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#1494824 --- 01/27/17 02:48 PM
Re: Sanctuary City: Ithaca moves forward
[Re: Teonan]
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/30/12
Posts: 4810
Loc: West End
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Ithaca to rally for immigrant rights after Trump executive orders issued
The Ithaca Voice by Jolene Almendarez January 27, 2017 ITHACA, N.Y. -- On Saturday, Ithaca-area activists are hosting an Emergency Rally to Support Immigrant Rights as a response to recent anti-immigrant executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. Four women, who participated in the Women's March helped organize the rally, which is happening from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday on the Ithaca Commons.Trump's executive orders have made headlines this week, as well as some drafted orders not signed as of early Friday afternoon. One draft includes putting a temporary ban on immigrants, refugees and visitors — based partly on factors such as their religion or country of origin. Earlier this week, Trump signed an order that a wall be built between the Mexico–United States border. Organizer Paula Cohen said, "It's bloody scary, right? It just keeps coming and coming - it's a torrent of aggression. You can barely swallow one bit of bad news before another is thrown at you!" Cohen was born and raised in Nigeria but immigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom. She said that she is privileged because she is "white as white can be" and benefits from not having to live with people's skepticism about her. She said, "Because when I walk down the street, I don't need to worry that people are looking at me thinking 'Why doesn't she go back to her own country?'" That's different from other immigrants she's met in the area. (Article continues) Read on: https://ithacavoice.com/2017/01/ithaca-rally-immigrant-rights-trump-executive-orders-issued/
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"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger." -John Trudell
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#1494984 --- 02/02/17 10:15 AM
Re: Sanctuary City: Ithaca moves forward
[Re: Teonan]
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/30/12
Posts: 4810
Loc: West End
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"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples can build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance". ~Robert KennedyLike many sanctuary communities across America, Ithaca will NOT stand down...Unanimous vote: Ithaca now a Sanctuary City with some teeth
by Jolene Almendarez Ithaca Voice February 2, 2017 ITHACA, N.Y. -- After nearly two hours of public comment and at least 30 speakers in favor of a newly proposed ordinance, Ithaca's Common Council unanimously voted to add teeth to its Sanctuary City policy, which was first passed in 1985, for Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees City officials, including police officers, are now specifically directed to not ask for a person's immigration status unless the person is actively committing a crime related to their status. The legal ordinance means that local law enforcement will not enforce federal immigration laws. The ordinance was passed, officials said, based not only on ethical and moral grounds but because data shows that Sanctuary Cities -- in comparison to non-Sanctuary Cities -- have less crime, higher median rates of income, lower rates of unemployment and lower rates of poverty. Alderman Ducson Nguyen, 2nd Ward, supported the ordinance saying, "It is deeply personal to me. I know you all know my parents are refugees." Related-- Op-ed: My refugee parents and our American lives He said the first few days of Donald Trump's presidency -- which has so far seen seven controversial executive orders signed and at least 11 memos issued, many about immigration and health care -- has been tough. "I felt hopeless for a while," he said, but the highly publicly supported ordinance felt like a concrete thing that he and the city could do to fight back. Alderman Cynthia Brock, 1st Ward, first proposed the ordinance draft to the City Administration Committee meeting on Jan. 18. She said during the meeting Wednesday night that while the new ordinance was a necessary step toward protecting the community, it was a day late and a dollar short. Alderman Cynthia Brock, 1st Ward, listens to public comments during a Common Council meeting Wednesday about strengthening Ithaca as a Sanctuary City. "But I want to say also that to a certain extent ....my efforts were a bit opportunistic in the sense that, honestly, President Obama was the deporter in chief. He deported more individuals than the previous two administrations combined. But I didn't think we had the energy or the wherewithal or commitment to take that controversial step and enact this into policy without the situation that we now live in," Brock said. "This policy is good policy. It is best practices. And it should have been in place decades. So while we are doing this in response to the times, it is an oversite that...it didn't happen until 2016 for any of us to sit down and ask, 'What does that mean?'" All Common Council members and Mayor Svante Myrick spoke in favor of the ordinance. But while they are usually lush with commentary about big issues, they left most of the talking about the ordinance to the more than 125 people who attended the meeting, spilling out into the hallway and into an overflow room on the second floor. Some of the people spoke beyond their allotted three minutes of permitted public comment period. Others spoke for less than 30 seconds. But nearly everybody attended the meeting to speak in favor of the ordinance. Nobody spoke out against it. Ithacan Adriane Wolfe, whose father is a Greencard holder from Austria, said that over the past few days, she has experienced looking at the immigration orders from that of a concerned citizen, analytically thinking about the issue and realizing how awful it was for other people, to somebody who could be directly impacted by Trump's executive orders. A leaked draft of a potential executive order indicated that legal immigrants could be subject to deportation for using social services. While the details of what an order could mean for Greencard holders is not completely clear, Wolfe said it indicates that Trump is likely not done passing major policies with just the stroke of his pen. And it means she feels less certain about her father's future in the country. "And it's not just and intellectual process. This is how we value human