Interested in Immigration or Immigration reform? Come join ILS (International Law Society) Members and Northeast Ohioans in walking peacefully through the streets of Downtown Cleveland to call for compassionate comprehensive immigration reform.The event will take place Saturday, July 9, 2016 from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM at the Free Stamp (East 9th and Lakeside Ave.) For more information about the Walk itinerary and route, email Norlande Dathis, at nd62@zips.uakron.edu and/or visit: http://walk4justicecle.net/
Almost half a million immigrants are placed into immigration detention annually in a network of over 250 county and state jails, for-profit prisons, and federally administered facilities. Congress has mandated an immigration detention bed quota requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to lock-up an average of 34,000 immigrants in detention on any given day. People placed in these jail-like facilities have no right to free court-appointed attorneys, and people seeking asylum, immigrants who might have a right to stay in the U.S. through family connections, and others who are in need of legal help often are forced to face our complicated and broken immigration system without a lawyer.
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 4-4 decision in United States v. Texas, the case challenging expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). This means that a preliminary injunction temporarily halting the implementation of these initiatives stands. This ruling does not impact the original DACA program launched in 2012. However, it does have a profound and disappointing impact on the millions of would-be eligible immigrants whose lives remain in limbo after the Court’s ruling.
Everyone should have a right and duty to participate in society for the common good, and that we must provide avenues for participation in the U.S. Many immigrants hope to pursue higher education, join the military, or enter the workforce, but their lack of legal status jeopardizes those dreams and exposes them to deportation. All will gather as members of faith communities, children of immigrants, refugees, advocates for the dignity of workers and people concerned about the protection of vulnerable populations.
Join us by peacefully walking for a just cause!