America's Voice Blog

Posted 09/01/10 at 10:43am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Save Selvin!; Deaths in the Desert

Religious leaders and activists in Maine ask their state's senators to protect DREAMers one and all; between the Arizona desert and the Tamaulipas massacre, crossing the border continues to be incredibly dangerous for immigrants; and even though more citizens are born to immigrants every day, and more naturalized citizens register to vote, some politicians still think demonizing immigrants is a good idea.

Save Selvin! News agencies EFE and Notimex report that advocates and religious leaders are asking Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (both Republican) to intervene to stop Selvin Arévalo from being deported, and to provide leadership in pushing for the advancement of the DREAM Act. According to Notimex, Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of America’s Voice, said yesterday on a press teleconference that the bill “is a piece of common-sense bipartisan legislation that will benefit not only these students but our nation.”

Deaths in the desert. The AP reports that death rates continue to rise among immigrants crossing the Arizona desert. According to the agency, deaths:

“shot up in the first six months of 2010 to their highest levels since 2005, a fact which has shocked many who had assumed that the state’s new immigration law and temperatures of around 100 degrees Fahrenheit would cause them to seek out other parts of the vast border between Mexico and the United States.”

59 immigrants died in the Arizona sector in July, the highest monthly toll since July 2005, when there were 68 deaths.

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Posted 08/31/10 at 09:29am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: National Guard Arrives at Border; ICE Memo; Tamaulipas

Several outlets in the Spanish-language press report today on the dispatch of the first wave of National Guard troops to the Arizona-Mexico border. The press also continues to explain what last week's Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo does and doesn't mean for deportations (hint: it's still not amnesty), and looks at the aftereffects of the massacre of migrants in Tamaulipas, Mexico, and of SB 1070 in Arizona.

National Guard arrives at border. The Obama Administration’s plan ultimately calls for 524 troops to be dispatched to Arizona (not all of whom have been sent yet) and 1,200 National Guardsmen in total along the southwestern border to support Customs and Border Protection efforts.

EFE reports that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said that the additional troops are welcome, but insufficient. Brewer has said:

“Despite the mantra by the Obama administration that the border is 'as secure as ever,' in Arizona both Republicans and Democrats recognize they have failed.”

AFP, Reuters, and EFE report that surveillance on the southwest border will be supplemented by an additional Predator drone (unmanned plane), according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. According to the AFP, Napolitano stated:

“With the deployment of the Predator in Texas, we will now be able to cover the southwest border from the El Centro sector in California all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.”

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Posted 08/30/10 at 09:34am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: ICE Memo; Tamaulipas Massacre; 55+ Votes for DREAM

The Spanish-language press continues to follow up on two big stories from last week: the release of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo asking agents to cancel deportations for a narrow class of immigrants, and the massacre of 72 Central and South American migrants in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Meanwhile, as Congress prepares to go back in session, DREAM Act advocates are tallying up their support in the Senate.

ICE memo. The memo, released last week, instructs agents to cancel the deportation of certain undocumented immigrants who have filed active applications for legal status and are likely to be approved. The coverage quotes pro-immigrant groups reiterating that this does not constitute “amnesty,” as critics of the memo allege. EFE, Reuters, El Nuevo Herald (Miami) and El Financiero (Mexico) have more on the story. 

Tamaulipas massacre. Notimex (via SDPNoticias.com) quotes Enrique Morones Careaga, director of the group Border Angels, who says that the tragedy shows:

“how urgently immigration reform is needed for the sake of both the United States and Mexico.”

Other outlets covering the story today include El Universal (Mexico), the AP and EFE.

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Posted 08/26/10 at 11:13am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: The Latino Vote in November; Anniversary of Kennedy’s Death

The Spanish-language press looks backward to the fading legacy of Senator Edward Kennedy, and forward to the impact Latino voters will have on the midterm elections in November.

The Latino vote in November. EFE, El Diario-La Prensa (New York), and La Opinión (Los Angeles), among other outlets, cover the telephonic press conference America’s Voice hosted yesterday to discuss the results of Tuesday night’s primaries and the effect of the immigration debate on Latino voters in these contests and the general elections in November.

The experts who participated on the call agreed that candidates who use anti-immigrant rhetoric or take hardline positions on immigration in the primaries this summer will have to moderate the tone of their message if they want to win over the Latino voters they’ll need to prevail in the general election.

From Florida to California, “a candidate can’t really be successful without a strategy” to attract the Latino vote, said Arturo Vargas, director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), according to Notimex.

AOL Latino publishes an article by Maribel Hastings of America’s Voice on the same subject. 

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Posted 08/18/10 at 10:12am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Will the DOJ Sue Arpaio?; AZ Won’t Change SB 1070

The Spanish-language press covers a pair of stories of stubbornness in Arizona today, as Sheriff Joe Arpaio refuses to cooperate with a Department of Justice civil-rights investigation and the state legislature decides not to change SB 1070 in light of last month's federal ruling keeping parts of the law from going into effect. Meanwhile, maritime smuggling is up, and prominent conservative leader Sam Rodríguez is down (on calls to change the 14th Amendment, that is).

Will the DOJ sue Arpaio? The Associated Press reports that Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio has ignored a Department of Justice deadline to submit documents related to a DOJ investigation of Arpaio for potential civil-rights violations. The federal government has threatened to sue Arpaio if he does not cooperate with the investigation.

AZ won't change SB 1070. Another AP article reports that the Arizona state legislature has dismissed, at least for the moment, the idea of amending certain sections of state law SB 1070 per Governor Jan Brewer’s suggestion. The state is in the middle of appealing the partial injunction issued by a federal judge last month, preventing some of the law’s most controversial provisions from going into effect.