dignity. To penalize him for, as someone in his 70s, for accessing food -- is something...it breaks my heart," she said in tears."It is important to realize that real families can be ripped apart." Walaa Maherem-Horan -- who became an American Citizen a few years ago -- said she was born in Egypt and has lived in England, Canada and the United States. She said she chooses to make Ithaca her home, where she has her work, friends and family. Maherem-Horan, an Ithaca Welcomes Refugees board member, said that last summer, the group helped an Iraqi man become a legally permanent resident in the country. But he recently went back home to visit his family and is now stranded in Iraq because of Trump's executive order travel ban. And his family in Ithaca cannot go back home to visit their ailing mother. But the difficulties don't end there for Maherem-Horan. She said that she is worried that even as a legal citizen of this country, her naturalized status will still put her at risk for ending up on a nationally publicized registry or at risk for deportation. "The idea that we could be separated despite having done nothing wrong -- I don't even have a speeding ticket -- is scary," she said. https://ithacavoice.com/2017/02/unanimous-vote-ithaca-now-sanctuary-city-teeth/
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"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger." -John Trudell
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#1494993 --- 02/02/17 11:02 AM
Re: Sanctuary City: Ithaca moves forward
[Re: ThomasDecker]
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Senior Member
Registered: 08/17/16
Posts: 2370
Loc: Land of the Free and home of t...
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#1495683 --- 02/23/17 08:12 AM
Re: Sanctuary City: Ithaca moves forward
[Re: Teonan]
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/30/12
Posts: 4810
Loc: West End
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Tompkins County approves resolution protecting immigrants
Ithaca Times By Jaime Cone Feb 22, 2017 After an hour of public comment followed by another hour of debate, the Tompkins County Legislature Tuesday passed a resolution "to maintain a safe, inclusive government and protection, order, conduct, safety, health, and well-being of all persons in Tompkins County." All but two of legislators, Glen Morey (R-Groton) and David McKenna (R-Newfield), voted in favor of the resolution. Michael Sigler (R-Lansing) was not present on an excused absence. The resolution is similar to other "sanctuary" resolutions passed by municipalities in response to President Donald Trump's executive order cracking down on undocumented immigrants. On Tuesday, documents were made public that revealed the full scope of the President's plans to "no exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement." Mayor Svante Myrick and the Common Council passed an ordinance two weeks ago that officially declared Ithaca a sanctuary city, using legislation similar to the resolution that legislator Legislator Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca) and constitutional law professor Kathleen Bergin drafted for approval by the legislature. The four-page resolution includes the statement that county departments, officers, personnel, and agents should not engage in certain activities solely for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration law, including executing a stop based solely on actual or suspected immigration status or a civil immigration warrant, administrative warrant, or an immigration detainer in the individual’s name, including those identified in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Kelles said that she purposely excluded the word "sanctuary" from the resolution because it is a broad term that has been used by numerous other municipalities to describe a wide range of scenarios. "It is not a legal definition," she said. "It is a political definition." Kelles said that the extent to which the local legislation may affect the county financially is still unknown, though the federal government's discretion may be limited to funding that supports local law enforcement agencies. "That is under debate, but there are case laws that show that federal government cannot take steps that are coercive with respect to withholding federal funding," she said. "There is also case law that shows that any action taken by the federal government must be germane; for example, for grants that are put forward stipulations should be germane to that grant and to the welfare of the United States." The resolution also states that "the mere fact of being present in the United States without authorization, by itself, does not constitute a crime," which Legislator Peter Stein (D-Ithaca) moved to have taken out on the basis that people may be confused by the language and that it may "create enemies" among those who believe that immigrants should not remain in the county without official documentation. Stein was the only legislator to vote in favor or his proposed amendment to remove the clause. About 55 members of the public attended the meeting, and the vast majority of those who addressed the legislature were in favor of the resolution. Many spoke about potential chilling effect that the fear of deportation could have on immigrants' willingness to interact with law enforcement. "That fear will actually prevent local law enforcement from doing its job," said local resident Sara Schaffzin, "since it will deter immigrants from reporting crime to the police for fear of being rounded up and deported." Legislature Chair Michael Lane said that he stands in full support of the resolution. "We look at people who come here from another country as a resource to us," he said. "They provide ideas, intellect and diversity, and we need that." http://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/tompki...0189d9a0d3.html
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"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger." -John Trudell
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#1495700 --- 02/23/17 02:26 PM
Sanctuary City: Illegal
[Re: Teonan]
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Diamond Member
Registered: 12/19/04
Posts: 32369
Loc: USA
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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a news release:
[i] cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families -- as described in the legal guidance my office issued last week. Local governments seeking to protect their immigrant communities from federal overreach have every right to do so.
