America's Voice Blog

Posted 11/30/09 at 03:15pm By Patty Kupfer

“A Strong Catholic Voice” Warms Up for Immigration Reform in 2010

The "new faces" supporting real immigration reform aren't the only reason the movement is stronger than it's ever been. Longtime allies like the Catholic Church are stepping up their efforts and preparing to mobilize in a new, bigger way in 2010, as Catholic News Service reported last week:

A new postcard campaign in 2010 will urge Congress to take up as its next priority comprehensive immigration reform that would reunite families, regularize the status of an estimated 12 million people in this country illegally and restore due process protections for immigrants.

"We want to increase Catholic grass-roots support for immigration reform, but we also want to show members of Congress a strong Catholic voice and strong Catholic numbers in support of immigration reform," said Antonio Cube, national manager of the U.S. bishops' Justice for Immigrants project, in a Nov. 16 conference call with reporters.

Between this and the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's "Home for the Holidays" postcard campaign, it looks like Congress is about to find out how deeply committed faith communities are to just and humane immigration reform -- calls for real change will be rolling in by the bagful.

Posted 11/30/09 at 09:27am By Jackie Mahendra

Associated Press: Widening, Diverse Movement Calls for Immigration Reform

crowdIf you were still in a tryptophan-induced turkey coma when the Associated Press published this piece last weekend, you should check it out today. In “Immigration reform activists diversifying ranks,” Suzanne Gamboa reports on the widening movement to pass real immigration reform:

With the 2010 election year looming, Democrat Barack Obama in the White House and increasing numbers of Asian-American and Pacific Islanders in Congress, many groups, including the NAACP, are working harder in the traditionally Latino-led movement, sensing a fresh opportunity to overhaul laws affecting millions of immigrants, both legal and illegal.

 "For far too long, the Latino population in the U.S. has really borne the brunt of the anti-immigrant sentiment," said Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y. Washington NAACP bureau director Hillary Shelton said: "The immigration debate needs to have, in addition to a Latino face, it needs to have a Haitian face. It needs to have an Asian face."

Unquestionably, the immigration issue is a temperature's-rising matter; opinions are strong, in some cases ranging to demands to close the borders. And no small part of the renewed impetus for revamping the system are the increasing immigrant crackdowns.

Click here to read more.
Posted 11/25/09 at 12:01pm By Dara Lind

Got Milk? Thank Immigrants

We know that immigrant workers are a crucial, though often invisible, part of the American workforce. However, as we sit down to pumpkin pies with whipped cream on top this week, it's important to remember just how many American businesses --dairy farming firmly among them -- rely on immigrants to run.

Just ask the Vermont dairy farmer profiled on Vermont Public Radio yesterday morning. Listen to what he tells his employees (most of whom come from Mexico):

You guys are very important. You guys run this farm. I don't milk the cows here. You guys know the cows.

With the latest round of employment audits from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hitting Vermont farmers, the farm owned by the farmer in the VPR segment worries aloud what might happen if he's next:

If all of a sudden my guys were gone tomorrow, it would be really hard to operate.

"It's hard to find people to do the work," he tells VPR, not to mention the time it would take to train a new workforce to become as skilled as his current farmhands.

The farmer, like so many small businessmen who have come to trust and rely on immigrant workers, intimately understands that ICE's current piecemeal enforcement actions aren't a real solution to our immigration crisis-- they are placing many small American businesses in a state of severe anxiety and uncertainty at a time when our economy is incredibly fragile.

As so many of us do, this Vermont farmer hopes to see a system whereby immigrant laborers like the ones who "run (his) farm" can work legally in the United States, to support American businesses and pursue the American dream for themselves and their families.

So, if you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this week, and your Uncle Bill tells you we should kick all the immigrants laborers out, just shake your head and ask:

Got milk?

Posted 11/25/09 at 09:35am By Maribel Hastings

The Faith Movement

Part 5 in the series "Immigration Reform: Know the Players"

This Thanksgiving week, as end-of-year celebrations commence, faith groups across the country stress the moral urgency of immigration reform. These groups have played an important role in the immigration debate, although the process has not been without controversy.

In the 1980s, Catholic priests led marches in Los Angeles calling for legalization of the undocumented, and some offered their churches as sanctuaries -- often challenging their superiors by doing so.

In recent years, undocumented activist Elvira Arellano became nationally known when she stayed for a full year in a Methodist church in Chicago which had granted her asylum.

Read full article at MaribelHastings.com

 

Posted 11/24/09 at 03:30pm By Jackie Mahendra

GOP Reality Check: Should U.S. Be a “Shining City Upon a Hill” or an Electrified Livestock Pen?

