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Immigration
Celebrate Immigration and Diversity This Independence Day
Posted by Staff, Immigration Impact on July 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM.
In Order to Form a More Perfect Union
America is now--and has always been--nation of immigrants. What better time, then, to turn our attention this Independence Day to the demographic diversity that has long been a principal strength of the U.S. economy and civil society? Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians play critical economic roles as workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. As a result, they will be crucial players in the nation's efforts to recover from the current recession and the success of America's economic future.
Major City Police Chiefs Just Say No To Immigration Enforcement
Tired of spending scant time and resources on immigration enforcement, major city police chiefs called on Congress, Wednesday, to move on comprehensive immigration reform. Like most law enforcement officers across the country, chasing down undocumented immigrants proves to be too much of a strain when faced with real priorities like keeping violent criminals off the street.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Minuteman Leader Schris Simcox's Potential Twitter Followers Replaced by Mexicans!
Posted by General JC Christian, Jesus' General on July 1, 2009 at 3:57 AM.
Editor's note: it's satire, folks!
Chris Simcox
Candidate for US Senate
Dear Mr. Simcox,I've been following your career as a Minuteman leader since the beginning. It's been a glorious career thus far--you'll certainly go down as one of the greatest commanders in the Eternal War to Resubjugate the Brown (Southwest Theater). But with your entry as the teabagger candidate in Arizona's GOP senate primary, I have no doubt your best work is yet to come.
Your campaign has been a joy to watch. Your gutsy, non-traditional campaigning style is something I hope all teabagger-Americans will study and try to emulate. It's a winning strategy for sure.
I'm particularly impressed with your use of social media. Most candidates use Twitter to enlist their supporters to help them grow their base. You've inverted that. Rather than asking your supporters to join twitter to help spread the word, you signed up for a service that promises to get you "tons of followers" who care nothing about your politics, and who are probably not even eligible to vote in Arizona. And by God it worked. You're up to a 244 followers now.
Of course there will be those who are skeptical of such a bold new approach. They'll say it's crazy or call it "batshit insane." They'll argue that "it makes you look desperate and incapable of drawing any support for your candidacy." But what they don't understand is that you have to do it that way. You have no other choice because Mexicans are taking all the follower slots from real, patriotic teabagger-Americans. I think Lou Dobbs has even done a show on it.
I also see you're taking the next step and asking all those new followers to donate to your campaign. That's another gutsy move, but one that is unlikely to yield many contributions. You see, they have no freaking idea who you are. They only followed you because you promised to follow them back. You're not going to see a dime from them.
I have a better fundraising idea.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Guest Worker Program Still a Sticking Point on Immigration Reform
Posted by Cristina Jimenez, DMI Blog on June 30, 2009 at 10:14 AM.
After the much anticipated immigration meeting, the President reiterated his commitment to reform our broken immigration system. The administration only committed to start the debate this year; hoping that a bill is passed in 2010 before the midterm elections. According to Emanuel, immigration reform lacks the votes to pass this congressional session.
Congressional leaders present at the meeting and advocates feel enthusiastic about the outcome of this meeting. But the tension over a guest worker program is clear. After the meeting, Senator McCain said to reporters:
I can't support any proposal that doesn't have a legal temporary worker program and I would expect the president of the United States to put his influence on the unions in order to change their position. Without a commitment to a legal temporary worker program for our high-tech community and agriculture sector, there is no such thing as comprehensive immigration reform.
As I have said before, guest worker programs institutionalize a second-class labor market in which temporary workers are exploited and cannot look for other jobs. They are basically bound to unscrupulous employers. Guest workers' vulnerability in the workplace weakens conditions and lowers wages for all workers.
Any kind of guest worker program will hurt foreign and native-born workers.
Anti-Immigrant Front Group Courts Progressives With Shoddy Polling Data
Posted by Andrea Nil, Think Progress on June 24, 2009 at 4:17 AM.
The deceptively named anti-immigrant front group, Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), released a set of counter-intuitive polling data today suggesting that while over half of 600 polled liberals support a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the US, they also see immigration as an economic, social, and environmental liability.
The anti-immigration movement has long been trying to woo progressives by exploiting pro-labor and environmental arguments to make the case against immigrants. The Center for New Community’s (CNC) Eric Ward warns:
“PFIR is simply another addition to a growing list of anti-immigrant groups being set up under the Tanton Network to give the illusion that the anti-immigrant movement is broader than it really is. This network of organizations is named after white nationalist John Tanton the founder and key leader in a network of anti-immigrant organizations, spin-offs and front groups. Key entities include Center for Immigration Studies, Social Contract Press, and the Coalition for the Future American Worker.”
