America's Voice Blog

Posted 02/28/09 at 04:08pm By Jackie Mahendra

Rage against the Machine’s Zach de la Rocha Kicks off Arpaio Actions: ‘We’ve Already Won’

Rage against the Machine Singer De la RochaAs reported in the Phoenix New Times, former lead singer of Rage Against the Machine, Zach de la Rocha , joined a rally yesterday in advance of today's protest against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio:

The terror campaign that Mr. Arpaio is waging here in Arizona is keeping people in the shadows. They want to speak out.

Just what are they speaking out about? Arpaio's atrocious law enforcement tactics, though his "forced immigrant march" two weeks ago tops the list. In broad daylight he rounded up and paraded all of the undocumented immigrants in his jail in a chain-gang to a segregated ‘Tent City' surrounded by electrified fences in the Arizona desert.

So tomorrow, no matter what. No matter what happens, no matter what they throw at us, we know that by speaking out, by addressing the wounds, by confronting the indignity that they're trying to impose upon us, that we have already won...

The politically engaged rocker showed up in Phoenix to march alongside hundreds of community members, community leaders, outraged citizens, and families. The event, entitled, ‘March to Stop the Hate,' began at 9 a.m. today, and will include a performance by De la Rocha.

According to Arizona Central News, the musician urged people to participate with these impassioned words:

To witness what is happening in Arizona and remain neutral is to be implicated in human rights violations that are occurring right here on U.S. soil against migrants. History will not be kind to Joe Arpaio. He will be remembered with other infamous sheriffs like Bull Connor who subjugated and terrorized communities for shortsighted political gain. I hope everyone will join me in protesting Sheriff Joe.

We couldn't agree more. 

If you are infuriated about what Joe Arpaio is doing in Arizona, visit www.SheriffJoeMustGo.com and sign the petition to bring Joe to Justice. Organizations as diverse as United Farm Workers, Democracia USA, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network have joined forces to see that 10,000 signatures are delivered to the U.S. Justice Department on March 11th.

Watch the latest video about Joe, sign the petition, and forward it to your friends and family today!

 

Posted 02/26/09 at 04:25pm By Paco Fabian

Administration Dismayed, Napolitano Searching for Answers, after ICE Raids Washington Worksite

helicopterFor those may have who missed it, yesterday marked the first workplace immigration raid of the Obama administration. While some were arguing about what kind of helicopters, assault rifles, and ankle bracelets were used on the immigrant men and women working at the factory , we were wondering, how did this happen in the first place?

As White House spokesman Nick Shapiro was quoted today:

"These raids are not a long-term solution."

Exactly. In fact, these types of workplace mega-raids are not even a short-term solution.

They are misguided, showy, inhumane, ineffective, expensive, and too-often, deadly. They are also a remnant of the mass-deportation-style, Bush-era immigration policy that took shape in the absence of real immigration reform.

According to a piece in the Washington Times, Shapiro re-affirmed President Obama's commitment to "Change" on Immigration and to laying the groundwork for Comprehensive Immigration Reform to happen this year:

"Secretary Napolitano is conducting a thorough review of ICE, including enforcement," Mr. Shapiro said. "The president believes we must respect due process and our best values as we enforce the law. The real answer to our broken immigration system is to fix it. The president has said that we will start the immigration reform debate this year, and this continues to be the plan."

That is a good start, and we are glad that Secretary Napolitano is taking the matter as seriously as she should.

In her testimony before Congress yesterday, Janet Napolitano, head of the Department of Homeland Security, stated that "she expects ICE actions at work sites to focus on employers "who intentionally and knowingly exploit the illegal labor market." This would be a welcome change from the Bush-era focus on rounding up immigrant workers, who are often targets of abuse, themselves, and putting them in jails where they are denied access to basic medical care.

During the same hearing, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) questioned the tactic of workplace raids and emphasized that legal residents and American citizens are often caught in the Agency's large-scale sweeps. She described how workers might be detained for ten or eleven hours at a time, separated from their families, and deprived of due process and fair treatment under the law. She was quoted:

"It does not seem to comport with the requirements of the law or the Constitution," she said, asking the secretary to address that issue in her review.

