07/12/12 Cross-Posted at California Progress Report Years ago, California tried to take the punitive and xenophobic approach to immigration with Prop 187 — a 1994 ballot initiative whose stated goal was to keep undocumented immigrants from receiving public benefits, but would have essentially turned California into a police state for immigrants. Fortunately, Proposition 187 was invalidated [...]
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07/09/12 The TRUST Act is a bill currently moving through California state legislature that is the “anti-Arizona.” According to the San Jose Mercury News, it’s the “first-in-the-nation measure that would limit local law enforcers’ compliance with federal immigration rules requiring them to report to immigration authorities all arrested people suspected as illegal immigrants.” Last week, it [...]
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07/06/12 Yesterday, California took a key step in positioning itself as the “anti-Arizona” on immigration enforcement, with the state Senate passing a bill that would restore common sense to states’ approach on immigration. Ironically, California was the first state to embrace an extremist approach to immigration with the passage of Proposition 187 in 1994. Fortunately, the [...]
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07/05/12 Major progress in the California State Senate this afternoon. We got the good news via twitter from National Day Labor Organizing Network’s (NDLON) Chris Newman: TRUSTACTpassed out of the California Senate — Chris Newman (@newman_chris) July 5, 2012 This bill is basically the antithesis of Arizona’s SB 1070. It’s designed to ensure that the federal “Secure Communities” [...]
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07/05/12 When President Obama announced his relief plan for DREAM Act-eligible youth last month, the move was applauded as a highly necessary development in the fight to give relief to undocumented youth in the only country they call home. One important thing Obama’s DREAM relief could not include, however, was any mechanism to help DREAMers pay [...]
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07/05/12 For the past few weeks, it’s been hard to get Mitt Romney to say anything publicly about immigration reform. That’s a marked change from the GOP primary campaign, when the now-Republican nominee never missed a chance to burnish his anti-immigrant credentials to the nativist base of his party. Romney is trying to dodge the issue [...]
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06/27/12 In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on SB 1070, many have been left wondering what does this mean, what happens now and where do voters stand on this decision?  A fact sheet and polling round-up from America’s Voice Education Fund helps sift through the legal implications and next steps after the decision as [...]
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06/26/12 The Department of Justice has set up an email address and hotline in response to the Supreme Court ruling on Arizona SB 1070′s “show me your papers” provision, a law which would allow law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of detained individuals based on “reasonable suspicion.” This provision, Section 2(B), will lead to [...]
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06/26/12 With a 5-3 majority vote, yesterday, the Supreme Court sent a strong signal to the nation that Arizona’s anti-immigrant law is NOT a model for our country.  The ruling was a warning to other states not to follow in Arizona’s footsteps. While the Justices ruled that most provisions of the law were unconstitutional, they let [...]
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06/25/12 Similar to the way he ducked the key immigration questions at his speech at last week’s NALEO conference, Mitt Romney today avoided a substantive response to today’s Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s immigration law – despite being in Arizona.  Additionally, while Romney’s statement attempted to call out President Obama for a lack of leadership on [...]
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06/25/12 Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Arizona vs. United States re: the state’s controversial anti-immigrant law, SB 1070. From the Associated Press: The Supreme Court struck down key provisions of Arizona’s crackdown on immigrants Monday but said a much-debated portion on checking suspects’ status could go forward. The court did not [...]
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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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06/14/12 In addition to their amazing cover story and video on the DREAM Act and the plight of immigrant youth, TIME Magazine today has a great story on the “fiscal fallout of state immigration laws,” or what happens to states that try to “deport their way to prosperity.” As the article begins: State-level immigration laws don’t [...]
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06/08/12 Two new polls show that both Latinos and non-Latinos continue to embrace common sense, federal immigration reform and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.  While some politicians continue to hide from the issue, suggest tentative baby steps forward, or hope the states will step in, the American people are unequivocal: undocumented immigrants should be put on a path [...]
