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Nothing in "Chain Gang Journalism"'s lazy louche St. Augustine Record. Having fired the last nonresident editor, who's in charge were?
With Possible ICE Raids Imminent, Hotel Chains Are Taking A Stand
Natalie Delgadillo
Carmel Delshad
Sasha-Ann Simons
As activists and local legislators prepare for the possibility of widespread immigration raids this weekend, at least two major hotel chains headquartered in the D.C. area have announced that they will not allow federal immigration enforcement agencies to use its hotel rooms as backup detention centers for immigrant families.
Marriott International, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, said on Thursday that it will decline any requests by the U.S. government to use its hotel rooms as temporary detention centers, a practice that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has undertaken due to a lack of space in traditional detention facilities.
While the company “has had no indication” that its hotels had been contacted by the federal government for that purpose, it would decline any such request.
“Our hotels are not configured to be detention facilities,” Marriott said in its statement. “Marriott has made the decision to decline any requests to use our hotels as detention facilities.”
We’re at @MarriottIntl demanding they PUBLICLY release their statement that they will not enable Trump’s deportation machine. When can we expect the statement @Marriott? Raids are due to start this weekend.
Y’ALL...@MarriottIntl just sent this statement to our organizer & press: “Marriott has made the decision to decline any requests to use our hotels as detention facilities.”
THANK YOU for standing on the right side of history, @Marriott
.@ChoiceHotels YOU’RE UP. #NoHotelsForICE
Another hotel company with a local footprint, Choice Hotels, has said that it is asking its franchised hotels to similarly decline any such requests from federal immigration authorities. The Rockville-based company owns 11 hotel chain brands, including Cambria, Quality Inn, and Econo Lodge. In total, it franchises more than 7,000 hotels across the world.
“We are not aware that any of our franchised hotels, all of which are independently owned and operated, are being asked to serve as detention facilities. We do not believe hotels should be used in this way and will decline any requests to do so,” Choice Hotels said in its statement. “We ask that our franchised hotels only be used for their intended purpose, which is to provide travelers with a welcoming hotel room.”
The statements come as a response to pressure from local activist organizations, which have petitioned hotel companies to publicly vow that they will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help the agency detain immigrant families.
On Thursday, local activist organization Sanctuary DMV delivered a petition with more than 120,000 signatures to the companies’ local headquarters, demanding that they refuse to help ICE detain immigrants.
JOIN US & @DCJWJ TODAY @ 2:45PM to deliver 100K signatures from @CREDOMobile @dailykos @MoveOn petitions to @ChoiceHotels & @Marriott HQ to demand they refuse to become temporary ICE jails. REGISTER: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…
If you can't make it, stay tuned for online actions.
ACTION IN PROGRESS: community members, @DCJWJ & us delivering 120K petition signatures from @CREDOMobile @MoveOn @dailykos to @ChoiceHotels HQ rep. They told us to call tomorrow for their response. We definitely will#NoHotelsForICE #DeportationProfiteers
“This is a real opportunity for businesses, for hotels to stand up and do the right thing,” said Gaurav Madan, an organizer with Sanctuary DMV. “I don’t think it’s just businesses. I think, where we are at right now with this administration, is that there is no room to be neutral. That they are pushing this agenda that is challenging and trying to rip apart the fabric of our society.”
Sanctuary DMV is also asking for several other national hotel chains to make similar public announcements, including Hilton, Motel 6, and Best Western.
“We all have a responsibility to stand up, including businesses, and be on the right side of history,” Madan continued.
UNITE HERE Local 25, a union representing hospitality workers in D.C., Prince George’s County and Northern Virginia, also released a statement against hotel cooperation with ICE.
“Not just union properties, but every hotel in the D.C. region must publicly refuse to let ICE use their rooms as prison cells for immigrants,” Local 25’s John Boardman said in a statement. “Local 25 members took jobs in an industry that’s supposed to welcome and serve guests—not one that jails and deports them.”
The union plans to collect signatures from workers to increase the pressure on other local hotel chains to refuse cooperation with ICE.
How Activists Are Preparing For Raids
It’s not clear if the D.C. region will be among the cities across the country targeted by ICE raidsthis weekend.
A spokesperson for ICE wouldn’t confirm whether D.C. is on the list of targeted cities, citing the “safety and security of ICE personnel,” but said in a statement:
As always, ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present aliens who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. In fact, 90 percent of aliens arrested by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations component in FY2018 had either a criminal conviction(s), pending criminal charge(s), were an ICE fugitive, or illegally reentered the country after previously being removed. However, all of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and – if found removable by final order – removal from the United States.
Whether or not D.C. is on the list, immigrant-rights groups are still preparing for possible raids.
Sanctuary DMV has a hotline for people to call if they see any immigration activity in the region.
ALERT: Our ICE Emergency Hotline is now operated by live dispatchers 24/7
The group has also trained bystanders to film enforcement activity and support family members who are left behind.
Other organizations are also holding know your rights trainings and sharing informational guides for people to refer to should immigration officials show up to their doors.
Now more than ever, we need everyone to know: WE HAVE RIGHTS.
Share our #KnowYourRights guides in multiple languages.
Know Your Rights. Conozca Sus Derechos.
Omar Angel Perez is with the Congregation Action Network, the D.C. umbrella of the national Faith In Action group, working with faith leaders and houses of worship with immigrant communities in the region. He said the organization has been ramping up efforts during the last two days ahead of the potential ICE raids.
“We’ve been alerting all the congregations, distributing know your rights materials, holding know your rights presentations,” Angel Perez said. “We have a group of sanctuary congregations who can host people if needed. We are ready for that.”
Angel Perez said though people are on alert, he still expects them to attend church services because they feel safe there.
“There is tension, there is worry, there is fear. But that doesn’t mean that people will just be paralyzed. They will continue [with] their lives,” he said.
Undocumented Parents In D.C. Can Designate ‘Standby Guardians’ For Kids
The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation this week for undocumented parents to designate standby guardians for their children. (Maryland passed a similar law in January.)
The law, introduced by Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau, would designate a guardian for 90 days without any court involvement. When the time ends, the caregiver can file paperwork to extend their designation.
“Essentially, they fill out a legal document that says this person, my neighbor, my friend, my brother, is going to be responsible for my child should an immigration action be taken against me,” Nadeau said. “And then it becomes effective if an adverse immigration action takes place.”
The bill also prevents children from becoming wards of the state, which would leave immigration officials, case workers and families scrambling to find them a home.
Standby guardianship lasts for 90 days, and Nadeau says local immigration advocacy groups will distribute the form as needed.
An estimated 25,000 undocumented immigrants live in the District, according to the American Immigration Council’s latest numbers in 2014.
“Even when there have not been these concerted efforts through the raids we’ve still seen that people in our community are being picked up by ICE,” Nadeau said. “I’m very concerned about what’s coming up this weekend and next week.”0
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