FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019
PDF Version: English | Vietnamese

Contact: Tracy La
Executive Director of VietRISE
(858) 598-7805
tracy@vietrise.org

OC Sheriff Don Barnes Terminates Immigrant Detention Contract with ICE

As the Orange County Sheriff’s Department announces plans to end its contract with ICE and open up more jail space for mental health treatment for inmates, Vietnamese community members are concerned that the allocation of mental health resources within the Sheriff’s Department will increase the incarceration of immigrant communities.

Little Saigon, Orange County, CA – Today, Wednesday, March 27th, 2019  the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) announced plans to end its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will no longer be detaining immigrants within their jails. Instead, they plan to allocate funds to make more jail space for mental health treatment. Current detainees will be transferred to facilities outside of California and more beds will be opened up within the jails. Simply closing the OCSD’s contract with ICE and making more jail space for mental health treatment is an incomplete step.

The State of Immigration Enforcement in OC Report released earlier this year reveals that Vietnamese community members are the second most targeted group referred to federal immigration enforcement by local law enforcement. Therefore, Vietnamese people are the second largest group not protected from deportation in Orange County. As a county of immigrants where Vietnamese refugees have been impacted by war that has led to negative impacts on immigration and mental health, there must be more responsible allocation of mental health resources that does not hurt immigrant communities.

To make Orange County safer and more inclusive of immigrants, Sheriff Barnes must denounce the rabid anti-immigrant voices he and the OC Supervisors enabled last year that spurred anti-immigrant sentiment within the county. VietRISE also calls for resources toward mental health services to be allocated to healthcare professionals and organizations with a strong, reliable track record of providing mental health support for inmates instead.

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CHO THÔNG CÁO BÁO CHÍ
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019

Xin Vui Lòng Liên Lạc: Tracy La
Executive Director of VietRISE
(858) 598-7805
tracy@vietrise.org

Cảnh Sát Trưởng Don Barnes chấm dứt hợp đồng với ICE (Cơ quan Thực thi Di trú và Hải quan)

Văn phòng Cảnh Sát Trưởng đã thông báo họ sẽ chấm dứt hợp đồng với ICE (Cơ quan Thực thi Di trú và Hải quan) và sẽ mở thêm phòng giam tủ để điều trị sức khỏe tâm thần cho các tù nhân. Các thành viên cộng đồng Việt (thành viên hội cộng đồng VietRISE) lo ngại rằng sự phân bổ tiền để điều trị sức khỏe tâm thần cho các tù nhân sẽ gia tăng sự giam giữ cộng đồng nhập cư.   

Little Saigon, Orange County, CA – Hôm qua, Ngày 27 Tháng 3 Năm 2019, văn phòng Cảnh Sát Trưởng vừa thông báo rằng họ sẽ chấm dứt hợp đồng với ICE (Cơ quan Thực thi Di trú và Hải quan). Họ sẽ mở thêm phòng giam tủ để điều trị sức khỏe tâm thần cho các tù nhân và sẽ không giam giữ người di dân trong các tụ ở Orange County. Thay vì họ sẽ chuyển các người nhập cư đến các nhà tụ ở tiểu bang khác. Chỉ chấm dứt hợp đồng với ICE không đủ để bảo vệ các cộng đồng nhập cư.

Trong bài báo cáo State of Immigration Enforcement in OC phát hành đầu năm nay, bài báo cáo này khám phá rằng ở Orange County cộng đồng Việt là cộng đồng lớn thứ hai bị ảnh hưởng về sự nguy cơ bị trục xuất. Ở Orange County văn phòng Cảnh Sát Trưởng và Cảnh Sát Trưởng Don Barnes phải phân bổ công bằng tiền dùng để điều trị sức khỏe tâm thần cho các tù nhân để không hại các cộng đồng nhập cư vì trong cộng đồng Việt chiến tranh đã gây ra rất nhiều tổn thương trong vấn đề nhập cư và bà tâm thần.  

Hội Cộng Đồng VietRISE kêu gọi Cảnh Sát Trưởng Don Barnes nên tố cáo các hùng biện chống người nhập cư để Orange County trở thành một nơi an toàn cho các cộng đồng nhập cư. VietRISE cũng đề nghị rằng tiền dùng để điều trị sức khỏe tâm thần cho các tù nhân nên được phân bổ cho các bác sĩ, y tá, và tổ chức có kinh nghiệm giúp đỡ các tù nhân.

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Flyer by Tiffany Le

This workshop is open to all community members to learn about zines and how to make them. No experience in the arts is necessary – this is simply a space for everyone to gather and be in community with one another through art! This is also a child-friendly event!

Zines and zine culture were created by, and crafted for, the social and political needs of communities of color. They can give space to stories that aren’t often told, lending creative spaces for people and communities to express themselves freely without restrictions and on their own terms. They are a space for communities to come together to record and share their stories and everything in between.

Please RSVP here: bit.ly/zineworkshop19

Details:

• Date: Tuesday, March 19th
• Time: 6 – 8pm
• Location: 618 N. Harbor Blvd. Fullerton, CA 92823 (2nd floor up the stairs)

What to expect:

• A brief hxstory about zines
• Printed zines will be available for you to use as examples
• Art materials and supplies (paper, colored pencils, stapler, magazines) will be provided for you to make your own zine
• Light refreshments will be served
• Le Tea Leaf’s art will be available for purchase!

Optional:
Feel free to bring magazines, personal artifacts, and/or your own art supplies for your zine!

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About Le Tea Leaf (from letealeaf.com): Tiffany Le is a Vietnamese American freelance illustrator who investigates themes towards cultural legacy, comparative mythology and literature, and social topics through an Asian American lens. She had started her career early by drawing images from cereal boxes at the age of three, and has worked her way up into much larger projects since then. To learn more about Tiffany and see her work, please visit her website at letealeaf.com!

VietRISE is excited to be hosting our third community listening session on Saturday, January 19th from 12:15 to 2:30PM!

Date: January 19, 2019
Time: 12:15PM – 2:30PM
Location: Westminster, CA. Will be sent to those who RSVP.

VietRISE’s Theory to Change program is a 10 week program for Viet(namese American) community members in the Orange County region to learn social justice frameworks and foundations. Participants will attend workshops, learn creative strategies to take collective action, and complete an art project that highlights what was learned.

This program will be a space geared towards college-aged Viet(namese American) folx (ages 18-24) to learn the language, skills, and capacity to pursue social justice and/or organizing in ways that are accessible and conducive to their self-determination as young leaders in their/our communities.

This program works with participants to explore their Viet(namese American) identities, articulate and clearly communicate social justice theories in accessible language, identify structures of power and oppression in their personal lives and community, learn tangible approaches and practices to sustain mental and emotional wellness, and learn action-oriented strategies for community activism and/or organizing.

Application Link: bit.ly/theorytochange2019 

Application Deadline: Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 5:00 PM PST

Program Duration: Every Saturday beginning February 23, 2019 – April 27, 2019 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST

For questions please contact allison@vietrise.org.