America's Voice Blog

Posted 05/28/10 at 09:50am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Obama’s Press Conference; Calderón Reacts; More Troops Vetoed

The Spanish-language press covered press conferences by both President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón yesterday, as the Senate voted down Republican border-security measures being proposed as amendments to a defense bill.

Obama's press conference. The president spoke about the necessity of immigration reform, called on Republicans to collaborate, defended his decision to send National Guard troops to the border, discussed the inappropriateness of Arizona law SB 1070, and declined to take a position on the Arizona boycott. EFE, Reuters, AFP, La Opinión, and the AP have more on the story.

Calderón reacts. EFE covers Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s reaction to Obama’s decision to send the National Guard to the border. Reuters and EFE report on his demands that the Canadian government reverse its decision to require visas of any Mexican entering the country.

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Posted 05/27/10 at 10:47am By Jackie Mahendra

BREAKING: Wasteful Border Amendments Defeated in Senate Today

Good news: all three wasteful border amendments voted on in the Senate today were defeated, thanks in part to the tens of thousands of emails, phonecalls, and faxes made by concerned constituents.

Via Reform Immigration for America:

First up was an amendment introduced by Senator McCain. The amendment would have sent 6,000 National Guardsmen to the southern border. This would have come a day after the White House agreed to send 1,200 troops to the border, but do nothing towards reforming our broken system.  Federal law enforcement agencies are the real experts on border security and we should allow them to do their job, not the National Guard.

Next was an amendment introduced by Senator Kyl. Rather than deal with the real issues of immigration, Kyl offered an amendment to expand the failed program Operation Streamline, throwing more money at a program that diverts crucial and limited federal judicial resources away from counter-drug and smuggling prosecutions.

Last, was an amendment introduced by Senator Cornyn. ­­­­Instead of supporting real solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, Sen. Cornyn offered an amendment to provide a mind-blowing $ 1,985,540,000 total in additional funding for enforcement-only operations that have been proven to be both ineffective and avoid any real solutions on the issue.

There were over 30,000 phone calls and faxes asking Senators to vote “NO” on these misguided amendments. Thanks to this pressure, there was no more additional money wasted on bad policies that do nothing to advance our fight for immigration reform.

Some of the more interesting votes:

On the Senator McCain’s amendment (4214), there was one Republican who voted down the bill: Senator Voinovich (R-OH).

The list of Democrats who went for McCain’s policy are: Senator Boxer (D-CA), Senator Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Nelson (D-NE), Senator Webb (D-VA), McCaskill (D-MO), Senator Bayh (D-IN), Senator Lincoln (D-AR), Senator Pryor (D-AR), Senator Bennet (D-CO), Senator Nelson (D-FL), Senator Byrd (D-WV)

On Senator Kyl’s amendment (4228), no Republicans unanimously supported.

These Democrats voted in favor: Senator Boxer (D-CA), Senator Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Landrieu (D-LA), Senator Nelson (D-NE), Senator Webb (D-VA), Senator Wyden (D-OR), Senator Merkeley (D-OR), McCaskill (D-MO), Senator Bayh (D-IN), Senator Lincoln (D-AR), Senator Pryor (D-AR), Senator Begich (D-AK).

On Senator Cornyn’s amendment (4202), Republicans unanimously supported.

These Democrats voted in favor: Senator Bayh (D-IN), Seantor Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Boxer (D-CA), Senator Nelson (D-NE), Senator Pryor (D-AR), Senator Webb (D-VA), Senator Baucus (D-MT), Sentaor Lincoln (D-AR), Senator McCaskill (D-MO), Senator Klobuchar (D-MI), Sentor Udall (D-CO), Senator Lieberman (D-CT), Senator Kohl (D-WI).

Kudos to Senator Voinovich for having the guts to stand against border-only immigration policy that would have done nothing to fix our immigration crisis and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars. Shame on the other 99% of Republican Senators and all of the Democrats listed above.

As Senator John McCain himself said in 2007, “our nation’s immigration system is broken and is badly in need of repair, but without comprehensive immigration reform, it is a fact that our nation’s security will remain vulnerable,” and, “The most effective border protection tool we have is establishing a legal channel for workers to enter the United States after they have passed background checks and have secured employment."

Posted 05/27/10 at 09:56am By Guest Blogger

Weekly Diaspora: Obama Deploys Troops to Border Amid Rising Civil Disobedience

by Erin Rosa, Media Consortium blogger:

President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that he would be deploying 1,200 National Guard troops to the Mexican border to beef up security along the Río Bravo. This surprise move has garnered criticism from immigrant rights supporters, who argue that it will dehumanize and endanger immigrant and Latino communities.

