Join us online for session three next Thursday, March 12, to hear from our panel about how the idea of crime was constructed and what it looks like to prioritize prevention over punishment.
Go to bit.ly/EmpowerEd-AJ to sign up.
A woman in a white blouse, glasses, and long brown hair stands at a lectern to the left of a large television. The television has a slideshow up that says "EmpowerEd" vertically in white and pink on the left side. To the right, the title reads "SB 2: CA's Police Decertification Law". Under that, in white, is "Advancing Justice Deeper Dive". At the bottom, is "Presented by: Daniela Vega, Organizer" in white text. At the bottom right is the ACLU-SDIC logo in white.
Foreground: 9 people sit at white tables in grey rolling chairs facing the front of the room. The people have a mix of short and long black hair, and face away from the camera. Background: A woman in a white blouse, glasses, and long brown hair stands at a lectern to the left of a large television at the front of the room. The television has a slideshow up that says "EmpowerEd" vertically in white and pink on the left side. To the right, the title reads "SB 2: CA's Police Decertification Law". Under that, in white, is "Advancing Justice Deeper Dive". At the bottom, is "Presented by: Daniela Vega, Organizer" in white text. At the bottom right is the ACLU-SDIC logo in white.
Last Thursday, we held our second session of the Advancing Justice track in our educational series, EmpowerEd, on the Police Decertification Act – SB 2.
In both San Diego and Imperial counties, more than 40 participants learned about how to hold California law enforcement officers accountable.
Beige background. At the top left corner, "04" in red text. In top right corner, "2026 Congressional Scorecard" in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "Safeguarding our Voter Rights". In the middle in black text, "We're fighting against a bill that would make it harder for millions of people to vote by requiring people to produce unnecessary documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections." Red ACLU logo bottom left. Red arrow pointing right bottom right.
Beige background. At the top left corner, "05" in red text. In top right corner, "2026 Congressional Scorecard" in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "We're working every day to keep up the pressure on our elected officials to defend our rights at every turn.". In the middle in black text, "Read more about our work in Congress at the link in our bio." Red ACLU logo bottom left.
Learn more about your representatives’ voting record at aclu.org/congressional-scorecards
Beige background. At the top "A glimpse at what we're fighting for in Congress," in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "Congressional Scorecard". Below is a collage of free shapes, navy blue shape at the back, a black and white photo of the capitol building, and a red squiggle. Red ACLU logo bottom left. Red arrow pointing right bottom right.
Beige background. At the top left corner, "01" in red text. In top right corner, "2026 Congressional Scorecard" in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "Reining in ICE". In the middle in black text,"After Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, we're demanding our members of Congress meaningfully reform ICE and CBP. Our lawmakers must protect our communities." Red ACLU logo bottom left. Red arrow pointing right bottom right.
Beige background. At the top left corner, "02" in red text. In top right corner, "2026 Congressional Scorecard" in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "Holding Big Tech Accountable". In the middle in black text,"We defeated a bill that would have prevented states from instituting necessary AI regulations." Red ACLU logo bottom left. Red arrow pointing right bottom right.
Beige background. At the top left corner, "03" in red text. In top right corner, "2026 Congressional Scorecard" in red text. In the middle below previous text, in red, is "Defending Transgender Youth". In the middle in red and black text, "Every effort to establish new federal laws restricting gender-affirming care failed in Congress in 2025 due to the power of the people. We're continuing our advocacy by fighting against legislation that would ban or criminalize essential health care for transgender youth." Red ACLU logo bottom left. Red arrow pointing right bottom right.
Congress plays an important role in fighting for or against our civil liberties.
That’s why it’s essential to be aware of their recent votes on legislation that affects our fundamental freedoms.
Black graphic with white and neon text reading: "Ahead of the midterm elections, we've taken action to protect voters' rights and data in..." with 31 states and DC listed
Black graphic with white and neon green text reading "At the federal level, we're intervening to defend states that are rightfully refusing to hand over their full voter lists — which include voters' sensitive data — to the Department of Justice. We also got a key provision of President Trump's anti-voter executive order struck down, which threatened to upend our elections and enact barriers that disenfranchise eligible voters."