Looks like a group of Republicans are seeking to impose a litmus test on candidates seeking party support. We think it's time for the Republican Party to ask themselves which America they want to live in: the "shining city on a hill" or the electrified livestock pen, with the $300 billion price tag.

Entitled “Resolution on Reagan’s Unity Principle for Support of Candidates,” the ten question survey includes standard conservative principles: support for smaller government and lower taxes, for instance.

But the immigration plank raises an interesting, if inconvenient, question for the resolution’s authors: would Ronald Reagan have passed this GOP Purity Test? 

According to the resolution, real Republicans should support:

...legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants. [emphasis added]

Never mind that when President Reagan signed the 1986 immigration bill into law, he stated:

The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society.  Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.

It appears that, given the right’s obsession with “amnesty” – defined as anything short of the mass deportation of the 12 million undocumented men, women, and children living, working and contributing to our nation– Ronald Reagan himself could not have met the "principles" being peddled in his name. 

In his farewell address to the nation, President Reagan referred back to his vision for America as a “shining city upon a hill.”  Reagan evoked this sunny image:

I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it.  In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity.   And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and heart to get here.

Click here to read more.
Posted 11/23/09 at 01:41pm By Jackie Mahendra

Help Us Celebrate One Less Turkey on TV: Lou Dobbs

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and now is the time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for.

Here’s one for the books: Lou Dobbs is off CNN! And you made it happen.

It’s time to share the good news: Lou Dobbs is one less turkey on TV this Thanksgiving. That’s one big step toward bringing our country together to debate real solutions on immigration. We’ve created a fun Thanksgiving e-card you can share with your family and friends, so take a look, have a laugh, and pass it on.

We all know that the bigger the movement grows, the stronger each of our voices are.

This victory didn’t happen by accident. One person, then another, and eventually hundreds of thousands of others, joined together-- and didn’t stop until the loudest immigration propagandist in America lost his primetime platform.

So check out our e-card, and then forward it to 10 people—together we can create immigration policy that lives up to our best values as Americans.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at America's Voice!

Posted 11/23/09 at 10:37am By Jackie Mahendra

Lou Dobbs Newsflash: Dobbs Was “Great Friend” to Latinos, Despite Leprosy Claims

dobbs protestNewsflash: Forget all that controversy surrounding CNN's Latinos in America series earlier this fall (CNN came under heavy fire for keeping incendiary host Lou Dobbs as a mainstream news anchor while trying to reach out to Latino audiences). Apparently, Lou Dobbs should now be known as Latinos' "great friend," according to... well, Lou Dobbs.

To give Lou some credit, he did find a way to incorporate Latinos, especially Latino immigrants, into just about every "Lou Dobbs Tonight" broadcast, even when the topic was completely unrelated. Heck, Dobbs even gave Latino immigrants credit for a new wave of leprosy in the United States.

What a guy.

Andrea Nill of Think Progress has the story, in "Dobbs Calls Himself Latinos’ ‘Greatest Friend,’ Denies Tying Leprosy To Undocumented Immigrants:"

Today in an interview with Maria Celeste on Telemundo’s Al Rojo Vivo, ousted CNN anchor Lou Dobbs denied ever erroneously claiming that undocumented immigrants are bringing leprosy to the United States. Instead he attacked Celeste for bringing up reports that he aired on his show in the past. From interview (translated from Spanish):

DOBBS: Let’s be very clear: I did not support that report, in fact we corrected that report. And secondly, in fairness to me, I never said a word about leprosy and undocumented immigrants as you call them. My correspondent on our broadcast ad-libbed…obviously she was wrong. My only declaration in response to that report was one word: “incredible.”

CELESTE: You were also confronted with this erroneous information by Leslie Stahl on 60 Minutes and you said that you supported 100% of what you had said on the show, and that you were the managing editor of the program, and in your show, everything that was said was factual….

DOBBS: Maria, in the interest of fairness, would you like to tell your audience how long ago that report was?

CELESTE:That was a few years ago…

DOBBS: No, Maria, that was four years ago…

CELESTE: It doesn’t matter how many years ago, you never retracted…This is your opportunity to clarify that and once and for all put it to rest doing whatever you choose to do — an apology, a retraction — whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Watch it:

 

Nill continues by reminding Think Progress readers that Dobbs never retracted his statement, nor did he take the opportunity on Telemundo to apologize for demonizing immigrants in such an egregious manner:

Despite the fact that Dobbs did in fact state that “the invasion of illegal aliens is threatening the health of many Americans,” he refused to issue a retraction or apology on Telemundo.

However, Dobbs did tell the Latino community that he is one of its “greatest friends,” and he wants to work with them. He defended himself on the show by explaining that he is not “an enemy of Latinos,” but rather that the far-left has characterized him as such with its propaganda. The CBS website shows the 60 Minutes segment that aired in 2007.

