01/31/11 Congress needs to show leadership, speak up for American values, and put an end to this disgusting attack on the constitution. Join us in sending our leaders in Congress a fax, telling them to reject Senators Vitter and Paul's dangerous move to scrap the 14th amendment.
Read More »

01/28/11 If you've been paying attention to the politics of immigration this month, you've probably noticed: 1) GOP state and local officials, joined by Republicans in both the House and Senate, are trying to mainstream an extreme push to repeal the 14th Amendment. So much for being defenders of the Constitution, eh? The main targets of this push would be, of course, babies.
Read More »

01/27/11 Yesterday, the Immigration Subcommittee (of the House Judiciary Committee), which is led by notoriously anti-immigrant members of Congress -- Lamar Smith (R-TX), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), and Steve King (R-IA) -- held their first immigration hearing since Republicans took control of the House.
Read More »

01/27/11 Despite the fact that Arizona's SB 1070 is highly controversial, absurdly expensive, and likely unconstitutional, Virginia's immigration hardliners continue to push for their own Arizona-style legislation. Here we go again.
Read More »

01/27/11 The Spanish-language press reports today that Republicans' response to President Barack Obama's request to cooperate to pass immigration reform was a hearing during which they advocated enforcement-only policies with no solution but deportation for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
Read More »

01/26/11 During the first half of his State of the Union address last night, President Obama argued that "winning the future" would be impossible without fixing immigration. He made the case for both the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform, and challenged the new Republican leadership to step up to the plate to find real solutions.
Read More »

01/26/11 Today, the Spanish-language press covers President Obama's statements on immigration during his second State of the Union address. EFE, Notimex, AFP, and Univisión.com, among others, write that Obama called on Republicans and Democrats to "take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration." "I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows," he continued.
Read More »

01/25/11 Vivir Latino expressed low expectations for the treatment of immigration reform at tonight's State of the Union address. America's Voice founder Frank Sharry has made his suggestions here. Now, via Rachel Labruyere at Reform Immigration For America, there's a new way to register your opinion during tonight's State of the Union address -- apparently there's an app for that.
Read More »

01/25/11 Last week, as Pedro—an orphan who grew up American and dreams of serving in the Marine Corps —faced imminent deportation from the country he hopes to serve. Well, Pedro's community bolted into action -- and so did you. Last week, over ten thousand faxes were sent on Pedro's behalf, and this activism made a huge difference.
Read More »

01/24/11 "President Obama should challenge Republicans such as Arizona Sens. John McCain and John Kyl to work with him on immigration reform. Immigration has become the defining issue for Latinos, a fast-growing group of voters who are pivotal in swing states such as Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Florida. Action on the DREAM Act in late 2010 put Republicans on the defensive and generated a wave of Latino support that helped Democrats hold onto the Senate. Obama, having failed to keep his promise to fight for comprehensive immigration reform early in his presidency, needs more than a drive-by mention near the end of the speech."
Read More »

01/24/11 Someone enter this entire Washington Post Editorial into the Congressional record. Seriously. "The limits of immigration enforcement," January 22, 2011: "TYSON FOODS, one of the world's largest food processing firms, has a checkered past when it comes to employment practices, specifically the hiring of undocumented workers."
Read More »

01/21/11 Last week's Republican-backed Hispanic Leadership Network conference in South Florida overflowed with chatter about how the GOP needs to improve its positioning with Latino voters. Amidst all the discussion, however, few voices at the conference admitted the simple truth that appealing to Latino voters will not simply require a change in "tone" when it comes to the immigration issue, but a change in policies advocated by the GOP.
Read More »

01/20/11 In response to a recent Roll Call article calling out the nativist lobby, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith wrote a letter to the editor making a series of claims—many of which he's been making for the last 20 years—which simply don't stack up to the facts. These myths also conveniently obscure the lack of any denial of ties to the nativist lobby. While many of Smith's easy-to-swallow myths may stir the extreme end of a conservative base, they serve as a yet another distraction from having an open and honest immigration debate.
Read More »

01/19/11 A new internet video, entitled, "2 girls undermine entire US border strategy in under 18 seconds" is causing quite a stir. It's already received nearly 1/2 a million hits on YouTube and is sure to continue to spark debate. Watch it.
Read More »

01/18/11 Pedro Gutierrez, an orphan who grew up in Arizona, was brought here by his grandmother when he was only 7 years old. Though she passed away when Pedro was still a child, Pedro persevered and, with the support of his community, went on to graduate high school. Like so many other talented, young undocumented immigrants, he dreams of joining the Marines; however, despite having full support of a military recruiter, this young dreamer could be deported to Mexico – where he has no family or friends -- today.
Read More »

01/17/11 Today we celebrate both the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the start of 2011. To many, a new year signals a new beginning – a time during which we set our goals, and set out to better ourselves. To heroes like King, that means also bettering the lives of those around us, and having the courage to do so.
Read More »

01/14/11 Today, in Miami, the Republican-backed Hispanic Leadership Network hosted a conference to "provide a unique opportunity for center-right leaders to speak with—and more importantly listen to—the Hispanic community," according to conference co-chair Jeb Bush.
Read More »

01/14/11 Pedro was desperately counting on the DREAM Act to pass. He's an orphan who grew up in Arizona and has no family or friends in Mexico. His grandmother brought him to the US at the age of 7, but passed away when he was still a child.
Read More »

01/14/11 Buenos Días from Miami! Maribel Hastings and I are here reporting for America's Voice on the Hispanic Leadership Network Inaugural Conference. According to the Hispanic Leadership Network, the reason for this forum is to find a path forward for the GOP with Latino Voters and to "strengthen the bonds between the Hispanic community and the center-right movement." Opening remarks and Conference Introduction by Senator Norm Coleman and Governor Jeb Bush.
Read More »

01/14/11 You may recall the case of Marcelo Lucero, who was beaten to death in Patchogue, NY, by a group of teens out "beaner hopping" – slang they used for hunting down and assaulting Latino residents. The brutal murder of Marcelo Lucero in 2008 sent shock waves through Long Island and across the country.
Read More »

01/13/11 When Zahid was young, his father told him that he should serve the country he loves. So that's what he did.
Read More »

01/12/11 The Immigration Policy Center has released a comprehensive new guide to responding to the controversial Arizona-style immigration laws already popping up in states like Florida and Texas.
Read More »

01/11/11 After Saturday's horrific tragedy in Arizona, there have been several reports of threats and violent rhetoric directed at members of Congress and legislators across the country. Unsurprisingly for those of us who have followed the red-hot immigration debate in this country, some of these threats have been coupled to calls for hard-line immigration enforcement and "taking our country back."
Read More »

01/10/11 Last week, Steve King, who was ready and eager to become Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, was left more than a little aggravated when Republican leaders thought it best to give the chairmanship to a similarly anti-immigrant -- though less vocal-- member of the House Judiciary Committee: Rep. Elton Gallegly.
Read More »

01/10/11 Today at 11 a.m. EST, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will hold a national moment of silence to honor Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of Saturday's morning's shooting in Tucson, Arizona.
Read More »

01/07/11 Steve King was dethroned because even the House Republican leadership must realize that comparing immigrants to livestock and suggesting we keep them out with an electric fence is offensive to Latino voters. But, he's simply been demoted from king to prince, and together, with Lamar Smith and Elton Gallegly, will lead the deportation caucus in the House. Until the Republican Party actually changes position on immigration, their ugly faces will still define them."
Read More »

01/07/11 Here's a shorter Steve King (R-IA) from yesterday: White babies in dumpsters = health care reform Dumping on brown babies = immigration reform
Read More »