Sounds like a plan
(News Tribune) A task force created to focus on the needs of immigrants and refugees in Tacoma has recommended that the City Council spend $440,000 per year to establish a legal-defense fund for Tacoma residents detained at the Northwest Detention Center on the Tideflats.
The money would pay for two attorneys and two paralegals who would represent people facing deportation, said Amanda Diaz, a member of the task force and student body president at the University of Puget Sound. Another option would be to spend half that money for one lawyer and paralegal to provide some measure of legal representation to detained people, Diaz said.
The recommendation comes seven months after the task force was created and at a time of heightened awareness over federal immigration policy. Stepped-up deportation efforts that have come in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration have created serious emotional and financial strain for many Tacoma families, she said.
Well, that’s interesting. Let’s dive back and remember this letter to the Los Angeles Times
To the editor: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and County Supervisor Hilda Solis in December announced the creation of a $10-million legal aid fund to “hire lawyers to defend local immigrants without legal status.†(“A $10-million fund will help immigrants fight deportations. But should it help those with violent criminal convictions?†April 17)
My street hasn’t been swept for years. When I tried to find out why, I was told that my area is not “on the list†because there are no longer enough machines and people to drive them. Services that I continue to pay for have been stopped.
If there is enough money around to help illegal immigrants, surely there is enough to begin sweeping my dirty street again. Shouldn’t citizens come before illegal residents?
In the comments, one resident would like the city to fix the malfunctioning traffic control systems. And, let’s look at a smattering of headlines from the Tacoma area
- Opioid crisis declared in Pierce County, but what exactly does that mean? (well, $440k would certainly help fight this, as Tacoma is in that county)
- Seattle-Tacoma Traffic Makes List Of 25 Worst In The World ($440K would help, eh?)
- Problem with growing Tacoma homeless camp goes beyond trash (Think how much $440k would help)
This could surely go on and on, but, the point is made: citizens of Tacoma, just like most cities, have problems that should come before protecting people who are unlawfully present in the U.S., who are, at a minimum, trespassing.
