Is the Tea Party's racist rhetoric going to save broken families?

by: Restore Fairness

Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 17:52:54 PM EST

From the Restore Fairness blog. 

While it is difficult to find much coherence within the fractured and fast-changing Tea Party Movement, a look at their convention in Nashville last week shows that the issue of immigration seems to have gained greater popularity, emerging largely from the links made between immigration and the healthcare debate at their town hall meetings held last summer. Spearheading this issue for the Tea party agenda was Tom Tancredo, a former Colorado Congressman who kicked off the Nashville Tea Party Convention with a slew of racist comments meant to further the argument against immigration reform.

And then because we don’t have a civics literacy test to vote, people who couldn’t even spell vote, or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House named Barack Hussein Obama.

The Nashville Convention sought to unite the movement against the path to legalization. Tancredo’s opening speech included the argument that while Obama’s plans for immigration reform needed to be halted, it was a good thing that McCain had not been elected or he would already have ensured that Rep. Gutierrez’s bill for immigration reform was passed and “amnesty” given to the country’s undocumented immigrants. He incited the audience to protect the country’s culture saying “our culture is based on Judeo-Christian values whether people like it or not!”

While some, such as a Tea Party blogger Keli Carender said that immigration was not a part of the official agenda, Tancredo’s opening remarks, the prominent presence of the anti-immigrant group NumbersUSA, as well as a number of signs against “amnesty” from their individual supporters at the convention indicated that immigration issues could become a prominent feature on the movement’s agenda.

So what would Tom Tancredo have to say about the latest report by the Urban Institute that holds that immigration enforcement has a large-scale, detrimental effect on children? The truth is that the immigration system is in dire need of reform and racist rhetoric is not going to solve the complex problems caused as a result of a broken immigration system.

The report is based on research conducted amongst over 100 children of undocumented immigrants that were targeted by raids and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in six U.S. states. Of the 190 children interviewed for this study, two-thirds were U.S. born citizens. The study says,

Children whose parents were detained for longer than a month experienced more changes in eating, sleeping, frequent crying, fear, anxiety, regression, clinginess, and aggressive behavior.  68% of parents or caretakers questioned said they noticed at least three behavioral changes in the short-term, or three months after a parent was arrested. In the long-term, or nine months after an arrest, 56 percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 17 showed angry or aggressive behavior. The most typical changes were an increase or decrease in eating among all age groups.

Long-term separation of children from their parents is “exceptionally harmful” to the development and growth of children. The report recommends immigration reform must include alternatives to detention such as electronic monitoring and supervised released, as well as a priority quota for immigrants with children to be considered for legal residency.

It’s groups like Tancredo’s that have gone on about the connections between immigrants and crime. An ACLU brief finds that the increasing criminalization of undocumented immigrants has led to a diversion of attention and resources away from more serious criminal offenses such as organized crime, gun trafficking and white collar crimes. For starters unlawful presence in the United States is NOT a “crime”. And secondly only the Federal Government can regulate immigration. So when states and localities use criminal laws to go after undocumented immigrants, they are not only adding to the misinformed rhetoric around “criminal” immigrants but actually diverting resources from where they should be applied. Moreover, studies have shown that increased immigration does not lead to increased crime and that immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated for violating criminal laws than non-immigrants.

Once again, we urge the leaders and citizens of this country to step away from their petty vendettas and take a look at the bigger picture, both in terms of what already exists and in terms of what would be best for all.

The down payment's been paid, when will the goods to be delivered?

by: Duke Reed

Thu Feb 04, 2010 at 21:05:34 PM EST

But most of those working for positive change have known all along that "enforcement first" is just a catch-22. It's an ever-moving target that was never intended to be reached. The ultimate goal of those opposed to reform has never been to "control" immigration...but rather to end it.

Yet despite these obvious facts, both the Bush and Obama administrations dived head first into the enforcement waters.

The last few years have been marked by hugely escalating enforcement budgets, increased apprehension, deportation and detention, increased use of local law enforcement, raids, and employer audits.

Programs like "Operation Streamline",  "Secure Communities",  "287G",  "Operation Community Shield", and  "Rapid REPEAT", (to name a few) have all been ramped up to locate, and remove  the undocumented population. And while the human suffering caused by these and other programs has been immeasurable, no one can deny their effect on both illegal entry and presence.

So the question now becomes; At what point can we say enough is enough?

