Media Contact

ACLU of Arizona, media@acluaz.org
Isabel Alegria, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, (415) 343-0785, ialegria@aclu.org

September 12, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hearing in Nogales tomorrow to focus on economic, humanitarian issues and concerns over excessive militarization of border communities

WHAT:
Representative Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona will hold an ad hoc hearing in the border community of Nogales, Ariz., tomorrow. Grijalva, and other invited members of Congress, will discuss the impact of immigration reform with local and regional stakeholders, including business leaders, law enforcement, community advocates, faith leaders and civil liberties advocates.

ACLU of Arizona Border Litigation Staff Attorney James Lyall, based in Tucson, will be testifying and available for media interviews. Copies of his written testimony will be available for the media on Friday.

WHEN & WHERE:
September 13, 2013 - Nogales, Ariz.

12:00 Noon - Prayer Vigil in front of the Board of Supervisors Building - 2150 N. Congress Dr., Nogales, AZ, 85621.

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Ad Hoc Hearing with Rep. Grijalva and other members of Congress from border communities at the Board of Supervisors' hearing room, 2150 N. Congress Dr., Nogales, AZ, 85621.

3:15 - 3:35 p.m. - Press Conference at Santa Cruz County Old Courthouse in Nogales at 21 E. Court St. (NE corner of Court and Morely.)

The focus of discussion at the 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. hearing will be on border issues that have been ignored in the immigration reform discussion. Witnesses will include ACLU of Arizona Border Litigation Staff Attorney James Lyall, who is based in Tucson; Fr. Sean Carroll, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative; Christopher Wilson, an associate of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.; Jennifer Allen, Latino outreach program director for the League of Conservation Voters; Allison Moore, director of legislative and regulatory affairs for the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas; and Tony Estrada, Santa Cruz (Ariz.) County sheriff.

An excerpt from ACLU of Arizona Border Litigation Staff Attorney James Lyall's extensive written testimony, An Agency Out of Control:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now the largest law enforcement agency in the country, claiming extra-constitutional authority over vast stretches of territory far removed from the border and yet it lacks effective oversight and accountability mechanisms and has failed to adopt law enforcement 'best practices' successfully used by federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country to reduce abuses and complaints. In southern Arizona, it has become increasingly common for the ACLU to receive complaints from both citizens and non-citizens reporting civil rights abuses by CBP personnel."

For a full copy, click here: An Agency Out of Control

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