The Amp

The city of McFarland, CA’s Planning Commission rejected the proposal from the private prison company GEO Group to convert two local state prisons into immigrant detention centers with 1,400 beds. This was the result of hundreds of community members, farm workers and allies marching, telling their stories and remaining throughout the hearing that extended late into the night. Discuss this victory by citing the values of Voice and Community.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking Immigration Issues Today: Due Process and Basic Rights; Faith in the Valley’s A Town of Immigrant Farm Workers Says No to an ICE Detention Center; UFW Foundation’s Rejection of expanding immigrant detention centers is a victory for ‘farm workers who deserve to live with peace of mind'; California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance’s Community Power Prevails Over Immoral Private Prison Corporation
• Hashtags: #ProtectMcFarland; #protectfamilies; #CommunityNotCages

Also last week, a federal judge ruled on the Doe v. Wolf case which challenged border patrol detention conditions in the Tucson sector. The case was filed by the National Immigration Law Center, the American Immigration Council, ACLU of Arizona, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, and Morrison & Foerster LLP. The judge ruled that “CBP be enjoined [or blocked] from holding detainees…longer than 48 hours, unless CBP provides conditions of confinement that meet basic human needs.” Refer to the values of Equality, Economic Security and Community when talking about this news.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking About Imprisoned Children at the Border; National Immigration Law Center’s Federal Court Finds Conditions in Customs and Border Protection Detention Facilities Unconstitutional and Twitter thread; American Immigration Council’s Federal Court Finds Conditions in Customs and Border Protection Detention Facilities Unconstitutional and telephonic press briefing;
• Hashtag: #enddetention

Last Friday, the largest bus company in the U.S., Greyhound, announced it will no longer allow Border Patrol agents to do immigration checks on its buses without a warrant. This happened a week after The Associated Press reported on a leaked Border Patrol memo confirming that agents can’t board private buses without the consent of the company. The ACLU has been pressuring Greyhound to make this change for many years. Discuss this development by citing the values of Equality, Community, and Economic Security.

• Messaging and communication tools: The Opportunity Agenda’s Talking About Due Process and Racial Profiling; ACLU’s Buses Are No Place for Border Patrol and Know Your Rights; American Immigration Council's Greyhound Has a Long History of Racially Profiling Latino Passengers
• Hashtag: #RideWithRights

Below is a list of this week's communication hooks as well as events that you can use to reach new audiences and inform existing ones. Click on each link for messaging tools and hashtags.

Events and Cultural Hooks:

• Refugee Council USA's Grassroots Advocacy Webinar: Friday, Feb. 28 at 12pm EST
• The For Freedoms Congress: Friday, Feb. 28 - Sunday, March 1
• South Carolina Primary: Saturday, Feb. 29
• Women's History Month begins: Sunday, March 1
• National Professional Social Work Month begins: Sunday, March 1
• Super Tuesday: Tuesday, March 3
• “Beyond the Bars” conference: Thursday, March 5 – Sunday, March 8
• National Day of Unplugging: Friday, March 6 – Saturday, March 7
• International Women’s Day: Sunday, March 8
• Presidential Primaries in six states : Tuesday, March 10
• Abortion Provider Appreciation Day: Tuesday, March 10
• #MySliceOfAmerica digital campaign launches: Tuesday, March 10
• 400 Years of Inequality symposium: Friday, March 13 
• Pi Day and #MySliceOfAmerica: Saturday, March 14

Historical Anniversaries: 

• American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee: Feb. 27, 1973
• "Kerner Commission" released racial justice findings: Feb. 29, 1968
• Yellowstone National Park Protection Act signed (Yellowstone born): March 1, 1872
• East LA Walkouts: March 1, 1968
• Birthday of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: March 1, 2003
• Claudette Colvin arrested for refusing to give up bus seat to a white passenger: March 2, 1955
• Rodney King beaten during a traffic stop: March 2, 1991
• First march from Selma to Montgomery: March 7, 1965
• Bread and Roses strikers win: March 12, 1912  
• Protest demanding Americans with Disabilities Act passage: March 14, 1991
• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's birthday: March 15, 1933