Blue  Ribbon  Commission  Recommendations  to  

President  Obama  and  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security    In  March  of  this  year  President  Obama  met  with  members  of  the  Congressional  Hispanic  Caucus  and   later   with   immigration   advocates   as   an   attempt   to   tamp   down   criticism   of   his  Administration’s  deportation  record.        With  S.744,  the  most  recent  comprehensive  immigration  reform  measure,  stalled  in  the  House  of   Representatives,   the   pressure   is   growing   on   the   Obama   Administration   to   take   executive  action   to   stop  deportations.    Thousands  of  people  have   taken   to   the   streets,   engaged   in   civil  disobedience   actions,   and   gone   on   hunger   strike   to   bring   attention   to   the   crisis   plaguing  immigrant  communities.    The  President  attempted  to  redirect  the  focus  towards  Congress  and  Republicans,  and  simultaneously  announced  a  90-­‐day  internal  policy  review  at  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security  on  how  immigration  enforcement  could  be  conducted  “more  humanely.”      We   are   aware   that   this   review  will   be  met  with   proposals   from   across   the   spectrum   of   civil  society  on  how  the  President  can  and  should  act.    It  seems  now  that  action  from  the  President  is   inevitable.    Thus,   the   questions   before   us   are   about   timing   and   scope.    We   insist   that   the  timing   be   immediate   and   the   scope   be   as   broad   and   bold   as   possible.   Within   previous  discussions  on  relief  there  has  been  a  tendency  that  results   in  the  segregation  of  parts  of  the  immigrant  community  into  those  who  are  ‘deserving’  and  those  who  are  ‘undeserving.’    We've  been  given  a  false  choice:  expanding  protections  for  the  former  at  the  expense  of  punishing  the  latter.     Instead   of   allowing   a   criminal   record   to   be   a   categorical   bar   to   inclusion,   it  must   be  weighed  within  the  entire  consideration  of  a  person’s  contributions  and  ties  to  community  and  be  discounted   in   the  context  of  a  biased  criminal  justice   system  that   impacts  communities  of  color  and   low-­‐income  people  at  higher   rates   resulting   in   their  disproportionate  presence  and  more   likely   contact   with   law   enforcement.     Removal   proceedings   thus   should   begin   with  a  presumption   that   the   individual   will   face   hardship   if   deported,   weighing   family   and  community  ties  first,  rather  than  drawing  a  hard  line  of  deportability  at  criminal  records.    Each  individual  should  have  the  opportunity  and  due  process  to  make  their  own  case  for  relief,  but  the   burden   of   proof   of   what   makes   a   person   a   priority   for   deportation   should   be   on   the  government.        As   undocumented   and   formerly   undocumented   community   members   who   have   witnessed  mass   deportations,   been   subject   to   removal   proceedings   and   worked   directly   with   those  fighting   detention   and   deportation   and   whose   own   lives   are   impacted   by   upcoming   policy  decisions,  we  put  forward  this  set  of  recommendations  to  the  White  House  on  how  President  Obama  can  take  steps  to  advance  immigrant  justice  and  immigration  reform  immediately.    We  ask  that  the  President  meet  with  our  commission,  we  who  have  authored  this  report,  to  discuss  our  proposals.        