“Building and maintaining trust between local law enforcement and the communities they bravely serve is vital to ensuring public safety. Any attempt to bully local governments into abandoning policies that have proven to keep our cities safe is not only unconstitutional, but threatens the safety of our citizens. is Schneiderman protecting the US citizens or the 'immigrants'? odd that schneiderman prefers to pick and choose which laws he wants to apply must be he has already forgot about 911, the twin towers falling down, all the people killed, all the police and fire personnel that lost their lives, how children lost a father or a mother, how family members lost another family member, how brothers lost a brother, how sisters lost a sister, how siblings lost another sibling, how parents lost their adult child, how the entire area was destroyed, the severe economic impact.TSA... must be he did not lose a family member when the twin towers came down
or the actions afterwards
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"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
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#1495754 --- 02/24/17 04:15 PM
Re: Sanctuary City: Illegal
[Re: Teonan]
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Diamond Member
Registered: 12/19/04
Posts: 32369
Loc: USA
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The four-page resolution includes the statement that county departments, officers, personnel, and agents should not engage in certain activities solely for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration law
"That is under debate, but there are case laws that show that federal government cannot take steps that are coercive with respect to withholding federal funding," she said. "There is also case law that shows that any action taken by the federal government must be germane; for example, for grants that are put forward stipulations should be germane to that grant and to the welfare of the United States." so you want to use case law to avoid enforcing federal immigration law are you unable to see the contradiction? The resolution also states that "the mere fact of being present in the United States without authorization, by itself, does not constitute a crime," being in the USA without proper documentation is a CRIME can you say UNdocumented? can you say CRIME?
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"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
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#1495756 --- 02/24/17 04:40 PM
Re: Sanctuary City: Illegal
[Re: Teonan]
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Diamond Member
Registered: 12/19/04
Posts: 32369
Loc: USA
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The ordinance was passed, officials said, based not only on ethical and moral grounds but because data shows that Sanctuary Cities -- in comparison to non-Sanctuary Cities -- have less crime, higher median rates of income, lower rates of unemployment and lower rates of poverty. false must be you have not heard of Rochester NY... About Ithaca crime ratesWith a crime rate of 55 per one thousand residents, Ithaca has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 18. Within New York, more than 98% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Ithaca. Importantly, when you compare Ithaca to other communities of similar population, then Ithaca crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Ithaca does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.... From our analysis, we discovered that violent crime in Ithaca occurs at a rate higher than in most communities of all population sizes in America. Copyright © 2001-2012 Location Inc®.
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"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
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#1497660 --- 04/11/17 07:09 PM
Re: Sanctuary City: Ithaca moves forward
[Re: Teonan]
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/30/12
Posts: 4810
Loc: West End
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Ithaca joins legal opposition of Trump travel banMatt Steecker Ithaca Journal
April 11, 2017
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick and City Attorney Aaron Levine have taken legal measures in their ongoing campaign to oppose President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from six Muslim majority countries.
