RMIAN AND COALITION OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS CALL FOR VACCINATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN IMMIGRATION DETENTION

RMIAN AND COALITION OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS CALL FOR VACCINATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN IMMIGRATION DETENTION

RMIAN and medical professionals urge the State of Colorado to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for individuals in immigration detention, citing the risks to the safety and wellbeing of detained people and the public health risks to the whole community.  

February 8, 2021

Westminster, Colorado —Today, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) and the Colorado Medical Coalition for Human Rights sent a letter to Governor Jared Polis and Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, urging the state to prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for individuals in immigration detention in Colorado. The letter can be found here.

As well as posing health risks to and loss of due process rights for detained immigrants, outbreaks of COVID-19 within congregate care settings create public health risks for the whole community as these settings become epicenters of transmission and disease. The letter states, “During a pandemic when the actions of a few can impact the wellbeing of so many, accountability for those who run detention facilities is paramount. The humanitarian crisis posed by the spread of COVID-19 in immigration detention facilities in Colorado has disastrous consequences for those detained in these facilities, as well as neighboring communities.”

The Aurora Contract Detention Facility holds persons in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is owned and operated by the corporation Geo Group, Inc. For eight months, since May 30, 2020, there has been an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the Aurora facility, where about one-third of dormitories are currently under quarantine. As of January 20, 2021, ICE reported 52 confirmed cases in detained people under isolation or monitoring and 181 cumulative cases. Immigrants in Colorado are also held at the Teller County Jail, in Divide, Colorado, and an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facility for unaccompanied minor children in Westminster. Yet, individuals in these facilities have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dr. Janine Young, Associate Professor, Department of General Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, urges the state to prioritize vaccine access for individuals in immigrant detention. She states, “On behalf of the Colorado Medical Coalition for Human Rights, we, as medical providers, have direct experience providing health care to individuals and communities that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are acutely aware of the health risks COVID-19 poses to individuals held in congregate settings, including in the Immigrant Detention Center in Aurora, Colorado, as well as at the Office of Refugee Resettlement unaccompanied minor shelter for children in Westminster.  It is of utmost importance that these individuals be prioritized to receive the COVID vaccination, given that many immigrants held at the Immigrant Detention Center have co-morbidities that increase their risk for medical complications from COVID-19 infection.  Furthermore, the quarantining and isolation of COVID-19 exposed, or infected unaccompanied children and adults already held in detention is a form of toxic stress, something that is known to be harmful to both short and long-term health, particularly in developing children.”

Immigrants in detention facilities with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks are denied access to the immigration court and due process protections. Laura Lunn, Managing Attorney of the Detention Program at RMIAN, states, “Immigrants in deportation proceedings have constitutional protections, including the right to a full and fair hearing, to counsel at no cost to the government, and to present evidence in support of their cases. During the pandemic, people in detention are struggling to access these rights because of increased isolation and restricted movement. Moreover, when people should be focused on preparing for life-altering legal proceedings, their minds are consumed by worry of contracting the virus. Absent a policy of ending civil detention, we must ensure safety and access to justice for our neighbors in immigration detention, first by prioritizing equitable distribution of vaccines.”

People confined in immigration detention are at high risk for contracting COVID-19. One RMIAN client, who tested positive for COVID while detained, who prefers to remain anonymous, states, “The scariest part of being in a detention facility during the pandemic is having to live in a pod with all different people, including people coming in from the outside, and not knowing if they are infected or not.”

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) is a nonprofit organization that provides critical immigration legal services to individuals in immigration detention, as well as to children and families throughout Colorado. Additional information on RMIAN is available at www.rmian.org. Follow RMIAN on social media: Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network on Facebook, @RMIAN_org on Twitter. Join RMIAN’s mailing list here to receive RMIAN news and event information.

The Colorado Medical Coalition for Human Rights is a newly-formed coalition of medical providers in Colorado who are dedicated to the promotion of health and well-being of immigrant children, families, and individuals.

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City of Denver Approves $500,000 for the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund for FY 2021

This week, the city of Denver took bold action for immigrant communities and approved $500,000 for the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund—providing vital legal protections for Denver’s immigrant communities as they continue to face the radiating impacts of criminalization, deportation, & detention amid a pandemic.

We are grateful to our community partners and the Vera Institute of Justice who continue to fight tirelessly for #DueProcess4All in Denver and advance a roadmap for lasting federal change.

"When I ended up in immigration detention, I didn’t have a penny to do anything. I was going to face the judge myself without an attorney, and just be there at their mercy. That’s when RMIAN appeared. If it wasn’t for my attorney, then I would probably be deported by now. Instead, I was released on bond, and I am fighting my case to stay here with my six U.S. citizen children."

- RMIAN client represented through the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund

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RMIAN Optimistic for Change Following Presidential Election Results

RMIAN Stands with Immigrants, Optimistic for Change Following Presidential Election Results 

Justice for Immigrants Means Justice for All

Westminster, Colorado — Following the election of a new president, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) is optimistic that our country will work towards its ideals as a nation of immigrants and progress towards providing dignity and respect for all human beings. We hope that the new administration will not only act swiftly to withdraw the harmful policies enacted in the last four years, but also to create a more just and humane immigration system.  

RMIAN Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, says, “The anti-immigrant policies of the last four years have been devastating to immigrant communities in Colorado and beyond, terrorizing families and children, incarcerating community members for civil violations, and stripping essential protections for asylum-seekers and other vulnerable individuals.  We hope this election means the United States can dismantle these harmful policies and work to live up to the ideals of equal justice for all.”