Commission  Recommendations    Expand  Deferred  Action  to  the  Fullest  Extent  of  the  Law,  to  as  Many  People  as  Possible  Record   deportations   are   separating   families   and   tearing   people   from   their   homes,   silencing  workers  who   report   labor   violations,   and   ravaging   communities.   Each  person  deported  has   a  story.   Ending   this   suffering   is   our   top   priority.   Expanding   deferred   action   would   provide  protection  from  deportation,  keep  families  and  communities  together,  and  allow  people  to  live  and  work  without  fear.    In  addition,  persons  who  already  have  an  approved  DACA  application,  as  well  as  those  with  an  approved  family  or  employment  petition  should  be  offered  parole-­‐in-­‐place,  so  they  can  not  only  be  protected  from  deportation,  but  can  actually  benefit  from  their  approved  petitions  by  adjusting  their  status  to  permanent  residency  in  the  future.      End  the  Secure  Communities  and  Criminal  Alien  Programs  and  287(g)  Agreements  Secure   Communities,   the   Criminal   Alien   Program   and   other  ICE   ACCESS  programs   separate  families   and   communities,   threaten   public   safety,   wrongly   conflate   criminal   law   and  immigration  law,  and  make  ICE  officers  a  regular  feature  in  local  courtrooms,  jails,  and  prisons  around   the   country.   By   making   immigration   status   a   matter   of   concern   for   local   police,   ICE  ACCESS  programs  criminalize  immigrants,  incorrectly  portraying  immigration  as  primarily  a  law  enforcement  and  national  security   issue  to  be  solved  by  more   ICE  and  CBP  officers  and  more  detention  centers.  These  programs  also  cultivate  racial  profiling  by  the  police,  further  endanger  over-­‐policed  communities  such  as  transgender  women  of  color,  and  erode  community  safety  by  discouraging  immigrants  from  accessing  supportive  services.  Just  as  the  President  has  ramped  up  these  harmful  programs  during  his  administration,  he  can  and  should  seek  to  end  them.      Eliminate  the  Bed  Quota  and  Drastically  Curtail  the  use  of  Detention  In  fiscal  year  2012,  a  record-­‐breaking  477,523  people  saw  the  inside  of  an  immigration  prison.  Many   advocates   decry   that   Congress   requires  DHS   to   arbitrarily   have   34,000   detention   beds  available   on   any   given   day,   a   so-­‐called   “detention   bed-­‐mandate.”     However,   as   current   DHS  Secretary  Jeh  Johnson  has  noted,  the  appropriations  legislation  says  nothing  about  mandating  the  detention  of  34,000  people  to  fill  those  beds.    Additionally,   the   use   of   supervised   release   and   alternatives   to   detention   is   limited,   and   the  bonds  assigned  to  immigrants  by  both  ICE  and  EOIR  are  often  prohibitively  high.    It  is  within  the  President’s  power  to  direct  the  Department  of  Justice  to  offer  guidance  to  immigration  Judges  to  lower  the  bonds  set  for  detained  immigrants  who  are  considered  low  priority,  as  well  as  to  direct  ICE  to  prioritize  release  of  individuals  in  removal  proceedings  on  their  own  recognizance.    For   detainees   who   are   subject   to   mandatory   detention,   the   President   can   also   direct   the  Department  of  Justice  to  redefine  “alternatives  to  detention”  as  being  considered  “in  custody”  and  offer  individualized  bond  hearings  in  case  of  prolonged  detention.      

Improve  Conditions  in  Detention  Facilities,  and  Expand  Protections  for  Vulnerable  Detainees  including  Pregnant  Women,  HIV+  and  Transgender  Individuals,  and  People  with  Disabilities  Conditions   in   current   detention   facilities   are   deplorable.   People   are   detained   far   from   their  families   and   communities,   under   inhumane   conditions,   with   lack   of   access   to   medical   care,  protection  from  violence,  and  legal  counsel.  Particularly  vulnerable  populations  such  as  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  and  especially  transgender  immigrants,  face  especially  horrific  and  dehumanizing  conditions,   including  frequent  violence  and  harassment  from  guards,  deprivation  of  necessary  medical  care,  psychological  torture  through  solitary  confinement,  and  all  too  often  rape.      President  Obama  should  direct  the   immediate  release  from  custody  of  particularly  vulnerable  populations,  including  people  who  are  pregnant,  transgender,  living  with  HIV/AIDS,  and/or  with  disabilities.   Additionally,   while   the   DHS   has   adopted   some   rules   with   regards   to   detention  standards,   it   should   require   all   immigration   detention   facilities   to   implement   fully   and  immediately  the  Prison  Rape  Elimination  Act  Regulations  (PREA),  the  most  recent  Performance-­‐Based   National   Detention   Standards   (PBNDS),   and   all   other   applicable   safety   standards   and  regulations  in  all  immigration  detention  facilities.      Revise  ICE’s  Enforcement  Priorities  and  Expand  ‘Low  Priority’  Criteria  The   persistence   of   record-­‐level   deportations   despite   numerous   rounds   of   prosecutorial  discretion  memos  and  “reforms”   is  explained  partly  by   ICE’s  overly  broad  definition  of  who   is  considered  “high  priority”  for  deportation.    The  detention  and  deportation  of  people  convicted  of  minor  crimes,  those  with  old  removal  orders,  and  those  who  re-­‐enter  following  deportation  do  nothing  to  advance  ICE’s  “public  safety”  mission.  Thus,  ICE  must  stop  classifying  people  who  fall   under   these   categories   as   high   priority.   In   addition,   particularly   for   people  with   criminal  histories,   ICE   should   start   with   a   presumption   of   hardship   for   people   with   family   and  community  ties.  The  agency  can  then  consider  all  other  factors  and  circumstances  that  lead  to  the  agency’s  designated  enforcement  practices,  but  the  burden  should  be  on  ICE  to  overcome  the  presumption  of  the  tremendous  hardship  caused  by  deportation.  

