America's Voice Blog

Posted 07/29/10 at 10:22am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: After SB1070 Injunction, Immigrants Breathe Freely But Remain on Guard

The partial injunction issued yesterday by Judge Susan Bolton, blocking some of the most controversial sections of Arizona law SB 1070 from going into effect, generated a range of reactions among Hispanics in Arizona and elsewhere, as covered in various Spanish-language outlets.

After 1070 injunction, immigrants breathe freely... La Opinión (Los Angeles) headlines its article “Preliminary victory in Arizona,” and EFE reports that Judge Bolton’s order has reinvigorated the push for immigration reform, in addition to allowing many to breathe a sigh of relief.

...but remain on guard. Reuters, on the other hand, writes that many Mexican immigrants remain on guard even after the ruling, and BBC Mundo explains part of the reason why: Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County has assured the press that “I will continue with my operations.”

AFP reports that the partial injunction of the Arizona law was celebrated in Mexico and other countries, but that they still want to see the law formally declared unconstitutional.

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Posted 07/29/10 at 09:58am By Jackie Mahendra

Cartoon: Hold it Right There!

Check out this cartoon, from AZ Daily Star:

Cartoon

 

 

Posted 07/28/10 at 12:26pm By Dara Lind

BREAKING: Judge Keeps Key Parts of Arizona Law from Going Into Effect

Judge Susan Bolton of the U.S. District Court for Arizona has just issued an injunction preventing key sections of Arizona law SB 1070 from going into effect tomorrow -- including the sections criminalizing immigrants for failing to carry documents with them at all times and requiring police to ask anyone for papers during traffic stops or housing inspections if they had a "reasonable suspicion" the person was undocumented.

Judge Bolton, who was recommended for the bench by Republican Senator Jon Kyl, did not grant the federal government's request to put the entire bill on hold, so most of its provisions will still go into effect as scheduled tomorrow. But the most controversial four provisions have been enjoined:

  • The "show your papers" provision: "Portion of Section 2 [...] requiring that an officer make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is unlawfully present in the United States, and requiring verification of the immigration status of any person arrested prior to releasing that person"

  • The section making it a state crime to leave the house without your papers: "Section 3: creating a crime for the failure to apply for or carry alien registration papers"

  • The section making it a state crime to look for work: "Portion of Section 5: creating a crime for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for, or perform work"

  • The section giving police the power to determine who is deportable: "Section 6: authorizing the warrantless arrest of a person where there is probable cause to believe the person has committed a public offense that makes the person removable from the United States"

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Posted 07/28/10 at 09:53am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Eve of SB 1070; Children’s March; Fremont Postpones Anti-Immigrant Law

With SB 1070 scheduled to go into effect tomorrow, unless Judge Susan Bolton issues a decision today striking down the law, the Spanish-language press examines how Arizona is preparing for the next few days.

Eve of SB 1070. An EFE analysis concludes that Judge Bolton’s decision, whatever it may be, will only deepen divisions in the immigration debate. La Opinión reports that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is adding a new section to his “tent city” for detainees he plans to apprehend if the law is allowed to go into effect, or for a “sweep” he plans to conduct tomorrow even if it is not. The La Opinión article, along with the AP and other outlets, also reports on activists’ plans to engage in acts of civil disobedience.

Children's March. AOL Latino reprints an article by Maribel Hastings of America’s Voice about the Children’s March being held today outside the White House, during which U.S. citizen children will call for the Obama administration to stop deporting their parents and separating families. El Nuevo Herald, Mundo Hispánico, and El Diario La Estrella have more on the story.

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Posted 07/27/10 at 03:09pm By Guest Blogger

Dreamin’ for DREAM

With action on comprehensive immigration reform stalled due to partisan politics, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has started talking about what can pass now, and he’s looking at the DREAM Act. The bipartisan legislation, which would give legal residency to undocumented youth under the condition they go to college or join the military, has the support of 70% of Americans.

Why has Reid decided to temporarily focus on DREAM rather than CIR? Because after Senate Democrats invited Republicans to negotiate a comprehensive reform bill this spring, no one showed up.  In fact, the most likely candidate, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, called Democrats’ efforts to push for CIR, “a real cynical ploy.”  But the DREAM Act, and AgJOBS, a measure to bring stability and security to America’s farm workforce, do have bipartisan support and could become law if Republicans are willing to work with Democrats to advance them.

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Posted 07/27/10 at 03:00pm By Guest Blogger

DREAM Students Stir Things Up in Washington

Hundreds of courageous student activists from across the country descended upon Washington last week to raise awareness and fight for the DREAM Act.

Sporting caps and gowns, the students staged a mock graduation with speeches from student leaders, Senator Dick Durbin, and our very own Frank Sharry.  The scene was electric, as students spontaneously burst into chants and proclaimed themselves “undocumented and unafraid!”

