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Immigrant Rights

Phal Sok: Freedom for Immigrant Communities – and All of Us

Here to Lead · November 10, 2020 ·

Southern California

At age 35, Phal Sok faced being deported to Cambodia, a country he had never set foot in. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Cambodian parents before coming to the States as an infant.

Phal’s father and half-brother fled Cambodia in 1979 because they feared for their lives under the murderous Pol Pot regime. They journeyed into Thailand across a militarized border laden with land mines and made it into the refugee camp where Phal’s parents would meet. After two plus years in the Thai camps, they were brought to the United States as a refugee family. Phal was 61 days old.

But life only became more difficult for Phal. At age two, his parents divorced and his mother left, leaving Phal and his brother in their father’s care. They struggled to fit into American society. His father was already in his 50s and never learned English. His brother was already in his 20s and entered college but didn’t graduate. When Phal was 16, his father died of cancer.

“I was left to grieve alone,” recalls Phal. “At a time when I needed more support than ever, none was to be had. I wound up gravitating to my peers within the streets.”

At age 17, Phal was arrested, tried as an adult, and convicted of armed robbery. He was sentenced to prison for 23 years and eight months.

Inside, Phal met many immigrants and refugees with similar backgrounds. They had fled wars or poverty at young ages, only to arrive in the U.S. and find themselves caught in a school-to-prison pipeline that harms communities of color across the country.

In 2015, Phal was released early. A new law was passed by the California legislature in 2013. It allowed anyone tried as an adult to appear before the parole board, with consideration given to them as having been under 18 when they came into conflict with the law. This was an opportunity he did not expect and in 2015, the hearings finally began. He was one of the first to go. He was found suitable and scheduled for release within months.

But the fact that Phal was not born here placed him in a different situation. On the day of his release, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation handed him over to immigration enforcement.

“For most, liberation brings freedom. For me, that was not the case,” says Phal. “I was ‘released’ into a cage inside a van, shackled and chained. I was hauled off to immigration detention.”

Phal spent eight months in for-profit private prisons throughout the west coast before being released. He was under an order of deportation and could be taken back in at any time.

“After 17 years of confinement,” says Phal, “I sat on a concrete wall on a sidewalk alone for the first time as an adult. I was on parole and under an order of deportation. I had to report to both the parole office and the ICE office.”

Four months later, Phal was detained again, with immigration enforcement preparing to send him to Cambodia, a country he’d never been in. Community members came to visit him and wanted him to stay here with them. Phal used the law he taught himself in prison to fight for his freedom. He was educated about the double inequity of the criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems.

“I continued my fight and my deportation case was eventually reopened,” says Phal. “I was brought back to California from immigrant prison in Louisiana and I was able to request a bond hearing. The community came together to support me and paid the bond I was given.”

Seeing Phal’s passion for the community, an immigrant rights organizer asked him to join the ICE Out of LA Coalition, using what he’d learned from his own experience, to fight for other immigrants and their families.

“I saw fear in the community, especially after Trump’s election,” remembers Phal, “so I jumped into the deep end and started organizing.”

Phal became a public figure in a campaign to have the newly established L.A. Justice Fund, a multimillion-dollar immigrant legal defense fund, represent all immigrants, regardless of their arrest or conviction record. But county supervisors voted to exclude immigrants with certain convictions, even after Phal testified that this exclusion meant he would not be able to access the Fund’s resources.

Undeterred, Phal became an organizer with the Youth Justice Coalition. He continued organizing youth and community leaders to demand better state and local laws that push the criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems to treat people fairly and with dignity.

In August 2018, Governor Jerry Brown pardoned Phal along with two other Cambodian refugees, making his future more possible. In November 2018, his deportation case was closed and he was given his residency status back.

Recently, he helped organize young people in a successful campaign urging the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to establish a strong oversight commission that will hold the probation department accountable to both youth and adults.

Phal remains dedicated to transforming the systems that restricted his freedom for most of his adult life. He sees the intersections between his experiences as a Cambodian refugee pushed into the school-to-prison pipeline and all the other communities of color facing both criminalization and deportation.

“I am thankful for the strength and ability to do this work,” says Phal. “I am interested in helping create a system that will give all of us a real chance at healing, so young people can have a real future.”

Phal Sok is an organizer with the Youth Justice Coalition in Los Angeles, CA. The child of Cambodian refugees, Phal was incarcerated for 17 years, only to find himself ensnared in the immigration enforcement system upon his early release. In 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown acknowledged all of his civic engagement efforts, pardoning him and allowing him to remain in his community and help others.

Resources

  • LA’s Probation Oversight Commission
  • Youth Justice Coalition workshops
  • Youth Justice Coalition Organizing strategies

#Census2020 — How the Voice of the Latino Community Will Shape the Future of California 

Here to Lead · November 10, 2020 ·

Northern California

“Each individual’s civic engagement – big or small – matters as that’s where the power starts.”

Christian Arana, Policy Director at the Latino Community Foundation, talks about  his work across the state to galvanize the Latino vote, why the Census is so important for the state’s largest ethnic group, how he defines leadership and who gives him hope.

What is the vision that drives you personally or professionally?