DHS  has  discretion  regarding  what  kind  of  relief   to  grant  when  using  prosecutorial  discretion,  including   granting  deferred  action.  Currently,  most  people  who   receive   a  positive  exercise  of  prosecutorial   discretion   to   stay   their   removal   do   not   qualify   for   employment   authorization.  Granting   them   deferred   action   would   give   them   the   opportunity   to   apply   for   employment  authorization  and  continue  to  contribute  to  their  communities.        Stop   Collaborating   with   Rogue   Sheriffs   and   Terminate   Agreements   with   Local   Law  Enforcement  Officials  who  Undermine  Civil,  Labor  and  Human  Rights  The  Department  of  Justice  (DOJ)  is  suing  Sheriff  Joe  Arpaio  of  Maricopa  County  for  rampant  civil  rights  violations.    A  DOJ  expert  investigator  found  that  the  Maricopa  County  Sheriff’s  Office  was  responsible  for  the  worst  case  of  racial  profiling  he  had  ever  seen.    Yet  to  this  day,  ICE  continues  to   collaborate   with   Sheriff   Arpaio,   targeting   individuals   arrested   by   the   Maricopa   County  Sheriffs   Office   for   deportation   through   S-­‐Comm   and   other   programs.     DHS   also   collaborates  

with   other   local   law   enforcement   agencies   around   the   country,   including   Alamance   County,  North  Carolina,  and  Cobb  and  Gwinnett  Counties   in  Georgia,  all  of  which  have  been  found  to  practice   racial   profiling   and   other   civil   rights   violations.   This   is   a   disgrace.   It   undermines   the  work  being  done  by  DOJ  and  sends  the  message  that  deportation  quotas  trump  civil  rights.    If  the   DOJ   is   akin   to   the   fire   department   in   these   jurisdictions,   DHS   is   an   accomplice   to   the  arsonists.  This  collaboration  must  end.  

 

End  Operation  Streamline  Operation  Streamline  mandates  the  criminal  prosecution  of  nearly  every  individual  detained  for  unlawfully  crossing  the  southern  United  States  border.  The  program  is  one  of  the  main  reasons  that  immigration-­‐related  crimes  now  make  up  40%  of  federal  criminal  prosecutions.    Individuals  charged  with  unlawful  entry  or  re-­‐entry  are  tried  en  masse   in  dehumanizing  proceedings  that  make  a  mockery  of  the  right  to  a  fair  trial.    Like   the   Secure   Communities   program,   Operation   Streamline   was   created   by   the   Executive  branch,  not  by  Congress.    Just  as  the  Executive  branch  created  the  program,  it  can  end  it.  There  is  no  serious  doubt  about   the  President’s  authority   in   this  area.   In   fact,  President  Obama  has  the   constitutional   authority   not   only   to   decline   to   prosecute,   but   to   pardon   any   and   all  violations   of   criminal   immigration   laws—in   advance   or   after   the   fact,   for   any   reason   or   no  reason  at  all,  on  an   individual  or  a  categorical  basis.   In  the  face  of  this  broad  authority,  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  President  should  end  Operation  Streamline  immediately.      Expand  Use  of  Humanitarian  Parole  to  Ensure  that  People  previously  Deported  can  return  to  the  US  The   Obama   Administration   has   presided   over   2  million   deportations   that   have   torn   families  apart,  separated  parents  from  their  children,  and  loved  ones  from  one  another.    Many  people  who   were   previously   deported   have   tried   to   come   back   to   the   U.S.,   only   to   be   denied  humanitarian  parole,   face   federal   criminal  prosecution  and  serve   time   in   federal  prisons,  and  ultimately  be  re-­‐deported  as  ‘criminal  re-­‐entrants.’  

The  Administration  can  and  must  take  steps  to  reverse  the  family  separation  caused  by  record  deportations.   By   invoking   the   authority   of   INA   Section   212(d)(5),   the   President   can   create   a  specific   humanitarian   parole   program   to   bring   back   deported   people   with   family   and  community  ties  in  the  US.  

