PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP)—After ICE agents have been deployed to Pittsburgh International airport and the passing of the County Council bill barring Allegheny County employees from working with federal immigration enforcement, advocacy groups are preparing to continue to prepare resources for vulnerable communities and volunteers.
Frontline Dignity held their Dignity in Action Rapid Response Training for a second time in the East Liberty Church where more than 900 people have attended. This was planned to teach participants and volunteers about their constitutional rights with being legal observers during an active raid and creating dispatch groups to monitor ICE activity. Frontline dignity is a newly formed group that trains and equips volunteers to respond safely to ICE activity and alert community members of any ICE sightings.
The participants were divided into two groups; one for first-time volunteers, which served the majority, and a breakout room for more experienced volunteers and dispatchers. First-time volunteers were informed about hotlines to call if there appears to be suspicious ICE activities and a refresher on their rights to observe, but not to intervene when someone is being detained. The more experienced cohort familiarized themselves with group chats on Signal, an encrypted messaging app frequently utilized by activists to ensure safe communication.
In tandem, Casa San Jose, a non-profit that advocates for Pittsburgh’s Latino coordination, has helped initially coordinate these rapid responses. According to Casa San José, some people are afraid to leave their homes and are getting arrested in courts where they are required attend to pay for fines or attend their own asylum hearings. Casa San Jose suggests that help can start with the support of businesses, where they should alert of any ongoing ICE activity in their designated neighborhoods and advocate for their foreign workers.
One crucial case that has arisen was the detention of an Oakmont father last month, Jose Flores, who was arrested while getting ready to take his daughter to school. Flores was here legally on a valid work visa with an affirmative pending asylum case and then released after a couple of days, but this is one of several cases that Casa San Jose claims to be part of the issue.