By: Members of the Mayor’s Immigration Task Force
This January, the City of Berkeley reaffirmed its commitment to Sanctuary by passing an updated City Council Resolution. This statement is critical as sanctuary policies help keep families together and ensure our local tax dollars are used to promote safety for all residents – not to separate families through mass deportation. Sanctuary policies promote public safety, helping victims and witnesses, including survivors of domestic violence, come forward to get the help they need without fear of deportation.
Since then, Mayor Ishii has re-convened the Berkeley Sanctuary City Task Force. This group of local immigration legal service providers, city council members, faith communities, health care and education leaders and community organizers work together to support and protect immigrant communities in this critical moment. The Task Force is coordinating “Know Your Rights” presentations and family preparedness plans in close collaboration with the Berkeley Unified School District and Berkeley Community College.
Two main focuses of community advocacy have been passing an ordinance formalizing Berkeley’s sanctuary protections in city law, and a budget request for urgent emergency legal services for immigrants including community legal consultations and limited scope removal defense legal representation. This funding would help meet increasing needs for legal representation as immigration legal services organizations are currently operating beyond capacity.
Immigrant rights and services have many allies on the city council. In fact, on April 29th Mayor Ishii allocated $100,000 from her discretionary budget for this budget request. Councilmember Brent Blackaby also designated $25,000 from his discretionary budget, securing a total of $125,000 in funding for deportation defense services. This is an incredible show of solidarity and support from our representatives, proving that Berkeley’s leaders are dedicated to keeping our community safe.
Still, we need the community’s help to let the Council know that Berkeley residents support increased protections and funding to protect and defend immigrants.
Please join these two meetings this month, where everyone should make public comment in support of a budget request for the remaining $75,000 for immigration legal services:
- June 12, Thursday: Council Budget Committee Meeting at 9:30 am at City Hall, 2180 Milvia Street or remotely. This powerful committee strongly influences the final budget for the council to vote on. It will discuss the request for the remaining funding for emergency legal services.
- June 24, Tuesday: Council Meeting at 6 pm at 1231 Addison Street or remotely. This is the final city council meeting to vote on the budget and allocate the remaining funding for emergency legal services.
We need as many people as possible to make public comments about the importance of meeting this moment with increased funding for legal services.
Why is this important? The city has made a commitment to immigrant communities through the January resolution, but it needs to put its money where its mouth is and support the organizations who are providing critical legal and social services to immigrants in Berkeley every day.
For more information about how you can support immigrant communities in Berkeley, please:
- Sign up for East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (EBSC)’s newsletter, which shares urgent action items every week.
- June 22, Sunday from 2-4pm: Attend EBSC and Friends of La Pena Immigrant Rights Committee’s “Become an Immigrant Rights Ambassador” Training at La Peña Cultural Center to learn about your constitutional rights and how to respond to ICE presence in various scenarios. RSVP here.