Students gave touching speeches about their experiences in America, about how hard they’ve worked in school and strived to support their families. Erika Andiola recalled how Arizona’s Prop 300 had taken away $50,000 of her aid for school, but she didn’t allow it to break her spirit. She applied to private scholarships and eventually graduated from Arizona State University with honors.

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Posted 07/27/10 at 11:11am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Deportations Up; Support for Obama Cracking; Reid, Pelosi Talk DREAM

Following a story in yesterday's Washington Post, the Spanish-language press leads with new numbers showing that deportations are still higher under the Obama administration than they were under Bush--while a new poll shows that the president's majority support among Latinos is threatened by a split in assessment of his job performance on issues important to the Latino community.And the Democratic leaders of both houses of Congress will meet today to discuss prospects for the DREAM Act.

Deportations up. Outlets including news agency EFE report on the rise in deportation rates under the Obama administration. As the Washington Post reported yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) expects to deport 400,000 people in fiscal year 2010—10% more than were deported under the Bush administration in 2008, and 25% more than were deported in 2007. La Opinión (Los Angeles) analyzes how deportations have become a lucrative industry.

Support for Obama cracking. The AP releases the results of a joint AP/Univision poll showing that Hispanic support for President Obama remains significant—57%--but has begun to show “cracks.” Fewer than half of Latinos, 43%, agree that Obama is effectively addressing the issues that matter to the Hispanic community; 21% disapprove of his job performance, and 32% are unsure.

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Posted 07/26/10 at 04:53pm By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters: Wendy

Cross-Posted at Citizen Orange.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC  20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Wendy and I am a daughter, a friend, a student, and, most importantly, a dreamer. I came to this country in 1999 from Peru when I was seven years old, accompanied by my mother, father, and sister. Getting on the plane, I did not know that words like "undocumented" and "dreams" would play such a major role in my young adult life. Growing up in New York, I began to embrace the United States and the feeling of being an American; I learned to balance this country's traditions with my own without difficulty. I came to notice that the people around me, regardless of their different ethnic backgrounds and customs, were not so different from me after all.

As early as elementary school, I worked hard to get good grades, going from ESL in second grade to straight A's by third grade. I graduated the sixth grade with a great reputation amongst my peers and teachers; the logical thing to do at that point was reach for the same level of success in high school. Upon entering high school, I was sure that I would flourish both socially and academically--with nothing to get in the way of me and my aspirations. I thought high school would be yet another chapter in my life that would be full of ease and more opportunities to make my parents proud.  Academically, I was able to flourish. I was in advanced classes as a freshman and sophomore, which made it possible for me to take Advanced Placement College level courses in my junior and senior years. I became involved in various extracurricular activities, and tried my best to hold office or be as much of an active member in everything that I joined. Being a member of clubs such as Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) and the Foreign Language Honor Society allowed me to do two things that are very important to me: reach out to the youth in my community by teaching them about healthy decision making, as well as advocating unity amongst all individuals regardless of their backgrounds.

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Posted 07/26/10 at 03:11pm By Lynn Tramonte

GOP on Immigration: Talking Tough While Stonewalling Attempts to Fix the Problem

As anti-immigrant ringleaders whip themselves into a frenzy over illegal immigration, and continue a strategy that is both bad for the Republican Party and bad for the country, some Republicans are suggesting another way.

As reported in Think Progress, the latest anti-immigrant meme states that President Obama should be impeached due to his "failure" to enforce immigration laws.  Never mind the actual facts on immigration enforcement – that Obama’s numbers are even higher than Bush’s.  According to a Washington Post piece today:

" [the Obama Administration] expects to deport about 400,000 people this fiscal year, nearly 10 percent above the Bush administration's 2008 total and 25 percent more than were deported in 2007," and the "pace of company audits has roughly quadrupled since President George W. Bush's final year in office."

It’s “metrics” like these that have gotten the Obama Administration in trouble with immigrant community leaders, who are concerned about the record pace of deportations and glacial pace of action on comprehensive immigration reform.

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Posted 07/26/10 at 09:39am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: A Crucial Week in Arizona

The Spanish-language press continues to wait with bated breath for Judge Susan Bolton to issue a decision on whether to keep Arizona’s SB 1070 from going into effect this Thursday, July 29th.

3 days to 1070? Télam looks forward to the awaited decision, while other outlets put SB 1070 in context: Terra.com looks back on the circumstances in Arizona that led to the rise of SB 1070, and La Opinión (Los Angeles) unveils a special multimedia report.

La Jornada reprints a Notimex wire report that the climate of fear in which immigrants in Arizona live is driving many of them out of the state — although, as one activist notes, 18 other states are considering similar measures to SB 1070. Univisión.com publishes an EFE wire report previewing the array of protests that activists opposed to SB 1070 will hold throughout the week. And AOL Noticias reprints a Notimex story covering the results of a poll conducted by the Arizona Republic. The Republic poll finds that while the majority of Arizonans—55%--support SB 1070, 62% favor legalizing undocumented immigrants who do not have criminal records.

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