05/29/09 Earlier today we asked, "Will Washington Republicans Repudiate Race-based Attacks on Sotomayor?" While Tancredo has come out swinging again, even refusing to apologize on CNN, NCLR is going on the offense. They are demanding that Republican Party leadership say "enough is enough." Sign the petition! Take a stand against the politics of division and fear.
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05/29/09 Last night we reported on former Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo's attack on Judge Sotomayor, in which he called NCLR "the Latino KKK Without the Hoods..." The story spread out long and wide yesterday (The Politico, Think Progress, Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, the Colorado Independent, and more), and Rachel Maddow wasted no time in setting the record straight. Watch the video and ask yourself, why hasn't there been an apology?
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05/28/09 It's clear that immigration hardliners just can't seem to stop attacking Judge Sotomayor, the President's nominee for the highest court in the United States, on race. Tancredo calls the President's nominee a "racist" and the largest latino civil rights organization in the United States, NCLR, a quote-unquote: "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses." What's not clear is how these absurd and incendiary remarks help their cause one bit.
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05/28/09 This week, departing only slightly from his anti-immigrant agenda, Krikorian annointed himself a key leader in the GOP opposition to the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Krikorian's main line of attack against Sotomayor? It wasn't about her immigration-related rulings, or even her experience or capacity as a judge. Nope, he took offense at how she pronounces her name. Seriously. Today's new report highlights five facts you should know about Krikorian.
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05/28/09 Weekly feature by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger: "On Tuesday, President Obama announced Sonia Sotomayor as his pick to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Sotomayor could be the first Latina appointed to the Supreme Court. Predictably, attacks and slurs from the Right are already flying. Regardless, Sotomayor would be an excellent choice for the Supreme Court, signaling to Latino/as that the White House is aware of our need for more representation in government."
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05/27/09 In the wake of divisive immigration wedge politics that left the GOP abandoned by Latino voters, cooler heads within the Party have called for a ceasefire and for more and better Hispanic outreach. Well, enter the Sotomayor debate: "Anything in this must-see Latino political event resembling the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been Sessions' trademark will cost his party for years to come. Such concerns about GOP leaders among Latinos, who are only beginning to realize their enormous political potential, pose a gigantic dilemma to a Republican Party that must make inroads among Latino voters if it is to have a political future."
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05/26/09 In “First thoughts: It's Sotomayor,” MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro announce today’s historic nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, a Yale Law School graduate and Princeton undergrad who the President notes, has more experience �than anyone currently serving on the Supreme Court had when they were appointed.” Impressive stuff. None of these credentials seem to top the fact that Sotomayor is a Latina woman, however.
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05/22/09 Weekly feature by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger: "Celebrated stories of early American pioneers, explorers, and immigrants typically center around men of fortitude and bravery. Depictions of modern-day migrants are still very male-centric, and this cultural lens is a default in most cases. But women play a central and overlooked role in today’s immigration story. Even when not directly highlighted, women often bear the weight of keeping families together and helping them grow stronger."
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05/21/09 Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration held a hearing about border policy. Its chairman, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has declared �game on’ for immigration reform. This is the same Schumer who was architect of the Democratic takeover of the Senate, who always has his eye on what the party needs to do in order to win. As such, it takes a sledge hammer to the tired conventional wisdom that immigration reform is “too hot to handle,” and instead confirms that the time is most certainly now.
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05/14/09 King’s perspective on the Postville raid, and his likening immigrants to cattle, are just two examples of a Congressional leader out of step with mainstream America and in step with the most disturbing arm of the extreme anti-immigrant movement. The Congressman’s record is the focus of our latest report: "Rep. Steve King (R-IA): Carrying the Banner for Anti-Immigrant Extremists." The report details ways in which Rep. King’s bogus claims about immigrants have served as talking points for the extreme anti-immigrant movement for years. It shows that King is not only beloved by the extremist anti-immigrant groups, but he is also a regular speaker at their events-- even FAIR, which was designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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05/13/09 Nearly four hundred immigrant workers were corralled into the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa as a part of the now-infamous immigration raid that took place in Postville, Iowa, last year. Bloggers covered the story of communities that donned red ribbons and rang church bells in remembrance of the raid yesterday, and we reflect on Postville's lessons.
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05/11/09 Progress Illinois' Josh Kalven reports on the last stage of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Family Unity Tour in a post called, "We Have More Work To Do." The timing of the grand Tour finale in Chicago was not without symbolism. Just one week after May Day, a day before Mother's Day, and the same week as the anniversary of what has been called the most unjust immigration raid in our nation's history, the Tour draws to a close with a reminder of what we are collectively fighting to change - an immigration system that rips mothers from daughters and husbands from wives.
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05/08/09 Note: This is a weekly feature by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger: "From the H1N1 “Swine” flu’s declining fervor to 2009’s May Day marches for worker rights and immigrant solidarity; from the tragic killing of Luis Ramirez to legislative movement on immigration, these are tumultuous times. But it is precisely such conflict and challenge that provides the best opportunities to make lasting change."
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05/07/09 Sam Stein reports, in the top story on Huffington Post Politics today: "Since becoming the top ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jeff Sessions' record has been almost solely analyzed for tealeaves on how he will approach Barack Obama's forthcoming Supreme Court nomination." It’s disturbing that the new Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee has very close ties to hate groups and white nationalists. More disturbing is that his colleagues in the Senate minority find nothing wrong with that.
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05/07/09 Last year, a group of teenagers brutally murdered Luis Ramirez. Just last week an all-white jury found three of the teens "not guilty" of the serious charges of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. The ruling was greeted with cheers in the courtroom, and gasps of disbelief from Luis' grieving fianc�e and children. Please sign the petition to the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today. Ask that they prosecute Luis's murder as a federal Hate Crime and that justice is served.
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05/06/09 Guest blogger Rachel LaBruyere, from the Standing FIRM blog: "Friday was an aMAYzing day for me (see what I did there?). Even though I wasn't in the streets marching with my compa�eros, I was here in the office with a bird's eye view of May Day marches across the country. I received photos, stories, videos and excited phone calls from people on the ground from Los Angeles to New York. "
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05/05/09 Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ignacio Flores-Figueroa wouldn’t be charged with “aggravated identity theft,” effectively reversing an extreme precedent that had begun under the Bush administration. In a unanimous decision, the Court ruled that Mr. Flores-Figueroa did not know his fraudulent document numbers belonged to another person.
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05/04/09 Last week House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) released what has been described by many as "a fearmongering video" that places the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) firmly within a photo montage of what The Hill describes as "President Hugo Chavez, a group of apparent jihadists burning an American flag, an explosion, a hooded man with a rocket launcher, and an image of the Pentagon from Sept. 11." Yesterday, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) "decided to direct part of his vitriol at the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, calling both organizations separatist groups." Really, gentlemen?
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05/01/09 Yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, following the President's Wednesday press conference, placed immigration squarely on the map. It stands as yet another clear sign post that immigration reform is moving forward, as new polling shows a whopping sixty-one percent of Americans favor a "pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants." With the new polling released yesterday, President Obama's renewed pledge on immigration, and this week's hearing, it's clear the American people want action and solutions on the big issues before us, not excuses for inaction and mere finger-pointing.
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05/01/09 Guest blogger Simon Rosenberg: "Senator Schumer is holding an important hearing: "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do it and How?" Here at NDN, we believe the answer to whether Congress can pass reform this year is "yes." Below are seven reasons why." Number one: "In tough economic times, we need to remove the "trap door" under the minimum wage."
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