 Protect  Basic  Rights  by  Granting  Deferred  Action  to   Individuals  Filing  Civil,  Labor,  or  Human  Rights  Complaints,  and  Adopting  a  Formal  Non-­‐Retaliation  Policy    The  Administration  should  act  to  prohibit  unscrupulous  employers  and  other  bad  actors   from  using  immigration  status  as  a  weapon  against  organizing  and  whistle-­‐blowing  immigrants  who  push   back   on   inhumane   hours,   dangerous   conditions,   and   withholding   of   pay   (among   other  

violations).   Federal   agencies   should   adopt   formal   non-­‐retaliation   policies   prohibiting   agents  from  targeting  defenders  of  civil,  labor,  and  human  rights  for  arrest,  detention,  or  deportation.    These  non-­‐retaliation  policies  should  include  a  blanket  prohibition  of  immigration  enforcement  activities  during  a  labor  dispute  or  during  organizing  or  collective  workplace  activity.    The  following  groups  should  be  provided  deferred  action:  individuals  without  lawful  status  who  come  forward  to  file  civil,   labor,  or  human  rights  complaints;   individuals  who  are  detained  by  immigration   authorities   during   a   labor   strike;   and   individuals   involved   in   a   pending   matter  before  a  federal  agency  in  which  they  are  participating/providing  evidence.  Finally,  all  agencies  that  enforce  civil,   labor,  and  human  rights  should  receive  U-­‐nonimmigrant  status  certification  authority.  

 Terminate   all   Federal   Contracts   with   Private   Prison   Conglomerates   such   as   Corrections  Corporation  of  America  (CCA)  and  GEO  Group  Inc.    Currently,   private   companies  operate  50  percent  of   immigration  detention  beds.  A   stark   100  percent  of  Criminal  Alien  Requirement   (CAR)  beds   (segregated  prisons   for   immigrants  serving  time  for  drug  offenses  or  unlawful  entry/re-­‐entry  convictions   in  the  federal  Bureau  of  Prisons  system)  are  private.  Together,  this  creates  an  incentive  for  private  prison  corporations  to  lobby  for  the  laws  and  policies  that  lead  to  increases  in  the  number  of  immigrants  being  incarcerated.  Therefore,  only  a  ban  on  the  use  of  private  contractors  for  the  incarceration  of  immigrants  will  end  these  abuses.  Until  private  contractors  are  banned,  the  Administration  should  ensure  that  private   prisons   be  made   subject   to   the   same   FOIA   laws   as   public   actors,   and   contracts  with  private   prisons   should   include   strict   accountability   and   oversight  mechanisms,   with   contract  termination  established  as  a  clear  consequence  of  violation.      End   all   ICE   Home   and   Community   raid   programs   including   the   Criminal   Alien   Removal  Initiative  (CARI),  eliminate  the  use  of  mobile  biometric  devices  and  Ensure  the  Protection  of  civil  rights  during  all  Enforcement  Operations  Immigrant   communities   across   the   country   are   facing   a   new   frontier   of   immigration  enforcement  through  a  brutal  ICE  raid  program  termed  the  “Criminal  Alien  Removal  Initiative”-­‐-­‐a  stop  and  frisk  program  primarily  targeting   immigrants.    The  program  involves   indiscriminate  ICE   raids  at  apartment  complexes,  grocery   stores,   laundromats,  bible   study  groups  and  parks  based   purely   on   racial   profiling.   Much   like   S-­‐Comm   and   CAP,   the   CARI   initiative   is   not  authorized   by   any   Congressional   statute,   and   completely   created   by   the   DHS   under   the  authority   of   President   Obama.   Ending   the   CARI   initiative   and   similar   ICE   raids   in   immigrant  communities  where  people  live,  work  and  go  to  school  will  go  a  long  way  in  flipping  the  switch  on  the  Administration’s  devastating  immigration  enforcement  policies.  