Black graphic with white and neon green text reading "At the state level, elected officials have passed laws purging eligible voters from the rolls, attacking mail-in voting, diluting the power of voters of color, making it harder for voters with disabilities to vote, criminalizing handing out food and water to voters in line, and more. We're fighting in court to make sure every eligible voter can cast our ballot freely."
We won't sit on the sidelines while politicians attack our freedom to vote and the Trump administration comes after voter lists and other private data.
Congratulations to queercasa for their amazing work in the Imperial Valley, and here's to many more years!
A photo taken of 9 people in front of a green plant wall. From left to right: a person with short, peppered hair in khaki pants and a pinstriped grey button-up; a person with short black hair, a beard, black shorts and a blue-grey button up; a person with brown hair in a ponytail, black pants and a white button up with rainbow hearts; a person with black hair and black shirt and pants, a person with a black sombrero, glasses, black pants, and a black button up shirt with a bolo tie; a person with black short hair and bangs, with blue jeans and an off-shoulder dark blue blouse; a person with long brown hair, glases, a black and red polka dot skirt, and a red tank top; a person with long brown curly hair, glasses, black pants and a black blouse; and a person with long brown hair, a denim dress, and a blue polka-dot blouse.
A photo taken of two white pamphlets sitting on a table. The first pamphlet on the left has a title of "queercasa" in light blue text, and right underneath is "Year One" in green text, circled in pink. Underneath is the agenda in black text. It reads" 6pm: Welcoming; 50/50 Raffle Ticket Purchase; 6:20pm: A few words from queercasa; Clara Galvez Olivas, Executive Director & Co-Founder; Sandra Mejorado, Treasurer & Co-Founder; Clarissa Padilla, Vice President & Co-Founder; Edgar Rios, Volunteer Board Member; "Year One in Review" a film by AMR; 6:30pm Dinner; 7:30pm Coffee, Dessert and Raffle; 7:45 Final Remarks; 8:00pm Concludes. The pamphlet on the right has a title of "queercasa" in rainbow colors. Underneath in smaller black text is "Community. Service. Education. Advocacy." Left aligned is a vertical line of 7 hearts in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and red. Centered, to the right of the hearts, is small black text that reads "Experience queer joy in the Imperial Valley!"
ACLU-SDIC staff were invited to join the one-year anniversary celebration of queercasa, a nonprofit partner that aims to "provide an environment for 2SLGBTQ+ people of Imperial County to be empowered, uplifted, and supported."
La junta de supervisores del condado hace decisiones que impacten su vida todos los días.
¡Haga que su voz sea escuchada! Encuentra más información en bit.ly/MYBOS-IC-ESP.
¡Escuche a un panel de expertos que trabajan en programas de sentencias alternativas, enfoques de rehabilitación y justicia centrada en los jóvenes!
Inscríbase: bit.ly/EmpowerEd-AJ
Aprende cómo se construyó la idea del crimen y como sería priorizar la prevención sobre el castigo. Panelistas examinaran la estructura históricamente centrada en cárceles para la seguridad pública y en que soluciones más justas y efectivas podríamos invertir para resolver las causas del “crimen”.
¡Le invitamos a nuestra serie educativa EmpowerEd de ACLU-SDIC! Esta es la tercera sesión en la primera de nuestras tres vías: El avance de la justicia.
jueves, 12 de marzo, 6-7:30pm | virtual
Sesión 3: Una conversación comunitaria sobre la redefinición de la seguridad pública.
Hear from a panel of experts working on alternative sentencing programs, rehabilitative approaches and youth-centered justice!
Register here: bit.ly/EmpowerEd-AJ
Learn how the idea of crime was constructed and what it looks like to prioritize prevention over punishment. Panelists will examine the historically carceral-focused framework to public safety and what more just and effective solutions we could invest in to solve the root causes of "crime."
