Leadership, Not Passivity Needed from the White House on Immigration

A strong opinion piece, maybe the administration people read it too. - - Donna Poisl

by Jim Gonzalez Chairman, Latino Policy Coalition

Americans across the country held their collective breath Thursday morning as President Barack Obama spoke out on the issue of immigration reform. Would he advocate for amnesty? Perhaps he would advocate for the unilateral deportation of 12 million Latinos. Unfortunately, his speech did little for either side.

While rhetorically uplifting, President Obama simply restated the obvious - the system is broken, immigrants are at risk of being exploited, and reform has been held hostage to political posturing. And while the President rightly put the blame squarely on the shoulders of intransigent Republicans for failing to work to pass an immigration law, his speech begs the question, what's next?
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United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hails Corporate Initiatives Aimed at Bolstering Growth of Hispanic-Owned Businesses

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, July 27 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- In light of the new census data which reports a huge growth in Hispanic-owned businesses, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), which represents more than 200 local chambers and serves as the national advocate for nearly three million Hispanic-owned businesses across the country, is pleased to announce the overwhelming support that some of America's leading corporations are providing for our entrepreneurs nationwide.

For example, Visa Inc., a global payments technology company, and the USHCC have formed a new strategic alliance to provide Hispanic-owned merchants with an array of tools to help them improve cash flow, manage payment acceptance costs, streamline operations and grow their businesses. Additionally, USHCC members will receive customized access to Visa's suite of small business solutions and educational resources.

The USHCC and Visa are working together to develop acceptance solutions for USHCC merchants, especially smaller businesses with sales up to $1 million, to help ensure that they have access to best-available interchange rates and other acceptance solutions from Visa.

Javier Palomarez, President and CEO of the USHCC, said: "The entrepreneurial spirit, perseverance and work ethic of our community is indisputable and evidenced by the latest census numbers. However, we are also grateful for the support, generosity and creativity of our corporate partners, who are assisting our small businesses so they will be able to transition from merely surviving to thriving during these tough economic times."

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and represents the interests of nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that generate nearly $400 billion annually. It also serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local Hispanic chambers in the United States and Puerto Rico.
http://www.ushcc.com/
SOURCE United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
-0- 07/27/2010
/CONTACT: DeVere Kutscher of United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, +1-202-715-0497, dkutscher@ushcc.com/

THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION:

Go to this site to read recent news articles about immigration from the
Immigration Policy Center
Click on the headline or go to: www.immigrationimpact.com

Congressional Leaders Challenge Progressives to Keep Pushing for Immigration Reform

Fiery speeches at the Netroots Nation convention urging people to vote. If there are problems with the progressive numbers now, it will not be better with fewer. - - Donna Poisl

By Seth Hoy

In front of more than 2000 progressive bloggers and activists Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid and several other keynote speakers urged progressives to “finish what we’ve started” and keep beating the progressive drum for change. After enumerating major Democratic legislative victories this year (health care, financial regulation, and an economic stimulus plan to name a few), Congressional leaders acknowledged the legislative priorities that lie ahead—especially immigration.

While Republicans continue to stall immigration reform efforts in Congress and with harsh anti-immigrant legislation brewing in other states, immigration has emerged as a national hot button issue. And with mid-term elections around the corner, progressives want to know that Democratic leadership is actually going to lead.
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Obama, Pelosi urge activists at Netroots Nation to keep fighting for change

Democratic leaders are trying to impress on voters that the mid-term elections are crucial for any change to happen. Many voters think the presidential elections are the most important. - - Donna Poisl

By Philip Rucker, Washington Post Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS -- President Obama and other Democratic leaders appealed to a gathering of prominent liberal activists Saturday, seeking to win back a disenchanted constituency that appears uninterested in helping the party avoid large losses in November's midterm elections.

In a videotaped speech at the annual Netroots Nation convention, Obama acknowledged that for many Americans, "change hasn't come fast enough." He said he shared that frustration, but he asked liberals to stick with him and the party.
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Quick Analysis of the Arizona Immigration Law Ruling

This report lists each point (4) that was struck down and why -- and each point (8) that remains and why. - - Donna Poisl

By James Farrell

Arizona immigration law decision:

I. What is enjoined

1. Requiring verification of immigration status: Requiring that an officer make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is unlawfully present in the United States, and requiring verification of the immigration status of any person arrested prior to releasing that person.

Reasoning: Pre-empted by federal law because it creates an additional burden on the federal government by increasing the number of immigration-verification requests to the federal government.
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Immigration: the 250-year perspective

This is a comment about a new book which shows that our immigration story has not changed much in 250 years. You might think we would learn, but we don't. - - Donna Poisl

By Steven E. Levingston

A federal judge on Wednesday opened the latest chapter in the tale of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, ruling on several provisions in favor of opponents of the legislation. As the battle ensues, it seems a good time to look back at U.S. immigration and ask, What’s different now?

Peter Schrag, a visiting scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, explores the immigration debate throughout American history in his book “Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America,” recently released by University of California Press.
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Immigrant rights groups adjust focus to passage of AgJobs, Dream Act

Maybe getting pieces of immigration reform into law is better than holding out for the whole package and getting nothing now. - - Donna Poisl

By Krissah Thompson, Washington Post Staff Writer

Some immigrant rights groups are shifting the strategy in their so-far unsuccessful push to overhaul immigration law: They're calling the new tactic the "down payment" approach.

"We are aware that the clock is running out, and there are no guarantees that a Congress that is supportive of immigration reform will be returned in November," said Antonio Gonzales, president of the William C. Velásquez Institute, a Latino public policy group. "We took a deep breath and said, 'Okay, we need a Plan B.' "
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LDS Church issues statement on immigration

Another church group is pushing for immigration reform, asking for careful reflection and civil discourse. - - Donna Poisl

By Carole Mikita

SALT LAKE CITY -- In advance of Gov. Gary Herbert's meeting on illegal immigration, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have issued a new statement on the issue.

Scott Parker will represent the LDS Church's Salt Lake Public Affairs Council and will represent the Church at the governor's immigration meeting Tuesday. Church leaders issued a new statement that says the complex issues surrounding immigration are a matter of increasing concern.

It reads in part, "Elected officials have the primary responsibility to find solutions in the best interests of all whose lives will be impacted by their actions."
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20,000 DREAM Act petitions delivered to Sen. Reid

from Jackie, Matt, Adam, and the America's Voice team

Your commitment to legalizing over one million students -- students who are American in all but paperwork -- is keeping the DREAM Act alive.

Our DREAM Act petition that you signed (along with 20,000 other advocates from America's Voice and Reform Immigration for America) was hand-delivered to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Saturday by four DREAM activists named Yahaira, Matias, Lizbeth, and Prerna.

Click the headline above to see pictures of Senator Reid's staff accepting the 20,000 letters from concerned advocates like you.

