Immigration and ICE, License Plate Readers

City of Alameda Rejects ALPR Contract With Vigilant

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In the wake of recent revelations that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after years of trying, had successfully gained enhanced access to Vigilant’s private automated license plate reader database, the City of Alameda cancelled a planned expansion of their Vigilant license plate reader system.

In a dramatic City Council hearing on the evening of February 6, vendor Vigilant flew out VP Brian Shockley from Tennessee, the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) sent a representative and the Alameda Police Chief presented for more than an hour. Privacy advocates from Oakland Privacy, ACLU Norcal and EFF spoke to the Council, along with Alamedans both opposed and in support of the LPR expansion, which would have blanketed every bridge and tunnel entrance or exit to the island. After midnight, the Council decided not to go ahead with the purchase from Vigilant.

They agreed to revise their policy, consider another RFP. protect their sanctuary status and carefully consider surveillance impact going forward.

License Plate Readers

Opting Out Of License Plate Scanning

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Update: SB 712 failed to pass the CA State Senate on January 30, 2018

A bill before the CA State Legislature, SB 712, would make it easier to exercise your legal right to opt out of automatic license plate scanning when your vehicle is parked. Californians can already cover their whole car, including the license plate, but are not currently allowed to cover just the license plate itself. Sensitive data can be exposed by geolocation at certain kinds of places including reproductive health clinics, worshipping at mosques, Sikh temples, synagogues or other minority religious institutions, oncolology or cancer treatment center, or purchasing cannabis. License plate readers located outside consulates can profile people who may be undocumented

If you’d like to make it easier to park your car somewhere without a picture of it sent to Homeland Security, use this easy action alert. 

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Immigration and ICE

Inappropriate Actions Alleged by City of Oakland Investigator

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Signatories to the November complaint against Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick for untruthful statements relating to the August 2017 West Oakland ICE raid issued a letter on January 16 asking for City of Oakland investigator Joan Suape to be removed.

Privacy Advisory Commission chair Brian Hofer states that in a January 12 interview with Suape, the investigator asked questions regarding how the family of a 25 year old Oakland resident placed in deportation proceedings, got into the country and attempted to re-establish the discredited charges of human trafficking.

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Immigration and ICE

Oakland Deports ICE

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By JP Massar. Originally published on Daily Kos

On the day Homeland Security announced planning for a major immigration raid in the Bay Area in response to sanctuary city laws…

U.S. immigration officials have begun preparing for a major sweep in San Francisco and other Northern California cities in which federal officers would look to arrest more than 1,500 undocumented people while sending a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state, according to a source familiar with the operation…

…and the Department of Justice confirmed that it was looking for ways to arrest Sanctuary City Mayors and other officials…

the federal government announced plans on Tuesday to crack down on leaders of so-called sanctuary cities that provide a safe haven for illegal immigrants to the US.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told lawmakers that her agency has asked federal prosecutors to examine ways criminal charges can be brought up against officials who protect immigrants from deportation.

…the City of Oakland raised its middle finger in defiance.

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In an 8-0 vote, the Oakland City Council voted last night, Tuesday, January 16, 2018, to eliminate any and all cooperation with ICE in both criminal and civil matters, except in a case of public emergency.

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