At what point will the forces that demand strict enforcement before any discussion of reform can begin, be content? Immigrant communities across this nation have paid the price, they've made their down payment on  reform ...when do they finally see something in return?

Congressman Patrick Murphy Should Reject Bridge to Nowhere, Online Ads Say

by: AmericasVoice

Thu Feb 04, 2010 at 11:10:22 AM EST

Today America’s Voice is launching an online ad campaign asking Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) to remove his name from a controversial immigration resolution, H.Res. 1026 -- the so-called “BRIDGE Resolution.”

The measure has been dubbed the "BRIDGE to Nowhere" by Americans who are sick and tired of costly “get-tough” proposals that do nothing to fix our broken immigration system. The Irish Immigration Center in Philadelphia kicked things off by calling on Murphy to remove his name from BRIDGE.  The call was amplified by Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive political blog Daily Kos, who called it a “cheap anti-immigrant shot.” 

The Raw Politics of Immigration Reform Should Lead to Legislation

by: Duke Reed

Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 12:15:32 PM EST

Since nothing yet has provided the requisite motivation to those in Washington to move forward and tackle reform, it's time to start to look at it through a prism they can understand: Pure Machiavellian political calculation.

Let's talk future flows

by: Duke Reed

Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 18:20:34 PM EST

They have taken these two ideas and tied them into nice package to form the foundation of their narrative in opposition to immigration reform. A narrative that essentially says; "You can't reform immigration unless the borders are totally secure...and you can't have an  'amnesty' because we tried that before and it only opened the floodgates to more 'illegal' immigration by rewarding lawbreakers."

This simple narrative has allowed them dominate debate and set the parameters of how CIR has been crafted in all past attempts, with a heavy reliance on enforcement and border security, restrictive guest worker programs, and in return, some limited normalization of status for some the undocumented population.

We see it's influence even in the framing used by Democrats when addressing the issue. Such as President Obama's statement in the SOTU:

"And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."

The problem for reformers is that, although based on faulty logic and misinformation, the narrative is compelling, easily understood, and unfortunately accepted by not only large swaths of the American public, but by those on both sides of the aisle in Washington.  

SEIU's Eliseo Medina; It's Time to Step on the Gas on CIR

by: alijost

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 14:54:16 PM EST

This is our time to, in Obama's words, "overcome the numbing weight of our politics." For the good of our economy, of America's workers, and of our country, it's time to overcome. It's time to get immigration reform done right; to get it done quickly; and to make sure it works for America."

You can read the full post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Schumer reaches out to Lou Dobbs on immigration. This is insanity.

by: Duke Reed

Thu Jan 28, 2010 at 15:48:52 PM EST

Leading the push in the Senate, where the powers that be have decided the battle should begin, is Chuck Schumer.  In recent months he's called together leaders from all the stakeholders in the debate to get a lay of the land. Labor, business, immigrant rights activists, representatives of faith organizations ... all have weighed in and expressed their wants and concerns.

Schumer's also been looking for a couple of "republican champions" to help him nurse the bill through the Senate. With McCain abdicating his previous leadership role, due in no small part to his wish to save his political hide in what could be a very tenacious battle for re-election, all eyes have turned to McCain fan-boy, Lindsey Graham.  

Obviously, Schumer's looking to put together a big tent.

But apparently that "big tent" just got a little bigger ...ridiculously bigger

Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Timeline for Immigration Reform is in Congress' Hands

by: AmericasVoice

Thu Jan 28, 2010 at 14:33:46 PM EST

This morning, Rep. Luis Gutierrez posted this response to the President's State of the Union address last night:

Any idea on how much longer that check might be in the mail?

by: Duke Reed

Thu Jan 28, 2010 at 02:38:04 AM EST

Invitations to listen to conference calls and panel discussions flow in at a steady stream. Links to press releases, policy pieces, political polls and analysis, pile up one after the next.  

Each proclaiming that this DC organization, or that politician, has some monumental news about the impending Immigration Reform legislation, or information on some critical action item that will directly effect its outcome.

If I was a gullible soul, naïve or unaccustomed to standards by which DC types or new media mavens operate, I'd probably buy into all this smoke and mirror cheerleading ... it seems on its face to make perfect sense.

I mean, com'on, it's not like everyone didn't work their asses off to change the power structure in Washington so we could have the Change We Can Believe In™.

It's not like  Señor Sí Se Puede didn't promise time and time again, prior to his election, that he wouldn't forget the millions of new voters who signed on to the Yes We Can™ juggernaut and honor his pledge to take up reform in his first year in office.

