When: Thursday, September 29,th 5pm.
Where: Presidio Springs, 721 Laguna St.
Who: Community members, students, elected officials will come together to hear testimony from those directly impacted by this program and pose questions to Sheriff Bill Brown about this troubled program.
Santa Barbara, CA – As the “Secure” Communities or S-Comm deportation program faces growing criticism across the country, Santa Barbara community leaders are holding a first-of-its kind dialogue with County Sheriff Brown on the program’s local impact.
The forum will provide the Sheriff with an opportunity to hear testimony about the impact this program is having on families locally, as well as respond to questions from community members.
While S-Comm is purportedly designed to target “serious criminal offenders” for deportation, ICE’s own statistics reveal that 7 out of 10 of the 47,000 Californians deported through the program were low-level offenders or presumed innocent.
S-Comm has ensnared immigrants arrested for merely for selling ice cream without a permit and has even led to the deportation of victims of domestic violence who call police for help.
Community advocates and law enforcement leaders from New York to California agree that the program is eroding trust between law enforcement and the Latino community, endangering public safety and marginalizing communities of color. In August, a series of hearings on the program sparked protests from Los Angeles to Virginia.
“We hope this forum helps the public understand how this program works, what impact it has had on our community, and what we can do as community members, advocates, and elected officials to achieve genuine public safety,” said Mark Alvarado, Executive Director of PUEBLO.
PUEBLO is a multi-issue economic and environmental justice non-profit organization working to empower the low-income people of Santa Barbara County through educational programs and civic participation.