Newsletter: Come talk about immigration with us this Thursday
Daylight San Diego is hosting a community conversation about immigration policies, including arrests and detention, and what San Diegans can do to help their neighbors.
Greetings, everyone, buenas and bom dia,
With the increase in immigration related arrests and fears about deportation in our community, we at Daylight decided to host our first-ever community conversation.
“A Light on Immigration” will feature a presentation on what observers are seeing at the federal building, which houses both the San Diego Immigration Court and Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices. We've documented this year how ICE has arrested people outside of their court hearings and at check-in appointments.
At the event, we will also have a panel discussion that includes volunteers, organizers, an immigration attorney and an asylum seeker, and we will close with breakout conversations so that you can all participate in moving the conversation forward.
You can attend the event at San Diego Made Factory from 6 to 8 p.m. for free in person or on Zoom, and we will have translators for Spanish speakers thanks to support from Valdes Language Services. Please RSVP online, and please tell your friends and loved ones. Here are flyers in English and Spanish that you are welcome to share with your networks.
Get to know the panelists
Maria C. Chavez
Maria C. Chavez is the Immigration Legal Director at Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) in San Diego, CA, and the owner of Maria Chavez Law. She represents clients in a wide range of immigration matters including removal defense in immigration court, family-based petitions, and humanitarian remedies. She frequently presents on various immigration topics and volunteers with immigrant rights organizations throughout San Diego, including the Community Law Project and the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium. She is a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association, Lawyers Club of San Diego, and the San Diego County Bar Association. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Maria is admitted to the State Bar of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Ninth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thao Ha
Thao Ha is a Vietnamese refugee and professor of sociology at MiraCosta College with expertise on immigration, criminal justice and the history of Southeast Asian refugees. She is also the founder of Collective Freedom, an organization supporting Southeast Asian refugees with removal orders. She has a doctorate in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Adriana Jasso
Adriana Jasso has been a member of Unión del Barrio for the past 29 years. Adriana began her political work as a high school student in the city of Oxnard, California. She led the largest student walkouts in the country at the end of October in 1994. As a proud Mechista at Oxnard Community College, Adriana along with thousands of students took to the streets of Oxnard, Ventura, Fillmore and Santa Paula to fight against the anti-Raza legislation known as Proposition 187. She currently leads aspects of the work around expanding the work of the Community Self-Defense Patrols and Coalition across San Diego and other parts of California.
Ruth Mendez
Ruth Mendez, She/Her/Ella, is a Detention Resistance Collective member and organizer. She grew up in San Diego and has been a longtime immigration rights advocate in her community. Currently she is actively supporting people detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center to uplift their organizing work.
An unnamed asylum seeker
A young woman who sought asylum using the CBP One application created by the Biden administration to schedule migrants to come to ports of entry to request protection, she was detained by ICE after her court hearing earlier this year and spent several months at Otay Mesa Detention Center. An attorney was able to help her get released using a habeas petition, and her case is ongoing. (She will be joining us remotely.)
Whether you're joining us in person or from the safety and comfort of your home, we are looking forward to talking with you on Thursday.
If you have a question you would like to hear the panel discuss, please email me at kate@daylightsandiego.org. If you would like to help cover the cost of security and translation services, please consider making a tax-deductible donation on Givebutter.
— Kate Morrissey
Today is the day for registered voters across the state to decide whether to change the state’s Congressional district maps. Find your voting center and more local election information by visiting sdvote.com, and read the state’s official special election voter information guide at bit.ly/CAelectionguide2025.
— Lauren J. Mapp
ICE officer threatens volunteer patrol
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official told a 9-1-1 dispatcher that he would hold a driver who had been following him from National City to San Diego at gun point, according to police records.
— Kate Morrissey
California lawmakers are considering a 5% tax on billionaires to raise $100 billion and offset projected federal Medicaid cuts beginning in 2027.
— Story by Mark Kreidler, Capital & Main
Other news
The Trump administration is restarting SNAP payments under a court order, but recipients will only get half the normal amount, KPBS and NPR reported. (Do you know of a food distribution in our region? I'd love to hear from you. Please email kate@daylightsandiego.org.)
NBC7 reported that ICE has released the mother of a U.S. Marine after detaining her at a check-in appointment last month.
The San Diego airport struggled with delays on Sunday related to the government shutdown, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
KPBS investigated the reason for the shrinking number of single-room occupancy units in San Diego.
Upcoming Events
Nov. 7
Punk for the People: Shared Plate is hosting a fundraiser at Queen Bee's. The Punk for the People event is raising funds for mutual aid and food distribution groups in North County. There will be live performances, vendors, food, raffle prizes, activities, and resources. 6 - 11 p.m., Queen Bee's Art and Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego, CA 92104
Nov. 9
Slow Fashion Day: Sew Loka and The Homegrown Project are hosting San Diego's first Slow Fashion Day. The free event will have local vendors, an upcycled clothing fashion show and workshops on how to sew, mend and upcycle clothes. The organizers encourage people to bring an item of clothing from home to rework at their workshops. Attendees can register online. 2 - 9 p.m., 900 Bayfront Ct, San Diego, CA 92101
Want to support our efforts to bring Daylight to San Diego?
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