I never write diaries because I don't usually have the time to do what so many of you here do everyday - compose full narratives with research (tips to all of you). NB: this also isn't really a diary but I felt this information was too important not to pass on.
Immigrants worried about immigration patrol while evacuating from Louisiana and other coastal areas endangered by Gustav should evacuate regardless and according to authority guidelines.
Homeland Security has decided not to hold immigration checkpoints while the coastal regions are under evacuation.
Details below the fold.
I'm not going to go into all the problems immigrant workers ran into post-Katrina because I'm sure most of you are aware of the abuses immigration workers suffered when they went to Louisiana looking for work to rebuild New Orleans and other cities damaged by Katrina.
For those of you not aware, just a brief summary from NOWCRJ's* official press release today:
Hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers arrived in the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to assist in the reconstruction of New Orleans and other cities. However, even as they were contributing to the rebuilding efforts, they faced extraordinary abuse, including high levels of wage theft, police brutality and massive immigration raids.
According to the Center, the single biggest worry of immigrants this time around is their deportation and/or separation from family by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The people at the center have been working hard on this issue and have been able to get DHS to abandon checkpoints in favor of humane treatment of evacuees.
The DHS press release in English and Spanish, today:
AUGUST 31, 2008
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
Gustav
· All residents of the Gulf Coast region need to evacuate.
· There are no immigration enforcement operations, and there are no
immigration enforcement checkpoints associated with the evacuations.
· The Department of Homeland Security's top priorities in any emergency are life-saving and life-sustaining activities, preventing the loss of property to the extent possible, and assisting with a speedy recovery of the affected region.
Gustav
· Todos los residentes del la región de la Costa del Golfo deben evacuar.
· No hay operacions de inmigración, y no hay puntos de inmigración asociados con las evacuaciones.
· Las prioridades mas altas del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS por sus siglas en Ingles) en cualquier emergencia son las de salvar y sostener la vida, preevenir la pérdida de propiedad lo tanto posible, y asistir con la recuperación de la región afectada.
If you know of any abuses during the hurricane relief effort, please contact NOWCRJ. You can reach them through their website: http://www.neworleansworkerjustice.org/
*The New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice is a membership based organization that works with African-American and immigrant workers in the post-Katrina landscape.
I know that there's a "mothership" diary on Gustav, but I haven't seen anyone take up this specific problem on the evacuation effort. Apologies if this issue has already been covered!