09/20/12 Cross-Posted at Jack and Jill Politics: Does Mitt Romney even hear himself when he talks? By now we all know about the new video Mother Jones released of Mitt Romney writing  off 47% of Americans by calling us “dependents” who would vote for Obama no matter what.  The punditocracy has been chattering ever since as [...]
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08/15/12 Today, the first of nearly 1.7 million DREAMers can begin applying for deferred action under a program that was announced by President Obama earlier this year in June. (See the Washington Post article here.) The political impact of this is clear. Over the next month, hundreds of thousands of DREAMers will be seen on  TV, [...]
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07/25/12 In court yesterday, the self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” ran from his record of terrorizing immigrant communities. Gone was the swagger, and under the light of overwhelming evidence, he tried to scramble away and evade responsibility for all of it. 1. “I don’t get involved in those operations. I’m not there on the street patrolling and [...]
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07/19/12 Cross-Posted at Jack and Jill Politics: Today, at an oversight hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Steve King (R-Peanut Gallery) ominously threatened to sue DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano unless she reversed the Obama Administration’s popular new policy to grant temporary relief to DREAMers. In case you don’t know him, Rep. King is one of [...]
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03/13/12 I'm about to board a 14 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, where a delegation of national civil and labor rights leaders will tell Hyundai shareholders that their company's decision to brush aside requests to help repeal Alabama's anti-immigrant law is unacceptable. A few weeks ago, civil, human rights, and labor organizations sent a letter to these auto giants, and asked them to take a stand against H.B. 56. None of them have.
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03/13/12 I'm about to board a 14 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, where a delegation of national civil and labor rights leaders will tell Hyundai shareholders that their company's decision to brush aside requests to help repeal Alabama's anti-immigrant law is unacceptable. A few weeks ago, civil, human rights, and labor organizations sent a letter to these auto giants, and asked them to take a stand against H.B. 56. None of them have.
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02/03/12 For the next few days, Nevada will be the center of the political universe. But like the ad says, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Simply, what happens in February won't matter much in November.
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01/05/12 Legislation in Tennessee which would amend the state's anti-bullying law to exempt bullying for political reasons just as long as the victim's person or property aren't damaged. It is being denounced for aiming to give a green light to the harassment of gay kids in school, which it is.
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10/07/11 You've probably heard that Alabama has begun implementing the harshest anti-immigrant law in the country. Their stated goal is to wipe every undocumented person from the state by putting such a squeeze on their communities that they are terrorized out. Police, public utilities companies and even elementary schools are required to report anyone they think may be undocumented.
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09/16/11 Rep. Lamar Smith is desperate to pass E-Verify. In a recent op-ed, Smith claimed E-Verify will help minorities. But, it won't. And, Smith's 6% civil rights score from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights doesn't give him much credibility on this issue.
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08/25/11 Last week, we reported that the White House has announced a new policy which says that DREAM Act youth and immigrants who haven't committed serious crimes, and who meet other reasonable criteria, won't face deportation.
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07/20/11 Alabama, which is 2.8 percent Latino, has a race problem again. Dark people are on the verge of taking over and like George Wallace and Bull Connor before them, today's politicos in Alabama aren't having it. "Anything short of shooting them," one politician has said from Alabama. From another: "Empty the clip and do what has to be done."
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05/26/11 Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) will join Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos; Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Maribel Hastings, Spanish Language Reporter/Blogger; and Adam Luna, Political Director at America's Voice, to discuss immigration and the power of the Latino vote, in a panel called "Immigration and the Power of the Latino Vote: Why Harry Reid Came Back and Alex Sink Sunk."
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05/16/11 Criticism has arisen from DREAM activists and progressive bloggers over the politicization of the DREAM Act by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
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04/27/11 Regular readers of this blog know that Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) is the chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee, a card-carrying member of the Mass Deportation Caucus, and the West Coast third of the Three Amigos. Not all Americans are as well-acquainted with Gallegly, however, which is something we're trying to change with our upcoming ad campaign. We need your help.
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03/30/11 In his State of the Union Address, President Obama said that it makes "no sense to deport talented, responsible young people." So then why are young DREAMers, like Mario Perez, still getting deported?
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03/25/11 Manolo Lem is a young Chinese-American who would qualify for the DREAM Act. Brought to the US from Venezuela when he was just two years old, Manolo has lived nearly his entire life in Tennessee, graduated from high school with honors, and earned a BA from Middle Tennessee State University.
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03/18/11 Since Christmas, Mario Aregullin has been sitting in a Georgia detention center. Though he's been in the United States since he was a baby, he was forced to spend Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day away from his family, friends, and his bride-to-be, Brandi.
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03/17/11 This week, we reported how Kansas State Representative Virgil Peck suggested shooting immigrants from helicopters as a way to control the border.
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03/16/11 We need a coherent, responsible policy, and we're collecting signatures asking the White House to stop deporting DREAMers. We'll hand-deliver the petition to the White House, so please sign your name to tell our leaders in Washington, DC, that we'll continue to fight for the Dream Act.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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12/02/10 Last night on MSNBC, Congressman Gutierrez said that the House could be voting on the DREAM Act as early as tomorrow – watch his segment and call your Representative now.
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11/30/10 This morning, at the National Immigration Forum, I spent time with 20 of the most impressive young people I've ever met. They are DREAMers from all over the country who are here, in Washington, DC, to look Senators in the eye and ask them to support the DREAM Act.
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11/10/10 Just a quick note to our friends on Capitol Hill – the Florida Independent reports that you'll have a fiery new colleague walking the halls of Congress, asking you to lunch and offering her, um, constructive suggestions about how to win the hearts and minds of America – including "hanging" undocumented immigrants and then "sending them back where they came from."
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