De-Bug has long stood at the intersection of the criminal and immigration systems. We have supported families that are caught in that intersection and advocated for policy, both locally and state-wide, that protect families experiencing both police contact and risk of deportation. The experiences of the families that we have supported informed pushes for policies like the Santa Clara County Detainer Policy that does not allow county agencies, like the sheriff and jail, to cooperate or work with Immigrations Customs Enforcement (ICE). A similar detainer policy was passed in San Mateo County a decade later through coalition work including De-Bug families experiencing the same intersection of these systems.

Through our participatory defense work, we have utilized similar tools that humanize the experience and show the community support that so many who face these systems have. Following the lead of families, we have successfully stopped deportations, brought loved ones home from detention centers, obtained immigration friendly pleas in criminal court and helped humanize those in the clutches of the system.

Today, we know that organizing to protect our loved ones from the immigration systems are as important as they've ever been. We also know that the targeting of our immigrant communities in this country is not new and that we must continue to advocate for the freedom and reunification of all of our loved ones caught in the immigration systems.