America's Voice Blog

Posted 03/23/10 at 11:47am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Special March for America Edition

Over the weekend, the Spanish-language media dedicated extensive coverage to the March for America on Sunday in Washington. Reporters focused on the delegations from around the country that came to Washington to participate in the massive march, President Barack Obama’s taped address to the attendees reiterating his commitment to immigration reform, and leaders’ rejection of current policies of raids and deportations. Univision.com and ImpreMedia.com, among other sites, have photo galleries and videos from the event.

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/23/10 at 11:12am By Jackie Mahendra

Roundup: March For America, “Change Takes Courage,” Brought 200,000 to DC

Coverage in the blogosphere is still picking up after Sunday's historic health care vote, but here's an initial roundup of blogging on Sunday's massive rally and march for real immigration reform.

First, check out Rachel LaBruyere's amazing March For America liveblog, here (UPDATED LINK), complete with feedback from advocates supporting the march.

Next, Nolan Treadway, blogging at Daily Kos, provides an important media critique:

You may not have been aware such a large gathering took place if you were watching the news around the country.  It seems a couple dozen dead-ender Tea Partiers determined to thwart progress are more newsworthy than a crowd 1/3 the size of the population of DC gathering to fight for social and economic justice.

Indeed, according to Maegan Ortiz of Vivir Latino (<--click for a photo slideshow): 

Depending on who you ask, between a quarter of a million people to half a million people, overwhelmingly Latinos, went to the National Mall this past Sunday in support of immigration reform in what was called the March for America.

Talking Points Memo founder and editor Josh Marshall also critiques the coverage in, "SLIDESHOW: Quite a Turnout!":

Did you see the huge march this weekend in DC? Tens of thousands turned out. Maybe even 100,000. Tea Partiers? No, the big pro-immigration march that got virtually no press attention at all.

Also taking a jab at mainstream media's lack of coverage of the event compared to coverage of a Tea Party protest the same day, with just a fraction of the crowd, here's the founder and publisher of Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas ('Kos'), in "Governing by crowd size-- immigration reform wins!" Kos jokes that if we play by "the new rules of Fox News," then "immigration reform is now the law of the land. Yay!"

Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista takes us back to the tremendous power displayed by the marchers:

But if one thing was learned in yesterday's march, it doesn't matter how many media cameras are present but how many marchers' voices are raised in unison.

David Neiwert at Crooks and Liars has a day-of interview with Numbers USA leader Roy Beck, who was at the march trying to provoke and film protesters for his anti-immigration website. In Neiwert's video, Beck appears convinced that the quarter of a million people rallying in Washington Sunday were actually just "thieves." Neiwert points out the irony of this given Numbers USA's own website, which prominently displays the tagline "no to immigrant bashing:"

Dunno about you, but calling 200,000 people -- no, make that 12 million -- "thieves" sure sounds like immigrant-bashing to me.

Neiwert also has more on the five burly bodyguards Beck brought out to "protect himself" and his Numbers USA staff from what appears to have been a small group of mimes and whistlers. That's here (<--with original video). Even more background on the march from Neiwert here.

Andrea Nill of Think Progress has an exclusive interview with one of the mimes, some of whom ended up filing assault charges against the bodyguards, as well as Numbers USA's own (absurd) account of "crushing physical intimidation" by the group of young women with balloons: 

According to Anne Manetas of NumbersUSA, a group of female mimes threatened Beck and his bodyguards with “constant efforts at crushing physical intimidation” instigated by “blowing hateful whistles” and waving balloons. [...] However, that doesn’t explain why Beck’s bodyguard is the one who ended up being arrested and charged with assault yesterday. [...] Graber explains that she and four other mimes followed Beck and his crew around for four hours in an effort to prevent Beck from picking a fight with demonstrators. According to Graber, Beck’s bodyguard pulled out a pocket knife and started popping the mimes’ balloons.

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/22/10 at 09:37pm By Jackie Mahendra

President Obama: “I pledge to do everything in my power to forge a bipartisan consensus, this year”

Yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered the following message to the 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall for the March for America: "Change Takes Courage:" 

An excerpt from the message:

...I’ve always pledged to be your partner as we work to fix our broken immigration system and that’s a commitment that I reaffirm today. Nobody knows the cost of inaction better than you. You see it in the families that are torn apart and the small business owners who try to do the right thing while others game the system. You see it in the workers, who deserve the protection of our laws and the officers who struggle to keep our communities safe while earning the trust of those they serve.

That’s why today there’s a growing coalition of law enforcement officials, faith and community leaders and members of labor and business sectors who understand that immigration reform is critical to our security and our prosperity. In the end, our broken immigration system affects more than a single community, it affects our entire country. And as we continue to strengthen our economy and jump start job creation, we need to do so with an immigration system that works, not the broken system we have now.