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Posted 08/16/10 at 09:31am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Administration Defends Border Bill; Anti-Immigrant Bills in FL, UT

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was out in front over the weekend as the Administration defended a newly-passed $600 million bill for border security, while Tea Party activists promised not to "stop yelling" about the need for even more money. Elsewhere in the Spanish-language press, Arizona's harsh new anti-immigration law is causing immigrants to leave the state for other Western states including Utah--where a state legislator has just introduced a similar bill. Another draconian anti-immigrant bill proposed in Florida is splitting that state's Republican party.

Administration defends border bill...El Financiero (Mexico) reprints a Notimex article in which Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano defends the law just passed by Congress allocating $600 million for the border. Secretary Napolitano told Univisión that “We’re not just trying to throw money at the border to solve this problem,” according to the article. La Opinión (Los Angeles) reports that due to the new law, signed on Friday by President Obama, and other recently-implemented measures, Secretary Napolitano predicted that there will be a spike in deportations.

...but Tea Partiers remain unsatisfied. Meanwhile, the AP reports on a demonstration held by members of the “Tea Party” movement at a remote spot on the Arizona-Mexico border to express support for Arizona law SB 1070. According to the news agency, “attendees urged members of Congress and President Barack Obama to provide more funding to increase border security. ‘We’re going to make them do it, because if they don’t do it we won’t stop yelling about it,’ said former state senator Pam Gorman, one of 10 Republicans competing for an open seat in northern Phoenix. Gorman carried a gun in a holster strapped over her shoulder.”

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Posted 08/11/10 at 09:48am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: DREAMers Halt Deportations; Border Residents Feel Safe

The Spanish-language press recognizes the success of the DREAM movement in getting officials to suspend certain deportations, but activists point out that students will still be deported until the federal government takes action to help them -- which President Obama told a fundraising dinner he would do "something" about after the November elections. Meanwhile, on the border, arrests are down, deaths are up, and residents feel safe, but Secure Communities continues to expand anyway.

DREAMers halt deportations. La Opinión (Los Angeles) reports that the student movement for the DREAM Act has succeeded in suspending a series of deportations of DREAM-eligible young people by mounting campaigns to pressure public officials. One ICE spokesperson, Lori Haley, tells the paper that the agency is enforcing immigration policy in a smart and effective manner. But Ernesto Zumaya, of the coalition The Dream is Coming, says that even though some deportations have been suspended:

“it doesn’t mean that the government or immigration (officials) aren’t trying to deport students or anyone undocumented…There have been students in the last few years who have been deported and who could have benefited if the DREAM Act had been passed.”

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Posted 08/10/10 at 10:11am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: DREAM Act Can’t Wait; More Border Funds; Secure Communities Deports 47K

La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language daily paper in the US,  joins the chorus of those calling on Congress to pass the DREAM Act, as the Obama Administration affirms its commitment to the bill. Pro-immigrant groups continue to criticize Congress for passing another border bill instead of a real solution, and documents show that 47,000 people have been deported under the Secure Communities program in its 20 months of existence.

The DREAM Act can't wait. La Opinión (Los Angeles) publishes an editorial titled “The DREAM Act can’t wait” (“DREAM Act no puede esperar”) calling on Congress to pass the bill in question. The editorial board writes:

“The DREAM Act must be passed this year. If this does not happen as part of a comprehensive immigration reform, it should be put to a separate vote or included as part of another bill. But it can wait no longer.”

EFE reports that immigrant youth in New York are conducting three days of demonstrations, starting today, in an attempt to pressure Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) to help push the DREAM Act forward. The bill would legalize undocumented immigrant youth who have completed at least two years of college or enlisted in the military.

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Posted 08/09/10 at 09:31am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Border Bill A “Slap in the Face”; Where Are GOP’s Principles?

Various outlets in the Spanish-language press write follow-up stories on the bill that passed the Senate last week allocating $600 million for 1,500 more border troops and unmanned surveillance drones, among other things. Not to be outdone, Republicans continue to discuss abolishing birthright citizenship, drawing continued criticism from advocates and the media.

Border bill "a slap in the face." Many stories include criticism of the Senate from pro-immigrant advocates, including groups like America’s Voice and NCLR, for continuing to send more resources to the border to serve partisan interests without making progress on comprehensive immigration reform. La Jornada (Mexico) reprints a news agency report quoting leaders of the National Immigration Forum, NCLR, and the Center for Community Change, among other advocates—all of them critical of the bill. And Web magazine Contacto writes that the passage of the Democratic bill:

“is a slap in the face to pro-immigrant organizations.” 

Univisión opened its national news broadcast Friday with the following statement:

“Members of Congress have granted 600 million dollars for the border, and now they’ll go on vacation.” 

Web magazine Contacto writes that the passage of the Democratic bill “is a slap in the face to pro-immigrant organizations.” 

La Jornada (Mexico) reprints a news agency report quoting leaders of the National Immigration Forum, NCLR, and the Center for Community Change, among other advocates—all of them critical of the bill.

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Posted 08/06/10 at 10:16am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Yet Another Border Bill; Repeal the 14th? Bad Idea!

The bill the Senate passed yesterday allocating $600 million more for border security and continued calls by Republicans to hold hearings on the possibility of changing the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to revoke birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented parents are the top stories in today’s Spanish-language press.

Yet another border bill. EFE, the AP, Reuters, La Opinión (Los Angeles) and El Universal (Mexico) report on the passage of the border bill, which allocates money for 1,500 additional border troops and unmanned surveillance drones, among other things. The bill was sponsored by Democrats but passed by both parties, and is similar to the one passed by the House of Representatives last week (which allocated more money). Some organizations criticized Democrats for giving in to Republican demands for more funding for border security without pushing for any corresponding action on immigration relief.

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