PFIR’s Executive Director Leah Durant is listed as the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s (FAIR) Legal Analyst. Frank Morris, PFIR’s vice president, is also a board member of the Center for Immigration Studies and sits on FAIR’s national board of advisors. According to the CNC, PFIR’s “sister group,” the House Immigration Reform Caucus, chaired by Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray (CA), has an abominable voting record on environmental and labor issues.
According to the poll, 67% of liberals/progressives feel that immigration causes population growth which “negatively impacts the quality of life.” 58% feel that immigration is environmentally harmful and 63% think immigration hurts American workers. Yet over half support a pathway to citizenship.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Unauthorized Immigrant Youths Rise Up Nationwide
Posted by Kyle Hussein de Beausset, Citizen Orange on June 23, 2009 at 8:40 AM.
It's a story that has been told time and time again. It has been written in poems. It has been captured in photos. It has been screened in videos.
If you're on the Internet and you haven't heard of the DREAM Act, you're not doing it right. Seriously, just throw your computer out the window right now. Keeping your computer is not worth your money or your time...
If you're still here, I'll let you get away with watching this video:
A Dream Deferred. from Jeesoo Park on Vimeo.
Today, in one of the most impressive youth-led campaigns of the contemporary migrant rights movement, hundreds of youth from over 15 states will converge on Washington D.C. to demonstrate for the DREAM Act. For those who cannot make it solidarity actions will be planned in a dozen states. The National DREAM Act Graduation Day on June 23, 2009 "will underscore the importance of advancing the 'DREAM Act' and the 'American Dream Act' to give these youth a chance to attend college and pursue their goals."
If you won't be in D.C. or you can't be at one of the
solidarity actions, make sure you take
10 actions in favor the the DREAM Act.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Priceless: 'English-Only' Supporters Hold Conference, Can't Spell 'Conference'
Posted by Lee Fang, Think Progress on June 22, 2009 at 12:00 PM.
On Saturday, Pat Buchanan hosted a conference to discuss how Republicans can regain a majority in America. During one discussion, panelists suggested supporting English-only initiatives as a prime way of attracting "working class white Democrats." The discussion ridiculed Judge Sotomayor for the fact that she studied children’s classics to improve her grammar while attending college. The panelists also suggested that, without English as the official language, President Obama would force Americans to speak Spanish.
One salient feature of the event was the banner hanging over the English-only advocates. The word conference was spelled “Conferenece.” View it here:
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
This Week in Immigration: Obama Rolls Back Bush's Midnight Rules; Hate-Talk and Violence
Posted by Staff, Immigration Impact on June 19, 2009 at 2:25 PM.
This morning, President Barack Obama reaffirmed his dedication to comprehensive immigration reform at the Esperanza USA National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. "This promise means upholding America's tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants," he said. The President also gave a general outline of his immigration plan-ensuring employers don't exploit low-income workers, requiring immigrants pay taxes, learn English and get in line to naturalize.
Administration Begins Rolling Back Midnight Regulations Left by Bush Administration
While a bill that would reform our immigration system waits in queue behind other issues, like healthcare and climate change, the new Administration has begun a good faith effort to right some of the most egregious wrongs left by the former White House. Despite positive signs toward immigration reform--such as Attorney General Eric Holder's reversal of Mukasey's decision, DHS's enforcement focus on bad-seed employers and the suspension of the Bush administration's "widow penalty," there is still much to be done.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Immigration Proceedings or Kangaroo Courts?
Posted by Mary Giovagnoli, Immigration Impact on June 16, 2009 at 10:17 AM.
A new study
by Appleseed, a non-profit organization focused on reforming the American justice system, highlights the extent to which misguided deportation-only strategies have led to a breakdown in our immigration court system. The study, based on interviews with more than one hundred practitioners, academics, and government officials, found that America’s immigration courts are overwhelmed by the number of cases flooding the system.
Significantly, the vast majority of those facing deportation are neither criminals nor security threats:
From 2004 to 2006, only 126 cases in Immigration Court (or 0.0155 percent of all cases) involved terrorism or national security concerns, and the percentage of cases involving allegations of any type of crime amounted to only 13 percent. The vast majority of immigrants in Immigration Court present no danger to the security of the United States.
