09/21/12 TO: Ruben Navarrette FROM:  Frank Sharry RE:  Thanks for the shout out Hey Ruben, I read your nationally-syndicated column today.  Thanks for the shout out to America’s Voice and me.  As is always the case, your column is a must-read.  I don’t always agree with you, but especially during non-election years it’s my humble opinion [...]
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08/30/12 Yesterday, during MSNBC’s coverage of the Republican National Convention, Reporter Ron Mott secured an interview with Governor Jan Brewer – one that turned out to be gleefully surprising for us…and perhaps horrific for her (which, I must say, added to my joy). Mott asks: Let me ask you, if you’ve had conversations with Governor Romney [...]
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08/27/12 On Friday, the California State Assembly voted to pass the Trust Act in a 48-26 vote. Briefly, the Trust Act is the opposite of anti-immigrant legislation that is currently plaguing the country, and is a clear alternative to the Secure Communities enforcement program (which costs taxpayers in the state upto $65 million/year, according to a [...]
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08/24/12 With the news that Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be attending next week’s Republican National Convention, we have compiled a list of convention guests and delegates whose positions on immigration could be described as bad, worse, and worser.  As talk show host Carlos Galindo reacted to the Sheriff Arpaio news on Daily Kos: What would possess you to [...]
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08/20/12 The reviews are in about the first few days of deferred action, with a range of observers praising the program and citing inspiring stories of young people who have a new opportunity to contribute to the only country they know as home.  Describing an application workshop held by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee [...]
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08/17/12 The beginning of deferred action made for quite an historic day yesterday, with tens of thousands of DREAMers lining up from Chicago to El Paso to Los Angeles waiting to receive assistance on their applications.  Yet in the midst of a nationwide celebration and day of victory, there remained the anti-immigrant extremists from the peanut [...]
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08/17/12 Just how far will Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer go? On Wednesday, a day when DREAMers all over the country were celebrating the beginning of President Obama’s deferred action program, Governor Brewer was busy playing the Grinch by issuing an executive order that would prevent local immigrant youth from being able to access state services like [...]
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08/16/12 Yesterday’s official launch of the deferred action program for DREAMers offered a reminder about how public policy changes can sometimes directly affect people’s lives.  Unfortunately, yesterday also brought a reminder of the way politics can butt in on even the most celebratory of days, bringing into view the sharp distinctions between the parties on immigration [...]
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06/22/12 A decision from the Supreme Court on Arizona vs. United States is expected next week, where the issue in contention is whether the law usurps the federal government’s power to regulate immigration laws. While we wait for a decision, Puente Arizona is taking the lead by strengthening “Barrio Defense Committees” in Arizona, where members of the community connect, [...]
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06/18/12 Last Friday, President Obama took to the airwaves to announce a bold new deportation strategy for DREAM Act youth: effective immediately, DREAMers who meet certain criteria will be protected from deportation and eligible to apply for work permits. While commentators and editorial boards all over the nation applauded the long-awaited development, there were, of course, [...]
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