Over the last few days these messages started to reach a frenzied peak.

Those in the know had positive word that Obama would make an important statement about immigration reform in his SOTU and revitalize the movement.  He would clearly call on congress to finally move on legislation and allow him to keep his promise.

So with baited breath I awaited the President's remarks last night to hear his clarion call to Congress finally take up immigration reform.

And finally there it was .... What we have all been waiting so long to hear him say....

" And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."

With 7446 words ...over an hours worth of brilliant Obama oratory .... And all he managed to squeeze in was a single sentence of the same old boilerplate, regurgitated stump-speech talking points, we've been hearing for over three years now.

Thanks Barry ....

Guess the check is still in the mail on that one.

We've got to do better than this

by: Duke Reed

Wed Jan 27, 2010 at 20:51:31 PM EST

While it's a good sign to see Progressives, Labor, Faith-based organizations and so many more signing on to CIR. There's seems to be a disconnect between the current messaging and framing and what I think might be needed to finally gain the kind of support CIR will really need to get through the legislative process in one piece (as opposed to what's happened w/ health care)..and more importantly, accepted by the vast majority of Americans.

In order to enact really meaningful and practical reform, it is not the far-right, teabaggers, or groups like FAIR or Allipac that will determine the fate of reform this time around ...but rather "the middle."

And while it's great that polling claims there is pretty strong support for some kind of reform, I think all must admit that both the framing of the poll questions and specifics of what exactly that reform will look like are presently the only determining factors that set apart the polling numbers presented by pro-reform orgs, from those of the anti-immigration advocates.

The Immigration Policy Center  posted a very good diary up at Daily Kos today....But if you read through the comments you'll notice that there is a lot of sentiment opposed to reform.

And it's not the usual "what part of illegal, don't you understand"  bullshit we've become accustomed to, but rather some serious questioning of the economic issues around CIR.

And while many of the comments are based on misconceptions or anecdotal evidence, they go to show just how much work there remains in framing this issue out for the middle.

While it's all well and good to talk about the concepts of Peri's "complementary workers' and "imperfect substitutes" in the workforce to explain why foreign workers don't really take US jobs during times of high unemployment, ... or how the tax benefits of normalizing the status of undocumented workers far outweighs the liabilities....or how bringing the undocumented into the legitimate workforce raises the standards of all workers......These are all concepts based in academia, the theoretical, or conceptual. They are not visceral. ...some in fact are counter intuitive. And to simply restate them and repeat them does not seem to be a strategy that will have long term benefit.

To tell those commentors that they simply don't grasp labor-economic, or their views are simplistic, is not the way the middle is going to be won. You can't talk down to them. To quote polls that claim people support reform or studies that prove that their economic ideas (or preconceptions) are wrong only further alienates them and makes them dig in.

To win the middle the framing needs to become more clear.

We must be able to counter arguments like these (from the IPC diary at DKos) with more than just  statistics and alternative studies. We must have a better narrative. Not only for why reform is the morally right thing to do...but why it's in the best interests of all those living in this country.

If they are legalized most will be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other credits which will count against any taxes they do pay

(as to)your point about "interchangeability."

But that's no longer true.

People with multiple college degrees are willing to take jobs cleaning houses and picking produce because that's all they can find. They will take jobs for which they are overqualified because otherwise they would continue to be unemployed.

It might be "unrealistic," but it's happening.

Your point might hold up in normal times, or what was considered normal in the past, but there are too many people casting about for ANY job for it to be valid now.

People in lower paying jobs qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit which can reduce your income tax liability to zero and on top of that give you up to around 4000 in free money (if you have children). The EITC free money counts against SS tax paid in my book. If we legalize illegal immigrants they will be eligible for the EITC.

People on the left argue for a social welfare state in part because poor people need services, right? That basically means that the poorest among us are going to be given more in services (health care, school funds, rent supplements) then they pay in taxes, right? I think we would all agree that most people that come here from Mexico are low income and unskilled (lots don't even have a high school education), right? Put all of this together and basically it means that once they are naturalized as citizens the vast majority will become net beneficiaries of funds from the treasury. So basically on average any taxes paid will be less then funds provided to them in government services. Mass immigration of unskilled people and a modern social welfare state are simply not compatible; it will make us poorer per capita not richer.

These are the kind of sentiments that kill will CIR, not the racist rants the far-right, or the idiocy of the tea baggers.  It will be the economic angst of the middle that puts the nail in the coffin this time.  