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06/04/12 Immigrant rights groups were incensed at Hyundai’s silence when Alabama passed its anti-immigrant law, HB 56. Now that the state legislature has made a bad situation worse with its “tweak” bill, HB 658, the auto company has yet to speak out against the way immigrants are being treated in Alabama — even though the company [...]
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05/29/12 Immigration reform activists and supporters from all over Alabama converged on the state Capitol in Montgomery to protest the passage of HB 658 over the weekend, rallying together in a mega-march led by the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice. HB 658 became law last week when Alabama Governor Robert Bentley caved into anti-immigrant legislators and [...]
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05/22/12 Alabama Governor Robert Bentley pulled a complete reversal on HB 658 last weekend, caving in and signing a bill that makes the state’s already harsh anti-immigrant policies even worse–after he had initially expressed reservations and a wish to see the bill revised.  Since then, leading editorial writers in Alabama and across the nation have been [...]
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05/22/12 Alabama and its anti-immigrant legislative vendetta have been in the news for the past few weeks. And we’re awaiting a Supreme Court decision on Arizona’s SB 1070. But we can’t forget about the other states that have passed these ugly laws — like Georgia. Writing at Huffington Post on the anniversary of the passage of Georgia’s [...]
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05/21/12 Senator Scott Beason — the guy who once said that we should “empty the clip, and do what has to be done [on illegal immigration]“;  referred to people at a casino in a predominately black county as “aborigines”; and author of the worst anti-immigrant law in the country, H.B. 56 — introduced a “tweak bill” [...]
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05/17/12 BREAKING: Governor Bentley has refused to sign the new legislation, HB 658, saying that he has proposed amendments and that immigration will be addressed in a special legislative session.  More details soon.  ___________________________________ Ignoring the fierce criticism, reminders of the state’s long ugly history of racism and the economic consequences caused by HB 56, the Alabama [...]
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05/16/12 Today marks the last day of the current Alabama legislative session, where state senators will take one last stab at passing another ill-conceived anti-immigrant bill. As legislators consider another “tweak” bill today, their efforts will be blocked by individuals who plan to fall to their knees, praying, singing, and vowing to stop any unjust anti-immigrant [...]
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05/14/12 Since the early stages of the GOP primary, Mitt Romney has championed extremist immigration policies like “self-deportation,” a radical right-wing strategy that aims to purge America of the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in our country.  This policy, developed by Romney advisor Kris Kobach, has been passed into law by a handful of states.  Although [...]
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05/03/12 Today, Reverend Frank Hammond led a group of immigration advocates — calling themselves “Alabama’s Conscience” — in a protest at the Alabama Senate against their state’s controversial worst-in-the-nation anti-immigrant law, H.B. 56 and legislation under consideration that could make it even worse. “These laws are, by their very nature, granting permission for average citizens, of [...]
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05/03/12 One of our main takeaways from last week’s Supreme Court hearing on Arizona v. United States was the troubling disconnect between the discussion in the court room and how the law would actually play out on the ground.  By insisting that discussion of the law’s effects were off the table, Chief Justice John Roberts ensured [...]
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05/01/12 One of our most stalwart allies in the fight for immigration reform is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Yesterday, SEIU stepped up — again — in the battle against Alabama’s egregious anti-immigrant law, HB 56, by filing a complaint using provisions of NAFTA. From SEIU: The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and a Mexican [...]
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04/30/12 Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its long-awaited response to last year’s report from the Secure Communities Task Force. Secure Communities, the Obama Administration’s signature immigration enforcement program, has been fiercely criticized by law enforcement experts, state governors and legislatures, community leaders and members of Congress as a deportation dragnet that has systematically [...]
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04/27/12 This has been a historic week on immigration policy in an election year.  Below is the America’s Voice take on some of the major political storylines surrounding immigration. If upheld, the Supreme Court ruling on the Arizona “show me your papers” provision would have a huge mobilizing effect on Latino voters.  At the Supreme Court’s [...]
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