WARD 1 UPDATE
Hello Neighbors:
Two weeks ago, I held the first official public meeting by D.C. government giving residents a chance to speak up about D.C. government cooperation with federal agents and potential violations of the D.C. Human Rights Act.
More than 50 people testified. They painted a devastating picture of the current reality in our city: D.C. police assisting immigration enforcement against our neighbors, even taunting residents, as if we were the enemy, not the ones they are supposed to protect.
We heard of the incredible fear and pain inflicted on so many truly vulnerable residents. Immigrants who have lived here for years and built a life here and who contribute so much to our city. Immigrants here with visas or legally protected status, but who are targeted and antagonized because they look like they could be undocumented. Even U.S. citizens, born and raised here, are carrying their passports with them wherever they go for fear that they’ll be scooped up by federal immigration officials, sometimes with assistance by our local D.C. police.
Meanwhile, our city is occupied by 2,000 National Guard troops from at least eight states.
The scope of our roundtable was limited – the Committee on Public Works & Operations, which I chair – has oversight of the Office of Human Rights, but not of the police department. And, of course, we do not have oversight of federal law enforcement agencies. We can’t tell ICE not to do what they do. We can’t even make the National Guard go home (we’re trying, thanks to Attorney General Schwalb).
But the Council has oversight over our own police department. And we have a pulpit from which we can call out the Mayor for not adhering to the requirements of the District’s Sanctuary Values law. We are continuing to wield the tools at our disposal.
At a time when so many of us are so upset, and feel so little power, our roundtable gave people a chance to speak, to spotlight what is happening in our city, to our city. And there is hope in that.
“As frustrated as I am being here today, speaking alongside others, I have to feel hope that our words can move toward justice,” one public witness testified. “We can build a just city while our neighbors are being taken away. Leadership must step up. The Mayor must step up. The Mayor must act, and our government must prioritize the safety and dignity of every resident, regardless of immigration status… I hope it’s the beginning of a city that finally stands without compromise for its immigrant communities.”
I hope so, too, and will continue to pursue whatever actions I can to move us in that direction.
|