Unless those in the pro-reform movement start to read the writing on the wall more clearly, and start to figure out how to frame this issue out beyond spouting public opinion  polls, demographic and voting statistics or economic studies, it will be a long uphill battle to win reform. And I fear that the compromises necessary to win that reform may make the victory a sour pill to swallow at the end of the day.  

Are You Listening?: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

by: symsess

Tue Jan 26, 2010 at 23:58:57 PM EST

Immigrants & American-born: "Are you listening?" at Yes on the upcoming Night of 1,000 conversations.

Obama's State of the Union: Immigration? Gays in the military? at The Oval.

The Orange County Register: Rally Celebrates Contributions from Immigrants at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

SANTA ANA Prayer vigils and press conferences took place across the country today -- from Santa Ana to Tennessee -- to tout the release of a report detailing the contributions of immigrants to California.

The grossly incomplete Latino Blogosphere list from BlogWorldExpo at Culture Kitchen.

Student Activism: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

by: symsess

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 17:45:52 PM EST

Yes they did- student activism from around the world at DREAM Activist.

This one's called La Septima Papeleta, and the story takes place in Colombia...

It´s 1989, and the Colombian constitution is 103 years old and clearly not working: its institutions are crumbling away due to drug trafficking and its networks of power and violence.  Something's gotta give.

On Immigration, Scrap the Obituary at America's Voice.  

For months, pundits in Washington have been dying to write the obituary for comprehensive immigration reform.  Predictably, they're using Tuesday night's special election in Massachusetts as a chance to do just that.  But what they overlook is that immigration may well be one of the few issues where a bipartisan breakthrough is possible.

Rebuilding Haiti's infrastructure, people's lives, and their grassroots movement for Social Justice at CAUSA.

VIDEO: Immigration Reform Update for Jan. 22, 2010 at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Trail of DREAMs VII and Trail of DREAMs VIII - Central Florida Lakes at DREAM Act Texas.

Krikorian: Problem with Haiti- slavery ended too soon

by: Duke Reed

Fri Jan 22, 2010 at 14:14:58 PM EST

Of course coupled with these lessons in colonial, and post-colonial geo-political history have been the expected wingnut assertions like those of Pat Robinson about Haiti's "pack with the devil"

But now, thanks to Mark Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, a far-right "think tank" opposed to immigration, we get this little tidbit of neo-colonial/white-man's burden analysis of why Haiti remains the poorest nation in the hemisphere:

From NRO:

Why isn't Haiti like Jamaica or Barbados? Those places certainly have their problems, but they're not dystopian like Haiti.....

My guess is that Haiti's so screwed up because it wasn't colonized long enough. The ancestors of today's Haitians, like elsewhere in the Caribbean, experienced the dislocation of de-tribalization, which disrupted the natural ties of family and clan and ethnicity. They also suffered the brutality of sugar-plantation slavery, which was so deadly that the majority of slaves at the time of independence were African-born, because their predecessors hadn't lived long enough to reproduce.

But, unlike Jamaicans and Bajans and Guadeloupeans, et al., after experiencing the worst of tropical colonial slavery, the Haitians didn't stick around long enough to benefit from it. (Haiti became independent in 1804.). And by benefit I mean develop a local culture significantly shaped by the more-advanced civilization of the colonizers.

According to Krikorian, if only the pesky Haitians had abandoned their fight for freedom (as the only successful slave revolt and revolution in history) and remained under the whip for another 40 years like their counterparts in other former slave colonies, they would have had time to absorb the greater wisdom and culture of their oppressors, and their nation wouldn't be the basket case of the western hemisphere it is today.

No mention made of the harsh reparations the ex-slaves were forced to pay their former masters (equal to $21 billion in today's dollars) that took from 1825 to 1947 pay and crippled Haiti's economy for more than a century. No acknowledgement that a successful slave revolt and revolution of colonial peoples of color in the late eighteenth-early nineteenth century was more frightening to the ruling powers of the time than any Taliban or Al Qaeda could ever be today, and all efforts were made to isolate the tiny nation in order prevent the spread of revolt and revolution to the rest of the occupied world. No insight into the years of foreign interference, domination, and manipulation of the Haitian political system by European and US government and corporate interests.

Nope... The Hatians, like their black brothers and sisters in certain areas of deep dark Africa, just never managed to absorb the wisdom and knowledge of their white colonial benefactors according to Krikorian.

