Category: Uncategorized

PRESS RELEASE

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

For media inquiries contact: 

Manuela Gonzalez, [email protected], 415-255-9499

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

SA Stands Applauds Bexar County Commissioners for the Creation of a $1 Million Immigrant Legal Defense Fund to Protect Community Members and Their Families 

SAN ANTONIO, TX — SA Stands celebrates the historic creation of a $1 million Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (ILDF) to better protect the due process rights of community members and their families at risk of deportation in Bexar County. Today, SA Stands, and nearly 30 community members, testified at Commissioners Court, urging the court to create this important fund, which they did.

Acknowledging the harmful and devastating consequences deportations can have on entire communities, SA Stands received the support from County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, who introduced the resolution to create the fund. We applaud Commissioner Rodriguez and the Commissioner’s Court for creating this critical legal defense fund and helping to keep families together.

The SA Stands ILDF campaign has also received public support from over 200 community members who have signed the SA Stands online petition. SA Stands has held phone banks, webinars, and authored an op-ed about the importance of a legal defense fund.  We are very thankful to the community for their support in making this fund possible.   

In Bexar County, nearly 66% of individuals are forced to defend their immigration case and navigate a complex court system without legal representation. A Bexar County ILDF will help increase representation for community members, and ensure they have a real opportunity to fully present their case.  

“It is unreasonable and unjust to expect individuals without the legal expertise or resources to navigate complex immigration law and competently represent themselves in immigration proceedings. Our hope is to help balance the scales of justice by providing access to representation for people who cannot afford it so that those with standing to stay in the United States have a true opportunity to receive the rights available to them under U.S. law”.– Bexar County Commissioner, Justin Rodriguez

“We have seen an unprecedented level of immigration enforcement in the last few years, placing many at risk of deportation and separation from their families. Despite the high stakes involved in these cases, the vast majority of immigrants are unable to secure critical legal representation and forced to navigate a complex legal system alone. Bexar County must take action to provide our community members true access to our justice system. Legal representation is critical and ensures that our immigration system works in a just and fair manner to keep families and communities whole.” –Edna Yang, Co-Executive Director, American Gateways

“Five years ago, the City of San Antonio took an important step forward by allocating a small amount of funding for immigration legal defense. With just that small amount of funding, over a hundred San Antonio residents have received representation, and many of their families have been kept together. The results have been demonstrated, and it is time for Bexar County to make a bold move and take this program to the next level. In a time of divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric, Bexar County should take the opportunity to demonstrate that we are a compassionate and welcoming community.”  –Kathrine Russell, Director of Removal Defense, RAICES

“With the continued attacks on immigrants and residents alike by our state government, it’s more important now than ever that San Antonio takes serious action to protect our immigrant community and fund immigrant legal defense. By granting this crucial access to legal representation and guidance to community members, the Bexar County Commissioners Court can help keep families together and protect those most vulnerable to deportation.” –Scott Kanski, Advocacy & Field Organizer, Texas Rising 

“Every day, individuals in our Texas communities are deported, not because they don’t have strong claims for relief, but because these individuals don’t have legal representation. One of the many failings of our immigration system is that it does not guarantee the right to an attorney in deportation proceedings. The Bexar County Commissioners should do all that is within their power to help address the critical need for representation and protect community members.” –Priscilla Olivarez, Policy Attorney and Strategist, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

“Being in immigration detention was one of the most frustrating and most discriminating times in my life. Before I had a lawyer to help me, I was never told anything in my case. Once I had a lawyer, I saw a difference. Without a lawyer, the judge didn’t listen to me, but I saw he listened to my lawyer. While I was detained, I saw a lot of injustice that happened because people did not have the right to representation or even access to a person who could help them understand the immigration laws. This injustice is why I think Bexar County needs a legal defense fund that will provide immigration lawyers to help people have a fair trial in immigration court.” —Mario  Hernández, RAICES Client

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SA Stands is a strong non-partisan collaborative in the city of San Antonio and Bexar County that works through organized campaigns, advocacy efforts, community education, and direct action, to mobilize against any laws and efforts that criminalize, incarcerate, deport and divide our communities. For more information visit sastands.org

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

December 2, 2021 

CONTACTS: Carolina Canizales, 210-760-7368, [email protected] and Ananda Tomas, 575-937-4813, [email protected]

Manny Pelaez betrays community’s efforts for a comprehensive cite and release policy 

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Yesterday the SA Stands coalition learned that Councilman Manny Pelaez filed a Council Consideration Request (CCR) for an incomplete cite and release program, one that would ONLY cover some marijuana misdemeanor cases. He did this after meeting with our SA Stands leaders and hearing about our comprehensive cite and release proposed ordinance.