Senator Reid publicly responded to our actions by laying out the challenge ahead:

"I am happy to do the DREAM Act. I'm working very hard with Senator Durbin and others, but I'm not going to do the DREAM Act unless I have 60 votes. I'm not going to disappoint thousands and thousands of these young men and women unless I can win."

While our petition achieved a major step in demonstrating the overwhelming support for the DREAM Act, after a week of student-led action and mobilization in DC, we still have one last hurdle to overcome: we need half a dozen more senators to stand up for this common sense measure.

It will take all of us fighting to make sure Senator Reid and Senator Durbin win over these last few votes. Please join our Facebook community and receive breaking news and information about how you can help make the DREAM Act a reality.

Thanks again for all of your hard work. We won't stop fighting now.

DREAM Act will help illegal immigrants, economy

A thoughtful piece about the DREAM Act and 2 students in particular. - - Donna Poisl

By Andrew Hedlund

It’s been said that you are bound to nothing but your dreams. They are what define you as an individual and set the course for your future.

If this is the case, illegal immigrants are at odds with this ideal. Instead of taking on their lives’ goals, they are tied to a piece of legislation.

Two ASU graduate students showed their disdain for this fact by protesting in Washington, D.C.
According to The Arizona Republic, grad students Erika Andiola and Dulce Matuz were arrested Tuesday while expressing their support of the DREAM Act, an immigration bill that aims to help illegal immigrant minors earn citizenship status.
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Commentary: A change of heart on illegal immigration

This is a good example of why immigrants are needed here, and one man's proof that they are not taking jobs away from citizens. - - Donna Poisl

By Bob Ray Sanders, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The phone call at home Sunday evening didn't begin with "Hello" or "How are you doing?"

Instead, the caller blurted out, "I've had a change of heart. I've seen the light."

I instantly recognized the voice, and I knew he was not talking about a sudden religious conversion but for the life of me couldn't imagine what he meant.

Mark [not his real name] is my most conservative friend who argues with me about many issues, so he could have been referring to a number of issues.
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ICE announces launch of Online Detainee Locator System

Read the Press Release at http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1007/100723washingtondc.htm

Check for detainees in English at http://www.ice.gov/about/dro/contact.htm

Check for detainees in Spanish at http://www.ice.gov/espanol/about/dro/contact.htm

Detained immigrants can now be located online

Until now it was not possible to find most detainees, some were even mistakenly deported, without family knowing where they went. - - Donna Poisl

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launches a search service for relatives and attorneys trying to find people in a nationwide maze of prisons and jails.

By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times

Responding to criticism of secrecy within the immigration detention system, federal officials launched an online service Friday to help relatives and attorneys find detainees in the sprawling networks of prisons and jails.

In the past, locating a relative was cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes impossible, requiring numerous phone calls to detention centers around the nation.
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A Common Sense Approach to Immigration Policy

The Migration Policy Institute has a new report and is making some suggestions to help the immigration problems we have right now. - - Donna Poisl

by Daniel Costa

Immigrants are a valuable asset to the United States, both culturally and economically. And as such, we need policies that maximize the benefits of immigration while protecting U.S. and foreign workers alike from unemployment, poor working conditions, and downward pressure on wages.

The Migration Policy Institute has published a new report that will make reaching those goals easier. It recommends that the United States annually adjust the number of immigrant workers we admit depending on whether the economy is experiencing a period of expansion or recession.
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Putting a human face on illegal immigration

This story shows different sides of the ESL classes and immigrant lives, from teaching and learning. - - Donna Poisl

Time spent teaching immigrants English taught her some real-life lessons.

By Kaitlin Manry

I became an English tutor by accident.

A few months out of college and feeling lonely and bored in a new town 3,000 miles from my family and friends, I volunteered to teach illiterate adults to read. It was something to do, somewhere to go other than my moldy attic apartment after work in a windowless office in Aberdeen, Wash., a foggy mill town of 16,000 people best known as the hometown Kurt Cobain slammed in his songs.

To my dismay, the volunteer coordinator at Grays Harbor Community College declined my offer. But she offered another option.
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Immigration Battle: Churches Eye Perceived Upside

Evangelical churches are working hard for immigration reform and are hoping to get more members to their churches from the immigrant community. - - Donna Poisl

By Josh Gerstein & Ben Smith

Evangelical groups in recent weeks have become key players in the Obama administration’s efforts to get immigration reform moving in Congress. And while they have largely couched their arguments in moral terms or with references to biblical teachings, top leaders acknowledge another important reason:
Latino immigrants, legal and illegal, represent fertile prospects for proselytizing.

“First and foremost, it’s a kingdom issue, and, second, it’s a moral issue,” Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, told POLITICO.
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Students disclose illegal status as part of push for immigration law reform

These kids are amazingly brave. They feel this is what is needed to prove their point and push for immigration reform and particularly the DREAM Act. - - Donna Poisl

By Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post Staff Writer

On a patch of asphalt outside the White House this week, Renata Teodoro, Maricela Aguilar and scores of other students are risking deportation simply by sharing their full names and immigration status with anyone who asks.

In an act of defiance unimaginable to many in their parents' generation, they are publicly declaring that they are in the United States illegally as a way to push for change that would help thousands of undocumented young people like them. And they are doing so in one of the most highly patrolled -- and politicized -- spots in the country.
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Survey says immigration will get Latinos to vote

I certainly hope this happens, not just Latinos, but all immigrants. Mid term elections often have low turnout but high turnout is desperately needed. - - Donna Poisl

by Aleksa Costa, Hearst Washington Bureau

Washington- -- Latino voters could have a big impact in the November midterm elections, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The survey by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund, a nonprofit that aims to get Latinos involved in the political process, showed that for the first time immigration is the top policy issue for Latino registered voters, both U.S.-born and naturalized, in California, Texas, Florida and Colorado. Three out of 5 Hispanics in the United States reside in those four states.
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Survey reveals complex trends among Latinos on assimilation

Latinos have mixed thoughts on whether they should assimilate or keep their own culture or both. I think "both" is what most people have done in the past, or there would not be St. Patrick's Day parades and other "old country" celebrations. - - Donna Poisl

From staff and news services

Latinos are eager to blend into American society and maintain their cultural identity, a potential paradox but actually a reflection of the complex beliefs of the nation's fastest-growing minority, according to an Associated Press-Univision poll of more than 1,500 Latinos.

The survey found several other distinct trends.

Latinos worry more than most Americans about losing jobs and paying bills. They place a high importance on education and expect their children to go to college.
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Watch video about immigration reform

from Joaquin Guerra, SEIU.org

I don't have to tell you how difficult it is to have a reasonable conversation about fixing our broken immigration system. Americans are deeply divided on the issue and distracted by heated rhetoric and sensationalistic debate.

Arizona's controversial anti-immigration law has further ignited the firestorm. Instead of sparking a national conversation about the practical immigration solutions we need, Arizona's law has sparked talk about mass deportation, tent prisons, and machine guns and land mines on the U.S. Mexico border.