But, thankfully,  Mr. Krikorian offers up a solution to this lack of proper schooling of the poor, ignorant Haitian  people  in the white mans ways.... return them back to paternalistic colonial control until such time as they can make it on their own.

So what can we do about it? As much as we'd like to go back to ignoring the place, we can't, if for no other reason than a continually dysfunctional Haiti means boat people in Miami.....

But if Haiti's problem is a stunted, dysfunctional culture caused by an interrupted process of colonial development, then it follows that a solution would be to resume colonialism...

...but, as we've found in Iraq, Americans just don't do colonies very well. In fact, the time of conventional colonization is past - it's not just that the Haitians value their independence, nominal though it might be; it's that there's no developed nation who'd want to bother.

Instead, Haiti needs to become a like U.N. Trust Territory, essentially putting it into receivership. Unlike past examples, Haiti wouldn't be administered by a single nation but rather collectively, perhaps by the OAS, since the U.N. is almost as feckless as Haiti itself. This is the de facto situation now, with the complete absence of national government, but by formalizing it, the needed "intrusive paternalism" might be more likely.

As ridiculous as Krikorian's assertions are, his mere spouting off of this kind of archaic, white-mans-burden drivel, raises one very serious question:

Why is this nut, and the organization he runs, still viewed as in any way credible on any issue.  

Why is he called before Congress to testify as an expert witness on anything. Why are his groups "studies" and  statements taken at all seriously by anyone in both the media or government.  

How much longer will it be, and how many times must we listen to his lies, racism, and distortions before he and the rest of the puppets in the Tanton network of anti-immigration front groups are finally discredited and relegated to the dustbin of history, just like his paternalistic, colonial view of the world.

Weekly Diaspora: Does Coakley's Loss Spell Trouble for Immigration Reform?

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 12:30:15 PM EST

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

Professional pundits and Democratic politicians are in a frenzy over what Martha Coakley's senate seat loss to Republican Scott Brown might mean for American politics.

Immigration reform in jeopardy

As Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect reports, the loss of one seat probably won't derail heath care reform, but it does make the chances of passing immigration reform slimmer. Meyerson writes that immigration reform is "necessary to restore our economic vitality and political equality," and actually passing reform would benefit the Democratic faction. Unfortunately, that means that immigration reform will require 60 votes in order to pass the senate.

The Texas Observer's Melissa del Bosque writes about the slim chances of immigration reform passing in 2010. According to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a 2011 target date is "probably more realistic." del Bosque refuses to lose hope, reminding us that Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) has assured the public that "the Obama administration promised to bring up the issue in 2010." Of course, bringing up an issue and actually passing reform are two very different animals.

Holding on to hope for 2010

In her daily roundup of Spanish-language media, Erin Rosa of Campus Progress also urges a positive outlook "despite the reorganization of the Senate." Rosa relays that Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) assured the media during a telephone conference that President Obama "remembers his promise well." While "most latinos" interviewed are impatient, they hold on to hope that 2010 is the year for reform.

TPS for Haitians

Haitian undocumented that are currently within U.S. borders will be given Temporary Protected Status (TPS), as Julianne Hing reports for RaceWire. The decision only applies to Haitian immigrants in the U.S. prior to January 12, 2010. Hing observes that it is unfortunate that it took "a disaster of this magnitude" to inspire the White House to offer TPS to Haitian immigrants, though it is "a great relief."

What will the recently granted TPS status mean for Haitians that are already in deportation proceedings? Such is the case of Haitian immigrant Jean Montrevil, as Aarti Shahani reports for New America Media. Montrevil came to the U.S. on a green card in 1986 to "make it big," but in his efforts, "got stupid," and caught up in selling drugs from his taxi cab. That was 20 years ago, and Montrevil has served 11 years in prison to pay for his errors. Montrevil is now a father of four and a community leader. The Department of Homeland Security considers his prison time proper cause to deport him. Many others feel he has done his time, and is a positively contributing member of our society. Democracy Now! also covered Montrevil's story recently, as noted in the Jan. 7 Diaspora.

Invisible to the first world

Why are countries like Haiti mostly invisible to first world nations like the U.S. until catastrophe strikes? Leonardo Padura asks, before the earthquake, "Who talked about Haiti?" for IPS News. Haiti desperately needs the emergency aid so generously given today, but the country has needed help for a long time. "Let us hope that tomorrow, when the tragedy no longer dominates the headlines, and the dead are buried," writes Padura, "we will not forget Haiti exists...."