Kudos to Representative Lofgren for her courage in bringing this little-known fact to light.

Advocates and lawmakers alike will wait to see what comes of the probe ordered by Secretary Napolitano. We stand ready to support the Administration in its pursuit of real immigration reform and applaud the White House in its renewed commitment to act on it this year.

In the meantime, the best way to respect our values as a nation is to move away from these types of showy, Bush-era enforcement tactics that only exacerbate our nation's immigration crisis.

Posted 02/26/09 at 09:00am By Jackie Mahendra

Justice for Joe

justice mlkCross-posted at The Sanctuary.

In Sheriff Joe Arpaio's world, justice is trampled every day. If you are an immigrant detainee, you could find yourself marching in chains to segregated "Tent Cities" in the Arizona desert, surrounded by electric fencing.

Well, together with the House Judiciary Committee and diverse organizations, we're shouting, "Not so fast!" People from all across the country are speaking out against Arpaio's blatant civil and human rights violations.

Here's the great news: along with our friends at United Farm Workers, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, NDLON, and more, we have already collected 8,000 petition signatures for Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding an investigation into Joe's horrific tactics. Only 2,000 signatures are left to reach the goal of 10,000 by the first week of March.

Watch our brand-new video about Sheriff Joe, and sign the petition now:

http://www.SheriffJoeMustGo.com

To Shriff Joe Arpaio, Driving While Brown is a bigger deal than the thousands of felony warrants piling up on his desk. Joe's latest publicity stunt crossed the line.

Well now people are take an even bigger stand, as thousands of protesters convene in Phoenix at the end of the week to rally for justice. Check out the events happening from Chicago to Phoenix, watch the new video, and help spread the word. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Together, let's show this backward Sheriff what justice really means:

http://www.SheriffJoeMustGo.com

Posted 02/25/09 at 10:24am By Jackie Mahendra

First ICE Raid under Obama: Continuing Failed Bush-Era Enforcement Tactics?

prison graphicEven as President Obama delivered his first up-beat address to the nation, the Seattle Times' Lornet Turnbull was reporting the first workplace immigration raid under the new administration. It happened in Bellingham, Washington, last night, and served as a sad wake up call to immigrant communities:

Immigration officers today raided an engine remanufacturing plant in Bellingham, arrested 28 illegal immigrant workers and began processing them for deportation.

This week, we wrote about the costly misplaced priorities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that they don't come cheap:

Murderers and corporate criminals get off scot-free while immigrant workers are rounded up in large-scale raids, separated from husbands and daughters, sentenced to jail, deprived of basic human rights while incarcerated, and hopelessly separated from American-citizen children and spouses through the final act of deportation.

Even as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency's budget spiked to $218 million last year (up from $9 million in 2003), report after report on horrendous ICE detention conditions continued to surface as people died and jails were forced to close.

While we came to expect these failed tactics from the Bush Administration, we do not expect an Administration that campaigned-and won the lion's share of the Latino vote-on a platform of Hope and Change to continue them.

Posted 02/24/09 at 05:15pm By Frank Sharry

Finally: Hilda Solis Confirmed as Secretary of Labor Today

solis close upIt's been a good while now since we announced that the confirmation of Hilda Solis (D-CA) as Secretary of Labor had been postponed. We reported on how the administration had to appoint an interim secretary because the pro-worker, Latina representative's confirmation was being blocked by partisan bickering.

Well, today America's Voice happily applauds the confirmation of Representative Hilda Solis, a strong advocate for all workers and a champion of comprehensive immigration reform, as Secretary of the U.S. Labor Department.  

It's about time.

Secretary Solis' will lead the U.S. Department of Labor with the rights of all workers in mind. She will an important ally in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform. 

Why?

