FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2021 Campaign Letter to Remove Immigration Judge Nicholas Ford: 500+ Signatures MilestoneMovement Gains Momentum as Merrick Garland is Sworn In as Next Attorney General and Immigration Reforms with No Fundamental Changes are Made.SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- The Fire Judge Ford Sign-On Letter supported by a coalition of immigrant rights organizations has surpassed 500 signatures, demonstrating that an increasing number of people are voicing their demands for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to investigate and remove Immigration Judge Nicholas Ford from his position. If he remains, he will continue to abuse his power and the most vulnerable immigrants will be the ones to pay the price. This milestone is only the beginning of our campaign to hold judges like Ford and the United States immigration system accountable. It should be noted that Immigration Judge (IJ) misconduct extends beyond Ford, and requires a complete overhaul of the United States immigration system. On February 18, 2021 the U.S. Citizenship Act was sent to Congress and mandates that the Attorney General (A.G.) hire 55 new immigration judges every year for the next 4 years. The Act says IJs should now have training in “age sensitivity, gender sensitivity, and trauma sensitivity.” However, there is no mention of incorporating any sort of anti-racism training. Regardless of the kinds of training required or provided, there will always be a bias present in every immigration court because the immigration system is inherently anti-immigrant. In a previous press release, we called on then President-Elect Biden to “swiftly direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove hostile adjudicators like IJ Ford from the courts and ensure due process for immigrants.” We are now calling on newly appointed A.G. Merrick Garland to remove the IJs from DOJ purview and ensure they are truly independent adjudicators not beholden to the executive branch. The Biden Administration has no excuse for delaying the removal of these judges who continue to violate ethical standards and bring harm to immigrants and their loved ones. Support the campaign by continuing to raise awareness and gather more signatures. Many people still do not know about this injustice and it is important to increase awareness about the violations that occur in Immigration Court. The coalition urges the EOIR to thoroughly investigate IJ Ford’s conduct and take appropriate action to guarantee that individuals who appear in the San Francisco Immigration Court are treated with due process, dignity, and respect. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to sign on to the public letter at bit.ly/removeford or bit.ly/fueraford making the same demand to EOIR and the DOJ. Let’s continue to spread the word and fight for immigrants’ rights. Additionally, the coalition is continuing to call on the community to help hold San Francisco Immigration Court accountable through a collaborative court watch program run by NLG-SFBA, Freedom for Immigrants, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, and other coalition organizations. This program trains community members to attend and observe immigration hearings and to document what happens throughout a hearing such as failures of due process. Immigrant advocates outside of the Bay Area have contacted the coalition in order to learn how to conduct their own court watch programs, which demonstrates the impact this movement is having on immigrants’ rights. If you would like to volunteer for our Court Watch program, sign up to attend a court watch training at bit.ly/courtwatch1. ### National Lawyers Guild - San Francisco Bay Area
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