Julianne Hing at RaceWire offers more details on the plan, reporting that an extra $500 million has also been allocated to law enforcement along the border.

“Obama is reportedly asking for these troop increases in anticipation of Republicans’ demands on a war spending bill this week,” Hing writes. “But Obama’s already outpaced his predecessors in spending on border security and military presence at the border.”

With the militarization of the border there is a heightened sense of danger not only for immigrants, but also for residents. It’s happened before. Esequiel Hernández, a US citizen and high school student, was wrongfully killed by Marines 13 years ago, near the border in Texas after increased militarization.

The deportation race

Even more disheartening, John Morton, Assistant Secretary for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, boasted that deportations of undocumented immigrants had already increased by 40 percent this year alone, and were sure to surpass last year’s total of 400,000, according to Suzy Khimm at Mother Jones.

“At the same time, a breakdown of the deportation numbers makes it clear that it’s not just criminal immigrants that federal immigration officials are targeting,” Khimm  writes. “There’s been a small decrease in the number of non-criminal immigrants who’ve been deported, but they still make up a large majority of deportations.”

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Posted 05/27/10 at 09:38am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Cops Say No to 1070; Border Troops

The top story in the Spanish-language press is yesterday’s meeting between several police chiefs of U.S. cities and Attorney General Eric Holder regarding Arizona SB 1070. President Obama's decision to send National Guard troops to the border also continues to receive significant coverage.

Cops say no to 1070. The police chiefs warned the Attorney General, who is considering a legal challenge to the Arizona law, and the press that SB 1070 and similar laws would increase crime. A La Opinión (Los Angeles) editorial backs the chiefs. El Diario-La Prensa (New York), Reuters, El Porvenir, Univision.com, the AP, Yahoo News and La Opinión have more on the story.

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Posted 05/26/10 at 03:18pm By Marjorie Valbrun

Police Chiefs Oppose Arizona Law,  Meet with Attorney General Eric Holder

Ten police chiefs from cities across the country, including three from Arizona, traveled to Washington, DC today to meet with Attorney General Eric Holder and reiterate what they’ve been saying for weeks: Arizona’s new immigration enforcement law will make their jobs harder, erode working relationships built on mutual trust and cooperation between law enforcement and immigrants, and  make communities less safe. The federal government should step in to prevent more states from following suit.

Watch a clip from the AP:

The chiefs, representing cities and counties with large immigrant populations from Phoenix to Philadelphia, should know. Between them they have more than 100 years of policing experience and they know what works and what doesn’t work.  What doesn’t work, they say, is state legislatures imposing new mandates on already stretched police departments requiring local officers to do the federal government's job by going after illegal immigrants.

That message came through loud and clear during a news conference the chiefs held today. One after another they spoke of the challenges immigration enforcement laws such as Arizona’s present to police departments, including three police departments in Arizona  – Phoenix, Tucson and Sahuarita  – that are most likely to feel the effects first if the law goes into effect, as expected, on July 29.  

“The primary job of local law enforcement is not immigration enforcement,” said Charlie Beck, Los Angeles’ police chief.  “It is to protect the community from crime. The Arizona legislation does not do this. We now very well how to do our job and legislation like this inhibits us from doing our job.”

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Posted 05/26/10 at 10:21am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: More Border Troops; New Poll; Feds Take On 1070?

The Spanish-language press gives substantial coverage to President Obama’s announcement that he plans to send more National Guard troops to the border. Rumors that the Department of Justice will take action against Arizona's SB 1070 also receive press, as does a new poll by America's Voice shows that support for comprehensive immigration reform is stronger than support for the Arizona law.

More border troops. Obama's announcement came after a meeting with the Senate’s Republican caucus. EFE writes:

“(Frank) Sharry, of the organization America’s Voice, did not conceal his frustration as he said that Obama entered the “lion’s den” and challenged Republicans to work with him on immigration reform, but got nothing in return.”

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Posted 05/25/10 at 04:06pm By Frank Sharry

Joe Wilson Redux? Obama Sends Troops to Border to Appease GOP

Cross-Posted at Huffington Post:

Looks like President Obama will be giving Senators John McCain (R-AZ), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) most of what they’re asking for: $500 million in new border security funds and 1,200 National Guards deployed to the Southern border. All this, in exchange for… refusing to support comprehensive immigration reform. 

Say what?

Let’s rewind. Earlier today President Obama spoke with Republican Senators about the need for comprehensive immigration reform.  He went straight into the Lion’s Den and challenged Republicans to work with him on comprehensive immigration reform.  So far, so good, we thought.

But here’s the thing: President Obama left the Lion’s Den having given into the key GOP demand of “border security first” without getting anything in return.  Sound familiar?

