro Legal, Inc.
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Legal Services for Prisoners With Children
Michael Hennessey, Sheriff, City and County of San Francisco
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Nicaragua Center for Community Action
Nuestra Casa
Oakland Community Organizations
Peninsula Interfaith Action
Pomona Economic Opportunity Center
PUEBLO Action Fund [Santa Barbara]
San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association
Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
Silicon Valley Alliance for Immigration Reform
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
St. Joseph, The Worker Church Social Justice Committee
The Council of Mexican Federations (COFEM)
The East Bay Refugee Forum
UNITE HERE Local 2850
Numerous Individuals
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