08/31/09 So apparently, the US government has been spending its time -- and our money -- to send American citizens...on free trips to Mexico? In April, our government admitted that it wrongly deported a North Carolina native, Mark Lyttle, who speaks no Spanish and is mentally ill -- a fact of which federal agents were allegedly aware.
Read More »

08/31/09 Secretary Janet Napolitano is finally coming out in stronger support of immigration reform, giving us a glimpse of the Arizona governor who, at various points in her career, strongly advocated the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
Read More »

08/28/09 On Tuesday, the Center for American Progress (CAP) hosted a panel entitled - "A Case Study in the Coming End of the Culture Wars: Immigration as a Failed Wedge Issue." While the event brought a unique style of summer heat to the immigration debate, the whole panel agreed on one unchanging viewpoint: Immigration reform needs to happen before the 2010 midterm elections. The panel consisted of Washington Post columnist, E.J. Dionne; Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Republican analyst, Ana Navarro; and America's Voice Executive Director, Frank Sharry.
Read More »

08/28/09 Today we're releasing a timeline and a tribute to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009, for his lifetime of tireless work on behalf of immigrants and refugees. He was more than a friend to the downtrodden- he was a fighter and a champion for the rights of all workers.Please take a look, and take a moment to add your name to the letter in his memory.
Read More »

08/27/09 The Immigration community was deeply saddened by the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy yesterday, who, throughout his life, advocated for more inclusive policies toward refugees and immigrants. in fact, his first major legislative initiative was actually the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Since then, Senator Kennedy had championed immigration reform, and fought hard on behalf of those who couldn't always fight for themselves. He struggled to help fix an immigration system that has long been broken.
Read More »

08/27/09 Sen. Ted Kennedy's death yesterday was a blow to the immigrant community, as New America Media reports. For over 40 years, Kennedy was a tireless fighter for immigrant rights and is remembered for many valuable accomplishments, not the least in making possible the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which did away with the national-origin quotas that had been in effect in the US since 1924. Additionally, Kennedy help bring a close to the exploitative Bracero program, which supplied the U.S. cheap and temporary labor during World War II in the form of Mexican farm laborers who did not have proper protections or rights. Senator Kennedy also helped author the AgJobs bill of 2003, which gave undocumented farmers residency so they could continue working in the U.S. His legacy in the progress of immigration legislation is not in doubt.
Read More »

08/27/09 If you don't know him, Rev. Joel Hunter is a senior pastor of the Evangelical Northland Mega-Church in Orlando, Florida. To outsiders, he may not seem like the most obvious leader in the fight for immigration reform. Turns out, he's been a true leader on immigration reform, for no other reason than he believes in living out what the Bible says. You know, that pesky verse that says,... "love your neighbor as yourself," of all things.
Read More »

08/26/09 For over four decades, he was a towering figure in the ongoing struggle to make our immigration and refugee policies consistent with America's finest ideals. What you may not know, however, is that he helped 200,000 of us fall more deeply in love. I'll get to that.
Read More »

08/26/09 We at America's Voice are deeply saddened to mark the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy today. He was a valiant hero to the immigration reform movement and a true champion for immigrants of all nationalities. As USA Today chronicles, Senator Kennedy spent a large part of his life's work making the American dream a reality for not just Western European immigrants, but for Asian, African, and Latin American immigrants, as well. The article quotes America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry, reflecting on Kennedy's many achievements in this area.
Read More »

08/25/09 Stories like this one make me proud to be American (but not in a creepy way). They make me want to keep fighting for an America that lives up to its ideals that anyone can do anything, if they put their mind to it and work hard enough.
Read More »

08/25/09 Today in Immigration Must Reads…Healthcare, Arpaio, and the "Rejiggering" of American Politics....Read 'em.
Read More »

08/25/09 The Center for American Progress (CAP) is holding a special presentation today entitled, "A Case Study in the Coming End of the Culture Wars: Immigration as a Failed Wedge Issue," with America's Voice's Executive Director, Frank Sharry, as a featured panelist.
Read More »

08/24/09 New Feature: Must Read News Roundups on Immigration, by America's Voice Founder and Executive Director, Frank Sharry. So lots happened last week – an eventful meeting last Thursday with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano at the White House produced a number of mixed reactions, some hopeful and some cynical. Here are a few key clips from the weekend, to get a flavor for what's happening.
Read More »

08/21/09 For the 130 immigrant advocates, business and labor leaders, and law enforcement representatives, who met with Janet Napoitano yesterday, the urgency for real reform is clear.Here are four video responses from attendees at yesterday's White House meeting on immigration reform. I took these videos directly after the meeting, as attendees were leaving the White House.
Read More »