Secretary Solis (doesn't that sound good?) understands how our dysfunctional immigration system leads to worker exploitation.  When millions of undocumented workers are without the protection of the law, it encourages unscrupulous employers to undercut the wages and working conditions of all workers.  These bad actor employers also undercut honest competitors who do play fair.  Strong labor law enforcement combined with immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows will restore integrity to both the labor market and the immigration system. 

America's Voice was particularly pleased to see the petition effort organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which gathered over 10,000 pledges of support for Rep. Solis' confirmation.They also led a calling campaign to drive calls in support of Solis' confirmation.

We look forward to working with Secretary Solis, other members of the Obama Administration, and our partners to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality in the coming year.


 

Posted 02/23/09 at 08:18pm By Paco Fabian

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: $218 Million in Misplaced Priorities

prisonThis weekend, a New York Times Editorial entitled, “Enforcement Gone Bad,” drew a disturbing conclusion from the Pew Hispanic Center’s latest report on national incarceration rates:

Since the early 1990s, you could write the federal government’s immigration strategy on a cardboard sign: Deport Them All. […] A report last week from the Pew Hispanic Center laid bare some striking results of that campaign. It found that Latinos now make up 40 percent of those sentenced in federal courts, even though they are only about 13 percent of the adult population. They accounted for one-third of federal prison inmates in 2007.

Of this huge spike in Hispanics convicted in federal courts, more than 81% were tried only for the offense of being in this country without documents. In fact this is not a criminal offense, but it does have grave implications, as the Editors argue:

The country is filling the federal courts and prisons with nonviolent offenders. It is diverting immense law-enforcement resources from pursuing serious criminals — violent thugs, financial scammers — to an immense, self-defeating campaign to hunt down ... workers.

Misplaced priorities don’t come cheap.

Murderers and corporate criminals get off scot-free while immigrant workers are rounded up in large-scale raids, separated from husbands and daughters, sentenced to jail, deprived of basic human rights while incarcerated, and hopelessly separated from American-citizen children and spouses through the final act of deportation.

Even as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency’s budget spiked to $218 million last year (up from $9 million in 2003), report after report on horrendous ICE detention conditions continued to surface as people died and jails were forced to close.

The piece continues:

According to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, of the 72,000 people arrested through last February, 73 percent had no criminal record. Border Patrol agents in California and Maryland, meanwhile, tell of pressure to arrest workers at day-labor corners and convenience stores to meet quotas.

Check out this video of one such incident, where ICE agents rounded up Latino men at a 7-Eleven Convenience Store:

 

Our country should not be hunting down and incarcerating immigrant men and women buying coffee at 7-Eleven—turning them into scapegoat criminals – while real criminals roam free and taxpayers foot the bill.

It’s time, in the Editors’ words:

…to clear out backlogs in legal immigration, to rescue families from limbo, to throw sunlight on the shadow economy, to deter unlawful hiring, to replace chaos with lawfulness and order. All those priorities have languished in the deportation era.

Let’s reallocate the $218 million currently spent jailing workers, splitting apart families, and trampling human rights.  Now is the time for a new administration to move quickly to turn the tide of the costly misplaced priorities of the last.

Posted 02/20/09 at 03:45pm By Paco Fabian

The Great GOP Immigration Battle: Mass-Deportation vs. Political Survival

battle

We busted out the popcorn last week and watched the battle raging over at the National Review Online -- for nothing less than the future of the Republican Party. 

The back-and-forth was mainly between Richard Nadler, who argues that Republicans need to rethink the politics of mass-deportation to remain viable, and his five critics:  Glynn Custred, John Fonte, Mark Krikorian, Heather Mac Donald, and Rep. Lamar Smith, who we already wrote about this week.

Well, yesterday the American Spectator added this to the debate:

Conservatives are thus caught between a rock and a hard place. If Nadler is right, and I think he is, immigration enforcement has the potential to alienate the country's fastest-growing demographic group and push it to the left.

In other words: enforcement-only immigration policy, focusing mainly on the mass-deportation of Latino voters' friends and family members, is probably a politically risky venture for a Party that's struggling to stop bleeding Latino voters.