For the past four years, the SA Stands coalition has led a campaign that is holistic and puts the best version of a cite and release ordinance forward. Our proposed cite and release ordinance is not just about giving an opportunity to those individuals that are caught with marijuana possession, ours includes all citation-eligible offenses under the Texas Penal Code. 

SA Stand’s goal has always been to significantly reduce non-mandatory and costly arrests in communities who are largely impacted by overpolicing. Our proposed ordinance also includes language to ensure data transparency and oversight of the SA Police Department. 

“Councilman Pelaez has made a calculated move to undercut years of work by the community- including his own constituents- on cite and release. We are also disappointed in Councilman Courage for supporting Pelaez’s watered down version of cite and release. He gave his own commitment to support our CCR just this fall,” stated Ananda Tomas, a member of the SA Stands coalition. 

The SA Stands coalition has received more than 500 petition supporters for our proposed version of cite and release, and engaged hundreds more community members via webinars and community meetings, and produced numerous resources to educate the community about the positive outcomes cite and release can bring to our city. We also surveyed council leaders during elections and got their commitment to support our cite and release ordinance, including Councilman Pelaez’s commitment of support.  

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SA Stands is a strong non-partisan collaborative in the city of San Antonio and Bexar County that believes no human being is disposable and works towards the abolishment of systems that are inherently racist and dehumanizing. Through organized campaigns, advocacy efforts, community education, and direct action, SA Stands will mobilize against any laws and efforts that criminalize, incarcerate, deport and divide our communities. For more information visit sastands.org

Activist drop off hundreds of petitions to urge Pelaez and Rocha-Garcia to support a Cite and Release Ordinance

SAN ANTONIO, TX — On Friday, October 22nd, members of SA Stands, a local coalition who has worked the past three years to reduce arrests via a cite and release ordinance, will deliver more than 500 petition signatures from San Antonio residents that support reducing arrests in their communities to the offices of Councilman Pelaez and Councilwoman Rocha-Garcia 

During the May city council elections, SA Stands sent candidate questionnaires asking whether council candidates would support and introduce a cite and release ordinance within their first 100 days in office— Pelaez answered ‘yes’ but has done nothing, while Rocha-Garcia has refused to meet with the group altogether. 

“A cite and release ordinance will greatly reduce discriminatory policing against Black and other communities of color. It will save money in police and jail upkeep, which can be spent on other needs such as housing and public health,” stated Carolina Canizales, an SA Stands leader. Since 2019, SAPD has implemented an administrative cite and release policy, but SA Stands is urging city council to permanently codify this policy into an ordinance to ensure an increase in the number of citations issued by police officers. The last two years of data continue to show racial disparities in who officers cite for offenses like marijuana possession, theft and driving with an invalid license. 

Activists will drop off petitions to these respective council offices, have speakers highlight the lack of leadership on this issue, and ask that councilmembers publicly support an ordinance or not be a barrier. 

WHEN: Friday, October 22, 2021 12-1:30 PM CT 

WHERE:  12pm- Pelaez District 8 Office (13330 Kyle Seale Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78249)

     1:05pm Rocha-Garcia District 4 Office (5102 Old Pearsall Rd, San Antonio, TX 78242 

NOTES FOR MEDIA: Speakers available for comment before and after the event

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: (All members of SA Stands coalition) 

Ananda Tomas, ACT 4 SA

Rodney Brown, Texas Organizing Project

Carolina Canizales, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Deborah Ponce, RAICES

SA Stands is a strong non-partisan collaborative in the city of San Antonio and Bexar County that believes no human being is disposable and works towards the abolishment of systems that are inherently racist and dehumanizing. Through organized campaigns, advocacy efforts, community education, and direct action, SA Stands will mobilize against any laws and efforts that criminalize, incarcerate, deport and divide our communities. For more information visit sastands.org