Judy wrote down five questions for Victor Din, ACLU from our last meeting, three at the end of the presentation and two at the end of the meeting. After consulting with a staff member of the ACLU-NC, my answers are as follows.
1. Immigrants’ rights: Is the ACLU working on the migrant caravan issue that is happening at the border right now?
Yes, in two ways.
1. On November 9, 2018, the ACLU filed both a complaint and a brief in the case East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump to seek a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Trump administration’s emergency regulation and Proclamation regarding asylum seekers.
For details, please read:
https://www.aclu.org/cases/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump
https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump- complaint
https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump-brief- support-temporary-restraining-order
Last night – the same night when we had our IESJ meeting — a federal judge issued a TRO blocking President Trump’s asylum ban while the suit moves forward.
2. The ACLU of San Diego is forming an on-the-ground plan for how to receive people at the border and provide support.
- Is the ACLU – national or affiliates – currently working on the gerrymandering issue?
Please note this ACLU article: https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-comment-supreme- court-partisan-gerrymandering-rulings . However, this is of the past. The ACLU-NC staff member whom I contacted does not know whether “our challenge to Ohio’s gerrymandered congressional map” is still going on.
Generally speaking, voting rights are a huge issue for the ACLU. With the new Congress, we are hoping to push forward legislation that would expand voting access across the country, by providing things like same day registration and restoring the rights of people with a criminal conviction.
- Does the ACLU know if there is any increase in the number of hate crime incidents in the Santa Clara County?
The ACLU does not track statistics of hate crime. The Southern Poverty Law Center generally does. So, that might be a better group to look for research.
Note that the California Attorney General (via Department of Justice) publishes hate crime report annually. From the reports below, I have extracted statistics from year 2016 to year 2017 for the County of Santa Clara.
https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/downloads/pdfs/hc17.pdf https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/downloads/pdfs/hc16.pdf
|
year |
events |
offenses |
victims |
Suspects |
|
2016 |
40 |
97 |
97 |
33 |
|
2017 |
57 |
63 |
62 |
46 |
- Re-enfranchisement: The County of Santa Clara has a Reentry Resource Center that offers services to formerly incarcerated Santa Clara County residents, supporting reentry efforts and building a safer community. Does the Reentry Resource Center provide Know Your Rights information about voting rights or refer ex-felons who have completed their sentences to the Registrar of Voters Office?
I will find out and take action accordingly.
- Besides the following two articles, does the ACLU compile state-by-state information on the results of ballot initiatives regarding civil liberties issues?
https://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/fighting-voter-suppression/amid-pervasive- voter-suppression-big-winner-2018
https://www.aclu.org/blog/smart-justice/2018-midterm-elections-were-big-win-criminal- justice-reform-ballot-initiatives
The ACLU compiles information only on the ballot initiatives where it has taken a position and the Boards of Directors have voted. We have to be careful because of election law around independent expenditures.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Victor