LWVSD IMMIGRATION & DEPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES, 8/14/2025
Beryl Flom
Speaker: Viveka Ray-Mazumder, PANA/Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, viveka@panasd.org
Viveka joined PANA's staff right after the November 2024 election after doing a year of immigration law. She came to the U.S. from India as a small child, but her family members experienced serious discrimination around the time of 9/11. She went to Canada with a group of (largely white) students and got held by the airport personnel for an hour so she was separated from the group. She thought they would protect her, but they didn't. This was an awakening for her, so in high school, she worked with anti-war protests. She lived in Chicago for ten years and worked with the Asian American Advancing Justice organization and then came back to law school in Los Angeles. She now works on voting rights, language access & democracy, and police surveillance at PANA.
PANA's mission is to advocate for the full economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugees and displaced populations in the San Diego region, throughout California, and across the country. They have a legal team that defends immigrants and people being deported. Refugees come mainly from Afghanistan, Somali and Iraq. Many are scared to leave home so Viveka said they are grateful for volunteers who accompany them to court. PANA has campaigns and trains refugees in leadership. They also have a Youth Congress made up of high school and early college-aged young people doing community work. They are not working on the seizures by ICE agents of people when their case is dismissed..
They have bought a few acres in City Heights to build a Global Village which will include housing, community garden, business incubator, childcare, and non-profits. Five hundred "community members" participated in sessions to define it. Now they are talking with developers. People living in the housing will be able to purchase a unit. It was suggested that PANA contact Alliance San Diego who has trained youth to make calls; Viveka said they work with them on other issues.
Policing Surveillance Work
They are working with Trust San Diego/Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego to try to eliminate license plate readers/ALPR. They record the time, location and license plates, but the question is what happens to the data they record. This gives agencies knowledge of people's movements including information related to reproductive rights and abuse; this kind of sharing personal private data is invasive. There is a bill in the state legislature banning data sharing with agencies out of state. Even though SB54 says that local police cannot share data with DHS, PANA has found that they did so for a 3-week period. After that, there were 12,000 searches from out-of-state agencies. PANA is also asking that data be expunged in 24 hours. Several years ago, TRUST SD got the City Council to pass an ordinance to create the Privacy Advisory Board which can advise them on new technologies if council members ask for it.
Language Access & Democracy
The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 because states (mainly southern ones) were requiring literacy tests, etc. to block minorities from voting. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution was not being enforced. Counties created other tactics to go around the 15th Amendment. In some states, only 3% of eligible voters were registered! The Feds had to give pre-clearance to states with discriminatory voting laws to prevent these tactics and protect
discrimination from voting. Because the VRA was set up to be amended, it was done in 1970, 1975, 1982 and 2006. The next renewal of the Voting Rights Act is in 2032. It gives voters a right to a ballot and background information in their language if there are 10,000 voting age people or 5% in a precinct speaking one of four languages (Spanish, Asian, American Indian or Alaskan native). It was written in 1975. If there are 10,000 people speaking another language, the Federal ballot cannot be written in that language because only those four languages are in the original Federal Act. There is concern that this section could be removed so we have only English ballots and background materials.
State law 14201
The state law reduces the percent of people in a precinct speaking one language to 3%, but the courts ruled that the Federal ballot only can be translated into the same four languages. People who can't read the ballot because they don't know the language can ask for a reference ballot in their language at a polling place and then try to read the English ballot with the 13-page reference ballot in their language. It is very confusing - people need a translator.
Another problem is that the census does not ask what language people speak. It asks what country they are from, so there is an undercount of the number speaking a certain foreign language.
State Ballot Measure SB266
This bill passed the Legislature last year but the Governor did not sign it because of the cost. This year's bill says that if 3% of the voting age population in a precinct speak the language, they will get a ballot and voting information in their language. It died in Appropriations, so TRUST SD is still working on it and will point out its political consequences. On 8/26/2025 in Sacramento, there will be a summit meeting on it.
Students Voting in San Diego School Elections
PANA is advocating that 16- and 17-year olds be able to vote in the SD Unified School Board election. Oakland and Berkley are already doing it. This age group is already pre-registered. Viveka said there are student casualties of the School Board war. PANA has met with Sean Elo-Rivera of the City Council who said he would put it on the ballot (without gathering signatures) if the School Board approved it. PANA has also met with the SDUSD Board President who is willing to write a resolution for the school board if they get support from a coalition of youth groups.
Discussion
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Viveka could include some of the voting discrimination that occurred along the California/Mexican border as a reason for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.
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Trump's Executive Order for English only language does not affect ballots and voting. It only applies to the Federal government and does not prohibit voluntary translation into other languages.
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PANA does not receive Federal funds but some new funders changed their minds after the election, so they have a decrease in income.
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PANA and LWV intersect with both voting rights and immigration.
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Why were so many changes written into the Voting Rights Act for the future? Ans: Viveka will research this good question and get back to us.
Deported Veterans Report:
1. Keep getting requests from deported veterans for assistance in benefits and return home to the US.
2. I have been informed by Congressman Correa of OC, that upon the resuming of the congressional cycle in Sep. he and congressman Takano will re-introduce the Veteran Service and Recognition act.
3. American Legion Post in Montebello Ca. will sponsor a car show in benefit of deported veterans, to help keep the Unified US Deported Veterans Office in Tijuana Open.
Comunidad de Luz Migrant Women and Children's Shelter
1. The shelter is now open and ready to house this vulnerable population.
2. With the fear many migrant women have of being detained then deported who knows where to. We are a safe empowering program in Tijuana for that community.
Friendship Park
1. The access road to Friendship Park (monument mesa) will open this Saturday to coincide with the Friendship park anniversary.
2. Friends of Friendship Park volunteers will be at the park to welcome folks back to the park.
Updates from Committee Meeting:
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Two committee members are volunteering to help and observe at the court building. They need more volunteers, especially those who are bilingual. Training by Detention Resistance can be contacted at detentionresistance@gmail.com . Volunteers do one of three jobs: standing outside the Federal court building to ask them if they want someone to be with them in the court; sitting in the court and observing what is said and taking notes plus give the client emotional support; or standing in the hallway outside the court room where ICE agents arrest people which is more risky. Some of the cases are people whose cases are inactive and who have been in the U.S. for a long time (20 years) and are sent a notice to appear in court at their old address so they don't receive the notice and therefore don't show up and can be deported.
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JFS will meet with with people one-on-one to guide them with their legal questions. We are not sure whether they are still doing citizenship classes. They are not taking on new legal cases now. JFS has a food bank called the corner store for their clients who are given coupons to spend there.
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50501 SD will be a rally and short march from Waterfront Park sponsored by the San Diego and Imperial Co. Labor Council on 9/1 from 10:00 a.m. - noon. Groups could table at this event. People will be told about the proposed Workers Above Billionaires and protesting/boycotting companies. The Union wants people to know the effect of such a protest. The march will go through the Westin Hotel which is in labor negotiations. It is recommended for people to protest against one of the major companies such as Amazon, Target or Walmart.
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One Million Rising is educating people for non-cooperation. They are putting up signs saying "Immigrants Welcome, No ICE" at stores and small businesses. It is a way to talk with business people. It was recommended to pick stores near schools where children go after school
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It was recommended that people could join ACLU and supporting them financially. see chat.
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The Speakers Bureau of LWVSD has developed a detailed presentation on immigration which they are refining before taking it to LWV members on 9/24 and other groups after that. It will be videotaped as well and put on the website.
Next Meeting: Thurs., 9/11 at 9:00 a.m. on zoom. Speaker: Attorney Maricela Amezola