That’s why 9 months ago I asked members of my team to lead efforts to move the legislative process forward. Since then they’ve met with elected officials from both parties and stakeholders from all across the country. And we’ve worked together with Senators Schumer and Graham as they’ve developed a framework that includes common-sense, effective strategies to protect our borders and enforce the law while offering a path to citizenship for hard-working people who register, pay taxes, pay a fine and agree to play by the rules.

I congratulate Senators Schumer and Graham for their leadership. And I pledge to do everything in my power to forge a bi-partisan consensus, this year on this issue.  

You know as well as I do that this wont’ be easy and it won’t’ happen overnight. But if we work together across, ethnic state and party lines, we can build a future worthy of our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/21/10 at 08:46pm By Jackie Mahendra

Photos from the March For America: Over 200,000 Rally for Immigration Reform

As the buses leave Washington to return to Florida, New York, and as far away as California, here are some of our photos from the day. These are mostly crowd shots -- over 200,000 people came out to call for real immigration reform, economic justice for workers, and to keep families together:

Posted 03/21/10 at 10:12am By Jackie Mahendra

Live Updates: March For America for Real Immigration Reform in Washington, DC

Today's the day. Tens of thousands of people are registered to come to the National Mall for today's immigration reform rally, called the March For America. Hundreds of buses are still pouring in from across the country, and several major progressive and pro-migrant bloggers will be reporting directly from the rally, which starts at 2pm. Expect coverage from Vivir Latino and Crooks and Liars, among others, as well as pictures and video from the National Mall. Look for a performance by Grammy award-winning talent, Los Lonely Boys! Live-streamed video should pop up at C-SPAN, Telemundo or Univision. On twitter, check out the #m4a hashtag. Follow @AmericasVoice and @RI4A.

Updates:

5:30 PM: Rounding out the day were Los Lonely Boys, El Piolin, and more-- check back for stories and video soon. Reports vary from a quarter to half a million people. That sounds like a success to me!

4:30 PM: So much to report. John Willhelm of UNITE HERE: "Freedom is never granted, it is won."

4:11 PM: Rep. Judy Chu from California says that we can no longer scapegoat immigrants.

4:05 PM: Young child named Bladimir sends a message to President Obama about his family being torn apart. Carlos, a key student organizer for the Dream Act, describes the courage and the power that youth bring to the immigrant rights movement. Four brave youth walking from Florida to Washington, D.C., on what they call the "Trail of Dreams," send a powerful message to the March. You can check them out here.

4:00 PM: As I announced earlier on twitter, we had some problem with the internet connection here, but we've been tweeting updates from the day-- here are a couple highlights:

  • Obama: I pledge to help pass #cir, immigration reform this yr

  • Obama at #m4a: we understand that immigration reform doesn't just affect 1 community, but our whole nation

  • A msg from @BarackObama video on stage, spirit of Ted Kennedy is with us

  • Two hundred thousand people on the mall looks like: http://twitpic.com/1a2q2a

  • Sen Menendez: in the shadow of these civil rights monuments, we must fight to stop separating families

  • Rep Gutierrez: Justice now, justicia ahora. President Obama's pen can turn hope into victory. Our friends, familes, neighbors, have waited 2 long.

    You can check out the full feed at the March for America website.

    12:00 PM: While the crowd streams in, here's an important piece by Andrea Nill yesterday afternoon at Think Progress, which highlights a new study by the Center for America Progress that estimates the cost of a mass deportation policy (which many opponents of immigration reform support). Such a policy would run taxpayers a whopping $285 billion over five years:

    "This weekend, several thousands of people are expected to gather on the National Mall to demand action on immigration reform. The immigration restrictionist group NumbersUSA is meanwhile responding with a four-day campaign to “stop amnesty” which starts today...However, a study released this afternoon by the Center for American Progress shows that the enforcement-only approach that restrictionist groups incessantly advocate for isn’t sustainable in the long-term..."

    11:30 AM: Pam's House Blend cites today's New York Times article on the march, writing, "And a healthy representation of people in the march will be LGBT and black groups, two constituencies that have not been seen as vocal supporters of immigration reform."

    11:15 AM: Check out video from SEIU's "Faces of March for America: Change Takes Courage:"

    10:30 AM: Marisa Treviño reports on a Texas delegation to the March:

    Spirits were high as people dragged pillows and luggage onto any of the five buses and three vans parked in the church's parking lot designated to ferry the marchers to DC.

    Preliminary reports say that over 100,000 people are expected on the National Mall in DC on Sunday brought by 900 buses from 35 states.

    They not only bring high hopes with them but are delivering a clear message to Capitol Hill that they're tired of waiting for Congress to deal with an issue that will never be "politically safe" but is the right thing to do.

    On flickr, check out the the March For America (#m4a) photo stream:

     

Posted 03/19/10 at 02:25pm By Jackie Mahendra

News Recap: Bipartisan Framework for Reform, March for America, Latino Voters

With tens of thousands of people heading to Washington for the March for America this Sunday and the news of a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform legislation from Senators Schumer and Graham, there’s a lot of news to track today – here’s a quick recap for the folks at home.