RMIAN Founding Board Member, Hiroshi Motomura, says: “We now have a historic opportunity. It starts by undoing the inhumane policies that this country has suffered over the past four years. But more importantly, this is a time for a new beginning, for respecting the basic humanity of immigrants, and for recognizing their many contributions to these United States. The path forward will not be easy, but it’s now time to walk it, a step at a time and with resolve, knowing that justice for immigrants is justice for all.”

RMIAN will always stand in solidarity with our clients, their families, and our impacted neighbors. RMIAN will provide zealous legal advocacy for our clients, promote knowledge of legal rights, work to improve detention conditions, and promote a humane immigration system. While we are hopeful for change, we will continue to collaborate with our partners across the nation to assure that our collective advocacy leads to an immigration system that reflects our values and promotes justice for all. We will monitor any changes the new administration implements to assure positive progress. Most importantly, RMIAN will continue to provide free legal services to people impacted by immigration enforcement and detention, and to children and families throughout Colorado.

If you are a RMIAN client or an affected community member, and you have questions about how the election impacts your immigration status, please call RMIAN’s office for a free consultation at (303) 433-2812. If you have a question relating to a person in immigration detention, you can call RMIAN’s detention hotline at (303) 866-9308. RMIAN’s list of resources for impacted people can be found here in English and here in Spanish.

RMIAN Stands with Immigrants as the Country Waits for Election Results

As the United States Waits for Election Results, RMIAN Stands with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers Across Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Region, and the Country.

RMIAN stands resolutely with our clients and will continue to monitor any developments in the presidential election. If you are a RMIAN client or an affected community member, and you have questions about how the election impacts your status, please call RMIAN’s office for a free consultation at (303) 433-2812. If you have a question relating to a person in immigration detention, you can call RMIAN’s detention hotline at (303) 866-9308. RMIAN’s list of resources for impacted people can be found here in English and here in Spanish.

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Mientras Estados Unidos Aguarda los Resultados de la Elección Presidencial, RMIAN Apoya a los Inmigrantes, Refugiados, y Solicitantes de Asilo en Todo Colorado, la Región de las Montañas Rocosas, y el País. 

RMIAN apoya decididamente a nuestros clientes y continuará monitoreando cualquier desarrollo en la elección presidencial. Si usted es un cliente de RMIAN o un miembro de la comunidad afectada, y tiene preguntas sobre cómo la elección afecta su estado migratorio, llame a la oficina de RMIAN para una consulta gratuita al (303) 433-2812. Si tiene una pregunta relacionada con una persona en detención de inmigración, puede llamar a la línea directa de detención de RMIAN al (303) 866-9308. La lista de recursos para personas afectadas de RMIAN se puedeencontrar aquí en inglés y aquí en español.

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Upcoming Webinar: “From the Ground Up: Advocating for Immigrant Clients"

Please join UCLA Law’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy and David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy for a special discussion, “From the Ground Up: Advocating for Immigrant Clients,” on Friday, Oct. 23, 12:15 to 1:30 pm Pacific.  Please RSVP here for the webinar details.  California MCLE credit available. Among the panelists for this discussion are RMIAN Founding Board Member, Hiroshi Motomura, and RMIAN Executive Director, Mekela Goehring.

Many law students and lawyers want to work with immigrants and on immigration issues, but in today’s climate of significant anti-immigrant hostility and policymaking, it is not always clear how to make the most meaningful impact for these communities.  Join a national panel of lawyers and advocates exploring how their work representing individual immigrant clients and advocating at local and regional levels protects and lifts up immigrants “from the ground up.”   

• Professor Hiroshi Motomura, Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law and Inaugural Faculty Director, Center for Immigration Law and Policy, UCLA School of Law (moderator)  

• Gabriel Arellano, Director of Legal Representation, Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project 

• Judith Clerjeune, Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition  

• Mekela Goehring, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network  

• Lisa Weissman-Ward, Lecturer in Law and Supervising Attorney, Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic

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The American Friends Service Committee, RMIAN, the Asylum Seekers Sponsorship Project and the Transgender Law Center are hosting a series of information sessions on how to become a sponsor for an LGBT asylum seeker in Colorado. For more information, visit: RMIAN talks LGBTQ Sponsorship in Colorado & bit.ly/LGBTSponsor.

César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández Denver Post Guest Commentary

“In this moment of exceptional trauma when ordinary people carry extraordinary burdens, funding immigrant defense remains necessary. I’m proud to live in a community committed to improving the quality of justice in our immigration courts.”

Registration Open for RMIAN Annual CBA CLE: Oct. 15, 2020

Overview: Registration is open for RMIAN’s annual all-day CLE with the Colorado Bar Association. The training will be held Oct. 15, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:10 p.m. and will be virtual. The program has been submitted for 7 general CLE credits, and costs just $75 for those who commit to taking a case pro bono through RMIAN. Registration is here.

Program Description: COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for immigrant communities and individuals in immigration proceedings. The need for legal representation is now greater than ever.

In the morning, the program will focus on zealous immigration advocacy, asylum, and practice before immigration courts and agencies in the time of COVID-19. Then participants can choose from two tracks that will dive into immigration enforcement and detention and bond practices, plus the intersection of immigration law and criminal law; or protections for immigrant crime victims and special immigrant juvenile status. The day will conclude with a mock immigration court hearing.

• Defend and advance the rights of non-citizens

• Serve the community by taking a pro-bono case

• Choose from a variety of helpful sessions

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Join RMIAN and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Wednesday, 9/16 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, for a Know Your Rights event on rights in immigration court during the COVID-19 crisis. The event will feature RMIAN attorneys Javier Garcia, Laura Shoaps, and Lucia Ornelas. Log on via Zoom here.