[Applause]
tell your story change the conversation
when you’re leaving the house like wear
a jacket it’s foggy
or is your homework done what time is
practice well at my house there’s been
an extra shout lately ever since Donald
Trump authorized Immigration and Customs
Enforcement or ice officers to conduct
at larger s authorizing ice to pick up
suspected immigrants on the street to
punish sanctuary cities like San
Francisco my mom now ass honey you got
your papers don’t you leave this house
without your papers now if you think my
mom worries too much
well maybe you aren’t worried enough I’m
an American teenager but I’m also an
immigrant from a Muslim country my
parents adopted me when I was an infant
from an orphanage in Kazakhstan I thank
God every day for the freedoms that I
have and then I’m fortunate enough to
grow up in San Francisco but people like
me citizens like me are being detained
and deported without having committed a
crime without access to an attorney
without legal recourse without a phone
call or a speedy trial or any of the
guaranteed Civil Rights promised by our
US Constitution I saw this happen one
day last year when I was on the Muni it
got stuck in the tunnel ice was taking
people off the train ahead of me
checking papers asking people to show
proof of citizenship I checked my pocket
I had forgotten my passport at home even
though by law I am a US citizen ice
director Thomas Holman has said some
collateral arrests just happened
innocent people may be detained or
deported ironically that day I was on
Muni I was on my way to congresswoman
Nancy Pelosi’s office to drop off my
application to be nominated for the US
Naval Academy the US Air Force Academy
and West
America has given me everything and I
plan to give back but I was stuck in the
tunnel while I searched the train ahead
of me so when my mom’s phone buzzed with
a Twitter Alert ice raid she’d grabbed
her keys to go find me but couldn’t tell
where I was my phone wasn’t working
inside of the tunnel she was so scared
to think of me as being detained she
rushed out of the house without her
shoes
she stood barefoot on the sidewalk not
knowing where to go or how to help I
feel like that a lot these days I bet
you do too I got lucky my train wasn’t
searched that day in that moment my
train stopped everyone silently looked
around you couldn’t help but think are
you legal is he legal is that woman with
the stroller legal in the enclosed space
of Muni you can’t avoid seeing everyone
in that moment I understood we are each
human deserving of our basic human
rights and that’s why sanctuary cities
exist the ancient Greeks had sanctuary
cities and were rooted in three things
keeping the peace in the kingdom
recognizing the humanity of the
oppressed and guaranteeing the rights of
those who are under threat in their own
homelands the whole city was thought to
benefit from sanctuary status as the
oppressed would come out of the shadows
it’s called enlightened self-interest
the humanistic values implicit on being
a sanctuary city make me proud
San Francisco has two patron saints st.
Francis and st. Claire my American name
is Claire named for this city San
Francisco is my home and even though I’m
in the process of enrolling for a
Military Academy my government is
targeting my hometown threatening to
arrest mayors government officials and
maybe even me getting stuck that day on
Muni and having to carry my passport has
reinforced for me what I have in
common with all immigrants all over this
country who live in constant fear in San
Francisco we are lucky to live in a
place where neighbors support each other
and at a time when technology lets us
help the most vulnerable among us
immigrants rights groups have created
free apps such as mobile justice
California which will alert you if
there’s a raid happening near you and if
you volunteer you can videotape or take
notes on the raid and upload it to the
ACLU and to the cloud to make sure
everyone’s rights are protected the
world is watching as your neighbor as
your community member this is what I’m
shouting to you do what you can to
support our democracy volunteer be a
witness if a raid happens near you stand
up against intolerance support the
community support immigrants in your
community as an American a San
Franciscan a democracy loving immigrant
I’m excited by a future where
communities can use technology to stand
together in solidarity to lift one
another up and protect each other thank
you [Applause]
tell your story change the conversation
when you’re leaving the house like wear
a jacket it’s foggy
or is your homework done what time is
practice well at my house there’s been
an extra shout lately ever since Donald
Trump authorized Immigration and Customs
Enforcement or ice officers to conduct
at larger s authorizing ice to pick up
suspected immigrants on the street to
punish sanctuary cities like San
Francisco my mom now ass honey you got
your papers don’t you leave this house
without your papers now if you think my
mom worries too much
well maybe you aren’t worried enough I’m
an American teenager but I’m also an
immigrant from a Muslim country my
parents adopted me when I was an infant
from an orphanage in Kazakhstan I thank
God every day for the freedoms that I
have and then I’m fortunate enough to
grow up in San Francisco but people like
me citizens like me are being detained
and deported without having committed a
crime without access to an attorney
without legal recourse without a phone
call or a speedy trial or any of the
guaranteed Civil Rights promised by our
US Constitution I saw this happen one
day last year when I was on the Muni it
got stuck in the tunnel ice was taking
people off the train ahead of me
checking papers asking people to show
proof of citizenship I checked my pocket
I had forgotten my passport at home even
though by law I am a US citizen ice
director Thomas Holman has said some
collateral arrests just happened
innocent people may be detained or
deported ironically that day I was on
Muni I was on my way to congresswoman
Nancy Pelosi’s office to drop off my
application to be nominated for the US
Naval Academy the US Air Force Academy
and West
America has given me everything and I
plan to give back but I was stuck in the
tunnel while I searched the train ahead
of me so when my mom’s phone buzzed with
a Twitter Alert ice raid she’d grabbed
her keys to go find me but couldn’t tell
where I was my phone wasn’t working
inside of the tunnel she was so scared
to think of me as being detained she
rushed out of the house without her
shoes
she stood barefoot on the sidewalk not
knowing where to go or how to help I
feel like that a lot these days I bet
you do too I got lucky my train wasn’t
searched that day in that moment my
train stopped everyone silently looked
around you couldn’t help but think are
you legal is he legal is that woman with
the stroller legal in the enclosed space
of Muni you can’t avoid seeing everyone
in that moment I understood we are each
human deserving of our basic human
rights and that’s why sanctuary cities
exist the ancient Greeks had sanctuary
cities and were rooted in three things
keeping the peace in the kingdom
recognizing the humanity of the
oppressed and guaranteeing the rights of
those who are under threat in their own
homelands the whole city was thought to
benefit from sanctuary status as the
oppressed would come out of the shadows
it’s called enlightened self-interest
the humanistic values implicit on being
a sanctuary city make me proud
San Francisco has two patron saints st.
Francis and st. Claire my American name
is Claire named for this city San
Francisco is my home and even though I’m
in the process of enrolling for a
Military Academy my government is
targeting my hometown threatening to
arrest mayors government officials and
maybe even me getting stuck that day on
Muni and having to carry my passport has
reinforced for me what I have in
common with all immigrants all over this
country who live in constant fear in San
Francisco we are lucky to live in a
place where neighbors support each other
and at a time when technology lets us
help the most vulnerable among us
immigrants rights groups have created
free apps such as mobile justice
California which will alert you if
there’s a raid happening near you and if
you volunteer you can videotape or take
notes on the raid and upload it to the
ACLU and to the cloud to make sure
everyone’s rights are protected the
world is watching as your neighbor as
your community member this is what I’m
shouting to you do what you can to
support our democracy volunteer be a
witness if a raid happens near you stand
up against intolerance support the
community support immigrants in your
community as an American a San
Franciscan a democracy loving immigrant
I’m excited by a future where
communities can use technology to stand
together in solidarity to lift one
another up and protect each other thank
you [Applause]
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