These aren't solutions.

It's time to start a new conversation with our family and friends about realistic immigration solutions that speak to our American values.

That's why we put together a new video that shows that there's more to immigration reform than what we read and see from the media everyday. Americans are tired of immigration reform being used for political purposes and want to see problem solving from Congress; but they can't do it unless we change the debate.

Click headline above or go to: http://seiu.me/conversation

In solidarity,
Joaquin Guerra
SEIU.org
(SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, CTW, CLC)

Supporters of immigration reform proposal head to Washington

More supporters for the DREAM Act are lobbying Washington DC. to pass this bill. - - Donna Poisl

By the CNN Wire Staff, Kate Bolduan and Catherine E. Shoichet

(CNN) -- Supporters of a proposed law that would give young illegal immigrants an opportunity to become citizens are planning to begin several days of lobbying Monday in the nation's capital.

"In out heart and minds, we feel that we're Americans," said Matias Ramos, 24, an illegal immigrant who is among activists from across the country gathering in Washington this week to put their faces on the fierce debate over immigration reform.
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Ahmadi Muslims gather to preach nonviolence, assimilation

This group held a convention promoting the "Muslims for Peace" campaign. They feel they cannot be silent anymore. - - Donna Poisl

by MAGGIE HYDE

CHANTILLY, Va. (RNS) Ahmadi Muslims have been preaching peace since the movement was founded 121 years ago in India. Now, they say they are just trying to get the rest of the world "including their fellow Americans" to listen.

''Many, many Americans do not trust Muslims," Naseem Mahdi, the national president of the community, told thousands of listeners during his address here at the Ahmadi movement's 62nd annual convention on Saturday (July 17).

''Love of your homeland, your place of residence, is part of your faith," Mahdi said, standing just steps away from a display that held the flags of the United States, Virginia and the Ahmadi movement.
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Americans' views on immigration reveal complexities

Read the details here, they show how complicated immigration reform is. Even though many people approve of the new Arizona law, most of them also think immigrants should be put on a path to citizenship - - Donna Poisl

By SPENCER GAFFNEY, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — When it comes to the highly inflamed issue of immigration, Americans hold complex and seemingly contradictory views.

On one hand, a clear majority of Americans in numerous polls — including Texans — support Arizona's tough new law, which would require police officers to ask suspected illegal immigrants for identification.

A Gallup Poll released earlier this month shows just 33 percent of the public approve of the Obama administration's lawsuit attempt to have the law nullified, while 50 percent disagree with it.

But it's more complicated than that.
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Last Chance for the DREAM Act in 2010

from CADENA

We are in danger of losing the DREAM Act in 2010!
CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!
Basic Message: "Ask Congress to pass the DREAM ACT now".
Switchboard:1-(202) 456- 1414
Message line:1- (202) 456- 1111
(Phone answered, M-F 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, Pacific time)

Fax: 1-(202) 456 2461
e-mail www.whitehouse.gov
Mail: President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 205000

Support the students and young professionals who traveled to Washington DC to advocate for the passage of the DREAM Act.
Your participation on this national, youth lead campaign for change is needed.
Call, send faxes, letters every day, all day!
Let's flood the message line!
Let's make the DREAM Act a reality in 2010!

Please visit
www.dreamactaz.org

and our partner organizations:
www.dreamactivist.org

Arizona Dream Act Coalition- ADAC
www.azdreamactcoalition.weebly.com/

www.thedreamiscoming.com/

Sign petition for DREAM Act

from Marissa Graciosa, Reform Immigration FOR America

Today, thousands of young immigrants who were brought here at a young age are waiting for the DREAM Act to have a chance to go to college. Sign this petition to Congress to give them the opportunity they deserve:

Our broken immigration system needs reform now. Pass the DREAM Act as a step towards comprehensive immigration reform.

Click on the headline above to add your name to this petition and send it to your Representative and Senators.

The DREAM Act would allow students who are undocumented to earn their citizenship. These students have worked hard for years in the hopes of going to college, furthering their educations, and making a difference in the world. But our broken immigration system makes that impossible.

The DREAM Act is one step toward a fair and just immigration policy, and an important one. Congress should pass it immediately. Please join me in taking action today.

Conservative Evangelical Leaders Testify Before House Committee on Immigration

Click on the headline above to read many articles and releases from the Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. It is good to see that there are some on both sides of the political debate calling for humane reform. - - Donna Poisl

from Rich Stolz, ReformImmigrationFORAmerica

CfCIR Testifies in Washington, DC

In Washington, DC leaders active in a network called Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CfCIR) came out strong at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on immigration policy. Matt Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel and Dean, Liberty University School of Law and Richard Land, President, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission testified at the hearing, making the moral, legal and religious case for comprehensive immigration reform. Dean Staver told the Subcommittee, “The time to forge a national consensus is now. America is a country of immigrants, a melting pot of individuals from various ethnicities and cultures. It is this rich heritage of immigration on which this country was established, and, in accordance with a just immigration policy, this country will continue to thrive. America deserves a just immigration policy; one that begins with securing, not closing, our borders, one that enforces the laws, and one that offers the opportunity for earned legal status.”

Hispanic Youth Forum Focuses on Opportunities

Hispanic youth received support and encouragement from business leaders and the governor to continue their education and take advantage of all opportunities. - - Donna Poisl

by Jeremy Slayton

July 15--ETTRICK -- J.A. Rodriguez Jr. grew up as a member of a low-income minority family in the Bronx.

Today, he is a senior manager with a Fortune 100 company and serves as a role model to Hispanic youths who may face similar obstacles.

"If I can do it, you can do it, too. You just have to want it . . . and you have to be able to pay the price," he said. "You have to believe in yourself and you can get it done."
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Economy: migration key to long-term economic growth, says OECD

This report shows that immigrants are needed in all the developed countries of the world.
Click on the headline to see the report from the OECD "International Migration Outlook 2010".

Illegal immigrants hold DC 'teach-in' to push bill

These free classes at "Dream University" in our Capitol are raising awareness for approval of the DREAM Act. - - Donna Poisl

By SUZANNE GAMBOA and RUSSELL CONTRERAS (AP)

WASHINGTON — They can't get citizenship or in-state tuition rates, so they're taking the next steps — the Capitol and White House steps, that is.

A coalition of student immigrant advocacy groups in Massachusetts, Colorado and California on Wednesday launched a makeshift school in the nation's capital, reminiscent of the "teach-ins" of the 1960s, to encourage a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants through college enrollment.
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In wake of controversial Arizona law, Latinos now view immigration as top concern along with economy, new poll shows

The economy and immigration reform are the top concerns with many immigrants, including Latinos. I don't envy the government, trying to solve all these huge problems at once. - - Donna Poisl

by Teresa Watanabe

Latinos now view immigration as their leading concern along with the economy in what activists say is a major shift most likely driven by controversy over Arizona's tough law against illegal immigrants.