The article continues:

But if the restrictionists are right, and I think they are, failure to enact sound immigration policies that better integrate newcomers will also have the effect of pushing the country to the left. It's not an easy dilemma to resolve.

First, it would help to realize that the restrictionists are not advocating for the "better integration of newcomers." They are advocating the mass deportation of 12 million hard-working immigrants, but continue trying to mask their agenda, instead claiming to be advocates for lower immigration levels, as conservative analyst Richard Nadler so clearly articulated.

Ramesh Ponnuru, a Senior Editor at the National Review Online, weighed in on the National Review's  "great immigration dust-up" this way:

The critics mostly battled straw men and refused to acknowledge that opposition to comprehensive immigration reform incurs any political cost at all.

That's right. But it seems that this message is finally breaking through and that the debate is turning from whether mass-deportation policies are politically costly to whether Republicans should still pursue them, despite the fact that they are.

One of the more humorous statements in the Spectator read:

Almost nobody of consequence advocates mass deportation.

Tell that to Richard Nadler.  In "A Costly Debate: Memo to the restrictionists: Mass deportation is a deal breaker," he writes:

So I'll restate my thesis. If conservative Republicans continue to advocate the mass removal of resident illegals, our candidates will lose Hispanic vote share - to the point where our performance among Hispanics mirrors that among African Americans.

The debate can be summed up as "Mass-Deportation" vs. "GOP Political Survival," and it's far from over.

Posted 02/19/09 at 02:36pm By Jackie Mahendra

NDN: Obama’s Piolin Interview, Money, and the New Politics of Immigration

NDN logoThe NDN blog has three great posts up on immigration today, all worth a read. One, by Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro, applauds President Obama for showing his continuing engagement with Hispanic audiences by appearing on top-ranking Los Angeles Latino radio personality, El Piolin's, syndicated show:

Yesterday, the President fulfilled his promise to grant an interview to El Piolin, during which he discussed recent achievements, the economic stimulus package and immigration reform.  El Piolin, or Eddie Sotelo, is one of the most televised radio personalities in the nation. His show, Piolin por La Mañana, is the top ranking for morning shows in Los Angeles (regardless of language) and its 50 syndicated markets. [...]

Studies indicate that Hispanics are suffering disproportionately in this economic crisis, and Obama's appearance on this show indicates his desire to reach them directly and let them know he is working on solving this economic crisis.

America's Voice is glad to see the President keeping his promises to the Latino community, and continuing to reach out on issues of importance to Spanish-speaking audiences.

Another post quotes a great piece by Cristina Jimenez, in the American Prospect. It's called, "The Real Economics of Immigration" and refutes a recent Wall Street Journal column that posited that immigration reform just couldn't happen during a recession. Jimenez states:

For years, there has been little analysis of how a path toward legalization would increase the positive economic contributions of undocumented immigrants. Instead, conservative critics have found willing partners in the media and government to turn immigration reform into a zero-sum game, a war of us-versus-them in which every job performed by an "illegal" must have been stolen from a more deserving American.

The politics won't change until the real economics of immigration reframe the debate.

Here's a reality check: [...] Contra the myth of immigrants as economic parasites, tax dollars from undocumented immigrants are an integral part of our national economy, funding programs like unemployment benefits that support a large number of Americans in a time of economic crisis. This money is more indispensable than ever. 

The final post, called, "Making the Case for Passing Immigration Reform This Year, described today's NDN panel discussion on the new politics of immigration, with America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry. While most of us realize that our broken immigration system is in desperate need of fixing, one less obvious reason to get it done now is what NDN's Simon Rosenberg calls the threat of endless "immigration proxy-wars." Simon writes, in a recent Huffington Post piece:

This year we have seen how this national failure has infected debates about other vital national priorities. SCHIP was held up. The stimulus was loaded up with a provision to use our broken and dangerous worker verification system that would undoubtedly disrupt the orderly flow of money to the states. [...]

Passing comprehensive immigration reform may very well be the key that unlocks progress on a wide variety of other domestic challenges.

We couldn't agree more.

