America's Voice Blog

Posted 06/30/10 at 01:57pm By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: White House Action; Spread of 1070?; Enforcement Programs

The Spanish-language press leads with yesterday’s meeting between President Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the White House, and the address the President will give tomorrow on immigration reform. In the rest of the country, DHS enforcement programs expand -- at cost to kids -- while activists and Democrats try to keep Arizona's SB 1070 from spreading to their states.

White House action. AOL Latino runs a blog post by Maribel Hastings of America’s Voice, “Obama to promote immigration reform in Thursday speech,” on the topic. La Opinión (Los Angeles), AFP, EFE, La Crónica, and ANSA have more on the story. 

Spread of 1070? Al Día (Dallas) writes that the Democratic Party of Texas has condemned Arizona SB 1070. EFE reports on the efforts of community activists in Florida to prevent a similar law from going into effect in that state.

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Posted 06/30/10 at 09:51am By Frank Sharry

AZ Legal Challenge: A Pivotal Moment for Federal Leadership on Immigration

Cross-Posted at Huffington Post:

News is spreading that the Obama Administration is considering a legal challenge to Arizona’s radical new immigration law, SB1070.  For those of us interested in civil rights, community safety, and the rule of law, let us hope so.

If and when the Department of Justice announces a decision to sue the state of Arizona, most Republicans will explode with outrage, some Democrats will cower in fear, and the punditry will quickly declare the Obama Administration’s action as bad short-term politics.  After all, the country wants action on illegal immigration, the Arizona law represents action, and a federal lawsuit seems to represent an attempt to stop action.

A historic moment of truth for civil rights and the Constitution

But what will be missing from the insta-rage and insta-analysis will be the following: The “show me your papers” Arizona law and the resulting litigation will go down in history as a pivotal moment for civil rights and the sovereignty of the Constitution in America.  The larger issues raised in this court case, the ones that will reverberate throughout history, are as follows.

In terms of the Constitution, Arizona litigation will re-open  a crucial question: who controls immigration policy, the feds or the states?  Legal experts believe the constitution confers authority on Congress and the national government, limiting the states’ abilities to create an unruly patchwork of conflicting immigration policies.

Perhaps more to the point, however, the legal challenge will force us to consider whether it is right for any jurisdiction in America to place a target squarely on the backs of Latinos – most of whom are citizens and legal residents – in what amounts to a breathtaking institutionalization of racism.  Does it pass constitutional muster to sacrifice the liberties of an entire ethnic group in order to pursue a policy of expelling some of its members for lacking the proper papers?

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Posted 06/30/10 at 08:47am By Maribel Hastings

Obama Between Reform and S.B. 1070

Translated from America's Voice en Español.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As an Obama Administration delegation traveled to Arizona to discuss border security and SB 1070 with officials there -- and in advance of a speech he will give on Thursday on the need for comprehensive immigration reform -- the president held a meeting Monday at the White House with representatives of pro-immigrant organizations at which he reiterated his commitment to the issue.

Angélica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane and Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), who attended the meeting, told America's Voice that Obama emphasized support for reform but pointed to the difficulty of securing the votes needed to advance it through Congress when Republicans are so reluctant to cooperate with Democratic leadership.

Bur Salas said that even though she is sure Obama's commitment is real, the White House has to do more to "connect" with the suffering of people who are affected on a day-to-day basis by  the Administration's strict enforcement measures and the lack of reform.

"I feel that he (Obama) is committed to immigration reform, but the commitment is very intellectual. He has to connect a little more with the urgency and suffering of our community...to connect directly with reality, because at the moment it seems like he doesn't grasp the urgency. We believe him, but at the end of the day people don't believe that under his leadership anything has changed in their lives," Salas said.

The activist added that the president assured meeting attendees that "in the coming days we'll take concrete steps."

As various outlets have reported, it's possible that the Department of Justice will announce this week whether or not it plans to challenge Arizona law SB 1070. In the absence of a federal challenge, the law will go into effect on July 29th.