Nearly one-third of Latinos also say that racism and prejudice are the central issues in the immigration reform debate, over national security, job competition and costs of public services for illegal immigrants, according to a national survey released Wednesday.
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Nearly 10 Million Latinos May Benefit From Affordable Care Act

PRESS RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 15 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The United States Department of Agriculture, Food Nutrition Services (USDA, FNS), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and public health officials joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today to highlight ways in which the Affordable Care Act will make health insurance more accessible and affordable to the nine million Latinos that will be eligible to receive health coverage under the new public health law.

"Health Care Reform brings us closer to establishing health care as a civil right," said LULAC President, Rosa Rosales. "With one in three Latinos lacking health insurance coverage, Hispanic families have suffered more than any other ethnic group due to lack of coverage and inadequate care."

As one of the leading Hispanic organizations in support of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, LULAC will focus its attention on ensuring that:
-- Discriminatory health practices are eliminated
-- Insurance companies do not drop health coverage because an individual becomes sick
-- Preventative care such as mammograms, immunizations and screenings for cancer or diabetes will be utilized by Hispanics especially since the out-of-pocket costs will no longer be required for these health screenings
-- Medicare recipients have access to rebate checks for prescription drugs

Hispanics are disproportionately impacted by chronic health conditions and face disparities in accessing health care and the quality they receive. Even when Hispanics and non-minorities have the same types of insurance, racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality care or live in neighborhoods where quality health professionals and services are not available.

"The Latino community faces dual challenges when it comes to nutrition since hunger and obesity can often co-exist," said Lisa Pino, deputy administrator for Food and Nutrition Service at the USDA. "Hispanics in the U.S. have higher rates of both food insecurity and obesity. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is addressing these challenges through its 15 nutrition assistance programs, many of which include nutrition education."

The health status of Latino communities is an issue that demands immediate and ongoing attention, advocacy and education. In an effort to combat the obesity epidemic among Hispanics, LULAC has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is spearheading the Latinos Living Healthy initiative. This initiative will provide greater access to affordable and healthy foods for Hispanic families and will focus on creating and supporting safe spaces for physical activity for children and families.

LULAC will engage in ongoing advocacy efforts with LULAC councils, community leaders, elected officials and policy makers to identify and develop policy solutions to address the child obesity epidemic and the social determinants that contribute to the low health status among Latino communities throughout the U.S.

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos (202) 365-4553
Deborah Charnes, Bromley Communications (210) 381-1846

SOURCE LULAC
-0- 07/15/2010
/CONTACT: Lizette Jenness Olmos, +1-202-365-4553; or Deborah Charnes of Bromley Communications, +1-210-381-1846, both for LULAC /

LULAC Puts Immigration Center Stage in Albuquerque

PRESS RELEASE

LULAC applauds Department of Justice Investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, July 14 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country, (LULAC) after a meeting with President Barack Obama last week, is placing immigration reform and related issues at the top of its agenda during its annual national conference taking place this week in Albuquerque.

"We would like to congratulate President Barack Obama for his renewed focus on immigration reform," said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. "The President reassures us that he is committed to its passage. It is imperative that Congress and the Obama administration once and for all deliver comprehensive immigration reform. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans support its passage. We hope to have a bipartisan approach from both houses of Congress."

LULAC National Legal Advisor Luis Vera and head counsel on LULAC's lawsuit filed Friday against the Arizona law said at a press conference today, "SB1070 has brought national attention to the immigration crisis. It shamefully preys on a broken immigration system and throws the door wide open to racial profiling. As a nation, we cannot have each state decide how to implement immigration laws."

LULAC launched the Unite Arizona Campaign, with over 40 organizations nationwide supporting its efforts, immediately after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law. The proposed law requires state, county, and municipal employees to ascertain the immigration status of a person if there is "reasonable suspicion" the person is unlawfully present in the U.S. It also subjects local governments and their personnel to lawsuits by any resident who feels that the new law is not being enforced sufficiently.

LULAC at a meeting today with State Representatives Ben and Richard Miranda (AZ) and Linda Chavez-Thompson, Vice Chair of The Democratic National Party, reiterated its actions to resolve the problem, some of which include:

-- Supporting Arizona boycott
-- Filing class action lawsuit that alleges that Arizona's training materials violate federal law
-- Registering voter outreach initiatives in the state of Arizona to offset the under-representation
-- Asking President Obama to pass comprehensive immigration reform or to pass a down payment approach with DREAM Act and Ag Jobs now
-- A moratorium on deportations and temporary protective status until a bill is passed

"Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws," added Vera. "The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country."

Contact:
Lizette Jenness Olmos (202) 365-4553 cell
Deborah Charnes, Bromley Communications (210) 381-1846
SOURCE LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens
-0- 07/14/2010
/CONTACT: Lizette Jenness Olmos, +1-202-365-4553, cell; or Deborah Charnes of Bromley Communications, +1-210-381-1846, both for LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens/

NAACP has right idea on immigration

An interesting opinion piece. - - Donna Poisl

By MARY SANCHEZ, COMMENTARY

“We should organize a protest.”

I’m not much for demonstrations, but these were words to lift the soul.

It was the instinctive reaction of a national NAACP official who had just learned Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona will appear today in Overland Park.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Census Bureau Reports Minority Business Ownership Increasing at More Than Twice the National Rate

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ --The number of minority-owned businesses increased by 45.6 percent to 5.8 million between 2002 and 2007, more than twice the national rate of all U.S. businesses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, the number of women-owned businesses increased 20.1 percent during the same period. The total number of U.S. businesses increased between 2002 and 2007 by 18.0 percent to 27.1 million.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

These new data come from the Preliminary Estimates of Business Ownership by Gender, Ethnicity, Race and Veteran Status: 2007, from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 Survey of Business Owners. The preliminary report released today is the first of 10 reports on the characteristics of minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses and their owners scheduled for release over the next year.

Increases in the number of minority-owned businesses ranged from 60.5 percent for black-owned businesses to 17.9 percent for American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses. Hispanic-owned businesses increased by 43.6 percent.

Receipts of minority-owned businesses rose 55.6 percent to $1.0 trillion between 2002 and 2007. Increases ranged from a high of 62.9 percent for Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned businesses to 28.3 percent for American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses. Over the same period, receipts of Hispanic-owned and women-owned businesses increased by 55.5 percent and 27.0 percent respectively. Receipts of all U.S. businesses increased by 33.5 percent, to $30.2 trillion.

