Early Arrival: Immigration policing, national security, & surveillance

	View in browser \| documentedny.com Friday, December 9, 2022 Hello! In today’s newsletter you’ll find: New report investigates how immigration policing, national security, and surveillance have become big business Also in the news: — Chicago police denied scores of undocumented crime victims a path to citizenship — EOIR announces Internet-Based Hearings Access Information — And more. Plus: Free retraining program for new immigrants with a background in engineering — in the Jobs section below. New report investigates how immigration policing, national security, and surveillance have become big business Twenty years after the U.S. government established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it has become "incredibly lucrative for big business at the expense of our communities," states a new report from the Immigrant Defense Project. Some background: The President’s annual budget for the DHS has increased enormously from $19.5 billion in 2002 to almost $100 billion in 2023. Most of this money, the report notes, is spent on contracts with corporate partners — thereby helping to grow those corporations’ revenues too. The report describes a cycle: The establishment of DHS directed billions to be spent on national security. Then, gave industry players (many of whom were facing a recession during the time DHS was founded) the chance to drive the DHS’ strategy and operations. According to the report, government officials had national security concerns after 9/11, and so these corporations like Microsoft, LexisNexis, and Motorola Solutions saw a value gap. They took advantage of the opportunity and pushed government officials towards tech-based solutions. They marketed their company’s products "— sometimes using Islamophobic tropes — and relying on public safety messaging to justify massive spending on surveillance technologies," says the report. The corporations apparently shaped homeland security’s policy from the start — even before the DHS was founded, they were at the policy table, in discussions and working groups with government officials charged with decision-making on national security. For twenty years, the DHS and corporations have worked together to sustain the "state of emergency" narrative: The DHS has continued to work with these corporations to expand surveillance and militarized policing at the local and state levels, through counterterrorism grant programs, the report states. When the DHS allocates grants to local and state agencies across the country, it does so with the requirement that the money is partially used for policing and surveillance technology, according to the report. This co-partnership has helped to "intensify systems of surveillance and state violence targeting Muslims, Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, and immigrant communities, from the federal to the local level." Consequently, "the DHS and these industry partners have not ‘secured the homeland’," as was the idea behind establishing the Department of Homeland Security, "but instead have violently intertwined counterterrorism with militarized policing and surveillance systems across the country," the report argues. The report is recommending that congress immediately cuts Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding by 50% and separate funding for emergency response and immigration services from the DHS budget, and more. Download the full 45-page report here. Please donate to our end-of-year fundraiser if you want to see us grow and cover more stories in the year ahead. Your gift is fully tax deductible and will be DOUBLED by a generous donor!
	STORIES WE ARE FOLLOWING New York Undocumented workers navigate New York's immigration rules: For newly arrived migrants still waiting for their papers, work can be grueling and hard to come by. Multiple nonprofits are helping. — Bloomberg (Paywall) Adams' administration calls on Congress to grant Dreamers path to citizenship before G.O.P take over House of Reps next year: As of June 30, there were about 600,000 DACA recipients, with 25,000 residing in New York state. For many, the U.S. is the only country they've ever known. — Gothamist Staten Island lawyer allegedly coached Russian clients to tell "outrageous lies" to game asylum system: The lawyer, who is also the head of an immigration company, attended the first day of a criminal fraud trial on Tuesday. — Law 360 Video shows unidentified driver drove truck with anti-muslim messages targeting 4 mosques: The truck displayed images of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in New Jersey; community members say its an attempt to intimidate muslims in the area. — Huff Post Around the U.S. Tech layoffs push H-1B visa workers into limbo: Experts believe H-1B visa holders account for 10%–30% of those who have lost their jobs. Finding a job now during the holidays and amid the sector’s contraction could prove difficult for many. — Axios Arizona’s border wall of shipping containers threatens wildlife: The containers cut through the Huachuca Mountains and the grasslands of San Rafael Valley, which make up one of the richest and most important conservation lands. — National Geographic. The Hamilton Project addresses reforms to immigration system for equity and economic growth: It featured remarks by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and a fireside chat between Senator Joe Manchin and Glenn Hutchins. — Watch The U.S. cities where immigrants are moving and thriving: Seven of the 10 largest metros, New York, L.A., Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, and Phoenix, rank in the middle of the pack or toward the bottom for places immigrants are prospering — Axios Chicago police denied U visa certifications at alarming rate: Immigrants seeking the U visa for victims of crime, are being blocked by two Chicago police sergeants who were previously involved in controversial shootings and are on the verge of being fired. — Injustice Watch Washington D.C. EOIR announces Internet-Based Hearings Access Information: The default hearing medium for each immigration judge is provided. Respondents who do not have a representative of record will always have a default hearing medium of in-person. — Read more Govt. official said plans are in the works to end Title 42. Yet a recent appeal implies otherwise: Some legal scholars said that the appeal suggested that the government was not abandoning Title 42 altogether, or conceding that the policy was illegal. — The New York Times
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	ADVERTISEMENT Jobs Free retraining program for new immigrants with a background in engineering What: The Cooper Union is offering a free retraining program for new immigrants with a background in engineering who are seeking a path to certification in the U.S. Where: December 11, Sunday. More: Click here for the program flier. Volunteers needed to join food pantry team What: Cabrini Immigrant Services of New York City, a community and faith-based agency located in the Lower East Side/Chinatown area of Manhattan, is seeking volunteers to join its food pantry team. When: Fridays. Read more about the three shifts. Where: 630 Isham Street, NY, NY. Member Development Case Worker (Temporary position) What: This is a temporary, full-time (37.5 hours/week) position that will require working some early mornings, evenings, and/or weekends as needed, and employees will travel periodically. When: $17.95 - $21.79 per hour. Where: Work will be primarily performed at the Sunset Park Worker Center: 4112 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232. Read more about the role. Call Out Are you a lawyer and have you seen an increase in clients recently fired from tech companies? Please respond to this email. Our reporters at Documented are investigating and would love to talk to you. We would also like to get some legal advice for those with H1B visas who have been laid off. Events Meals for Unity distributing lunches to the elderly in Chinatown this weekend. What: Meals for Unity is composed of a group of young Asian volunteers who are enthusiastic about serving and caring for the elderly. When: 12:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 10 & 11. Where: Front of the CCBA building at 62 Mott Street, Manhattan Who: The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and Meals for Unity. Have more events or jobs to share? Fill this form here.
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