Disappointingly, "U.S. corporations, private mercenaries, Washington and the International Monetary Fund" are remembering Haiti in a rather cruel and opportunist fashion, as Benjamin Dangl reports for AlterNet. At a time of crisis and great human need, Washington D.C. is "promoting unpopular economic policies and extending military and economic control over the Haitian people." This is disturbing, as a long history of economic exploitation helped render the country vulnerable to disaster. The recent earthquake has claimed roughly 200,000 lives so far.

Haiti in context

While borders and border cities bear the brunt of blame when migrants move, the cure won't be found in bigger bails of barbed wire, or harsh enforcement tactics that deny escape from economic desperation or dangerous conditions.

Jocelyn Barnes, reporting for The Nation, provides a much needed contextualization of Haiti. There are many related factors that weakened and harmed Haiti's ability to thrive, not the least of which have been storms and earthquakes. But the privatization of Haiti's infrastructure-which was "championed" by current envoy to Haiti in charge of "leading the quake assistance brigade" former president Bill Clinton-have definitely been instrumental in the country's fate.

Marching against Arpaio

Finally, given the recent holiday celebrating the life and efforts of civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr., we would be remiss in overlooking the January 16 march in Arizona protesting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The event was organized by Salvador Reza, a respected Mexican American activist and community organizer in Arizona. Musician Linda Ronstadt, Co-Founder of United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta, and approximately 5,000 people marched from a park to Tent City, the name for the sheriff's makeshift detention center.

Arpaio is reviled by many in the Latino and undocumented community for his methods of racial profiling and humiliating treatment of detainees. Recently, Arpaio was compared to Bull Connor by an ad published in in the Arizona Republic by 60 black leaders and the Center for New Community.

King's vision was large and led to new horizons; it cannot possibly be contained to one era, or one day on a calendar. The struggle continues, every day, everywhere.

This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Diaspora for a complete list of articles on immigration issues, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, and health care issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Pulse . This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.

Secrets of Immigration Jails: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

by: symsess

Wed Jan 20, 2010 at 20:10:33 PM EST

"Secrets of Immigration Jails" a Disturbing Call For Reform at America's Voice.

Here's another damning piece from the New York Times exposing the nation's shadowy immigration detention system, which exploded under the Bush administration.

Donate Blood to Help Haiti at All About Race. Check out the Red Cross video and donate if you can.

La Opinion: Pressure Grows to Move Immigration Reform Forward at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Un año después, las cosas parecen seguir igual. A pesar de las promesas del presidente Barack Obama, quien aseguró que durante el primer año de su administración sería aprobado un proyecto de reforma migratoria, el plazo se cumplió y la promesa sigue en el aire.

The Importance of Marching Against Arpaio

by: Manuel

Tue Jan 19, 2010 at 11:48:47 AM EST

Sheriff Joe is a notorious media-hound.  He is the first to admit that he relishes in the attention given to his anti-migrant, and by extension of his racism, anti-latino policies.  His delusions of grandeur, however, are misplaced as media sources from all parts of the country show images from the march and include in their stories the various investigations that are exposing the violations of his law enforcement agency.

Sheriff under investigation
Critics have alleged racial profiling by deputies working in Arpaio's immigration efforts, which the sheriff denies. He says his deputies approach people when they have probable cause to believe they had committed crimes.

[continued below the fold]

MLK Day: What Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to me

by: juansaaa

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 15:07:06 PM EST

Crossposted from DreamActivist

Martin Luther King has alway been a hero of mine, whom I adopted early on as I learned more about American History.

He has served as an inspiration to the work that I conduct on a daily basis, his hopes for a better future for a nation continue to move me and push me to accomplish all that i have set out to do.

In honor of Dr. King, his great quest to achieve the Dream, and to bring communities together while building alliances, I will share a speech that I hoped to give once I finished my Associates Degree and moved on to the University of my dreams.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said:

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically… Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

He like many of my now defunct heroes, had a vision.

A vision of equality, freedom, and opportunity for all.

A vision in which hard work was to be recognized and praised, where those who had big dreams could accomplish them regardless of the obstacles presented to them.

To some extent Dr. King’s vision is remains alive today. His journey proved to America that hard-work, coupled with determination, and education could overcome any barrier, and moreover discredit any nay-sayer.

Today is a symbolic day for me.