Salas said that at the meeting, groups reminded the president that, independently of legislative action on immigration reform, "there are things in his hands that he can do to keep our people from being deported at the same rates they're being deported now."

The White House said that Obama told attendees that "he's planning to give a speech soon on the importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform." On Tuesday, it was announced that this speech would take place at American University on Thursday.

In Arizona on Monday, DHS officials announced that almost half (524) of the 1,200 National Guard troops Obama requested earlier this year have been sent to the Arizona-Mexico border.

Posted 06/29/10 at 11:57am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: White House Meeting; Supreme Court; Mules?

Today, the Spanish-language press leads with yesterday’s White House meeting between President Barack Obama and representatives of groups advocating for immigration reform. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will review a law cracking down on employers of undocumented immigrants that was passed in Arizona, where Governor Jan Brewer is now calling undocumented immigrants "drug mules."

White house meeting. AOL Latino publishes Maribel Hastings’ report, “Obama: between reform and SB 1070,” originally posted at America’s Voice en Español. La Opinión (Los Angeles), EFE, El Financiero, and AFP have more on the story.

Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is reviewing a law passed in Arizona that penalizes businesses who hire undocumented workers, and requires all businesses to use the E-Verify program to check the immigration status of all new hires. The law was signed by Janet Napolitano, who is now Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, when she was governor of Arizona. EFE, La Opinión and the AP have more.

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Posted 06/28/10 at 04:59pm By Jackie Mahendra

BREAKING: Loida, NC Dream Act Faster, Hospitalized During Day 13 of Sen. Kay Hagan Hunger Strike

According to the NewsObserver a young woman named Loida was hospitalized during the thirteenth day of a hunger strike calling on Senator Kay Hagan to co-sponsor the Dream Act:

RALEIGH -- One of the three young women on a hunger strike in downtown Raleigh protesting immigration laws was hospitalized last night, likely because of heat stroke. [...]

Silva was released from the hospital early this morning and is resting at home, and stopped her hunger strike, said Viridiana Martinez, one of the other hunger strikers.

Our thoughts are with Loida and her family for a speedy recovery.

Earlier today we urged our supporters to call on Washington to pass the DREAM Act this summer, and last week we told the story of these three determined NC fasters:

Three young women in North Carolina are starving for the DREAM Act. Viridiana, Loida and Rosario – known as the “North Carolina Dream Team” -- are on day eight of their hunger strike, and will continue with it until Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) publicly endorses this common-sense piece of legislation.[...] 

From the North Carolina Dream Team:

Over a decade ago, our parents were forced to make decisions beyond our control and understanding. They decided to migrate to the land of opportunity, the United States of America, in search of a better future for their family. Throughout the years, we have overcome many barriers. We managed to learn a new language and culture as our own; we are bilingual and bicultural. We have attended schools in a country that we love. We pay taxes. We have given back to our communities through tireless volunteering. However, we have become members of a society that does not recognize us as fully human – we are labeled as illegal aliens and denied equal access to higher education.

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Posted 06/28/10 at 10:23am By Jackie Mahendra

Editorial: Wake up and pass the DREAM immigration reform act

An editorial Saturday in the L.A. Times argues that it is time to "give undocumented young people the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they meet certain requirements." In other words, why it's time to pass the Dream Act now: 

Backers of the bill — known among themselves as "Dreamers" — have been fasting and marching and demonstrating for months. Some have publicly outed themselves as undocumented. They have put faces and names to the 65,000 students who graduate each year from high school into permanent limbo, unable either to work legally or, often, go to college.

We've documented mamy of these actions and struggles here on the blog, and we agree it is time for the Dream Act to move forward.

Please sign the petition to Congress and the White House to pass the Dream Act now -- this summer.

 

Posted 06/28/10 at 09:19am By Jackie Mahendra

AZ Governor Jan Brewer Criticized, Even from McCain, on “Immigrants = Drug Mules” Statement

Over the weekend, AZ Governor Jan Brewer drew criticism for comments she made Friday that exposed a frightening ignorance on the topics of immigration and crime.

