Immigration advocates warned that federal agents are targeting immigrants and even U.S. citizens with increasingly aggressive tactics as they urged supporters to help place a first-in-the-nation immigrant public defender initiative on the Pima County ballot.
Speaking at the June 8 Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting, longtime immigration attorney Margo Cowan and organizer Moira Silverman said families across Southern Arizona are facing an unprecedented wave of detentions, deportations and intimidation by federal immigration authorities.
They reported that immigrants swept into deportation proceedings often have little chance of prevailing unless they can afford legal representation.
“We’ll be the first in the country to create a public defender office to represent people in deportation who are too poor to hire a lawyer,” Cowan said. “If you have a lawyer, you have a chance. If you don’t have a lawyer, you don’t have a chance.”
The deadline is in 21 days
The proposed ballot measure would create an immigration division within the Pima County Public Defender’s Office to provide legal representation to county residents facing deportation proceedings who cannot afford an attorney. Supporters must collect roughly 60,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, and say they have gathered about 50,000 so far.
The deadline to turn in the petitions is June 30 – only 21 days from now.
The campaign comes amid growing concern over immigration enforcement actions in Southern Arizona.
Silverman cited the recent case of Karla Toledo, a DACA recipient who was detained after armed and masked ICE thugs broke into her home without a warrant. Toledo was released after four days with the help of attorney Mo Goldman, but Silverman said many immigrants are not as fortunate.
“They took her away anyway,” Silverman said. “She’s not a criminal. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Silverman also recounted the case of Tucson High School student Jose Hermosillo, who she said was mistakenly detained and left in Nogales, Mexico, despite being a U.S. citizen. The teenager was eventually allowed to return after intervention from elected officials, according to the advocates.
To volunteer: contact Moira at moirasilver14@gmail.com and (520) 360-9516.
Visit Pima County Justice for All, 730 S Osborne Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701, (520) 623-4084.
Sign at Democratic Party Headquarters, 2302 E. Speedway Blvd, Ste. 106, Tucson, AZ 85719. Call first (520) 833-0733.
Cowan, who has practiced immigration law for decades and founded the Keep Tucson Together legal clinic, said conditions have deteriorated sharply under current federal enforcement policies.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Cowan said. “I’ve been at it for a long, long time, and I’ve never seen anything like this ever at all.”
She described reports of immigration agents conducting operations near schools, shopping centers and pharmacies, saying families now live in constant fear of being detained while carrying out routine daily activities.
DACA under attack
Advocates also raised concerns about delays affecting recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Cowan said some DACA recipients have been unable to obtain timely renewals, jeopardizing their employment despite having lived in the United States most of their lives.
The initiative’s supporters argue that immigration proceedings can determine whether families remain together or are permanently separated, yet immigrants are not guaranteed legal counsel as criminal defendants are.
Under the proposal, eligibility would be limited to Pima County residents facing immigration enforcement actions who meet financial qualifications similar to those used for traditional public defenders. Funding would come through the county government, advocates said.
Cowan said she believes the measure would pass overwhelmingly if voters got the chance to decide.
“People in Tucson do care,” she said. “This is about our neighbors. This is about people who keep our economy floating and are real contributors to our community.”
Supporters say the next several weeks will determine whether voters get that opportunity.
“We’re really down to the wire,” Silverman said. “These people deserve it.”
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