MEDIA ADVISORY: NATIONAL COMMISSION INVESTIGATING MISCONDUCT BY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AGENTS TO HOLD HEARING IN BOSTON

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 3, 2008

Media Contact: Shuya Ohno, MIRA Coalition: (617) 821-8990

Scott Frotman, UFCW office: (202) 466-1537 - e-mail: press@ufcw.org <mailto:press@ufcw.org>

NATIONAL COMMISSION INVESTIGATING MISCONDUCT BY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AGENTS TO HOLD HEARING IN BOSTON

Hearing will examine local impact of immigration 

raids, including New Bedford, on

families and communities

Senator John Kerry, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray and other area elected 

officials to attend

WHEN: Monday, April 7, 2008

10:30 a.m. - Commission Hearing Opening Statements 

(Availability for media interviews with commissioners at 10 a.m.)

WHERE: Massachusetts State House

Gardner Auditorium

BOSTON - A recently formed national commission will hold its second regional hearing in Boston on Monday, April 7, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., to examine the ramifications of immigration raids on families, communities and local economies. 

Commissioners will hear testimony from workers who were detained in raids, as well as legal and social service experts who worked closely with affected individuals and their families. In addition, business leaders, economic development experts and psychologists are scheduled to testify about the widespread and lasting ramifications of the raids. 

Individuals testifying will share their experiences from New Bedford and Springfield, Mass., as well as discuss immigration enforcement issues that have arisen in Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

The National Commission, which was formed by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), consists of a former governor, leading academics, civil rights leaders, and community and labor leaders. 

The Boston hearing is part of a series of regional public hearings that the commission will hold to explore the execution and implications of workplace enforcement actions on local communities. The commission is also examining claims that ICE has engaged in violations of the 4th amendment. After a thorough investigation, the commission will produce a public report that highlights its findings and makes recommendations to ensure constitutional protections for all Americans. 

This type of civilian-driven investigation is common in U.S. history. During the civil rights movement, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and, more recently, in cities with allegations of police brutality, citizen review commissions were formed to investigate violations, shine a light on misconduct and provide recommendations about how to reform the system. 

Commissioners will be available for press interviews at 10 a.m. before the public hearing.

COMMISSION MEMBERS

Joseph T. Hansen, Founding National Chair
Mr. Hansen was an active young union member in his early career as an apprentice meat cutter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today, he is the International President of the UFCW, a 1.3 million-member worker organization. Hansen is a leader and one of the founding architects of the Change to Win Federation-uniting seven unions, representing six million workers, dedicated to restoring the American Dream in the 21st century-and serves as the chair of the federation’s Immigration Taskforce. In addition, Hansen is President of Union Network International-a global union, uniting 15 million workers in 120 countries.

Dennis Hayashi, Commissioner 

Mr. Hayashi has served as the Director of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the largest civil rights agency in the country, and as Director of the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Hayashi also served as Staff Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus where he was a Lead Counsel in Fred Korematsu v. United States, and as National Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, where he coordinated efforts urging the passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1991. 

Samuel "Billy" Kyles, Commissioner 

A native of Mississippi and a leader in the civil rights movement, Rev. Kyles has served as pastor of the Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, since 1959. He is a founding member of the National Board of People United to Save Humanity (PUSH), the Executive Director of Rainbow-PUSH-Memphis and Executive Producer of Rainbow-PUSH WLOK Radio. He was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad. 

Maria Elena Durazo, Commissioner 

The daughter of Mexican immigrant farm workers, Ms. Durazo was elected to serve as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO in 2006. Before leading the Federation, Ms. Durazo served as President of the hotel workers union UNITE-HERE, Local 11, General Vice-President of HERE International and National Director of the Immigrant Workers' Freedom Ride. 

Bill Ong Hing, Commissioner 

Mr. Hing is a Professor of Law and Asian American Studies at the University of California Davis School of Law. Professor Hing serves on the board of directors of the Asian Law Caucus and the Migration Policy Institute, and on the National Advisory Council of the Asian American Justice Center.

Susan Gzesh, Commissioner 

Ms. Gzesh is Director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Chicago. She has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Regional Network of Civil Organizations for Migration and directed its Human Rights Guidelines initiative. She directed the Mexico-U.S. Advocates Network, and has served as Counsel to the Embassy of Mexico on immigration matters. She is currently a member of the Advisory Board of Enlaces America. 

Oscar Chacón, Commissioner 

Mr. Chacón is President of the Salvadoran American National Network. He also serves as Executive Director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC).

Governor Tom Vilsack, Commissioner 

In 1998, Gov. Vilsack was the first Democrat in more than 30 years to be elected Governor of Iowa and was re-elected to a second term in 2002. Prior to being elected Governor, he served as Mayor of Mt. Pleasant and was elected to the Iowa State Senate. 

Mary Bauer, Commissioner 

Ms. Bauer directs the Southern Poverty Law Center's Immigrant Justice Project, established in 2004 to address the unique legal needs of migrant workers, a group particularly vulnerable to workplace abuse. Prior to the establishment of the Immigrant Justice Project, there was no entity providing legal representation to most immigrant workers in the South.

William Spriggs, Commissioner 

Professor Spriggs is chair of the Department, and a professor of Economics at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was a senior fellow at the Economic Policy Institute. He was Executive Director of the National Urban League's Institute for Opportunity and Equality. Professor Spriggs participated in the UN World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance. He has also held various positions in government service during the Clinton Administration at the National Commission for Employment Policy, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Small Business Administration.

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