AP's Paul Davenport has more in Arizona Governor: Most Illegal Immigrants Are Smuggling Drugs. It turns out that even Senator John McCain, who has enthusiastically backed the state's new "papers please" immigration law and recently sung a hard-line tune on the topic, disagrees with Brewer on her latest assertion. Crooks and Liars has the video, over at McCain disagrees with Brewer: Most undocumented immigrants are not drug mules.

The level of intelligence in the Arizona immigration debate right now is breathtaking.  Then again, this is the same governor who signed the state’s controversial profiling bill, SB 1070, even though she had no idea “what an illegal immigrant looks like.”

Here’s a refresh:

On the "drug mule" topic, Andrea Nill writes at Think Progress:

Brewer’s remarks were in response to Matt Jette, one of the other candidates, who pointed out that most undocumented immigrant come to the U.S. just to work:

JETTE: You act as if the state of Arizona is being terrorized by illegal immigrants. It’s simply not the case. Crime is on the way down. The bottom line with SB-1070 is who can be more extreme with the bill. [...] These people, a lot of them, are just trying to feed their family. They just want to work. Isn’t that a Republican mantra?

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Posted 06/25/10 at 01:13pm By Guest Blogger

Two Steps Forward for Immigration Reform

Cross-Posted from Standing FIRM:

Today, immigration reform saw a welcome two steps forward. First, a press conference today marked over 100 co-sponsors for the CIR ASAP bill, introduced last fall by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL).  At the press conference, members of Congress reaffirmed and intensified their commitment to passing immigration reform.

Much of the message was framed around the passage of SB 1070 in Arizona and the copycat laws that are springing up around the country. Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Barbara Lee spoke out against the racial profiling law:

We must act now. We cant afford to wait any longer. Arizona reminds us of that. We won’t let people divide us anymore. (via ClinicLegal)

Representative Luis Gutierrez, who introduced the legislation, drove home the urgency of the moment:

“The legislative clock is ticking,” stressed Gutierrez. “We know people are getting deported at the highest rate in modern history.”

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Posted 06/25/10 at 10:15am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Napolitano on CIR; Mayors for Reform; Take Our Jobs

In today's top stories in the Spanish-language media, Janet Napolitano reaffirmed the administration's commitment to comprehensive immigration reform in a speech in Denver, while mayors of U.S. cities and the United Farm Workers both highlight the contributions immigrants make to the economy.

Napolitano on CIR. Speaking at the annual convention of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) in Denver, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano confirmed that the Obama Administration remains committed to comprehensive immigration reform. But she warned that reform would take time and that “it is a bitterly divided Congress right now, bitterly partisan.” Napolitano’s assurances come a day after she announced new programs and government spending for border security. EFE, BBC Mundo, Univision, El Diario (El Paso), the AP, and El Universal have more on the story.

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Posted 06/24/10 at 04:30pm By Jackie Mahendra

United Farm Workers Wants YOU… To Come Take Their Jobs?

That’s right, the United Farm Workers (UFW) have commenced what they are calling the “Take Our Jobs” campaign, an unprecedented effort to call attention to the importance of immigrant workers to our food supply -- and the difficulties agricultural employers have in maintaining a stable, legal workforce.  As UFW highlights on their campaign website:

“We are a nation in denial about our food supply."

Watch a farm worker slideshow from their site:

 

According to Marisa Treviño at Latina Lista:

The idea behind it all is to highlight the need for a legal workforce which can only be achieved through immigration reforms -- without which the domestic agricultural industry could be crippled, leading to more jobs moving off shore.

In a letter to U.S. lawmakers, UFW offers farm workers who are "ready to train citizens and legal residents who wish to replace immigrants in the fields," and encourages Members of Congress to refer their constituents to vacant farm worker positions.

It’s clear that undocumented farm workers are the backbone of United States agriculture. They make up the majority of workers in this crucial industry, yet many of these workers have no way to normalize their status – they often live in fear of exploitation and deportation. These workers and their advocates have been asking Congress for years to fix what most everyone agrees is an outdated, ineffective, and inhumane immigration system.

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