Join the ACLU-SDIC's EmpowerEd education series! This is the third session in the first of our three tracks – Advancing Justice.
Thursday, March 12, 6-7:30pm | Virtual
Session 3 | Community Conversation: Redefining Public Safety
Black square graphic with orange and white text. Top reads: “ICE agents don’t get to pick and choose when the First Amendment applies.” Below, bold white text states: “We have a right to record law enforcement in public.” ACLU logo appears in orange at the bottom right.
The First Amendment protects your right to record government officials performing their duties in public.
This applies to ICE agents, police, FBI, National Guard troops and any other government officials.
Dark background and gold text reads: “President Trump and his allies have embarked on a similar mission by canceling celebrations of heritage months like Black History Month on military bases and banning words like ‘racism’ and ‘Black’ from usage by Head Start grantees.” Orange toned image of Trump signing a document appears across the center. ACLU logo and arrow icon.
Dark background and gold text reads: “Guidance from Secretary Pete Hegseth for military bases not to honor identity months like Black History Month, AAPI Heritage Month, and more.” Below is an image of a document titled: “Identity Months Dead at DoD,” dated Jan. 31, 2025, with U.S. Department of War header. ACLU logo and arrow icon.
Dark background with white text reads: “Like the generations that came before us, we will not allow our history to be whitewashed and erased.” Gold ACLU logo at bottom.
Whether they like it or not, we will always fight for our right to celebrate and honor Black heritage and history.
Dark background with bold white text reads: “Attempts to censor Black history and heritage are nothing new.” Smaller gold text reads: “President Trump is using the same playbook that politicians in the Jim Crow South used to hide the truth about American history.” A gold-toned raised fist appears on the right. ACLU logo and arrow icon at bottom.
Dark background with gold text reads: “In the decades after the Civil War, pro-confederate leaders fought to undermine work toward racial progress by requiring teachers to teach lesson plans sympathetic to their cause and banning books that accurately portrayed the horrors of slavery.” A stylized gold-toned schoolhouse image spans the lower portion. ACLU logo and arrow icon.
Dark background and gold text reads: “In 1919, a leader from the Daughters of Confederacy wrote a guide called ‘A Measuring Rod’ with specific instructions to schools in the South to ensure that textbooks and all learning materials in public schools promoted pro-slavery and anti-racial justice propaganda.” Below is an image excerpt of historical text: “Reject a book that says the South fought to hold her slaves. Reject a book that speaks of the slaveholder of the South as cruel and unjust to his slaves. Reject a text- book that glorifies Abraham Lincoln and vilified Jefferson Davis, unless a truthful cause can be found for such glorification and vilification before 1865.” Additional text reads: “For generations, politicians in states like North Carolina and Virginia used these guidelines to ban and edit textbooks.” ACLU logo and arrow icon.
Dark background with bold white heading reads: “These racist efforts didn’t come without fierce resistance.” Gold text reads: “Civil rights leaders fought back to ensure our history was accurately represented and the contributions of Black Americans wouldn’t be erased. In 1926, Carter Woodson, known as the ‘Father of Black History,’ designated the second week of February as what we now celebrate as Black History Month.” Gold-toned portrait image on right. ACLU logo and arrow icon.
President Trump and his allies are using similar tactics that confederate sympathizers used to censor textbooks and influence the way history is taught. We’re in court fighting these efforts.
In 2026 alone there have been six detention-related deaths across detention centers in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Tell Congress to shut down the immigration detention machine: action.aclu.org/send-message...
An ocean blue canopy on the left, a navy blue canopy with ACLU-SDIC logo on the right. A crowd sits underneath them, facing a speaker in a button up brown shirt in the background.
Congress must continue to exercise its oversight authority and demand access to detention facilities, as well as fight for real accountability, and ensure our taxpayer dollars don’t continue fueling this abusive detention system.
A crowd stands and crouches in front of two blue canopies, navy blue with ACLU-SDIC logo on the left, and ocean blue one on the right. There are about 50 people.