Additional highlights: connect to full news release (http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/economic_census/cb10-107.html)

Schedule of Releases (http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/releaseschedule07.html)

Spanish version (http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/economic_census/cb10-107sp.html)

Data (http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo)

American Fact Finder (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/EconSectorServlet?caller=dataset&;sv_name=2007+Survey+of+Business+Owners&_SectorId=*&ds_name=EC0700A1)

CONTACT: Briana Kaya, U.S. Census Bureau, Public Information Office, +1-301-763-3030, +1-301-763-3762 (fax), pio@census.gov

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
-0- 07/13/2010
/CONTACT: Briana Kaya, U.S. Census Bureau, Public Information Office, +1-301-763-3030, +1-301-763-3762 (fax), pio@census.gov /

Would you like a job as a migrant farm worker?

Click on the headline above to watch the video and send a message to Congress.

from Marissa Graciosa, Reform Immigration FOR America

Would you like a job as a migrant farm worker?

Pundit Stephen Colbert would – he's agreed to take the United Farm Workers' challenge to "Take their jobs."

Anti-immigrant forces have argued that immigrants, particularly the undocumented, have been taking jobs from Americans. Despite studies clearly showing that comprehensive immigration reform would help the American economy, they’ve insisted on using the economic crisis as a way to stall real reform. That’s why UFW – and now, Stephen Colbert – are showing the whole country that farm workers’ jobs aren’t easy.

Everyone who works in agriculture knows that it’s hard work. And because so many immigrants work on farms, Congress proposed the AgJobs bill, which would protect the workers who bring food to our tables by granting them temporary protected status. That status would help keep them from being exploited by farm owners.

Watch Colbert decide to try being a farm worker, and then tell Congress to pass AgJobs.

We can’t let Congress stand by when workers are treated unfairly. Stephen Colbert is doing his part to understand the work farm workers do. Tell Congress to do theirs and pass AgJobs as a step toward comprehensive immigration reform.

Thank you

LULAC Brings Nation's Leaders to Albuquerque

PRESS RELEASE

LULAC Brings Nation's Leaders to Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 12 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The 2010 LULAC Convention is an exciting, history-making convention because it convenes the national delegates of LULAC to discuss issues, set policies, and elect the organization's leaders.

With the theme "New Strategies for Community Empowerment: New Leadership through Action," approximately 20,000 people are expected to attend, including top leaders from business, government, and other sectors of the Latino community. It will feature policy workshops, banquets, a job fair, a three-day exposition and a federal training institute.

"Over a decade has passed since LULAC was in Albuquerque and we return because this is a critical time in our nation's history. Right now, next door in Arizona with SB1070, we are facing potentially unconstitutional laws that encourage racial profiling and discrimination," said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. "We are having high level Cabinet Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries and national leaders coming to speak to us on this issue along with other key concerns such as diversity, health care and education."

"We are honored and grateful that LULAC has chosen Albuquerque as its choice city for this year's convention," Mayor Richard J. Berry said. "Albuquerque has so much to offer and I'm sure that visitors will find New Mexico is full of history, culture, and diversity."

Confirmed speakers include: Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar; Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis; U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios; OPM Director Jon Berry; Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, John Trasvina; Assistant Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education, Thelma Melendez, PhD; Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Tom Perez; NAACP President, Ben Jealous; Assistant Administrator for Water, EPA; Ed Avalos; Assistant Administrator for Water, EPA, Peter Silva; Undersecretary Marketing and Regulatory Programs, DOA, Ed Avalos; Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy and Planning, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Rep. Ben Lujan, New Mexico; Silvestre Reyes, Texas; Rep. Joe Baca, California; and co-founder of United Farm Workers.

"We're especially gratified to host Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis," Rosales said. "We are grateful for Secretary Salazar's attendance on Saturday at the President's Celebration and Secretary Solis will speak on Wednesday at the Partnership Luncheon."

LULAC will host a free concert extravaganza, Voces Unidas por America, to unite the divided people of Arizona through celebrity performances featuring many artists. The event will take place on Saturday, July 17th and will focus on helping hard working immigrants realize their American Dream.

LULAC has focused on education, civil rights, and employment for Hispanics. LULAC councils provide a million dollars in scholarships each year, conduct citizenship and voter registration drives, develop low income housing units, conduct youth leadership training programs, and seek to empower the Hispanic community at the local, state and national level.

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos (202) 365-4553 cell
Deborah Charnes, Bromley Communications (210) 381-1846

SOURCE LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens
-0- 07/12/2010
/CONTACT: Lizette Jenness Olmos, cell, +1-202-365-4553; or Deborah Charnes of Bromley Communications, +1-210-381-1846, both for LULAC /

Report: Immigration bill would have most impact in California, Texas

The states with the highest populations will obviously have the most people who will benefit from this bill. This article lists all the benefits and rules of the DREAM Act. - - Donna Poisl

DREAM Act bill could provide legal status for some young illegal immigrants.

By Aleksa Costa, HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON — Immigrants in Texas and California would be the biggest winners if Congress and President Barack Obama support legislation allowing young illegal immigrants to acquire U.S. legal status based on education and military service, according to a study released last week.

The analysis by the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit group that researches immigration issues, concluded that the bill introduced last year could put approximately 2.1 million youth and young adults on a potential path to citizenship.
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Rights Group Urges US to Protect Immigrants' Rights

Human Rights Watch has a new report saying the US should protect immigrants' rights more than it is doing now. - - Donna Poisl

from VOA News

A leading human rights group is calling on the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration to include protections for immigrants' rights in their proposals for immigration reform.

New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report Friday saying more needs to be done to protect undocumented immigrants in the workplace and in court.
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With immigration reform stalled, DREAM Act gets more attention

All the demonstrations may be helping! The DREAM Act is certainly something that can be done fast, while the full reform is being worked on. - - Donna Poisl

By Juan Castillo

In summing up the state of the country’s immigration policy this month, President Obama uttered these words: “The system is broken. And everybody knows it.”

But in his pitch for comprehensive immigration reform, the president acknowledged the formidable politics surrounding it. Indeed, immigration reform isn’t likely to happen anytime soon — there’s no bill in Congress, and mid-term elections are around the corner.

But a piece of immigration reform known as the DREAM Act actually has momentum; a bill introduced in 2009 has Senate and House versions and more than 160 co-sponsors, notes Julieta Garibay, DREAM campaign director for the Austin-based University Leadership Initiative.
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An immigrant's trip to Arizona

This immigrant citizen reported back on her recent trip to Arizona. Read her viewpoint. - - Donna Poisl

The columnist's mother finds much to like — and much to be concerned about — on a visit to California's neighbor.

By Hector Tobar

So I sent my mother, the immigrant, off to Arizona.

She had her U.S. passport, of course. But thinking she needed something more, she took her wallet and showed me she was carrying her Social Security card too.

"No, mother," I said. "You don't need that. And it's sort of dangerous to have it with you because there's this thing called identity theft…."

She took it anyway.

Mercedes Dotson, nee Alvarez, is 67 years old and a cautious woman.
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With your help DREAMers descend onto Capital Hill

from Mohammad Abdollahi, Co-founder of DreamActivist.org

We have come close to passing the DREAM Act before, but never as close as we are right now. We have a small window of opportunity that is open right now. But it won't be open for long. So now, more than ever, we are counting on you to join us as we ensure that undocumented youth throughout the country who have been fighting for our lives and our communities become fully recognized members of this society.

