at Unitarian Universalist Center, SF
1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
415-776-4580 Email: info@uusf.org
The U.S.’s
immigrant detention system, the largest in the world, is notorious for its cruel treatment of immigrants, including measures to keep immigrants isolated and separated from family, friends, and legal assistance. Jeff Session’s DOJ is so intent on keeping the reality of these detention centers hidden from public view he is suing a California law the gives the state access to inspect them. Consider the fact that last year ICE detention centers held 4 times the number of immigrants as were held in the Japanese American concentration camps during WWII.Freedom for Immigrants has set it sights on closing down these prisons. Rodrigo will be talking about all of this Sunday.
Sunday Forum Calendar
Sunday, March 25, 9:30 AM, MLK Room
Rodrigo Torres, Immigration Activist
Rodrigo is a volunteer with CIVIC (Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Detention) in the Bay Area and has been an advocate for the rights, dignity and wellbeing of immigrants in detention.
CIVIC is an organization devoted to abolishing U.S. immigration detention, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system. CIVIC visits and monitors 43 facilities (including the West County Detention Center in Richmond, California) and runs the largest national hotline for detained immigrants. Through these windows into the system, CIVIC gathers data and stories to combat injustice at the individual level and push systemic change. Recently, CIVIC was barred by the Contra Costa sheriff from visiting immigrants at West County because their work has exposed terrible conditions there. CIVIC is fighting back and Rodrigo will inform us on how, and how others can help.
