Non-profit

Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC)

Location:

AZ

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Type:

Project of Alliance San Diego – Immigration Reform & Rights

Formation:

2011

Executive Director:

Vicki Gaubeca

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The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) supports and works with organizations across the United States-Mexico border that focus on liberal expansionist immigration legislation within the United States. It is a program of the Equality Alliance of San Diego County (commonly known and referred to as Alliance San Diego), a labor union-funded1 left-of-center advocacy organization focused on civic engagement, human rights, educational equity, taxation, and fiscal policy. 2

Actions

Southern Border Communities Coalition is a group of 60 organizations spanning from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas. This coalition of organizations blames the U.S. government and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for not providing accountability and oversight to accompany its resources, claiming that residents and businesses along the border suffer from existing policies, as have the environment and international relations. 3

SBCC promotes policies that improve life on the border and make border enforcement policies more lenient. It also aims to improve the image of the border region and supports liberal expansionist immigration policies. 4

Congressional Letter

In June 2020, U.S. Senator Kamala  Harris (D-CA) and Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Juan Vargas (D-CA), along with 97 of their colleagues, wrote a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeking answers due to reports of law enforcement using force at ongoing protests and demonstrations. The letter was supported by Southern Border Communities Coalition and other left-progressive organizations, including Immigration Hub, United We Dream,  Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Multicultural Efforts to end Sexual Assault (MESA), and La Asociacion Campesina de Florida. 5

Border Manifesto

The coalition created a manifesto that provides commentary on border relations. The Manifesto stated that people should not be subjected to inspection checkpoints, opposed a border wall, claimed that immigration officers possess too much power, and called for a revitalization of the border region. 6

New Border Vision

Southern Border Communities Coalition, produced by Alliance San Diego and in collaboration with the Northern Border Coalition, created a framework for action on the US-Mexico border, including eliminating interior Customs and Border Protection checkpoints, making policing tactics in border enforcement more lenient, increasing investigations into alleged abuses by border authorities, ending detention of suspected illegal immigrants, increasing process rights for suspected illegal immigrants, expanding availability of border officers, and supporting claimed asylum seekers. 7

In January 2020, Berkeley City Council endorsed the new framework resolutions that support immigration policy. 8

Supporters of the New Border Vision include the City of Berkeley, Berkeley Public Schools, the City and County of San Francisco, One America, Lupe, ACLU New Mexico, Equal Voice for American Families, American Friends Service Committee, Alliance San Diego, and other left-progressive organizations. 9

Wall Funding Lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Southern Border Communities Coalition and the Sierra Club, a left-leaning environmentalist organization, that President Donald Trump’s use of military funds for border wall construction was unlawful. 10 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the ACLU lawsuit.

Online Presence

Southern Border Communities Coalition has an active presence through its website and social media accounts, with regular updates, comments, and posts. Its website contains a newsroom section, blogs, information about border issues, petitions, and donate options. 11

Facebook

The organization’s Facebook page is active and shares many left-of-center posts and videos. Many of the posts criticize and denounce President Donald Trump, his administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Border Patrol. 12 The group advocates for the defunding of the Border Patrol. 13 SBCC created the hashtag #CanceltheWall on social media, refers to the border wall as “Trump’s vanity wall,” and encourages supporters to invest money in border communities. 14 SBCC shares stories from its partners, like-minded organizations, and liberal news media, including Action Network, an online tool for left-of-center outlets; The Progressive; and the Sierra Club. 15

Twitter

SBCC’s twitter page is active and contains tweets and retweets supporting left-leaning ideology, organizations, and people. 16 Some of the information shared is from the Sierra Club,17 National Immigration Law Center,18 ACLU,19 and information, memes, and graphics from its own organization. 20 SBCC uses the phrase “vanity project” when referring to the Trump administration’s proposed border wall with Mexico. 21

Leadership

Vicki Gaubeca is the director of Southern Border Communities Coalition and is also the Policy and Communications Strategist for Alliance San Diego. 22 She has 20 years of experience in policy advocacy, community organizing, immigration policy, public affairs, and communications. Prior to SBCC, Vicki worked for the ACLU of New Mexico and became the director of the ACLU-NM Regional Center for Border Rights. She is also a supporter of LGBT issues and was part of the steering committee Adelante, Nuestro Futuro, an annual conference for Latino mothers. 23

Financials and Donors

As a project of Alliance San Diego, Southern Border Communities Coalition does not file separate tax returns.

In 2019, Alliance San Diego received a grant totaling $240,000 for 36 months for use for the SBCC project from Marguerite Casey Foundation, a funder of left-wing organizing projects. 24

In 2017, Alliance San Diego received $100,000 from the Annenberg Foundation specifically for use for the SBCC. 25

References

  1. Data compiled by the Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards from Annual Reports of Labor Organizations filed by labor unions. Queries conducted July 28, 2020.
  2. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/
  3. About Us. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/about-us
  4. About Us. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/about-us
  5. “U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris and Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon and Juan Vargas ‘Demand’ Answers on ICE and Customs and Border Protection Involvement in Policing Ongoing Protests.” Sierra Sun Times. June 5, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/23804-u-s-senator-kamala-d-harris-and-representatives-mary-gay-scanlon-and-juan-vargas-demand-answers-on-ice-and-customs-and-border-protection-involvement-in-policing-ongoing-protests
  6. Border Manifesto. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/border-manifesto
  7. A New Border Vision. Southern Border Communities Coalition. May 2019. Accessed June 29, 2020. http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/themes/5c8a803c4764e89849b5753e/attachments/original/1557787799/SBCC-NBV-H.pdf?1557787799
  8. Swift, Robson. “Berkeley City Council Passes Resolution on Immigration System.” The Daily California. January 29, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://www.dailycal.org/2020/01/29/berkeley-city-council-passes-resolution-on-immigration-system/
  9. New Border Vision Coalition. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/new_border_vision_coalition
  10. Brocious, Ariana. “Federal Court Rules President’s Use of Military Funds for Border Wall is Illegal.” Arizona Public Media, PBS, NPR. June 26, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-nature/2020/6/26/175551-federal-court-rules-presidents-use-of-military-funds-for-border-wall-is-illegal/?fbclid=IwAR1PQuRA2bZBoabajTqOM0LJkZuZSff4F6RzfmiVDBpNBzIsJ60dhOS5X5g
  11. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/
  12. Facebook. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Multiple posts on June 29, 2020; June 26, 2020; June 23, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernBorderCommunitiesCoalition/
  13. Facebook. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 29, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernBorderCommunitiesCoalition/
  14. Facebook. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 23, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernBorderCommunitiesCoalition/
  15. Facebook. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 23, 2020; June 17, 2020; and April 29, 2020. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernBorderCommunitiesCoalition/
  16. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Multiple posts June 18, 2020; June 19,2020; and June 16, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  17. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 26, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  18. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 26, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  19. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 26, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  20. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Multiple posts from June 23, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  21. Twitter. Southern Border Communities Coalition. June 22, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://twitter.com/sbccoalition?lang=en
  22. SBCC Leadership. Southern Border Communities Coalition. Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.southernborder.org/sbcc-leadership
  23. Biographies – Vicki Gaubeca. ACLU New Mexico. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://www.aclu-nm.org/en/biographies/vicki-gaubeca-0
  24. Grantee Database. Marguerite Casey Foundation. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://www.caseygrants.org/grantee-database/equality-alliance-of-san-diego-county-southern-border-communities-coalition/
  25. The Annenberg Foundation, Return of Private Foundation, (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Attachment 25. Accessed July 1, 2020. https://annenberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2017-Form-990-PF.pdf
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Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC)

AZ