To this end, we are mobilizing to Washington, DC on July 19-21 for "The Dream Is Coming to DC". We will be meeting with our legislators, representing the 65,000 undocumented youth who complete high school each year through a Dream Act Graduation, rallying, marching, and working together with more intensity and urgency than ever before to strategize and organize for a victory this summer. But we need your support to make this possible.

Make a $25 donation to help a student make the trip to D.C. Click on the headline above.

You see, right now there are youth from almost every state in the country, including Montana, Maine and Oklahoma, who want to come to DC to help pass the DREAM Act. They have organized in their communities and they are ready to mobilize and make DREAM a reality this year. But they can't get there without your help.

Please consider making a donation to support these youth and this mobilization today. We are pulling out all the stops in our efforts to pass the DREAM Act, and we hope you will consider doing the same to help make our dreams a reality. With just a $25 donation you can support another DREAM to D.C.!

Thanks, we cannot wait to see everyone in D.C.

P.S. Want a limited time "The Dream is Coming" t-shirt? Buy one here! https://action.dreamactivist.org/shop

Arizona immigration law unlikely to survive federal lawsuit

Many experts say the federal government is the only one that can regulate immigration, as a constitutional authority. - - Donna Poisl

Legal experts cite the longstanding principle that the federal government has exclusive control over immigration.

By David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau

Reporting from Washington — Arizona's law giving local police immigration enforcement powers is likely to be struck down, most legal experts predict, now that the Obama administration has gone to court asserting that it conflicts with federal law.

They cite the longstanding principle that the federal government has exclusive control over immigration and that "no state can add or take away" from the policy set in Washington.
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Do immigrants help the economy?

This report shows that even though many people think immigrants hurt the economy now, the opposite is true. - - Donna Poisl

By Spencer S. Hsu

As the national debate over immigration splinters into state-by-state skirmishes over Arizona-style crackdowns on illegal immigrants, a new book from the Brookings Institution makes the case that enforcement efforts overlook a fundamental fact: immigration fuels the U.S. economy.

At a time of 9.5 percent unemployment, the argument may be surprising. But “Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy” hammers home an argument that gifted immigrants have powered American advances in energy, information technology, sports, arts and culture.
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Southern Baptists, Obama and illegal immigration

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention is backing the Obama call for immigration reform, hopefully he can get his members behind it too. - - Donna Poisl

by Jim Galloway

For the next 13 days, all stops are off when it comes to debating the issue of illegal immigration.

The Obama administration’s court challenge to the Arizona law that gives its peace officers the authority to stop and impound undocumented residents is already serving as a stick to a wasp nest in Georgia’s race for governor.

So it comes as something of a surprise to learn that one of the most prominent voices pushing a bipartisan deal on immigration — and urging more cautious rhetoric when discussing it — belongs to an institution of the solid Southern right.
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Will you sponsor the DREAM ACTion in D.C.?

from Mohammad Abdollahi, Co-founder of DreamActivist.org

Major actions being planned for Washington D.C. starting July 19th. Now we need your help to make sure all of those happen.

Sponsor the actions in D.C. at https://action.dreamactivist.org/dreamdc

We have been getting confirmations from students as far as Washington State and California, students who are telling us they are going to drop everything they are doing to be sure to be here in D.C. to demand once and for all that their legislators pass the DREAM Act. We know many of you will not be able to make it so instead we are asking that you donate some funds so that others can make the trip. You can sponsor one rider for just $25.

This will be our final mass action for the DREAM Act for the summer. Even if you cannot be here in Washington D.C. you can still be a big part of the action.

Thanks, we cannot wait to see everyone in D.C.,

Thank Eric Holder for Protecting Civil Rights in Arizona

Click on the headline above to sign the thank you petition to Eric Holder for trying to stop the new law in Arizona.

Evangelicals and Obama: unlikely immigration reform partners

Both groups are talking about the moral imperative to enact immigration reform. The bible talks a lot about compassion and helping strangers. - - Donna Poisl

BY SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ

President Obama's much anticipated speech on immigration began with a much unexpected introduction by Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Church near Chicago and one of the nation's largest congregations. Hybels also oversees the Willow Creek Association, an influential evangelical network. So why would a conservative evangelical pastor introduce Obama when evangelicals and the president disagree on so many issues? The answer lies embedded in the underlying threads that surround the immigration reform debate.

While the immigration reform continues to polarize communities and divide our country, it also has fostered a constructive conversation and relationship between conservative evangelicals and Obama.
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Language Help for City’s Immigrants Falls Short

The Executive Order in 2008 has not done what it was intended to do. I am sure every city needs a plan like this, with adequate funds and staff. - - Donna Poisl

By FERNANDA SANTOS

In the world’s most diverse city, it was hailed as a milestone: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed an executive order in July 2008 requiring every New York City agency that dealt with the public to provide interpreters, translated documents and other language help to people who spoke little or no English.

The order was supposed to help immigrant New Yorkers use services and navigate a daunting city bureaucracy. And in keeping with Mr. Bloomberg’s passion for applying good business practices to city government, the policy was meant to prevent the waste of time and money caused by miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Mr. Bloomberg pledged at the time to “make our city more accessible, while helping us become the most inclusive municipal government in the nation.”
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Immigrants take U.S. citizenship oath at Elkhorn Slough

Fifty-three immigrants from 16 countries became U.S. citizens this week while tea party activists protested outside. I thought they were for legal immigrants. - - Donna Poisl

By DENNIS TAYLOR, Herald Staff Writer

Mist fell from an overcast sky early Tuesday, but the moisture in the eyes of some new U.S. citizens was pure emotion as they joined in singing the "Star Spangled Banner."

"This is a really important day in my life — it means an awful lot," Helen Wilby said at the citizenship ceremony at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Wilby first visited the U.S. from England as a teenager, got a green card and a job in the Bay Area as a 30-something, and now lives with her husband and son in Carmel Valley.
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Arizona Senator John McCain supports immigration reform that would deport illegal immigrants

Sen. McCain has certainly changed his beliefs the past few years. - - Donna Poisl

BY ALIYAH SHAHID, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Arizona Sen. John McCain has a message for illegal residents of his state: Go back where you came from.

McCain, who has been veering right to try and win his Republican Senate primary against conservative former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, said on Tuesday that he supports immigration reform that would deport those living in the country illegally.
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Another place to send a fax to Pres. Obama for immigration reform

from Adam Luna, America's Voice

Take a Stand

Arizona’s new immigration law is outrageous – not to mention unconstitutional. It turns Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s tactics into the law of the land.

The good news is that the Department of Justice just announced they will reassert control over immigration policy at the national level, where it belongs. They will challenge Arizona’s new immigration law in the courts.

