01/19/10 As we pause to commemorate the historic achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., protest the horrid abuses of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and come together to help Haiti rebuild in the wage of tragedy, one can't help but wonder exactly what sort of America members of Congress like Rep. Steve King wish to create.
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01/19/10 The Center for American Progress has a great snapshot of public opinion on immigration today. The piece begins: "There's no doubt the politics of immigration reform are very complicated and that getting a bill through Congress will not be easy. But it's important to be clear that the public is quite supportive of immigration reform, especially reform that is comprehensive and does not simply focus on punitive measures. This has been true of the public for some time and a new Benenson Strategy Group poll for America's Voice demonstrates that it is still true today."
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01/14/10 This is a guest post from Reprentative Mike Honda and originally appeared on his blog and the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress blog. "The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), H.R. 4321, includes CAPAC's top immigration priorities, including: Ensuring a robust family reunification system, earned legalization for undocumented workers and DREAM Act students, the restoration of due process and judicial review in our immigration system, humane treatment of immigration detainees, and the integration of new American communities. CAPAC members joined a diverse coalition of Members of Congress as cosponsors to the legislation."
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01/13/10 New polling released by the Pew Research Center today explores racial attitudes one year after the historic election of President Barack Obama. While the phone-based (land line and cellular) poll found increasing optimism among African Americans, and decreasing racial tension among white and black Americans, it uncovered deep concerns about race among Latinos-- perhaps unsurprising given the unresolved immigration debate in this country.
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01/11/10 "The Stop Terrorist Entry Program (STEP) Act, first introduced in 2003, also would have required all persons from these countries on student visas, temporary work visas, exchange and tourist visas to leave the United States within 60 days, despite their legal status in the country. Residents and nationals of Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen would be affected." It's time for certain members of Congress to quit playing politics with incredibly serious issues like our national security by introducing measures that serve merely to scapegoat communities, not to solve the crucial issues at hand.
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01/06/10 The anti-immigration wedge issue that was supposed to materialize in 2006 and 2008 failed spectacularly - as Ford personally found out. This is because swing voters want solutions and the hostile, anti-immigrant minority produces a lot more noise than they do votes. Here's hoping that New York State follows the lead of Bloomberg and Schumer, and reject the outdated politics of Levy and Ford.
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01/04/10 Here's to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for using the occasion of his recent inaugural address to make a definitive pledge of leadership on the pressing issue of federal immigration reform. Managing to address the issue even within a brief speech, Bloomberg promised to organize a bipartisan group of elected officials from around the country to move forward on President Obama's call for real, comprehensive immigration reform, in the New Year.
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12/18/09 "This is the bill puts an end to this kind of unchecked corruption. It is a bill that America's hardworking labor community wants. It's the bill that American employers need to operate effectively and ethically. And we owe it to them to reward the hard work they do to sustain us every day."
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12/15/09 The time for waiting is over. Today, Congressman Luis Gutierrez is introducing a bill that would bring 12 million people out of the shadows and into the full protection of the law. Today is the first step in what I anticipate will be a six month, all-out-fight to pass real, comprehensive reform that restores justice to our broken immigration system. When it is signed into law, this legislation will be one of the largest leaps forward for civil rights that our nation has seen in over 30 years. It is urgent that we start the fight strong – that's why we need your voice now.
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12/14/09 "This is a crisis. It's a crisis of human and civil rights, it's a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it's a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2009 is a solution that we, as a nation of immigrants, can be proud of."
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12/11/09 "We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President. The time for waiting is over. This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year. It is the product of months of collaboration with civil rights advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress. It is an answer to too many years of pain —mothers separated from their children, workers exploited and undermined security at the border— all caused at the hands of a broken immigration system. This bill says 'enough,' and presents a solution to our broken system that we as a nation of immigrants can be proud of."
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12/10/09 In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano reiterated the Obama Administration's plan to push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation early next year. In her opening statement, Napolitano said:"So I look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Sessions and others on this Committee to develop a path forward early next year to reform the immigration system as a whole."
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11/18/09 I'm not convinced Washington has awakened to the reality yet -- but the 2010 Census is going to shake things up politically in this country, and politicians would do themselves a favor to wake up and smell the coffee in advance. This is about raw political power -- something politicians of all stripes, understand. Washington Post: "The study's authors note that most of the gains come in traditionally red or purple states as Latinos move beyond the nation's largest cities into smaller, rural communities."
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11/17/09 Today America's Voice released a report entitled, "The New Constituents… How Latinos Will Shape Congressional Apportionmention After the 2010 Census" at an event at NDN in Washington, DC. The paper examines the role Latinos will play in shaping the next Congress, after the 2010 Census. Projections show that nineteen states are poised to see changes in their Congressional representation: eight states will gain at least one House seat, while eleven states will lose at least one seat in Congress.