Everything begins at home for me. I learned about the concept of social justice, doing the right thing, stepping up when it requires it from my parents. They left Guatemala at the height of the Civil War. I can only imagine the moment when they looked at each other and said “we have to get out of here”.  From that moment, they worked hard to make sure my two brothers and I had every opportunity imaginable. Their grit and sacrifice is why I could go to Georgetown and get my masters at U.C. Berkeley. I am cognizant that opportunities like these for people of color and boys and men of color in particular are few, which is what led me to do the work that I do today. A major focal point of my job is to make sure that people are filling out the 2020 Census so, through that process, they have a voice. Each individual’s civic engagement – big or small – matters as that’s where the power starts. 

Tell us about the work that you do with the Latino Community Foundation, and what drew you to this role/organization?

Everyone deserves the opportunity to have good healthcare, a good job and quality education. Yet, for Latinos and boys and men of color, there is a missed connection between what we deserve and the process that needs to get us there. When I came onboard, the Latino Community Foundation was digging deep into the fact that  if we get Latinos civically engaged, policies, policymakers and the Capitol will look like us and give us the rights we need. While we are seeing much appreciated rapid response funds left and right in the age of the coronavirus, it is changing structures and systems that will bring real change, and this is exactly why we need the Census. It is because of the Latino community that California is one of the largest economies in the world. If we begin to imagine where we would be if every person of color had the chance to participate, and raise these stories and narratives of who really drives the state,  we would see an even more successful California.

What’s your main focus at the moment, personally and professionally, and why is it important to you?

When I see injustices in the world, I want to use my skills and privileges to change them. Currently, my focus is to make sure that every single Latino is counted in the Census. Across the country, we are celebrating people like doctors and nurses. Through accurate Census data, we can make sure that, in the future, they have the funds and resources to do their work. 

The second thing that I am heavily focused on is the upcoming election and getting people out to vote. The Latino Community Foundation held the first primary debate that focused on the interests in Latino population. I don’t just want to register Latino voters as passive participants. I want them to be informed and to feel empowered to hold their leaders accountable.

Finally, we are making sure that policies at the state level take into account the Latino community. When Gavin Newsom became governor, we wrote the California Latino Agenda because it is no longer acceptable to leave out Latino people in any line item or policy agenda. You can’t talk about issue areas like prison reform, environmental justice or healthcare without talking about and centering the Latino community.

Why is the Census so important for Latino communities and for California? What do people need to know? How can people get involved in this work?

When you are counted, you get political representation and resources for your community. I always give people the tangible example of when the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010: the Act passed by two votes and, because California was counted accurately in a previous Census, the state essentially defined healthcare once and for all. Our community deserves as many votes as possible so they can shape policy.

How do you define leadership? Could you tell us about a leader you admire.

Jorge Ramos, who moderated the debate in 2018 for having the courage to speak the truth. We have to level with people and say the honest thing. At the end of the day, no one is going to fault any leader for being transparent and open. Our people deserve the truth, especially during a time when we need information to stay healthy and safe, and need information that is accurate. We see leadership fall apart when lies are told and, for me, Jorge is someone who always seeks the truth.

What are some of the challenges or barriers that stand in the way of civic engagement or civic participation for communities of color and boys and men of color?

One of the challenges is funding for the work because everything costs money. There is so much work that needs to happen, and we need to continue funding groups that have an emphasis on boys and men of color. In return, we would see boys and men of color having the confidence to use their voice in a constructive way and participating in our democracy.

Additionally, boys and men of color not having support services is a major barrier – not having a counselor, mentor or hero. When you constantly hear about how schools or organizations don’t have the resources to do their work, it has a ripple effect on how we care about these students. Having resources can have a transformative effect. We can’t wait for money to come down the pipeline. We have to take charge by participating in the Census or voting for people who would be a champion for these communities.

What are some of the solutions that you are working toward or would like to see?

Extension of MediCal to undocumented populations across the state. Back in March, we commissioned a poll in advance of the primaries, and healthcare was the number one issue for Latinos in California. This is now the third poll that we’ve done that has consistently shown the number one issue our community cares about is healthcare. Having healthcare is having peace of mind. We need to move quickly as a state to live up to our values, including extending healthcare to our elderly undocumented population. These are the tangible things that would create stability for families and individuals – because when you don’t need to constantly worry about how you would pay for healthcare, you can focus on living your life.

What inspires you or gives you hope?

Nonprofit leaders, who are some of the most courageous and bravest people I know. One of our grantees, Armando who runs an organization in Fresno, took it upon himself to go buy food to get it to the families that were most in need when the shelter in place was announced. This idea that we don’t have to wait around to start helping people – that we don’t need to write another report or do more research. We know what the problems are in our community, and we have leaders who have been trying to enact the solutions. Even without the adequate resources, they are able to do so much impact.

In my position at LCF, I try everyday to use my voice and position to elevate their stories so they can be invested in. How Armando is supporting his community, particularly farm workers in the Central Valley, will have a profound effect across the state, and it’s unfortunate that it took a pandemic for people to see this. 

Resources:

  • Latino Community Foundation – 2020 Census

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