Immigrants' Rights Action Alert in Lexington

(From our allies at KCIRR - the Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)

Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry has created a Commission on Immigration to make recommendations by the end of the summer as to how the Lexington Fayette County Government can address immigration issues.

After the Senate defeat of comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level, the fight for immigrants' rights must be concentrated on the state and local levels across the country. Here in Kentucky we continue this struggle.

The nationally widespread impulse to use local police officers to enforce federal immigration law is one that we are seeing amongst part of the Lexington population. We feel that this is a very dangerous, harmful, unfair, and exorbitantly expensive prospect that we must oppose. Our local police have made many attempts to build a positive, open, and communicative relationship with the immigrant community so as to maximize the public safety and not make immigrants fearful to report crimes they witness or suffer for fear of being deported.

On the other hand, many communities are taking a very different approach, welcoming and defending immigrants and helping them to be more integrated into the civic life of their communities through a variety of programs that positively contribute to a more harmonious and diverse public life.

For these reasons, KCIRR asks you to email members of the Commission with your ideas and suggestions for how they can best come up with a positive set of pro-immigrant and pro-community recommendations. It is also important to ask them to ignore the wrongheaded idea of empowering our local police to enforce immigration law.

Glen Krebs, Chair - [email protected]

Jim Keller, Vice-Chair - [email protected]

Barbara Connor - [email protected]

Marilyn Daniel - [email protected]

Wendy Devier - [email protected]

Kay Dignan - [email protected]

Ray Larson - [email protected]

Brian Rich – [email protected]

William Wharton - [email protected]

Let's reiterate that the organized anti-immigrant forces have been very active in pushing their racist agenda. They are not many but they have been trying to intimidate the Commission members, the Mayor, Council Members, the media, and many state and federal officials. We MUST ANSWER those efforts; BAD THINGS will happen if we do not respond and become active. There is too much at stake and we are not necessarily on solid ground taking into consideration what happened at the national level (as one of many examples please read at the end of this email the very negative measure passed by the Prince William County in Virginia).

Please respond. Contact the Commission members, the Council Members, the Mayor's office. Send letters to the editors of your local newspapers. Participate in the Commission meetings (next one will be at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday July 19th, 5th floor of City Hall) and especially in the Public Forum (Thursday August 2, probably on the Council Chambers).

Thank you very much for your help!