President Obama no doubt was eloquent in making his case for comprehensive immigration reform.  He gets it.  He is right when he says the only realistic solution to illegal immigration is a comprehensive overhaul that augments border security measures with a crackdown on illegal hiring and exploitative employers, a requirement that those in the U.S. illegally come forward and meet certain requirements in order to work towards citizenship, and reforms of our legal immigration system going forward. 

Then we learn that he’s asking Congress for half a billion in funding for border security and planning to deploy 1,200 National Guards there as well.  This is similar to what Senators McCain and Kyl have been demanding recently.  McCain and Kyl, both former champions of the kind of comprehensive reform that President Obama advocates, have turned their back on the approach they fought hard for in the past.  They have even embraced Arizona’s new “papers please” law. Approved on a party line vote by the Republican-dominated Arizona legislature, Arizona’s SB 1070 has sparked national boycotts and protests of the state.  They now repeat the vacuous sound-bite of “border security first” and have most of the GOP repeating it ad nauseum.

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Posted 05/25/10 at 10:04am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: 37 More Arrests and Counting; Who’s In Charge?; Boycott…Sonora?

The Spanish-language press covers continued civil-disobedience actions and protests against SB 1070 and for immigration reform. Political reporters wonder who's setting the agenda in Washington, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to boycott Sonora back.

37 more arrests and counting. El Diario-La Prensa (New York) and EFE cover a civil-disobedience action in New York during which 37 activists were arrested. The protesters denounced Arizona SB 1070 and called for immigration reform. La Opinión (Los Angeles) and the AP cover preparations for Saturday’s protest against SB 1070 in Phoenix, reporting that union leaders in California have announced that they plan to travel without papers to Arizona for the protest.

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Posted 05/24/10 at 10:29am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Growing Up Too Soon; Napolitano on 1070; Protests Continue

Over the weekend, Spanish-language media outlets kept last week’s exchange about immigration between the First Lady and a young girl in the headlines. Elsewhere in the Spanish-language press, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leaves the possibility open that ICE will not cooperate in enforcing Arizona law SB 1070, and a rise in civil disobedience around the country leaves many courageous young people facing deportation.

Growing up too soon. Over the weekend, Spanish-language media outlets kept last week’s story about the First Lady’s exchange with a young girl about the immigration issue alive. El Financiero notes that millions of children are in a similar situation to that of the young girl, who was afraid her mother would be deported for not having papers, and quotes Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice. La Voz (Arizona) publishes an AP report in which Alan García, president of Peru, expresses his pride that the young girl was of Peruvian descent, as El Comercio (Lima) reports that there are about 500,000 undocumented Peruvians in the United States.

La Opinión (Los Angeles) writes, in an editorial titled “Growing Up Too Soon”:

“The seven-year-old girl brought an unavoidable reality close to home. Millions of families, with undocumented parents and children who are United States citizens, live in fear of separation after years spent building a life together in our country.”

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Posted 05/21/10 at 12:52pm By Mahwish Khan

Hundreds Protests in Seattle - Calls for Immigration Reform Escalate

Hundreds of people engaged in civil disobedience yesterday in downtown Seattle by peacefully taking over a building and blocking traffic in streets. They were protesting federal inaction on immigration reform carrying signs that read, "Obama, Lead With Courage." The building, which was located downtown, houses some key audiences: the immigration court, Customs and Border Patrol, as well as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.

The rally included several prominent Washington immigration reform activists, including One America Executive Director Pramila Jayapal, El Centro de la Raza Executive Director Estela Ortega, and Seattle City Councilman Larry Gossett, who were willing and hoping to get arrested to bring attention to the cause. Seattle's rally is just one of many to take place in the next few weeks as immigrant advocates continue their campaign of escalation. Already, planned arrests have occurred in D.C., Tucson, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Major actions across the country are anticipated for May 29th.

The Seattle action, which was organized by the Washington Immigration Reform Coalition, risked the arrest of 43 members of the group.

Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director of Seattle’s OneAmerica, had this to say about the protest:

We are proud to have been part of an action that expressed the moral urgency and the sacrifice people are willing to take for this movement…We will use the incredible momentum and energy to build this movement and continue fighting for reform.

Check out the video:

 

The Seattle protest is just one of a series of non-violent demonstrations happening across the country, keeping the pressure on Obama to pass true, federal immigration reform – a promise he has thus far failed to keep.

With un-American legislation like Arizona’s SB 1070 cropping up in at least 11 other states, it's clearer than ever that the Obama Administration needs to take a firm stand immediately, instead of simply decrying Arizona’s move to take federal immigration law into its own hands. While the Arizona GOP deserves plenty of blame for dragging the nation backward on immigration, the President and Democrats are in power-- and they are increasingly finding themselves on the receiving end of escalating activist angst.

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