And yet, the study found that they are frequently treated with little respect or dignity, revealing a shockingly low level of professionalism in some courts:
It is well documented that the single best predictor of an immigrant’s success or failure in Immigration Court is the identity of the judge who hears the case. Moreover, countless immigrants are subjected to harassing or denigrating treatment in Immigration Court, cannot understand what they are being asked or told, or have no assistance in navigating the byzantine court process.
Jennifer Ludden, a correspondent at NPR who covers immigration issues, tells a similar story about the impact of deportation-only strategies on already beleaguered Immigration Courts.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Colin Powell: Our Streets and Neighborhoods Bear the Indelible Marks of Immigrants’ Cultures
Posted by Staff, AlterNet on June 16, 2009 at 10:00 AM.
On February 5, 2009, General Colin Powell delivered an address at the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at the City University of New York. This is a condensed version of that speech.
| M |  | |
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I can’t think of a better place to talk about the integration of immigrant populations into America than in this city and at the City University of New York. The city of New York is celebrated around the world as the place where people from all over the world first come to America. You know about the Statue of Liberty and about Ellis Island. We have a museum on Ellis Island that commemorates those arrivals. Our streets and neighborhoods bear the indelible marks of immigrants’ cultures, their languages, their food, their ideas. Nowadays, there are many gateways into the U.S., but New York remains marked in a special way by its immigrant residents and by the neighborhoods and families they came to build over these many years. And it is important to note that people didn’t just come here to find jobs or to go to school. They came to be Americans, because that meant to come from anywhere in the world and take your place alongside other people from anywhere in the world, and for all to somehow belong to something new, something wonderful. Never forgetting your roots, never forgetting where you came from or where your family came from, but now you’re all one—a strong one in our great diversity. The city has thrived on its immigrant residents and there is a wise recognition in the policies of this city of how vital immigrants are to New York City and New York State.
Read the entire speech here.
This Week in Immigration: Sheriff Joe, Window Penalty, and More
Posted by Staff, Immigration Policy Center on June 12, 2009 at 1:52 PM.
Have you ever seen the movie Goundhog Day where Bill Murray finds himself living the same day over and over and over again? Welcome to the world of E-Verify, the federal electronic employment verification system (EEVS) that purports to accurately confirm workers' authorization for employment. Again and again policymakers have attached mandatory E-Verify proposals to any moving piece of legislation-whether it is related to the issue or not. Just today two amendments were offered to the DHS appropriations bill to expand the E-Verify system, and both were rejected.
Congress Beware: Don't Touch the Fence
As Congressional appropriations committees meet over the coming months to craft legislation funding immigration-enforcement operations for next fiscal year, they would do well to continue to steer clear of one of the Bush administration's more costly border boondoggles: the border fence. The Associated Press reported this week that construction of the final 40 miles of the 670-mile "vehicle and pedestrian barrier" has been held up for months by costly legal battles between the federal government and owners of the private property through which the fence must pass in Texas.
Department of Homeland Security Suspends "Widow Penalty"
The Obama administration took another step toward restoring fairness and humaneness to the immigration system this week. On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that she would grant a two-year reprieve to immigrants who were married to U.S. citizens but did not complete the permanent residency process because their American spouses died during the application process. This policy announcement is the latest in a series of changes the Obama administration has made that signal a change in the "enforcement only" stance of the previous administration.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Obama Receives Large Sotomayor Bump
Posted by Chris Bowers, Open Left on May 29, 2009 at 10:19 AM.
Rasmussen had been showing President Obama with lower approval ratings than other outlets. They are still doing so, but the trendlines and demographic crosstabs since Sotomayor's nomination are important (emphasis mine):
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 37% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Obama is performing his role as President. Twenty-seven percent (27%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +10. That's the first time the President Index rating has reached double digits since March 31 (see trends).On Tuesday morning, just before announcing Sotomayor's selection, the President's Approval Index rating had fallen to the lowest level yet recorded, +1. Since then, the President's numbers have improved significantly among Hispanic voters and liberal voters. Hispanic voters strongly favor the confirmation of Sotomayor who is in line to become the first Hispanic Justice.
The Daily Kos / Research 2000 poll, some of which was conducted before hte Sotomayor nomination, showed President Obama improving to
from
among Latinos. Next week's results should be more enlightening, as will polls from other news outlets next week.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Media Inaccurately Refer to Sotomayor as Child of Immigrant Parents
Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet on May 26, 2009 at 8:52 AM.
A google search for "Sotomayor" and "immigrant parents" brings up 10 pages of results (including over 2,000 news pieces like this one, from the Baltimore Sun, which describes Obama's pick to replace retiring Supreme Court justice David Souter as having been "raised in a Bronx, N.Y., housing project by her Puerto Rican immigrant parents...")