One major development is summed up in this USA Today headline, “Obama pledges to push immigration reform:”

Just hours after he cancelled an international trip to stay in Washington and fight for health care legislation, President Obama has announced that he's ready to start pushing forward on another controversial issue: immigration reform. In an election year, no less.

A week after he met with senators Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, to talk about immigration, he congratulated them on working together to come up with a "framework" for reform.

"I am pleased to see that Senators Schumer and Graham have produced a promising, bipartisan framework which can and should be the basis for moving forward," Obama said. " It thoughtfully addresses the need to shore up our borders, and demands accountability from both workers who are here illegally and employers who game the system."

The Associated Press led with the President’s statement, too, in "Obama backs senators immigration overhaul outline."

CNN has an article on its website about the “thousands of people” who will be attending Sunday’s march (Already, more than 50,000 are planning to attend):

Thousands of people are expected to pour into Washington for a Sunday rally demanding immigration reform, launching the first public battle over the issue since the announcement of a new bipartisan plan endorsed by President Barack Obama.

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/16/10 at 11:58am By Rafael Prieto

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: The Need to March; Census Begins; Detention and Deportation

Today features several op-eds and columns in the Spanish-language press about this Sunday’s march. Meanwhile, all are urged to participate in the Census, and controversies continue over old and new programs to deport immigrants from jail.

The need to march. La Opinión (Los Angeles) writes, in an editorial titled “Time to act," that

“Time is short. The process is now a race against the clock to see if the White House wants to fulfill its campaign promise of passing reform this year.”

Univisión host Jorge Ramos writes in his weekly column, titled “The march and TPS for Chileans”:

“The anger doesn’t just stem from the absence of legalization. Even though we still don’t have immigration reform, deportations continue. In fact, during Obama’s first year in the presidency there were more deportations (387,790) than during George W. Bush’s last year (369,221), according to figures from his own Department of Homeland Security (DHS)…With more deportations and without legalization of undocumented immigrants on the horizon, at the moment everything seems to be an uphill battle. This is why, organizers say, the march this coming Sunday, March 21st, in Washington is so important. It is, quite simply, a march to make them hear us. To make the invisible people visible. To make sure the politicians never forget the promises they’ve made. And to make sure they know that the Latino vote usually supports those who support immigrants.”

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:20pm By Web Team

NY Times: March For America Could Be A Game-Changer

From the Reform Immigration for America Blog:

If you need more proof that the upcoming March For America is gaining attention from Washington, check out an op-ed from Saturday’s New York Times. While we’ve always known passing immigration reform wouldn’t be easy, we have never let the naysayers stop our movement.

Unless Republicans come around, Mr. Obama pulls some political capital from his depleted account, or Mr. Schumer and Mr. Graham pull off some legislative magic, we may be headed for another stalemate. That’s the worst ending: each side blaming the other, trying to extract political gain from an abject legislative failure.

There is one possible game changer: an immigration march in Washington planned for March 21, designed as a last-ditch try to put reform on the agenda. Nothing like 100,000 angry, frustrated, impatient marchers, representing millions of voters, to focus the Congressional and presidential mind, if it’s not too late.

The march represents the power of our movement and our commitment to ensure justice for all America families. Will you stand up with us?

Learn more about March for America here.

Posted 03/09/10 at 06:03pm By Dara Lind

Tireless: 100 Local Events in February Propel Faith Community toward March 21st

The breadth and depth of activity people of faith have taken to advocate for immigration reform in 2010 is too extensive to summarize in a blog post, much less a single word. But if we had to pick one, it would be "tireless." How else would you describe a movement that treats a month of action featuring 100 events across the country as a warm-up for bringing thousands of people to Washington, D.C. for a central presence at the March for America?

The month of February saw a blizzard of activity from faith groups across the country, much of it coordinated by a variety of groups -- from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations -- under the banner "Together, not Torn: Families Can't Wait for Immigration Reform." Other events were independently organized by the USCCB's Justice for Immigrants campaign, PICO National Network and the Reform Immigration for America campaign.

Some standouts from February's 100 faith events:

Click here to read more.
Posted 03/03/10 at 11:58am By Maribel Hastings

‘Qué Pasa’ in Immigration: Lets March; Rise in Hate Groups; Anti-Immigrant Laws in Arizona

The Spanish-language press continues to highlight the importance of the March 21st march for immigration reform. The EFE reports that

“Once, President George W. Bush was accused of failing to spend sufficient political capital on passing immigration reform. Now Obama confronts similar complaints, and the drama threatens to repeat itself; in the blogosphere, warnings echo that without reform, the White House’s current occupant could become-to the Republicans’ glee-a one-term president. The march on March 21st will serve as a kind of alert to Obama to grasp this possibility and pressure Congress to act now.”

Click here to read more.

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