This event was also to bring awareness to the Imperial Valley community of the realities behind the gates of the IRDF. Abuse, pervasive medical neglect and an utter disregard for the dignity of people in its custody is all too often present in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
Two blue canopies, one navy blue on the left and one ocean blue on the right, stand with a crowd under them. In the foreground, a four-person mariachi, a woman on the left and three men on the right, play music.
The event featured the reading of a letter from the daughter of Luis Beltrán Yáñez-Cruz, who died this year while detained at the detention center. An immigrant from Honduras, Yáñez-Cruz was in the United States for more than 30 years. Five months ago, Huabing Xie also died while detained at IRDF.
Group of people are outside a yellow building facing the camera. It is a sunny day, there are 10 people standing behind 5 people kneeling. Most wear hats and sunglasses, t shirts and dark pants.
Last weekend, the ACLU-SDIC, Imperial Valley Equity & Justice, Imperial Liberation Collaboration, Catholic Charities, Southern California Immigration Project and TODEC Legal Center held a vigil in honor of the lives lost at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility (IRDF).
Lala Zanell, activist and ACLU campaign manager speaks at a podium during a public rally, bundled in a lavender scarf and beanie. Her quote reads: “We cannot advocate for Black lives if we are not advocating for Black trans lives.” ACLU and “Black Futures Month” logos appear on the bottom corners of the image.
LaLa Zanell is a dedicated force in the fight for trans liberation. Before working at the ACLU, she fought for police reform, advocated for LGBTQ New Yorkers who've experienced violence and defended transgender rights before the White House and Congress.
In recognizing that truth, these stories are not only extraordinary, but profoundly universal.
We highly recommend catching this beautiful show, which runs through March 15!
It is a story of courage, endurance, sacrifice and love, honoring the immense strength it takes to leave home and seek a better life. Just as importantly, it reminds us that immigrant stories are not distant or abstract, but lived, everyday realities.
A group of people stand before an orange backdrop. At the top of the backdrop, left aligned, is white text that reads "Somewhere Over the Border", which is the title of the show. At the top right corner of the backdrop is the black and white logo of Cygnet Theatre. From left to right: a blonde woman in a blue t shirt; a person with short hair, glasses, black jacket and khaki pants; a woman in a black dress, glasses, and a wide-brim hat; a man with a white beard, white collared shirt, green vest and black pants; a person with a white longsleeve, glasses, and a button up beige vest; a person with a white polka dot naby blue shirt and a beige hat; a woman with a long beige cardigan, glasses, and a red shirt; a person with a long brown cardigan and a white shirt; a person with a black jacket and a white collared shirt; a person with a maroon cardigan and black purse; a person with a black longsleeve shirt and a long black denim skirt; and a bald man with glasses in a checkered purple shirt and denim pants.
This powerful and uplifting performance shared the true story of Reina, a 17-year-old single mother who made the treacherous journey from El Salvador to San Diego.
Two people stand hugging facing the camera before a backdrop. On the left is a child with a red Air Jordan hoodie and short hair holding sunflowers. On the right is a woman in a black long dress, a light denim jacket, glasses, and a brown wide-brim hat. The backdrop of an orange desert sunset with San Diego skyline in the background and cacti, shrubs, and rocks in the foreground stands behind the two people. At the top of the backdrop, left aligned, is white text that reads "Somewhere Over the Border", which is the title of the show. At the top right corner of the backdrop is the black and white logo of Cygnet Theatre.
Last night, several ACLU San Diego & Imperial Counties staff and board members attended a showing of “Somewhere Over the Border” at Cygnet Theatre in Liberty Station.
Read the full story here: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/15/k...
"People need to exercise good sense and discretion to not put themselves in harm’s way,” says Frederick Carroll.
“Absolutely know your rights — but we have to be clear that this is also a world where people have to know their risks, and that’s an individual determination that each person has to make," says Frederick Carroll.