Now, more than ever, the President needs to hear from you and know that the public supports this critical move!
Click on the headline above, enter your zip code and click 'Participate' to send a free fax to the White House.

Send fax to President Obama about immigrant reform

from Gabe Gonzalez, Reform Immigration FOR America

The Department of Justice just filed a lawsuit against the state of Arizona to challenge the racial profiling law that state is trying to implement. This lawsuit is a sign that the Obama Administration won’t let rogue states create laws from hatred and fear. It's a good first step, and it paves the way to keep copycat laws off the books in other states.

In President Obama's speech on immigration reform last week, he said that he's committed to fixing our broken system. This is a down payment on that promise, but there's so much more we still need to do. Can you join me in faxing the President and tell him to keep it up?

Send this fax to President Obama:
Thank you for the lawsuit against Arizona to stop their racial profiling law. But I won't be satisfied until we pass comprehensive immigration reform – keep up the pressure!
Click on the headline above to send this free fax to the White House.

The Justice Department’s actions are proof that the government isn't going to stay on the sidelines and let states attack our basic human rights. Tell President Obama not to stop with Arizona!

Thank you,

p.s. I know that anti-immigrant forces are going to be trying to pressure the President to drop this lawsuit – we can't let them overwhelm us! Send a fax, then tell five friends to do the same.

Deaf Immigrant's American Dream on Ellis Island

Here is a wonderful story of an immigrant who got his green card after a remarkable journey. - - Donna Poisl

Jose Gutierrez Was Forced Into Slave Labor before Being Rescued by Police; Now He Supports His Family Working at the Museum

By Seth Doane

(CBS) In case you had any doubts, America is still the land of opportunity. CBS News correspondent Seth Doane has the story of one young man who's living proof.

He's so quick, so quiet that one could easily overlook Jose Gutierrez. But his story is as inspiring as the exhibits he polishes at the museum on Ellis Island.
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2008 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL PLATFORM

Click on the headline to download the 2008 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL PLATFORM.
Check the immigration section and compare it to the Democratic platform.

THE 2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL PLATFORM

Click on the headline to download the 2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL PLATFORM.
Check the immigration section and compare it to the Republican platform.

In Hub, 27 celebrate their long journeys to citizenship

These 27 people from 20 countries, were sworn in as citizens on the USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides", the world's oldest commissioned warship. - - Donna Poisl

By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff

Lisa Anne O’Connor Dalton first saw Boston from the water a decade ago, when she sailed into the city as a crew member on one of the Tall Ships that had crossed the Atlantic. She fell for Boston, hard, and came back as soon as she could. Seven years ago, as her father was dying in Ireland, he made her promise to continue sailing in America.

Yesterday, the paralegal who also teaches blind children and adults to sail found herself on another ship: the USS Constitution, where she and 26 other immigrants officially became American citizens. O’Connor Dalton, whose team of blind and sighted sailors won a bronze medal in last year’s Blind Sailing World Championship Regatta, was accompanied by her husband, John Dalton, a man from Ireland whom she met in America.
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Houston’s Clergy Unites to Urge Support for Immigration Reform

Many churches across the country are encouraging immigration reform. This is what churches are supposed to do, stick up for the oppressed and live peacefully with your neighbors. - - Donna Poisl

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

HOUSTON — The Rev. John W. Bowie knows it is hard to sell the people in his neighborhood on the idea that they should support changing immigration laws to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. His church lies in one of the oldest black settlements in the city, where unemployment is high and many people see immigrants as competitors for jobs.

Yet there he was in the pulpit at True Light Missionary Baptist Church on the Fourth of July, with a full choir behind him, urging his flock to support an overhaul of immigration laws that “lets the undocumented come out of the shadows.”
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Farmers find opportunity in immigrant vegetables

This is a good way to understand how so many of our vegetables that are considered American by most people, started as an ethnic food for the local immigrants. The same way the people become American. - - Donna Poisl

By STEPHEN SINGER (AP)

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass. — Maxixe, a Brazilian relative of the cucumber, is relatively unknown in the U.S., but it may one day be as common as cilantro as farmers and consumers embrace more so-called ethnic vegetables.

Agriculture experts at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and elsewhere are teaching farmers to grow non-native vegetables that appeal to a growing market of African, Asian and Latin American immigrants. These immigrants and their children already account for more than one-third of produce sales in supermarkets, said Frank Mangan, a plant and soil sciences professor at UMass. And as other customers become more familiar with ethnic foods, experts expect sales to grow even more.
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Immigration issue fueled by economy

This writer gives a fascinating history lesson and proves that nothing in the immigration debate is new. It keeps repeating itself. - - Donna Poisl

Crackdowns ease when labor is needed

BY ALIA BEARD RAU, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

When it comes to immigration, the United States has come full circle ... again.

As Arizona's new immigration law pushes the issue into the national spotlight, decades-old arguments over government policy, economic needs and human rights are being raised in a politicized confrontation over what it means to be an American.

On one side, many fear that illegal immigrants are taking their jobs, spreading violence and changing American culture. On the other side, many believe the tide of opposition will result in discrimination, racial profiling and the denial of constitutional rights.
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Immigration enforcement best left to feds

This police chief agrees with the feds that immigration is a federal issue and laws like Arizona's are not the solution. - - Donna Poisl

by Naperville Police Chief David Dial

Illegal immigration is being hotly debated in our nation's capitol and in our local communities. Opinions on how to address this complex issue differ greatly and emotions run high.

The differing sides of the debate were evident in a recent local demonstration by supporters of the Arizona Immigration Law and those who support immigration rights. In a speech made last week, President Barack Obama acknowledged that America's system for handling this problem is "broken" and that there is a serious need for comprehensive immigration reform.

One of the questions I have been asked recently is, "What are local law enforcement agencies in our area doing to address this problem?"
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Immigration: DSU student wants to see bigger push for reform

This university student is here on a temporary visa and never knows how often it will be renewed. She understands the need for immigration reform. - - Donna Poisl

Yatta Kiazolu, 19, of Smyrna: She is working toward permanent residence

BY ESTEBAN PARRA • THE NEWS JOURNAL

To 19-year-old Yatta Kiazolu, becoming a U.S. citizen "seems like the next step."
Born in Botswana, Kiazolu was brought to this country when she was 6 and now lives in Smyrna.

