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http://www.ucsep.org/index.html

SOUTH PHILLY COMMUNITY CALLS FOR THE RELEASE OF HOV LY KOL - ACTIVE COMMUNITY MEMBER AND YOUTH LEADER DETAINED BY ICE FOR DEPORTATION TO CAMBODIA

Hov Ly Kol was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday August 6th, and is currently being held at York County Detention Center in York, PA, awaiting removal from the United States.

Hov Ly Kol came to Philadelphia a child refugee after the Khmer Rouge genocide.

As a teenager growing up in South Philly he was convicted of a crime and served a sentence of 12 years. Upon release in his early 30's, he had turned his life around and committed himself to providing support and guidance to under-served young people in his South Philly community.

I have had the pleasure of meeting this young man, his presence at our EPIC South Philly Stakeholder meeting, has helped other young people join our group. Any request Glenn had asked of him involving recruiting or cleaning chores he was quick to respond. he knew he needed more skills.

He didn't want youth to make the same mistakes he did. Hov Ly Kol was about to complete his certification training in Green Energy but ICE detains him; he volunteered with South Philadelphia EPIC Stakeholder to work with youth, coach basketball, engage youth in park clean-ups on 6th Street, he chaperoned 35 youth to a New York trip, took youth to Blacks Wax Museum, and taught them the importance of decision making, and how one bad judgment call can affect your whole life and the life of your community.

"He spoke at schools and youth centers; he gave youth hope for positive change, for themselves and for their community. He is a pillar of the community." Glenn shared.

However, due to current immigration law, his prior record deems him deportable, even though he has already served his sentence, changed his life, and is changing the lives of young people in South Philly every day. He is now awaiting deportation to the country he fled as a child, a country he remembers only as war and trauma.

In response to a recent dramatic increase in enforcement and deportation of Cambodian-Americans in East Coast cities, communities in Lowell, MA and Philadelphia, PA have organized rallies and vigils today to remember all the people detained all those who have been deported and all those who await their deportations in Cambodian communities across the country.

"These communities are coming together to address the dehumanizing impact the US immigration system, particularly its enforcement programs, has on all refugees, immigrants and communities of color." explained David O. Seng, Director of Housing of the United Communities Southeast Philadelphia, located at 2029 S. 8th Street Philadelphia, Pa 19148

The United Communities families expression for help goes way past the action to be held tonight at 6 pm...to get involved call or visit us at Tel: 215-467-8700 Ext 19. Fax: 215-467-1042 davidseng@ucsep.org

ICE info http://www.ice.gov/dro/detention-reform/

Detention and Policy Reforms

Detention Reform

Last year, ICE detained more than 300,000 aliens. Recognizing that the purpose of immigration detention is not punitive and the importance of providing our detainees with quality care, ICE is engaged in a broad detention reform effort. This includes creating a civil detention system that reduces transfers, maximizes access to counsel, visitation, and recreation, improves conditions of confinement, and ensures quality medical, mental health, and dental care. ICE already has taken concrete steps to improve the immigration detention system and is engaged in a serious and sustained effort that will result in additional reforms and actions in the near future.

Review the Accomplishments

Policy Reform ICE has a broad mandate that includes protecting and securing the borders through immigration enforcement at the border, ports of entry, and inside the United States. Finite resources require ICE to prioritize our enforcement efforts to best protect the security of our communities and the integrity of the immigration system. This includes focusing on criminal aliens, fugitives, and recent border violators. To ensure our practice aligns with these broad priorities, ICE has recently issued a number of policies including one intended to reduce the risk that we place United States citizens in proceedings or detention, a policy to refocus fugitive operations, and a new memorandum of agreement in an effort to ensure the 287(g) program aligns with ICE priorities. These and other key reforms promote the smart and effective enforcement of immigration laws. Additional policy reforms are coming soon.

Summary of Policy Reforms

Request for Public Comment on Immigration Detainer Policy

ICE has drafted an immigration detainer policy to engage all interested stakeholders and solicit a broad range of views and comments. This is not a final policy and is disseminated solely to collect feedback. ICE is interested in a concrete assessment of how this draft policy, if issued and implemented, would affect the agency's law enforcement partners, the operation of the criminal justice system, communities and individuals. Please respond with your comments to ICEDetainerComments@dhs.gov by Thursday, September 30, 2010.

ICE Draft Immigration Detainer Policy

Overview http://www.ice.gov/about/index.htm

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Formed in 2003 as part of the federal government's response to the 9/11 attacks, ICE's primary mission is to protect national security, public safety and the integrity of the U.S. borders through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.

ICE boasts approximately 19,000 employees in over 400 offices worldwide and an annual budget of more than $5 billion. The agency's law enforcement authorities encompass more than 400 U.S. federal statutes that ICE is responsible for enforcing in its commitment to ensuring national security and public safety.

Organization

ICE comprises three integrated operational directorates: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): HSI comprises ICE's offices that are primarily devoted to criminal investigation, which includes the Office of Investigations, Office of Intelligence and Office of International Affairs. This directorate has responsibility for ICE's national security programs and ICE's investigative authority over criminal violations of U.S. law relating to illicit trade, travel, immigration and finance. In addition, HSI investigates violations of employment verification laws and visa violations in the U.S. and abroad. Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO): ERO comprises the ICE offices that are primarily devoted to civil immigration enforcement, namely the Office of Detention and Removal Management and the Secure Communities program. This directorate ensures a coherent and consistent approach to civil immigration enforcement in a manner that prioritizes convicted criminals, fugitives and illegal re-entrants, and recent border violators. ERO also oversees the agency's detention system, removal flight operations and efforts to locate aliens subject to criminal prosecution for illegal re-entry.