Immigrant Rights Watch
Immigrant Rights Watch is a newer program formed after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in September of 2006. Our community was particularly impacted because of the arrest and deportation of several players and family members of our soccer league. In response we formed Immigrants Rights Watch to help inform our undocumented community members about their rights in the US and to document any future abuses of those rights if and when ICE returns to our community. We are part of the ¡MigraWatch! and Stop the Raids Coalitions here in Santa Cruz County along with numerous other non profits and NGO’s. In a broader ideological sense, we seek to reshape the debate surrounding immigration from one of nationalism, xenophobic scapegoating, fear, and even racist hatred to a more empathetic understanding that is full of compassion for all human beings regardless of national origins or other supposed differences.
Currently we answer the Immigrants Rights Watch Hotline (831) 331-1119 in order to answer questions from the community and mobilize our network of immigrant supporters in order to observe and document any future I.C.E. activity. Also, we have small wallet size know your rights cards in english and spanish available for free or a small donation. They contain information on how to appropriately react to Immigration officials in the street, at your job, in your car, or in your home. Contact Sandino to acquire some for yourself or your friends and family at 831 423 1626 xt 103.