08/20/09 Well, this ought to be interesting. In a couple hours, I'll join Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and 130 immigrant advocates, business and labor leaders, and law enforcement representatives to discuss immigration policy at the White House. This meeting comes amidst a growing chorus of criticism and concern from Latino leaders and immigrant advocates who believe that Secretary Napolitano is emphasizing the continuation of controversial Bush-era immigration enforcement tactics and downplaying the need for real, comprehensive immigration reform.
Read More »

08/19/09 President Obama is citing the Healthcare debate as a reason for postponing immigration reform until 2010. But in the interim, the White House is laying the groundwork for an enforcement agenda by expanding programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities and e-Verify, amidst a growing matrix of detention centers. Anti-immigration factions are taking advantage of the lull in legislative action to push their own agenda.
Read More »

08/19/09 You've probably heard by now that officials at the White House are convening a meeting tomorrow on immigration. The White House is hosting a discussion with advocates, religious groups, businesses and law enforcers as part of an effort to bring all parties into one room. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will lead the discussion. Today, the Reform Immigration For America Campaign is asking its supporters to text in their questions for Napolitano – the top three questions will be asked directly by advocates at the meeting.
Read More »

08/19/09 Success! Herta will not be deported today, and ICE (the agency that decides deportation cases) received 9 inches of faxes in support of Herta remaining in America! The fact that ICE responded to an outpouring of support is fantastic news, and we are deeply relieved for Herta and her family. We were happy to be able to send a letter to DHS yesterday, but we agree that there is much more to be done. Take action by clicking for more.
Read More »

08/19/09 Today marks the start of two full weeks of action, prayer, and protest on immigration. People of faith and community leaders from across the state will join immigrant advocates from my organization, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), to mobilize for just and humane immigration reform-- and to reject the continuation of futile, Bush-style enforcement-only policies on immigration.
Read More »

08/18/09 Eight years ago, Herta Llusho came with her family to the US from Albania-- when she was just eleven years old. Herta's family came for the reason most immigrants do: in pursuit of the American dream. Today that dream has become a nightmare. Herta is due to present herself to be deported tomorrow. You can make a difference - take action.
Read More »

08/18/09 Yet another reason many advocates are outraged with the current immigration enforcement system. Today, the New York Times reports that one in every ten immigration detainee deaths goes unreported on the ICE "death roster," with the grisly death total now at 104 - a significant increase from the 90 that were reported to Congress in the Spring.
Read More »

08/17/09 Arizona law enforcement is once again spending precious time and resources protecting the community from dangerous criminals. On Tuesday, Walt Staton was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and one year of probation. The crime? Dangerous water bottle violations.
Read More »

08/14/09 In yesterday's Dallas Morning News, we found an unexpected ally in conservative writer Reuben Navarette, who added his voice to the chorus of groups and leaders demanding the federal government hold Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona accountable for his outrageous abuses of authority under the 287(g) program. Navarette's message and ours? Kick Arpaio Out!
Read More »

08/14/09 Right now, much of the nation's attention is on health insurance reform and the accompanying side-show generated by vitriolic opponents of the President's proposal. As immigrant advocates, we're all too familiar with those angry, ugly attacks. We'll no doubt see some of those characters, led by Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck, during the upcoming immigration reform debate. But we're going to be ready. Across the country, the forces supporting immigration reform have been mobilizing and adding new allies.
Read More »

08/13/09 These days Janet Napolitano has been singing a different tune on immigration than she did as a border state governor, and it's a bit off key. This week, at the 2009 Border Security Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Secretary Janet Napolitano was reported as saying: …we're taking a common-sense, comprehensive look at both new and old programs to ensure that we have the most effective approach possible. Now in some instances, that means that we are continuing things that were initiated in the past. Why? … Well, because when you look at some of these things and you look at them carefully, and you look at them in the context of what we are trying to accomplish, in other words, linking things together, we find that they are consistent with our values and they make sense from a law enforcement perspective.
Read More »

08/13/09 On Monday, President Obama met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Following the meeting, Obama made it clear that he doesn't expect immigration reform to pass until 2010, as the Washington Independent reports: Even if legislation is drafted this year, healthcare reform demands attention first. Some say the two issues are too connected to be separated, although there is no denying that the healthcare debate has reached a fever pitch.
Read More »

08/12/09 Netroots Nation is right around the corner and this year's conference will kick off in Pittsburgh, PA tomorrow! We're excited here at America's Voice. Not only are we sending eight, talented, immigration bloggers to the conference with a new scholarship program, we've also got some talented members of our own team who will be presenting on a number of panels themselves.
Read More »