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11/13/09 This morning, we'll be live-tweeting this event at the Center for American Progress: A Discussion on Immigration Policy with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "As Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano brings to her job a deep understanding of immigration and border issues from her experience as Governor, Attorney General, and U.S. Attorney in the State of Arizona."
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11/11/09 In the aftermath of Saturday's landmark passage of a health care reform bill in the House of Representatives, many Republican Members of Congress are scratching their heads and wondering how they could have allowed the bill to pass. They are questioning why their leadership didn't agree to use the immigration issue to kill the bill by offering a tough anti-immigrant amendment at the end of debate.
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11/09/09 Today conservative columnist Ruben Navarrette has a pretty simple message for Congress-- it's time to get out those calendars and set a date for immigration reform legislation. He also goes one step further and suggests that immigration reform advocates send calendars to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who stated earlier this year that he would have an immigration bill drafted by Labor Day. Navarrette argues: "I think immigration reform activists should flood Schumer's office with thousands of 2009 calendars, each one with a red circle around Labor Day."
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11/03/09 We've all seen immigration play out as the hot-button issue that talk radio hosts love to flog, but today Joseph Boven has a thorough rundown of how immigration is actually playing out in elections -- politicians beware. According to his piece in today's Colorado Independent:"According to nonpartisan pollster Floyd Ciruli, however, illegal immigration merely rallies the base. He told The Colorado Independent that relative to other issues, immigration is a fairly stable policy topic. Politicians and voters know where they stand.
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10/29/09 The Minutemen PAC, has gotten deeply involved in a New York Congressional race. Andrea Nill reports: "Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate for New York's traditionally Republican 23rd District, has just won the right-wing support of the Minuteman Political Action Committee — the political action arm of a "nativist extremist" armed vigilante group. The Minuteman PAC is currently running Independent Expenditure radio spots and predicts that Hoffman is "positioned to win a landslide victory" over Republican Party nominee Dede Scozzafava." The Minutemen came under increasing scrutiny several months ago when a Minuteman activist, Shawna Forde, was investigated for the alleged murder of nine-year-old Brisenia Flores.
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10/28/09 Obama is asking New Jersey's Latino voters to back Governor Jon Corzine in his bid for reelection. How? In a 60 second campaign radio ad that went on the air today – half in English, and the other half in Spanish.
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10/23/09 Today Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) joined the growing chorus of voices calling for comprehensive immigration reform. In a telephonic briefing with New York and national advocates, including the New York Immigration Coalition, Crowley stressed the urgency of the issue, saying: "This is a moral imperative – the time is now."
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10/20/09 The New York Times editorialized today: "As required by law, the Census Bureau gave Congress the exact wording of the survey's 10 questions in early April 2008 — more than 18 months ago. Changing it now to meet Mr. Vitter's demand would delay the count, could skew the results and would certainly make it even harder to persuade minorities to participate. It would also be hugely expensive. The Commerce Department says that redoing the survey would cost hundreds of millions of dollars..."
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10/13/09 Thousands of people came out across the country to support comprehensive immigration reform around the country today. Here in Washington, several thousand people lobbied their elected officials for serious immigration reform, then held a vigil outside the Capitol in support of family unification. Among those in attendance at the vigil were:
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10/13/09 Cross-posted from Reform Immigration For America: "Tuesday, October 13th is a big day in the fight for immigration reform. Thousands of community leaders will be gathering in Washington, DC to speak face-to-face with members of Congress, asking for their support of comprehensive immigration reform.After hitting the halls of Congress, their will be a vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol, calling for family unity."
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09/30/09 Today the Senate Finance Committee is considering several key amendments on immigration to the current health insurance reform legislation. The worst amendments are sponsored by Senators Kyl (R-AZ), Grassley (R-IA) and Ensign (R-NV). Check out this alert by reform advocates working on the intersection of healthcare and immigration policy -- please take a moment to call your Senators now to oppose amendments that are bad policy for all Americans.
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09/21/09 Faiz Shakir of Think Progress is reporting today in "Rhode Island GOP assemblyman quits party following embarrassment of Wilson's 'you lie' screed:" Ivan Marte, the ex-chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Hispanic Assembly, has announced that he's quitting the Republican Party because he was embarrassed by Rep. Joe Wilson's "you lie" outburst at President Obama: "I do not want to continue being a member of a party in which the members of the party express themselves in that way," said Marte, 59, of Cranston. In a phone interview, he called Wilson's behavior "shameful" and "uncivilized."
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09/18/09 Yesterday Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) spoke at the National Citizenship Day celebration in Washington, DC, in front of hundreds of community leaders and Members of Congress, who urged him to introduce real immigration reform legislation, real soon. To an eager crowd, Rep. Gutierrez announced that he would introduce such comprehensive immigration reform legislation this Fall, and in a press statement late yesterday, said:
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