How immigration lawyer networks are succeeding
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST
>>>> [IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ARE WORKING TO FIND LEGAL STRATEGIES TO FREE DETAINEES…]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines…
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SAN DIEGO CONGRESSMAN SCOTT PETERS ANNOUNCED NEW FEDERAL LEGISLATION YESTERDAY (Thursday) TO LIMIT THE USE OF FORCE BY FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AGENTS.
PETERS AND OTHER DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS SAY THE BILL WOULD REQUIRE OFFICERS TO WEAR CLEAR IDENTIFICATION AND KEEP BODY AND VEHICLE CAMERAS ON AT ALL TIMES.
IT WOULD ALSO SET STRICT LIMITS ON USE OF FORCE.
ADVOCACY GROUPS SAY THE BILL WOULD BRING MUCH NEEDED TRANSPARENCY AND OVERSIGHT. AND IT COULD HELP REDUCE THE FEAR SPREADING THROUGH IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS.
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NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT IS RECEIVING A GRANT THAT WILL CUT EMISSIONS ON SOME NORTH COUNTY ROADS
THE GRANT IS ALMOST SEVENTEEN MILLION DOLLARS
IT’LL WILL BE USED TO REPLACE BUSSES THAT RUN ON COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS WITH CLEAN AIR BUSES.
BECAUSE THEY’RE REPLACING BUSSES AT THE END OF THEIR LIFE WITH NEW BUSSES THEY SAY IT WILL ALSO REDUCE DELAYS CAUSED BY MECHANICAL FAILURES
THE BUSSES OPERATE ON THE BREEZE ROUTE OUT OF A FACILITY IN ESCONDIDO.
N-C-T-D SAYS MORE THAN TWO MILLION RIDERS WERE TRANSPORTED ON THOSE ROUTES IN 20-24
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THE SAN DIEGO FC SOCCER CLUB IS LOOKING TO GIVE BACK AS THEY FACE MINNESOTA UNITED FC IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE MLS PLAYOFFS
THE TEAM IS COLLECTING NON PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS THROUGH THEIR ‘ONE CITY, ONE TABLE’ FOOD DRIVE
FANS ATTENDING THE MATCH CAN DONATE ITEMS AT EVERY ENTRANCE OF SNAPDRAGON STADIUM
OR YOU CAN BRING FOOD ITEMS TO THE CLUB’S STORE ‘EIGHTEEN THREADS’ IN MISSION VALLEY
OR DONATE DIRECTLY TO THE JACOBS AND CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK
EVERY DOLLAR DONATED ALLOWS THE FOOD BANK TO PROVIDE TWO MEALS TO SOMEONE IN NEED
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS DETAINED A RECORD-NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS, LAWYERS NATIONWIDE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO FIND LEGAL STRATEGIES TO FREE THEM.
REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS REPORTS ON HOW THESE INFORMAL NETWORKS ARE SUCCEEDING.
HABEASTWO (gs) 3:30 SOQ
Immigration lawyers like Stacy Tolchin who lived through the first Trump term, knew they were in for a fight after he was elected to a second term last year.
She remembers the chaos of family separation and the Muslim travel ban. And mentally prepared for the second round to be even more chaotic.
IMG_6756 00:11:05:20“It’s really much worse than I even contemplated it would be at the beginning of the year.”
Tolchin has watched the Trump administration strip students of their visas, deport people to dangerous prisons, and launch violent immigration sweeps all over the country.
She’s helped dozens of immigrants fight deportation. And she says each case feels like a battle against the most powerful country on Earth.
IMG_6756 00:23:45:04“We need warriors, we need people to help us in this fight.”
But she’s not alone.
Lawyers across the country are building informal mentoring networks to coordinate a legal resistance to mass deportations. Collectively, they have filed thousands of federal lawsuits arguing the Trump administration is illegally detaining immigrants and ignoring their due process protections.
