The Laken Riley Act was passed into law on January 29. This statute gives the government the authority to imprison and hold undocumented immigrants for a variety of offenses, including non-violent theft-related offenses like shoplifting. By permitting the detention and possible deportation of those who are even suspected of committing a crime, it creates a risky precedent that denies them due process. As a constituent of U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum of Oregon, I am extremely disappointed in her vote in favor of this bill because it is fundamentally racist.
When Bynum was a state representative a few years ago, I took part in a demonstration at the Clackamas Town Center after she claimed that mall security had racially discriminated her daughter and given her a loitering charge. I was a single mother with two jobs at the time. I took a moment out of my hectic day to advocate for her family’s racial justice, but she is completely absent when it comes to advocating for immigrant families in her area.
I worked with and cared for numerous families that will be negatively impacted by this measure in my previous role as an early childhood educator in her area. This destructive policy will truly tear families apart. I regret wasting my valuable time defending her family when she refuses to do the same for others. I will no longer be supporting her businesses or political campaign.
Milwaukie, Tiffany Lorraine Chapman
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