Posted 02/19/09 at 09:07am By Web Team

Vigil

aith Leaders Represent: Prayer, Renewal, and Action on Immigration

By Patty Kupfer

 

It's official - something big has gotten started in the last couple of weeks, and I'm excited to tell you about it.  The latest estimates from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition are that there will be over 130 events around the country during this Congressional Recess, calling on the new administration to act on immigration this year. 

 

That's right: 130 events.

 

About twelve of these, under the banner of Prayer, Renewal, and Action on Immigration, had or expect to have more than 100 attendees. More than thirty event leaders expect over fifty.

 

Below are just a few of the news clips featuring the vigils organized by our partners in the movement for just, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform. I've had the pleasure of talking with many of the vigil organizers this week and, let me tell you, the faith community is fired up!  They understand the urgency of the suffering of immigrants under our current system, they know that praying together around the country will help create new momentum for CIR, and are thrilled to be adding their voices to the calls on President Obama and Congress to lead on immigration reform.

 

Here's a sneak peak at the press coverage so far:

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Posted 02/18/09 at 10:48pm By Patty Kupfer

Faith Leaders Represent: Prayer, Renewal, and Action on Immigration

Vigil logoIt's official - something big has gotten started in the last couple of weeks, and I'm excited to tell you about it.  The latest estimates from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition are that there will be over 130 events around the country during this Congressional Recess, calling on the new administration to act on immigration this year. 

That's right: 130 events.

About twelve of these, under the banner of Prayer, Renewal, and Action on Immigration, had or expect to have more than 100 attendees. More than thirty event leaders expect over fifty.

Below are just a few of the news clips featuring the vigils organized by our partners in the movement for just, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform. I've had the pleasure of talking with many of the vigil organizers this week and, let me tell you, the faith community is fired up!  They understand the urgency of the suffering of immigrants under our current system, they know that praying together around the country will help create new momentum for CIR, and are thrilled to be adding their voices to the calls on President Obama and Congress to lead on immigration reform.

Here's a sneak peak at the press coverage so far:

1) Dallas Morning News, 16-Feb-09: From Dallas church, people pray for 'humane and just' immigration reform. By Jeff Mosier.

2) Idaho Press Tribune, 17-Feb-09: Vigil will focus on immigration. By Sharon Strauss

3) Aurora Sentinel, 16-Feb-09: Faith calls together crowd for immigration vigil. By Brandon Johansson                     

4) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 17-Feb-09: Interfaith church vigil calls for immigration reform. By Gary McLendon 

5) WHEC News, 17-Feb-09: Immigration reform prayer service.       

6) ABC 11 News, 16-Feb-09: Immigration supporters pray for change. By Amanda Fitzpatrick                 

7) North Carolina News Network, 17-Feb-09: Prayer For An End To Immigration Raids. By Matt Willoughby      

8) Raleigh News & Observer, 16-Feb-09: Prayer vigil focuses on immigration.

9) WRAL News, 16-Feb-09: Raleigh joins national vigil for immigration reform

10) Omaha World Herald, 16-Feb-09:  Bishops take on immigrant policies By Cindy Gonzalez

11) Virginian Pilot, 12-Feb-09: Religious group to host immigration talk in Va. Beach By Patrick Wilson                

12) Alter Net, 12-Feb-09: Religious Leaders Help Shape Immigration Debate By Marcelo Ballvé

13) Christian Post, 12-Feb-09: Faith Leaders Re-Ignite Immigration Debate By Michelle A. Vu

14) The Hill, 17-Feb-09: Immigration reform advocates push forward in tough economy By Jim Snyder

15) Decorah Journal, 18-Feb-09: Postville prayer vigil Thursday

16) MSNBC, 17-Feb-09: Immigration reform prayer service

17) Jersey Journal, 18-Feb-09: Immigration vigil tonight

18) Catholic News Agency, 17-Feb-09: Nebraska bishops use input from laity to tackle immigration reform

19) Columbus Telegram, 17-Feb-09: Bishops urge care with immigrants By Nate Jenkins

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