She remembers some of the differences she encountered when she arrived, including the basin being called a "sink" and the word for "chiclets" becoming "gum." But the biggest difference was having the toilet in the same room as the shower.
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Plugging The Wrong Side of The Dam: Immigration

Mr. Moss writes that poverty in Mexico is the most important reason for their citizens risking their lives to come here. He fears immigration reform here will not do much to solve that. How does that get solved? Any ideas? - - Donna Poisl

By: Jim Moss

Last December, I compared the "War on Terror" to my childhood hobby of building dams from mud and sand in the creek behind my house. My main challenge was plugging leaks that could erode and eventually collapse my structure:

"Just as no amount of mud slapped on the backside of one of my dams could stop the leaks – neither can the best military efforts, the best intelligence, nor the best homeland security measures stop this desire to disrupt the peace and security of our nation. The only way we can remedy the situation is by taking action on the frontside of the dam –
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PhillyDeals: Immigration reform would ease U.S. hypocrisy

The two-tier system does not live up to the U.S. standards, with employers paying undocumented workers less than minimum wage with no benefits. Immigration reform would fix this. - - Donna Poisl

By Joseph N. DiStefano

President Obama begged Congress last week to update the nation's hypocritical immigration policy, which it refused to do for his predecessor, George W. Bush, in fatter times.

There are, Obama said, something like "11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States." They "live in the shadows," and are prey to "unscrupulous" employers who pay low wages and avoid payroll taxes.
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Navarrette: Immigration reform

Mr. Navarrette says U.S. immigration reform should be separate from the Mexican laws, we have our own laws and standards and should follow them. - - Donna Poisl

By RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR.

SAN DIEGO — This Fourth of July, I’d like to see the critics of comprehensive immigration reform be more patriotic. They can start by holding the United States up to high standards and quit insisting it emulate countries that are worse off.

My gripe is with those who use the flaws in Mexico’s immigration law as an excuse not to fix the flaws in U.S. immigration law — as if one had anything to do with the other.

It doesn’t. Just because Mexico went over a cliff by closing itself off to foreigners — both in terms of shutting its doors to immigrants and restricting foreign investment in key industries such as petroleum — why should the United States follow?
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A better welcome for our nation's immigrants

This opinion piece shows how similar the angry debate about immigrants is to the debate of the 1700s. And our history shows that those angry people were wrong. - - Donna Poisl

By Jeb Bush and Robert D. Putnam

On our national birthday, and amid an angry debate about immigration, Americans should reflect on the lessons of our shared immigrant past. We must recall that the challenges facing our nation today were felt as far back as the Founders' time. Immigrant assimilation has always been slow and contentious, with progress measured not in years but in decades. Yet there are steps communities and government should take to form a more cohesive, successful union.

Consider what one leader wrote in 1753: "Few of their children in the country learn English. The signs in our streets have inscriptions in both languages. . . . Unless the stream of their importation could be turned . . . they will soon so outnumber us that we will not preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious." Thus Ben Franklin referred to German Americans, still the largest ethnic group in America.
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Police guidelines underscore complexities of Arizona immigration law

The new training video does not explain how a police officer can think someone may be here illegally without looking at their race. There are many confusing statements in the video and all police officers are not even required to watch it. - - Donna Poisl

A training video focuses on how officers can suspect someone of being in the country illegally without taking race into account. Some of the law's aspects defy explanation, even by state officials.

By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Phoenix — Police officers enforcing a controversial new Arizona immigration law cannot use race to form a suspicion that someone is in the country illegally, but can rely on people's ability to speak English, their dress and whether they are in an area where illegal immigrants congregate, according to state guidelines released Thursday.

The 90-minute training DVD and accompanying paperwork will be distributed to 15,000 law enforcement officers statewide charged with enforcing the sweeping new law, which is scheduled to take effect July 29.
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Arizona releases immigration training plan for police

Click on the headline to read the story and watch parts of the video.

Immigration and tech: What do you think?

This article is about the technology sector and skilled immigrants who are needed as the economy improves. - - Donna Poisl

by Marguerite Reardon

The technology sector has a lot at stake in the ongoing debate on immigration reform.

While much of the debate in the media surrounding immigration has been about legalizing illegal immigrants, for technology companies, the biggest issue is making sure that they have access to enough skilled legal immigrants, especially as the U.S. economy rebounds from a recession. More so than most industries, technology companies rely on foreign-born workers, many educated in U.S. university systems, to fill key roles that enable them to innovate and grow.
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End the 287g program, deporting immigrants

from Favianna, Roberto, Laurie and the rest of the Presente.org team

President Obama just finished an important speech about the need for Americans to find common ground on immigration reform. But the truth is, over the past two years, the President has refused to use his power to stop the deportations that are tearing apart Latino immigrant communities. At this point, with reform legislation stalled in Congress, we need more than speeches from our President. We need action.

It's the reason why we're partnering with the Trail of DREAMs and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) to launch a major campaign calling on President Obama to end the 287g program, which is responsible for some of the worst abuses against immigrants across the country.

Please take a moment and join us in telling President Obama to show the leadership he promised, and end the 287g program. Add your name by clicking on the headline above.

Send a fax to Congress to suppport immigration reform

from Marissa Graciosa, Reform Immigration FOR America

President Obama spoke to the nation today about immigration. He laid out the ways that our broken system hurts millions of people across this country, and how our nation can’t wait any longer for real reform. The President showed that he understands what this fight is about.

As President Obama said, passing national comprehensive immigration reform is going to take all of us working together. And for too long, Republicans in Congress have been holding up the process. Their unwillingness to even address the issue shows that they’ve ignored real solutions and promoted the politics of fear. But every day that they refuse to act constructively, millions of families suffer.

Tell Republicans in Congress:
We can’t wait any longer for immigration reform. Stop holding up the process and hurting families – work on immigration reform, now.

Click on the headline to send this fax to Republicans in Congress

We need to show the Republican obstructionists that their inaction has had real consequences. Join President Obama in telling Congressional Republicans that the time for obstruction is over.

Tell Congress and Obama: Pass the DREAM Act This Summer!

from Frank Sharry, America's Voice

President Obama just finished giving an important speech on immigration reform, and I've already been asked: "What now?"

The President's speech brings much welcome attention to the immigration crisis in America. Arizona's radical "show me your papers" law is the result of one thing: a lack of national leadership in Washington to truly fix our dysfunctional system.

Comprehensive immigration reform is the only way to change this, but it's stalled. I wish it weren't, but it is. That doesn't mean we have to sit around and wait! There are important, targeted measures like the DREAM Act - stepping-stones to broader reform - that we can pass right away.

Watch the video I just recorded about President Obama's speech. Then sign our petition to President Obama and Congress, urging them to pass the DREAM Act this summer.

Every year, 65,000 high school students who have grown up in the United States - Americans in all but paperwork - can't go to college or join the military. They want to give back to the only country they call home -- but they live in constant fear of deportation.

The DREAM Act fixes that. It allows young immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character the opportunity to earn citizenship through at least two years of college or military service.

It is a down payment on real, comprehensive immigration reform - and it already has support of both Democrats and Republicans in Washington. Tell our political leaders to get serious about immigration reform by passing the DREAM Act now:

http://AmericasVoiceOnline.org/Dream-Act-Now

President Obama's speech today was important, but much more is needed in the weeks and months ahead. Join us and keep the momentum going for the kind of real immigration reform our nation so desperately needs.