Speakers available for on-site interviews, event livestreamed

Following a first-ever meeting of its kind at the White House under the Biden Administration, 45 civil society organizations will meet with representatives including from the Vice President's Office and nine federal agencies to discuss implementing human rights obligations here at home in the United States, beginning with creating a National Human Rights Institution to ensure federal state and local policies and practices align with international human rights standards.

Thousands of undocumented San Diegans may be eligible to apply for relief.

SAN DIEGO — Today, Alliance San Diego celebrates the Biden Administration's announcement of new relief to keep families with mixed immigration status together. With this announcement, undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens who have been in the United States for at least 10 years and have long contributed to our society, are now set to receive permission to apply for permanent resident status without leaving the country and risking family separation. Their children will also be allowed to immigrate, putting the parent and children on a path to citizenship alongside their U.S. citizen family member. According to the announcement, an estimated 500,000 undocumented husbands and wives and 50,000 undocumented children will benefit from this program across the country. This relief will come through an existing authority that the administration has to grant ‘parole in place’ for individuals who are present here.

SAN DIEGO — Yesterday, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores) issued a statement marking the 14 year anniversary of the killing of Anastasio Hernández Rojas by U.S. border agents on May 28, 2010. In the statement, the Mexican Government repeated its denouncement of the use of lethal force that took his life. It also underscored its support for the family as it awaits a decision from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which will determine whether or not the United States violated international law when U.S. agents beat, tortured and killed Anastasio and then attempted to cover it up. The statement from the Mexican Ministry reads: 

SAN DIEGO — Today, in response to his State of the Union address, Alliance San Diego issued a letter to President Biden calling on him to ‘defend our democracy’ by protecting human rights here at home so that all of us can live with dignity. Alliance was compelled to write this letter because of tragic and ongoing violations of human rights in the United States.

What: With days before the March 5th California Primary Election, San Diego has the highest voter turnout so far of the ten largest counties (filter by county in the vote turnout tracker). As of yesterday, 14% of voters had turned out in San Diego County, the second-largest county in terms of registered voters. Turnout in other top-ten counties was significantly less: Los Angeles (7%), Orange (12%), Riverside (9%), San Bernardino (7%), Santa Clara (11%), Alameda (8%), Sacramento (11%), Contra Costa (10%), and Ventura (9%). 

SAN DIEGO — Today, flood victims who are going to get kicked out of their hotels on Valentine’s Day are holding a press conference to call on the City and Mayor Todd Gloria to extend hotel vouchers to provide desperately needed housing for survivors. Flood survivors cannot return to their homes as they are uninhabitable from severe category 3 water damage caused by failed city infrastructure. Hundreds of survivors were given temporary hotel vouchers, but they expire tomorrow and unless Mayor Gloria works with the necessary agencies to extend adequate alternative housing, these victims will be turned out onto the streets. Their condition is dire and they are demanding the Mayor act now.

SAN DIEGO — Today, Alliance San Diego announced it has received a “cy pres” award of $263,392.51 after being nominated by a preeminent social justice and workers rights law firm, Mallison & Martinez, based in Oakland, California. 

GENEVA, Switzerland — Today, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) issued its concluding observations after reviewing the United States' compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty signed and ratified by the U.S. more than thirty years ago. Across multiple issues, the HRC concluded that the U.S. is not in compliance and raised particular concerns about racial profiling, excessive force, and impunity by U.S. law enforcement.