As I take off to continue pursuing my education, I embark on my own journey to find my place within Dr. King’s vision, and maybe even bring it a little closer to a full reality.

As many of you know I am one of the thousands of beneficiaries of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act; or DREAM Act for short, a piece of legislation that would allow exemplary students like myself attain a legal status within this country by means of a higher education or military service.

Let us remember that my lack of status is not due to a personal choice, or a punishment brought upon to me by my parents. I, like many others am a victim of the failed and broken immigration system of this country, and while my status does limit my capabilities to attain to certain documents, or benefits which I have earned along the way; my hopes and strengths remain up-high to fight for equality for those who find themselves in similar positions as mine.

As I look back from this current point in time, and see some of my accomplishments ranging far and wide, I cannot help to feel but an immense sense of success. From stellar High School graduate, to immigrant rights activist….

All very important milestones in my life which have shaped my character, and person to be who I am today. All of which has been done and planned yo make you (my audience) proud of me.

You, who stood by me, supported me, and encouraged me as I took on the heavy course-loads, and endured the long working hours to get me to where I am today.

Some more than others, but all of this positive energy has summed up to be a tremendous help that has accompanied me in this short-lived journey. So to you, friends new and old, family close or distant, I owe you my gratitude for helping me get to where I stand as of right now. It is with your help that I am able to deliver this speech, because without all of you by my side none of this would be possible.

Using Twitter as a Pro-Migrant Tool

by: juansaaa

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 14:42:09 PM EST

In this day in age communication has bridged all gaps. Well, most of them, but if you want to know about a specific issue is very easy to get plugged in and be flooded with information about it.

People often compliment me for how well read I am on current issues, especially on the immigration system and its issues in this country, but the reality of it is that all it takes is a couple of tweaks here and there in your routine within the internet in order to get as much information as possible. Moreover, you can be on the move and have a basic cell-phone with a text message plan and still be kept up to date on recent developments in the news.

What I am trying to say is that we should all be a little be a little more open and receptive to the information available to us, the more we know the more tools we have to combat the misinformation that is out there, or spread the accomplishment we have compiled so far. Within this post I will be covering Twitter and how to use it as a pro-migrant tool, not only to get direct updates from on the trenches activists to publications from various forms of media, but also to help spread awareness about immigration system in the United States. For all intents and purposes we will focus on covering the DREAM Act and help promote it within the Twitterverse (common term to depict the universe within Twitter).

So lets treat this as the Twitter guide to the DREAM Act, I will be answering many FAQs and if you have any remaining questions or points that I missed or did not cover you can always drop me a comment. So here we go:

Why is Twitter so important to the DREAM Act and its movement?

In a world that seems to be clogged up with blogs, editorials, news articles, and spam it seems almost impossible to read every single piece or at least go on the hunt for it across the vast depths of the internet.

Twitter takes care of this by using asking the question “What are you doing?” in which users may reply in a variety of ways. To the average Joe, Twitter is nothing more of a Facebook status updater, where they will often type “Im eating a slice of pizza yum…”, but us here at the DREAM Activist team and in the pro-migrant movement use Twitter as a may to publicize everything we do, from our blogs to what others are doing, in order to spread awareness in a quick, short, and easy way for others to see.

Often you’ll see things like this coming from our Twitter account” “@DreamAct: “New Blog Post ‘Post Name Here’”. Upon reading this, our friends (followers as denoted by Twitter) will continue to re-post this over to their accounts so their ‘followers’ can see what they are reading as well. In turn this creates a huge chain of what are known as ‘RTs’ or “re-tweets” that give credit to the original source in which the article came from.

However, we are not the only ones Tweeting about the DREAM Act. There are articles published every day covering the story of a DREAM Act student, one of our actions, or an organization that is promoting the DREAM Act. By “re-tweeting” and organizing the tweets we can create a network of pro-migrant advocates that keep us informed of news being published within their communities, or actions that they are conducting.

After Devastating Earthquake Anti-Immigrants Still Hate Haitian Immigrants

by: NathanArr

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 19:45:40 PM EST

Many of us have heard about the extreme inflammatory remarks by Rush Limbaugh and Pat Roberson but the 700 club and whatever radio stations that are still airing Mr. Limbaugh aren't the only ones using this horrible disaster to broadcast hate.

