The Border Network meets with CBP in San Diego

CBP TOP OFFICIALS AND BORDER COMMUNITY GROUPS ENGAGE IN TWO-DAY MEETING IN SAN DIEGO

San Diego; January 22, 2010—CBP Chief of Staff Marco Lopez, other CBP officials and representatives from more than a dozen border organizations dedicated to immigrant rights, environmental protection and business promotion gathered Thursday and today in a small, working meeting at St Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego.

The parties to the meeting wish to release the following statement.

“Today in San Diego, representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, representatives of civil rights and human rights groups, environmentalists, business leaders and community members from the U.S.-Mexico border area participated in a dialogue on topics related to border communities.

This dialogue underscores the commitment of the Department of Homeland Security to transparency with community representatives and officials about specific practices that affect migrants and border residents. It also represents the resolve and efforts of community groups and other interests along the US/Mexico border to engage with federal law enforcement officials in a proactive way to find common solutions to the issues of civil and human rights, community security, and national security, environmental protection on the border and the orderly flow of people and goods at our ports of entry.

Participants in this second of two engagements look forward to regular dialogue between border communities and CBP.”

The organizations involved were, the Border Network for Human Rights (El Paso, Texas/Southern New Mexico); the U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force; American Friends Service Committee (San Diego); Center for Social Advocacy (San Diego); Foundation for Change (San Diego); No Border Wall (San Diego); Angeles del Desierto (San Diego); Water Station, Inc., and Citizens for All Canal Safety (San Diego); Casa Cornelia (San Diego); California Rural Legal Assistance (San Diego); Border Encuentro (San Diego); International/Borderland Committee (San Diego); San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce (San Diego); Border Action Network (Tucson, Ariz.); Humane Borders Advocates (Tucson, Ariz.); Defenders of Wildlife (Tucson, Ariz.); Central Business Association (El Paso); National Immigration Forum (Washington, D.C.); ACLU San Diego; Texas, Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc.; and San Diego AILA/IRC.

Media contacts: Vince Bond, CBP Public Affairs, (619) 744-5224 , or Vincent.e.bond@dhs.gov; and Louie Gilot, Border Network for Human Rights Communications Director, (915) 274-0541, or lgilot@bnhr.org.