FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2017
Contact: Kemi Bello, kbello@ilrc.org, (415) 321-8568
Over 400 Organizations Demand Republican Administration Stop Deportation of DACA Recipient Daniel Ramirez Medina
Mr. Ramirez Medina Will Appear in Court Today to Request His Release from Immigration Detention
Today, 412 state, local, and national immigrant, religious, and civil rights organizations sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John F. Kelly and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan demanding the immediate release of Daniel Ramirez Medina from immigration detention and the termination of existing removal proceedings against him. Mr. Ramirez Medina, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, was arrested at his home during an ICE raid on February 10, 2017 and placed into immigration detention in Washington State.
“In establishing the DACA program, our country made a promise to Daniel Ramirez and hundreds of thousands of other young people that if they came out of the shadows and followed the rules, they could study and work here — even serve in our military — without fear of arrest or deportation,” said Mark Rosenbaum, co-counsel for Daniel Ramirez Medina.
“The government’s position in this case is, apparently, that that promise is not worth anything to Mr. Ramirez. That’s wrong. It’s arbitrary, it’s cruel and it’s certainly unconstitutional. We will continue to fight for Daniel’s release as long as the government continues its unjustified and unlawful detention. And we are grateful to the courageous DREAMers across this country who are standing with Daniel in solidarity. After all, they represent the very best of our country and all that it has to offer.”
We are also deeply concerned by reports of alleged document tampering and government misconduct by ICE in Mr. Ramirez Medina’s case. The targeting of Mr. Ramirez Medina demonstrates that this administration’s recent executive order on interior enforcement has encouraged ICE officers to designate anyone as an enforcement priority, regardless of their circumstances or background.
Instead of working to find commonsense approaches to making our immigration system work better for everyone, this administration has chosen to irrationally and inhumanely tear families apart and attempt to banish entire communities, putting the safety of over 8 million undocumented immigrants at risk.
“In line with our country’s commitment to fair and equal treatment, we condemn the unjust targeting of Mr. Medina and all other heartless deportation attempts currently being made on various immigrant and refugee communities who have come to call the United States home. Everyone should be able to live, work and raise their families without the constant fear of persecution, no matter where they were born,” states Jose Magaña-Salgado, Managing Policy Attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
“We will continue our work to ensure that all noncitizens are afforded the opportunity to have their circumstances, equities, and family ties considered in the context of prosecutorial discretion.”
These 412 organizations join a growing chorus of condemnation of Mr. Ramirez Medina’s arrest and detention, including leaders from both house of Congress and a recently filed lawsuit alleging constitutional violations.
Read the full letter here: https://www.ilrc.org/letter-400-ngos-drm
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About the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, law enforcement, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC’s mission is to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. www.ilrc.org