CC 1540_04 00:06:23:19 / 07:47:36:05“We’re a really strong community and I’m so proud of my fellow immigration attorneys who have – without question – stepped up.”
Nerea Sholl-Woods is a San Diego-based immigration lawyer. She says doesn’t know what she would do without this community of former colleagues and strangers. They are developing legal strategies in real time … whether it’s in-person, on the phone or in email chains
CC 1540_04 00:07:09:21 / 07:48:22:07“I need your help, teach me how to do this. Without question, everyone I’ve reached out to will get on the phone with me and walk me through it.”
One of the most effective legal strategies right now are federal lawsuits known as Writ of Habeas Corpus petitions. They challenge the government’s ability to detain someone indefinitely.
As the Trump administration has made it nearly impossible for immigrants in detention to get out on bond or parole programs, Habeas petitions are acting as the last line of defense.
But they are very complicated to file – according to Justin Brooks, a law professor at the University of San Diego.
CC 1528_01 00:10:02:00 / 10:00:47:20“The area of Habeas law is very narrow, very specific, there’s very few practitioners that really even practice in it or fully understand it.
Those with the expertise are helping to bridge that knowledge gap.
And it’s working – at least on a case-by-case basis.
Cassandra Lopez says it took her 25 hours to write her first Habeas petition. But it got her client out.
IMG_6781 00:30:36:46“Pushing back on behalf of individuals and winning their cases, that’s really satisfying.”
Lopez says her client had been detained for six months. It’s a big individual win. But she says knows there are many more who need help.
IMG_6781 00:31:30:27“It doesn’t mean that the whole system is going to change but it definitely feels satisfying to push back against the Trump administration’s unjust and dehumanizing immigration policies and winning and feeling vindicated by the court ruling in our favor that this detention is unlawful.”
In response to questions from KPBS about the administration’s tactics and the surge in Habeas petitions, a Department of Justice spokesperson provided the following statement:
“President Trump and the Department of Justice will continue to enforce the law as it is written to defend and protect the safety and security of the American people.”
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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THE COUNTY’S RECENT DECISION TO BUY A STATE-OF-THE-ART HELICOPTER IS SHINING A LIGHT ON A LITTLE-KNOWN FIREFIGHTING PROGRAM. IT’S NOT RUN BY A FIRE AGENCY BUT BY S-D-G AND E.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS REGIONAL FIREFIGHTING. BUT RATEPAYER ADVOCATES QUESTION WHETHER CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIREFIGHTING.
CHOPPER trt: 4:12 soq
In August, San Diego Gas and Electric showcased a program many may not know about.
Reporters gathered at Gillespie Field in El Cajon to see what the company had at its hangar.
CHOPPER 00:07
“Our helicopters have been in the fight on fires in Del Mar, in Rancho Bernardo, in Mission Valley.”
Scott Crider is SDG&E’s president. He showed the helicopters the company uses to help fight fires in and around the county.
CHOPPER 00:05
“We are making sure that we are contributing to the safety throughout the region.”
What wasn’t shown that day: the company’s Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk. It’s a helicopter capable of flying in low-light conditions that force most choppers in the county to stay grounded.
SDG&E bought one five years ago. Their reasoning was because access to night flying aircrafts are limited in the county. But the helicopter was never deployed.
Brian D’Agostino is responsible for wildfire mitigation at SDG&E. He says that’s because …
CHOPPER 00:02
“We did not get the certification we were hoping for.”
For the last five years, the aircraft sat in Denver, Colorado … waiting for a green light from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Rather than continue waiting, D’Agostino says the utility decided to sell the helicopter.
*Nats of helicopters flying*
For years, Cal Fire and the county have been fighting fires together. A county pilot flies the helicopters and Cal Fire makes the water drops.
They had been looking for a Firehawk. County officials say owning one would bolster their nighttime firefighting.
A deal was made.
CHOPPER 00:09
“Knowing that Cal Fire can start operating it immediately, it became the best decision for the community, that we kind of hand this over.”
The sale price is $31 million. SDG&E says it will break even.
