Weekly Diaspora: Protecting Haitian Refugees Through Immigration Reform

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 13:00:25 PM EST

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

On Tuesday, the worst earthquake in 200 years struck just off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as The Nation reports. Bringing "catastrophic destruction" to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the disaster has spurred relief efforts worldwide. Crises like this are important reminders of how the treatment and protection of refugees must be a part of immigration reform.

Temporary protected status for Haitian refugees

In September of 2009-just one year after Haiti was decimated by four successive hurricanes and tropical storms that affected at least 3 million people-New America Media (NAM) made a prescient call to halt all deportation to Haiti, and grant Haitians temporary protected status (TPS) status in the U.S. "before more Haitians die or are impacted by natural disasters."

Andrea Nill, writing for NAM's EthnoBlog, reminds us it was only ten months ago, in March of 2009 that the Obama administration indicated it would "continue deporting undocumented Haitians," in spite of the critical situation on the ground. Yesterday, Nill argued that not granting Haitian refugees TPS at this point would be "inconsistent with the promises the Obama administration has already made to the people of Haiti." Later in the day, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano responded by stating deportations to Haiti would, indeed, be temporarily halted.

[ED. NOTE: Stay tuned for more coverage of Haiti and relief efforts. The Media Consortium will release a special report compiling our member's coverage of the crisis and ways to help later today.]

Legalize the undocumented; boost the economy

It's a fortunate confluence of circumstance, when doing the right thing could also help our faltering economy. Jorge Rivas of RaceWire highlights a new study on the beneficial economic effects of legalizing undocumented workers through comprehensive immigration reform. The study came about through a partnership between the Center for American Progress and Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. The research suggests that legalization would yield $1.5 trillion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product over a 10-year period, generate billions of dollars in additional tax revenue, increase wages for all levels of workers in the U.S. (the "wage floor") and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Detention center cover up continues

RaceWire also reveals new developments in the horrific tale of corrupt immigration officials "desperate to conceal" multiple incidents of abuse in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. Violations of law include "covering up evidence of gross mistreatment, undercounting the number of detention deaths, discharging patients right before they die, and major efforts to avoid scrutiny from the news media." Reportedly, ICE has made great efforts to cover up detention conditions and cruelty. (Video below).

'Draconian' anti-immigration legislation passed in Mississippi

Rev. Jeremy Tobin of American Forum reports on a piece of "draconian" anti-immigration legislation passed in Mississippi in March of 2008. SB 2988 makes it a felony for an undocumented immigrant to work in the state. The bill includes a waivable fine for employers that cooperate with the prosecution of undocumented workers. SB 2988 oppresses immigrants and weakens the power of organized labor. According to Tobin, one frustrated legislator said that the bill was "making it a crime to work an honest job."

Tobin calls out various organizations that backed the bill. These groups "started out anti-civil rights" and have since "reinvented themselves to be anti-immigrant rights." He also notes that a "disturbing" number of Mississippi Democrats voted for SB 2988.

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.

RAID in Washington state: Fight Back NOW!

by: rachelfirm

Wed Feb 25, 2009 at 11:29:46 AM EST

Yesterday, the Obama administration decided against "change we can believe in" and, instead continued the Bush legacy. In Bellingham, Washington, an engine remanufacturing plant was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 28 undocumented workers were arrested.  

"They arrived in force," said Asiff Dhanani, a co-owner of the company at 2020 E. Bakerview Road. "They surrounded the whole perimeter."

Most of the workers detained were taken off in handcuffs, Dhanani said, except for three women who apparently were processed and released because they had children in local schools or daycare centers. The 28 made up about one-third of the engine remanufacturing company's production force.

After so many Latino and New American voters showed up at the polls to vote for Obama, after promises of changes to immigration policy and after countless recent reports that Bush-era immigration enforcement tactics are both financially and humanely costly, it is unbelievable the administration is allowing this to happen.

We must tell the Obama Administration: Stop the Raids, Pass Just and Humane Immigration Reform  

CALL the WHITE HOUSE NOW- 202-456-1414 and tell President Barack Obama:

• The raid in Washington state is unacceptable, and hurts all of our communities.
• He must stop the raids, and pass comprehensive immigration reform - NOW!

In this time of economic hardship it is completely unacceptable for the Obama administration to be executing raids on our workers, businesses and communities- it is time for him to hear from us.

Realizing the Promise: Tomorrow is the Day, Let's Make some History

by: rachelfirm

Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 12:29:47 PM EST

Tomorrow, December 4th, over 1500 grassroots leaders will gather in DC to talk directly with members of Congress and Obama's transition team, to help shape the agenda for the new administration. "Realizing the Promise: A Forum on Community, Faith and Democracy" will mark the first large-scale progessive event since last month's historic elections. No longer are our communities on the outside looking in at the powerful decision-makers: we have become the decision-makers. And YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT!

Tomorrow, watch the LIVE WEBCAST of the event from 3PM to 6PM at http://www.realizingthepromise.org/ and check out the LIVE-BLOG.

Community members, REAL PEOPLE, will be sharing open dialogue with people as powerful as Valerie Jarett, who aims to be on of the 3 to 5 people IN THE ROOM WITH OBAMA when major policy decisions are made, AND Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who is the 3rd most powerful Congressman in the House. This is our time to be heard, this is our time to make sure that the agenda for the next administration is the agenda OF THE PEOPLE.

And IMMIGRATION is sure to be on that agenda. Prior to the Forum, there will be a press conference on the Hill, where Rep. Luis Gutierrez will push immigration to the forefront of the country's political landscape, and ask the new Congress and new Administration for an immediate moratorium on the raids and a renewed effort for comprehensive immigration reform. In the afternoon, Rep. Gutierrez will join "Realizing the Promise" to engage in more dialogue around these demands.

This is truly a historic moment in our Nation's history and YOU can participate. Tomorrow, visit http://www.realizingthepromise.org/ from 3PM to 6PM to watch the entire event LIVE on our WEBCAST. We will be live-blogging the event at Standing FIRM, so be sure to check back for that too.