By joining an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Ithaca has joined over 30 cities opposing Trump's order. On March 13, the office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also submitted a declaration from Lavine supporting efforts to challenge the executive order enacting the March 6 travel ban. The document, titled Declaration of Immediate and Irreparable Harm described the order's effects on the city's economic and cultural environment if the ban were remained.
The declaration states Ithaca's educational institutions serve and accept international students, and rely on the work of foreign-born teachers, researchers and other academic professionals. Within the declaration, Lavine states Jennifer Tavares, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce president, said President Trump’s executive orders have caused potential tourists to cancel plans to attend and visit Ithaca regional events and attractions.
According to the documents, Trump's executive orders also have impeded the city's ability to accept Syrian refugees.
A news release stated: "Myrick and Lavine stand ready to continue ensuring that Ithaca plays its part in standing against the Trump Muslim Travel Ban, which is as offensive to American values as it is unconstitutional."
http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/...-ban/100306880/
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"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger." -John Trudell
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#1498361 --- 05/05/17 08:45 AM
ICE targets Ithaca over sanctuary status?
[Re: Teonan]
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Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 4944
Loc: Fourth Estate
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Explaining how, why an undocumented immigrant was arrested by ICE in IthacaITHACA, N.Y. -- The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took an undocumented Mexican immigrant into custody Tuesday morning in Ithaca and scores of people in the community who considered the city a "sanctuary" are asking the same question: “How did this happen here?” Jose Lopez Guzman, 32, was taken into custody by multiple ICE agents around 11:30 a.m. on Cascadilla Street. He does not have family members in Ithaca. ICE said in a brief statement Tuesday night that the arrest happened “following a routine targeted enforcement action.” In Guzman’s case, it’s unclear whether a criminal charge dating back to 2013 played a role in his arrest Tuesday. According to court records, Guzman was charged with second-degree assault after an incident that allegedly occurred Oct. 31, 2013. In February, Ithaca Common Council voted to add some teeth to the city’s Sanctuary City status, which had been in place since 1985. Legislator Anna Kelles, who worked on the resolution to make Tompkins County a sanctuary county in February, said that despite the designations, it would be against the law to prevent ICE from coming to Ithaca or Tompkins County, something that has been a public misconception. CNN reported on March 25, however, that the sanctuary city status of more than 200 cities nationally is linked to increased enforcement operations in those areas. The news organization credited a senior US immigration official with direct knowledge of ongoing ICE actions with informing them that, “High-ranking ICE officials have discussed in internal meetings carrying out more raids on those locations…” Multiple local police officers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that in at least the past 10 years of working at IPD, none of them could recall an instance where a person was taken into custody by ICE. MAY 3, 2017 BY JOLENE ALMENDAREZ
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#1498370 --- 05/05/17 09:52 AM
Re: ICE targets Ithaca over sanctuary status?
[Re: newsman38]
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Senior Member
Registered: 05/30/12
Posts: 4810
Loc: West End
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"We can only conclude that ICE is targeting sanctuary cities," Mayor Svante Myrick said at the rally Wednesday evening, which drew hundreds of people within less than 24 hours notice. "This is an attempt to bully us. There's no question they want us to stop being a sanctuary city."Ithaca rally: 'Let's get ICE out of Ithaca and Tompkins County'by Jolene Almendarez Ithaca Voice May 4, 2017 ITHACA, N.Y. -- Activists, politicians and community members stood together Wednesday evening at a rally on the Ithaca Commons to make two primary things clear: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are not welcome in Ithaca and this community will stand with undocumented immigrants. Jose Lopez Guzman, 32, was taken into custody by ICE agents Tuesday morning on Cascadilla Street, an immigration official confirmed. Khaalid Walls, regional director of communications for the northeast region of ICE, clarified Wednesday morning that Guzman was specifically sought out due to “a routine targeted enforcement action.” Police officers, activists and local politicians have all said that Guzman's arrest by ICE agents in the city of Ithaca was the first arrest of an undocumented person for immigration violations in years. A high-ranking official within ICE allegedly told CNN recently that officials are targeting sanctuary cities for increased enforcement action, but Walls said the reported leak is not true. People in the city of Ithaca don't buy the statement. Read on: https://ithacavoice.com/2017/05/ithaca-rally-lets-get-ice-ithaca-tompkins-county/
_________________________
"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger." -John Trudell
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