Activist Elvira Arellano Arrested and Deported

Immigration Control and Enforcement arrested Sra. Arellano as she was leaving a speaking event. She had been taking sanctuary in a church since last August with her son. Sra. Arellano decided it was time for her to leave that sanctuary in order to build momentum for a vigil in D.C. which will happen on September 12th.

Her arrest in front of her son and subsequent separation from him make me angry and sad. Elvira Arellano is a truly inspiring leader for human rights. She has risked her family and her livelihood to tell the truth about what it is like to be an immigrant in the United States.

While the anti-immigrant movement celebrates what they believe to be a defeat, I know that this vigil will gain momentum and power because of her sacrifice. I hope that she inspires all of us who are allies to realize how little we risk in the pursuit of justice and to do more.

There is a poll about her case and the plight of undocumented immigrants here. Please consider taking the poll. Write letters to the editor. And stay tuned for details on upcoming actions.

Please call the local Field Office to protest her arrest and deportation
Field Office Director, Denver
4730 Paris Street
Denver, CO 80239
Phone: 303-371-1067 or 5606
Area of Responsibility: Colorado, Wyoming

Events: August 20th-26th

I'm going to cheat and add this event for tonight:

TONIGHT 8/17 Padres and Jovenes Unidos fundraiser
What: BBQ and picnic
Time: 5:00pm
Where: Columbus Park 38th and Osage (map)
TO bring: Donations for the food


AUGUST 21st Coloradans For Immigrant Rights Garden Party
What: Raffle, food, fun
Time: 6:00pm
Where: AFSC offices 901 W. 14th Ave. in the large apartment building. Come in through the door closest to 14th Ave.


AUGUST 24TH
El Centro celebrates its Grand Reopening with the legendary Dolores Huerta!

The event is free and open to the public. However, donations are much appreciated to help El Centro start up in the newly renovated space.
RSVP to tomandannette@comcast.com

August 25th Support SEIU Janitors!
Time: 4:00pm
Place: Park Meadows Mall
Directions: Map
Action: Support Janitors in their right to organize by picketing with them against the Millard Group
Contact: Veronica Vera 303-698-7963 extension 134 or at wera@seiu105.org

DHS: Dismantling Human rights and Security

The Department of Homeland Security released new "rules" today. Included within are:

• Expanded ("Delegated") search and seizure
  
• 31,500 new detention beds
• Biometrics at airports
  
• Sharing of all Motor Vehicle records with the federal government, especially photos (Wave to them on your next driver's license)
• The expansion of electronic verification of identification and access to more databases of personal information (REAL ID resuscitated)
• Narrowing of documentation which can be used for employment
  
• Further "cooperation" with local and state police forces
• 75 fifteen person teams to conduct raids
• Expansion of criminal penalties for employers
  
• Expansion of guest worker programs- both temporary and professional, but nothing for family VISAS
• Decreased rights for asylees/refugees (Forced repatriation to countries unwilling to accept returning immigrants)
• Elimination of due process in Voluntary Deportation proceedings
• Data sharing between Social Security and Department of Homeland Security
• Propaganda reports on a regular basis "State of the Border" addresses
  

And for integration they will be putting up a new web tool so immigrants can learn English online.

What do you think of these new rules?

Events for August 12th through the 19th

Come out out to Pablo's (map) 8/19 8:00am-noon for a pancake breakfast to benefit the African Community Center (map)

After going for a nice little stroll to work off the pancakes come to see an awesome cultural event and support the Somali Bantu Community Development Council at the Botanic Gardens (map). The cost is$10.00 and you need to register online or call 720-865-3610.

Immigration and Health Care

Many of my friends are afraid to go to the doctor. They spend months afterwards paying the bills to the emergency room because they are denied access to preventative care. One almost died from bronchitis which turned into a nasty pneumonia. I also have uninsured family. My brother went to a friend who is a nurse when he accidentally cut himself. He used superglue to close the cut. He couldn't afford to wait for worker's comp to kick in and wouldn't have been able to pay the bills.

Immigrants do have a small impact on rising health care costs; alongside the 46 million Americans who have no insurance(like my brother), many of whom are working and don't meet the eligibility requirements for Medicare.

This article from the New England Journal of Medicine briefly captures the complexities of both the immigration and health care systems. The article cites several other excellent studies.

"Whether or not they have health insurance, immigrants overall have much lower per capita health care expenditures than native-born Americans,¹ and recent analyses indicate that they contribute more to the economy in taxes than they receive in public benefits. In a study from the RAND Corporation, researchers estimated that undocumented adult immigrants, who make up about 3.2% of the population, account for only about 1.5% of U.S. medical costs.² Many immigrants do not seek medical treatment unless they are injured or acutely ill; at our clinic, patients with type 2 diabetes often have florid symptoms and even incipient renal damage by the time their disease is diagnosed."

Health care is a basic right and ensuring equal access is the best way to keep our community healthy. For more info on health justice in Colorado click here and check out CPC.