D’Agostino says buying the helicopter did not have any impact on customer rates because…
CHOPPER 00:19
“It's not until you take full delivery and put something into operations that then … it transitions over and the ratepayers start to pay for it. In this particular case, it never got to that point that it was certified and operating.”
As part of the sale, SDG&E agreed to pay the county up to $5 million annually through 2035. The county says it will use that money to help with debt financing and operational costs.
If the California Public Utilities Commission allows it, SDG&E could recover that money in customer rates over time.
But ratepayer advocates, like Bill Powers, argue that investments in firefighting should be left to fire agencies.
CHOPPER 00:15
"It's a stretch to say, ‘Well, we're going to buy a helicopter for ourselves just to back up other agencies who have a primary responsibility to fight fires because we're good citizens.’”
SDG&E’s aviation investments are one of several projects in its Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
State regulators require power companies to prepare these plans and show how their electrical lines and equipment are reducing wildfire risk.
Customers repay the cost of those investments over time through rates if the regulators approve.
Powers again…
CHOPPER 00:22
“The mitigation program that ratepayers are paying for, it's supposed to be to minimize or eliminate ignition sources, not to deal with fires after they have occurred. That’s an important function. It's just not a function of an electric utility.”
But SDG&E says firefighting assets are one vital way the company protects the community from wildfires. D'Agustino says.
CHOPPER 00:10
"For those who kind of say, 'Hey, stay in your own lane,' a lot of it is protecting the community from wildfires, is all of our lanes."
Even small fires can damage the electric system. So, by working with the county to keep fires as small as possible...
CHOPPER 00:05
“You end up spending a lot less money on having to rebuild the system."
Cal Fire and County Fire officials applaud the deal with SDG&E. Jeff Collins is the County Fire director. He called the sale a “helpful opportunity…”
CHOPPER 00:05
“Because how quickly we can get that helicopter into service versus ordering something brand new.”
The Firehawk is expected to be ready next fall after it’s outfitted to Cal Fire standards. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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ABOUT 25-HUNDRED ATHLETES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE IN SAN DIEGO THIS WEEK FOR THE USA PICKLEBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THE PLAYERS ARE BOTH PROFESSIONALS AND AMATEURS.
THIS IS THE 20TH YEAR FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS … BUT USA PICKLEBALL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER JOSE MORENO SAYS THE SPORT REALLY GAINED TRACTION DURING THE PANDEMIC.
PICKLEBALL 2A (:10)
“A lot of people were stuck indoors. They wanted to get outside, they wanted to be active. And pickleball was historically a 55-and-over community sport. But people realize that this is a sport that brings community together.”
HE SAYS BOTH YOUNG AND OLD CAN PICK UP THE SPORT RELATIVELY QUICKLY AND HAVE FUN PLAYING IT.
THE TOURNAMENT RUNS THROUGH SUNDAY AT THE BARNES TENNIS CENTER IN POINT LOMA. THE TOTAL PRIZE PURSE IS NEARLY A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS.
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AS WE DO FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY ON THE POD, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENT IDEAS FOR YOU AND YOURS
BIRCH AQUARIUM JUST OPENED A NEW EXHIBIT
ITS CALLED ‘MEDITATION OCEAN: AQUARIOUS REEF BASE’ AND ITS BEING DESCRIBED AS A MEDITATION SPACE, INSPIRED BY THE WORLD’S ONLY UNDERSEA RESEARCH HABITAT
VISITORS WILL EXPERIENCE SIMULATED UNDERWATER SPACES AND RELAXING AMBIENT REEF SOUNDS
AND AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON BEGINS, THE RADY CHILDREN’S ICE RINK IS NOW OPEN
THE RINK IS IN ITS NINTH YEAR AT LIBERTY STATION AND
WILL BE OPEN THROUGH JANUARY 4TH
PROFITS FROM THE RINK GO TO THE THRIVING AFTER CANCER PROGRAM AT RADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth. This podcast is hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