That sleight of hand, I might add, is what is truly "incredible."

Posted 11/20/09 at 03:39pm By Adam Luna

Hate Group FAIR Looking for “Ethnically Ambiguous” Actors—Think You Have What it Takes?

We just got word that the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated a hate group, is holding a casting call in Atlanta tomorrow for a new web video that will change the hearts and minds of the average American.   

Think you have what it takes to be a mouthpiece for hate?

They will pay $500 to “ethnically ambiguous” actors in their 20s or 30s, with no Southern accent, who can work with a teleprompter -- to help them put a modern face on their extreme agenda and disguise their clear ties to white nationalism.

FAIR spends millions of dollars a year on online ads to promote videos like this on websites -- including some progressive ones you know and read. So if you get the part, you could be the envy of  “ethnically ambiguous” racists across the country!

Watch this to learn what FAIR's like when the teleprompter turns off:

To help you out, here are some quotes from FAIR leaders. Try practicing them in front of the mirror before heading to the casting call.

John Tanton,  FAIR Founder and Board Director, and publisher of the Social Contract Press, a white nationalist hate zine:

“As Whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night? or will there be an explosion?”

Click here to read more.
Posted 11/20/09 at 10:00am By Web Team

VIDEO: How We Will Make Real Immigration Reform a Reality!

Cross-Posted from Reform Immigration for America:

On Wednesday night, 60,000 people joined what was an incredible call to action on overhauling our nation’s broken immigration laws.

Today, we’re releasing a new video that features Congressman Luis Gutierrez unveiling his principles for reform in October, and which calls on all of us to help build the movement for real immigration reform:

We all know our immigration system needs fixing.

Immigration has been used as a wedge to obstruct progress on everything from the Stimulus to health care reform— even the 2010 Census. There are many skeptics out there who believe Congress doesn’t have what it takes to pass reform in 2010 – or that even if they have what it takes, they don’t have the nerve to do it.

Click here to read more.
Posted 11/20/09 at 09:08am By Web Team

Weekly Diaspora: Fort Hood, Pundits and Immigration Reform

This post is a weekly feature by Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger.

First it was immigrants from Mexico, now Muslims in the armed services. After the tragic shootings at Fort Hood, conservative pundits are verbally attacking Muslims and Arab-Americans, much like they have vilified the immigrant community. The complexities of Islamic faith are being glossed over and "Muslim Terrorist" is stamped upon any act of violence involving their community. As a result, nuanced voices are buried in favor of suspicion and violence.

Dr. Riad Z Abdelkarim loves and serves this country, but is lumped in with alleged and actual enemies of the state due to his faith. In an article for The Progressive, Abdelkarim writes about his sense of anger and betrayal over the Fort Hood massacre. He is angry that the perpetrator of such harm is an American and as a doctor. He feels betrayed because the killer practices Islam, which is a beautiful and inspiring faith to Dr. Abdelkarim. "The Fort Hood murders are a huge setback" to the progress that Arab-Americans and American Muslims have made to clear the "guilt by association" that has affected their communities since 9/11, writes Abdelkarim.

The Real News Network also thoughtfully examines the aftermath of Fort Hood. Host Riz Khan gives background on shooter Nidal Malik Hasan and explores the effects of the Fort Hood shooting. Kahn asks "If a Muslim commits a serious crime in America, is that crime seen as that much more deadly?"

The violent culture that many U.S. citizens attribute to Islam and Arab-Americans criminalizes everyday people. For example, a bit of Arabic script led to a frenzied media reaction when Texas border guards found "ski jacket with three unusual patches" in Hebbronville, Texas in 2005. The patches were irresponsibly described as "terrorist garb" by "right wing media," according to the Texas Observer. "One [patch] featured a lion’s head, a parachute and Arabic script, another an airplane flying toward a tower and the words 'Midnight Mission.' The third patch read 'Daiwa.'"

It all made for a "fine story," as Melissa Del Bosque writes. But the results were not so dramatic. "Daiwa" is an ad for a "popular fishing company," the Arabic is the symbol of a "defunct air brigade in Syria" that was in fact "anti-Islamist," and the jacket more than likely bought at one of the "pulgas" (flea markets) located closer to the border. It is fortunate that the voices trying to connect Al Qaeda and Mexicans were not successful.

In RaceWire, Debiyani Kar reports on the Obama administration's latest announcements that immigration reform would come in 2010. Kar cuts to the heart of the issue, reminding us that "it is time to pause and make the connection again between (im)migration and globalization." If our nation is truly interested in addressing the roots of the problem, rather than passing sweeping reform every decade, we have to address this issue. Meanwhile, Kar also reminds us that migrants "are not waiting for legal reforms to take control of their economic futures," and wield their own economic power.

Click here to read more.

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