 End  Expedited  Removal  of  SIJS  Eligible  Youth    With   the   creation  of   Special   Immigrant   Juvenile   Status   (SIJS),   Congress   intended   to  protect   a  vulnerable   population   of   abused   and   abandoned   children   by   providing   them  with   a   path   to  

permanent   residency.   The   number   of   children   crossing   the   border   has   spiked   recently,   from  6,560  in  2011,  and  the  Department  of  Health  and  Human  Services  estimates  that  the  number  of  unaccompanied   minors   will   reach   60,000   in   2014.     The   President   can   direct   the   DHS   to  affirmatively  exercise  prosecutorial  discretion   for   individuals  eligible   for  permanent   residence  through  SIJS.  Similar   to   the  credible   fear   interview  process,  DHS  should   release  guidance  and  put   into   place   a   specific   screening   policy   for   individuals   between   the   ages   of   18   and   21   to  determine  if  there  is  a  possibility  they  could  obtain  lawful  permanent  residency  through  SIJS.      Implement  Prosecutorial  Discretion  Policies  for  CBP,  Act  to  Limit  Scope  of  CBP  Enforcement,  Including  Ending  Internal  Raids,  and  Take  Action  to  End  Migrant  Deaths  on  the  Border.  Customs   and   Border   Protection   officers   and   Border   Patrol   agents   routinely   abuse   their  authority  both  within  and  outside  border  regions,  making  racially  motivated  arrests,  employing  derogatory   and   coercive   interrogation   tactics,   and   imprisoning   immigrants   under   inhumane  conditions.    A  report  commissioned  by  the  CBP  itself  found  that  28  people  have  died  since  2010  after  encounters  with  Border  Patrol  agents.    Hundreds  of  others  have  died  on  the  border,  many  trying   to   return   to   their   families   and   communities   following   their   deportation   and   fleeing  economic  displacement  or  persecution.    The   President   can   and   should   act   to   reign   in   CBP’s   excesses.   CBP   should   begin   to   practice  prosecutorial   discretion,   and   should   publicly   clarify   its   policies   for   doing   so.   The   President  should  direct   the  agency   to  drastically   limit   the   scope  of   its  activities  within  100  miles  of   the  border,  and  call  for  an  end  to  internal  raids,  including  ending  the  practice  of  raids  on  domestic  trains  and  buses.   In  areas  with  migrant  deaths,  DHS   should  provide   funds   for   the   installation  and  expansion  of  rescue  beacons  and  water  drums,  and  Customs  and  Border  Protection  should  provide   documentation   and   reporting   at   the   end   of   each   year   on   migrant   deaths   and   the  actions   taken   to   prevent   deaths.   A  DHS  Border  Oversight   Task   Force   should   be   created,   and  include   participation   of   border   communities,   to   ensure   accountability   of   field   enforcement  practices  on  the  border.      Renegotiate   Trade   agreements   to   eliminate   provisions   that   cause   displacement   of  communities  and  increase  economic  pressure  on  people  to  migrate,  and  end  Negotiations  on  the  Trans  Pacific  Partnership                                                                                                            

The   immigration   policy   debate   and   the   debate   on   free   trade   policies   are   inextricably   linked.  While   most   of   the   above   listed   points   touch   directly   on   the   immigration   functions   of   the  Executive  branch,  the  President  must  also  take  action  to  address  the  root  causes  of  migration  to  the  United  States.    The  President  has  been  given  authority  by  Congress  to  negotiate  the  TPP,  and  he  can  use  this  authority  to  end  the  negotiations.  Instead  of  negotiating  the  TPP  in  secret,  the   President   should   call   for   a   comprehensive   review   of   the   U.S.’s   trade   policies   and   their  effects   on  migration.  Once   the   review   is   complete,   the   President   should   seek   to   renegotiate  trade  agreements  to  eliminate  provisions  that  cause  displacement  of  communities  and  increase  economic  pressure  on  people  to  migrate.  

Commission  Members  Jose  Alvarado            Erika  Andiola            Guadalupe  Andiola          Hareth  Andrade  Mario  Andrade  Cecilia  Sáenz  Becerra  Eleazar  Castellanos  Angelica  Chazaro  Neidi  Dominguez  Lourdes  Hernandez  Angel  Agustin  Hernandez  Gomez  Ju  Hong  Prerna  Lal  Fanny  Lopez  Yoselyn  Madrid  Juan  Jose  Mangandi  Raymundo  Mendoza  Jose  Moreno  Jocelyn  Munguia  Maricela  Muñoz  Shellion  Parris  Noé  Ramirez  Jamie  Reyes  Carlos  Rojas  Álvarez  Hector  Ruiz  Erlin  San  Martin  Gomez  Tania  Unzueta  Edgar  Godoy  Valladares  Cesar  Vargas  Rosa  Velasquez  Maru  Mora  Villalpando  Reyna  Wences