Fun fact: Puerto Rico is part of the United States!
Like Sotomayor, I was born in New York city. I now live in California. Apparently, I'm an immigrant. The end.
PS: Talk about a tempest in a teapot; according to the WaPo, Sotomayor "stirred controversy by saying that judges' legal findings are informed by their own life experiences as well as their legal research." I can't imagine a more obvious statement of fact.
Why Women are Central to the Immigration Story
Posted by Nezua, Media Consortium on May 21, 2009 at 9:45 AM.
Celebrated stories of early American pioneers, explorers, and immigrants typically center around men of fortitude and bravery. Depictions of modern-day migrants are still very male-centric, and this cultural lens is a default in most cases. But women play a central and overlooked role in today's immigration story. Even when not directly highlighted, women often bear the weight of keeping families together and helping them grow stronger.
New America Media has just released the results of a poll titled “Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century.” NAM surveyed 1,002 female immigrants from Latin American, Asian, African, and Arab countries. According to Sandy Close and Richard Rodriguez, "The story that has not been told is the story of the woman immigrant. This poll is an effort to capture her narrative, and what becomes clear in the responses–many to questions that seemed on their face to have nothing to do with family per se–is that the gold thread giving meaning to her life is family stewardship."
The poll reveals that the typical model of migration, in which the man left to find work and send home money, has changed. Women are assuming head of the household duties, even if in their prior situation they were in less of a leadership role. The women interviewed for the poll named "securing family stability" as the most important motivator for seeking U.S. citizenship.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
New Reports Reveal Immigration Does Not Increase Unemployment
Posted by Walter Ewing, Immigration Impact on May 20, 2009 at 11:33 AM.
Two new reports prepared for the IPC by the consulting firm Rob Paral & Associates debunk the simplistic myth propagated by anti-immigration activists that immigrants fill U.S. jobs only at the expense of unemployed native-born workers. The reports use data from the Census Bureau to demonstrate that there is no discernible relationship whatsoever between the number of recent immigrants in a particular locale and the unemployment rate among native-born whites, blacks, Latinos, or Asians. This holds true even now, at a time of economic recession and high unemployment.
These reports are the first two installments of a three-part series, Untying the Knot, which seeks to unravel the complex and frequently misrepresented relationship between immigration and unemployment. The first report, “The Unemployment and Immigration Disconnect,” analyzes the relationship (or lack thereof) between recent immigration and the general unemployment rate in different regions, states, and counties. The report finds that areas with high unemployment rates do not necessarily have large numbers of recent immigrants. For instance, recent immigrants are 7.3% of the population in New Jersey and only 0.8% of the population in Maine, yet unemployment rates are nearly identical in both states. On average, counties with lower unemployment rates have larger populations of recent immigrants.
The second report, “Immigration and Native-Born Unemployment Across Racial/Ethnic Groups,” analyzes the relationship between recent immigration and unemployment among native-born whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians in different states and metropolitan areas. According to the report, the unemployment rate among African Americans is, on average, lower in states and metropolitan areas with the most recent immigrants in the labor force. For example, recent immigrants are 17% of the labor force in Miami and only 3% of the labor force in Cleveland, yet the unemployment rate of native-born blacks in Cleveland is double that of Miami. Rob Paral, Principal of Rob Paral & Associates, points out:
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
A Look at Immigration 'Enforcement' and the Aura of Criminality
Posted by Nezua, The Media Consortium on May 14, 2009 at 1:10 PM.
The Latino/a community has had ample reason to hope that President Obama would take on immigration reform in a humane manner. While Obama is undeniably centrist in his political approach, and has long been fond of language stressing punitive solutions to the immigration issue, he certainly seems to understand that "America is changing and we can't be threatened by it." Enforcement policies are becoming a threat, not only to immigrants, but the country at large.
AlterNet picks up on a position paper authored by the Sanctuary's founding editors (of which I am one) on the Luis Ramirez killing and subsequent court case. The article ties the crime and Shanendoah jury's decision to a larger pattern of dehumanization aimed at Latinos/as, and analyzes "[h]ow effortlessly a subhuman category of being is constructed and subsequently reviled."
It's a disturbing lens for examining current immigration-related news, but useful. If a person is deemed criminal by nature of their appearance, name, and culture, then the larger public will feel comfortable treating them in ways they would never condone for themselves. This process unfolds when the nation is made fearful by hack punditry and politicians who continually employ aggressive verbiage and dishonest framing of the realities we face.
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