ALIPAC one of the lead organizations in a network of Anti-immigrant hategroups posted a thread on their website discussing Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's proposal to grant temporary protected status (TPS) to Hatian's fleeing to the US and those scheduled to be deported back to Hati. Here are some of the things ALIPAC's members had to say about that:

Why are we messing with the rules? The quake happened yesterday, so no one should have "fled" to the US. This is a bad-bad-bad idea and out right stupid!

And this post by skipper0 who seems to argue that we shouldn't because they don't think we would get the same aid from Hati in a hypothetical disaster? Oh and people fleeing to the United States from Haiti are deadbeats.

Just supposing that the United States had a disaster that stretched from California to the Atlantic ocean, that is not likely but just suppose! Who do you think would come running to our aid???? Over the years back to before WW1 until now this country has spent trillions on fighting wars to rid the world of evil and we have always been the first and largest contributor when there was a natural disaster! Now we are in terrible financial trouble thanks to the current administration. Has anyone offered to help bail us out? NO! and they won't! Enough is enough! According to Fox this morning there are already ships on the way with medical help and food and probably construction materials to help the people rebuild! They are going to need all of their people to help rebuild the country so why in heaven's name would we allow a bunch of deadbeats who do not want to help rebuild their own country to migrate to OUR country??? Its insane to even think of allowing them in here unless they want and have to go through the legal process! That is not likely to happen!

Or this post stating that all Hatian's are gang members. Just like all Italians immigrants were in the mob and all Irish were pawns of the pope?

exactly....just like the central americans and their mara salvatrucha gang!! ask anybody from s. florida and they wioll tell you about the hatian gang problem they have there!!

And this random gem:

The third world, the terrorists, the people who hate us, keeps growing inside the United States with the help of politicians, and others.

And of course there is the obligatory post in all caps:

THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE ILLEGALLY AND IT SEEMS AS IF THE GOVERNMENT DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM DEPORTING THEM BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ILLEGAL HISPANICS THE RULES OF THE GAME CHANGES IN FAVOR OF HISPANICS. ILLEGAL HAITIANS SHOULD BE DEPORTED AND SO SHOULD ALL ILLEGAL MEXICANS AND THE REST OF THE ILLEGAL HISPANICS. AND ITS UP TO THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE THE PUNISHMENT FOR RE-ENTERY INTO THE COUNTRY SWIFT AND SURE.IT SEEMS AS IF THEY HAVE GOT A FREE PASS TO COME AND GO WHEN EVER THEY WANT TO. AND TO SUM IT ALL UP, EVERYONE WHO IS IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY SHOULD BE DEPORTED AND THAT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE WOMEN AND THEIR ANCHOR BABIES. THE AUTOMATIC BIRTH RIGHT CITIZENSHIP NEEDS TO END STARTING YESTERDAY. THAT IS ONE REASON WHY THESE PREGNANT WOMEN COME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THE GOVERNMENT CAN PUT A STOP TO THIS IF THEY WANT TO.

Post claiming we shouldn't delay deportations because the media is making it seem "worse than it is."

Yep...throw her out. We can delay deportations for a couple weeks. THAT IS IT!! No TPS. And I even question delaying deportation. I have been reading up on the quake. It is only in Port Au Prince that there is a real problem. The outlying areas...some of those areas have no damage at all. Of course the media is concentrating their reporting on the worst hit area so it seems worse than it is.

You can read the rest of the enlightening thread here.

Nat'l Day of Action - Saturday, Jan 16th

by: Manuel

Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 12:54:53 PM EST

Full information on the event can be found at the Puente AZ website.  There is also a Facebook page devoted to the event.

Leading the march will be UFW matron Dolores Huerta, Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha, and internationally-famed singer Linda Ronstadt.  There will also be a concert at the end of the march featuring Little Joe y La Familia.

This will be the second march I've attended to protest the human rights abuses of Sheriff Joe, who is under several federal investigations for racial profiling and harassment of political foes in Maricopa County.

Federal investigators are apparently looking into Arpaio's actions stemming from his anger over budget cuts handed down by county officials. The budget cuts were part of a long-running feud between Arpaio and county leaders.

In one instance, Arpaio is accused of investigating a $340 million project for a new courts building in downtown Phoenix because he thought that the money should instead be spent on plugging holes in his office's budget. In other cases, he sent deputies to workers' homes on nights and weekends.

"Their way of showing their displeasure was to investigate, using the criminal justice process on people who were simply doing their jobs," Smith said.

ABC15

If you can't attend the march, please consider donating toward water bottles for the participants via the National Day Laborer Organizing Network