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Eye on the Florida Primary : Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Most Anti-Immigrant of All?

27 Jan 2012

I’m feeling a little dazed from the seemingly endless stream of GOP debates and the incumbent President’s non-statement statement on immigration policy during the SOTU. With the Florida primary just days away, both political parties are targeting the Latino vote that the state allegedly represents. Both parties are playing a spin game, ready to crown an opponent as the most anti-immigrant on one hand, while claiming that the Latino electorate in Florida doesn’t really care about immigration.

In last night’s GOP debate, on again off again front runner Newt Gingrich took a page from the Democratic National Committee, targeting Mitt Romney as the most anti-immigrant. Certainly this attack is related to Romney’s statements earlier this week touting “self-deportation” as a good solution to current problems. Romney, offended by Gingrich’s characterization, demanded an apology. As I pointed out in a piece I wrote for El Diario La Prensa last month, we are heading into dangerous territory when we try to find the “worst” among bad choices. Gingrich’s allegedly kinder, softer approach to immigration amounts to what the current Obama policy is on paper, allowing “non-threatening” immigrants with family ties and a long history in the U.S. to stay in a permanent limbo status.

A new/old Latino target is being pushed by one organization. Today, Presente.org launched a campaign targeting potential GOP Vice Presidential pick, Senator Marco Rubio. The campaign wittingly named “No Somos Rubios” (We are not Rubios/We are not Blondes), hones in on Republicans using a brown face with a brown name to earn Latino votes. This right wing strategy is being called into question not just based on Rubio’s anti-immigrant positions but also because Rubio represent such a specific facet of the Latino electorate. Rubio appeals to Cuban-American anti-Castro demographic. Rubio probably will not appeal to other Latinos, especially in the South West, who according to polls, played a critical role in Obama’s getting elected in 2008.

Ending Secure Communities and 287(g) in an Already Anti-Migrant State

1:53 pm By Maegan La Mala · Alabama|Immigration|Politics|Secure Communities · Comments Off

9 Nov 2011

Yesterday, almost civil and human rights organizations from across the United States, and a few international organizations, sent a letter to the Secretary of Honeland Security, urging her to stop deportation programs like 287(g) and Secure Communities in Alabama. Many of the signatories, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), had already been calling for a stop to the policies that currently are deporting about 400,000 people a year in the United States, but the recent implementation of what is being called the harshest anti-migrant law in the country is compelling many to focus on Alabama.

Secretary Napolitano is targeted because the successful implementation of HB 56 is contingent upon cooperation and participation of DHS as the state law relies on the department to take custody of non-citizens identified through HB 56 for detention and deportation. The groups also urged DHS to promote and enforce its own guidance which limits state action in immigration matters, as well as exercise favorable discretion in any case that arises from enforcement of Alabama’s HB 56.

HB 56 combined with ICE pattern and practices specifically threaten Latinos in the state. Since immigration is racialized as a latino issue, people who are perceived as Latino will be targeted. Racial profiling threatens the 185,602 Latinos in Alabama, a population that while making up only 3.9% of the total population according to the 2010 Census, increased 145% in the last decade.

The Department of Justice is currently challenging the constitutionality of HB 56, which went into effect in September. I signed onto to the letter to Secretary Napolitano, but with a healthy dose of cynicism in terms of expectations. The Department of Homeland Security through Napolitano continues to defend it’s deportation record and Secure Communities. The White House continues to defend Secure Communities. It will be interesting to see how the Federal Government, who has helped to create the anti-immigrant atmosphere surrounding states like Alabama, further reacts to the crisis in the state. Will the answer be a policy change or a public relations campaign.

Sources : New America Media

Arizona Boycott Called Off? NCLR Says So.

12:53 pm By Maegan La Mala · arizona|Immigration · 10 Comments

13 Sep 2011

This past weekend, when I received an email announcing that the National Council of la Raza (NCLR) was declaring the economic boycott of Arizona over, I admit that my first reaction was confusion.

I was confused because I didn’t remember the boycott solely being “owned” by any one organization. I was confused because I thought that the boycott (which I have been following and respecting as have my children) was supposed to remain in effect until the anti-immigrant law SB1070 was repealed. Did I misunderstand?

So I went back.

Various organizations and localities called for boycotts. No one can own an act of resistance.

The demand of the boycott was that SB1070 be repealed.

That hasn’t happened.

According to reports in the media, NCLR is cancelling the boycott because they feel that they have successfully discouraged other states from enacting similar laws (never mind not so successfully discouraging the president from his enforcement/deportation party). NCLR and other orgs are pointing the millions of dollars lost because of the boycott including the cancellation of conferences and conventions in the state. Additionally, The Arizona Republic says Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s office sent NCLR letters last month asking it to end the boycotts and work toward immigration reform. Based on the official press release announcing the calling off of the boycott, it’s all about the money honey. Both the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau are quoted in the official release, talking about the importance of “getting back to business”.

I know I am not the only one confused by this decision. Certainly the boycott in and of itself is controversial. There is debate as to the effectiveness of such an action, just like there is debate as to the effectiveness of civil disobedience. What both boycotts and cd’s share in common is that on their own, they are useless. On a small scale, people not buying a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream cone or blocking a highway are meaningless unless they are connected in a real way to work on the ground for a long time. The work of protest is not supposed to be easy. That is why it is called struggle. And to clarify, work on the ground does not just mean funded policy promoting as is currently happening with across the board in the immigrant rights advocacy world. The immigrant “movement” at the moment has been completely co-opted by non-profit orgs and their funders. There is no direction while on our blocks deportations rise.

And then we wonder why we are unable to find a Latino “leader”.
And then we wonder why Latinos are criticized for being unable to create sustained actions.

I’ve gone from confusion to cynical anger at the state of “movement building”.

Does NCLR’s backing off the boycott mean their national convention will be in Phoenix next year?

VL at the NY International Film Festival: Precious Knowledge

22 Aug 2011

Over the next few days be on the lookout for film reviews from our time at the NY International Latino Film Festival. A week of films from all over the world, it was difficult to choose when and which films to watch. Unfortunately, I could only check out three, but I’m glad I did!

We’ve shared the trailer to Precious Knowledge before, and I was very excited to see the film as part of the NY Latino Film Festival and one I could review. I attended the second of two screenings at the festival and there were about 50 people present. The producers, editors, and one young woman, Pricilla Rodriguez, whose father is detained since the passing of SB 1070, from the film were present for a question and answer period after the film. Check out the trailer one more time:

Read more…

Department of Justice Files Suit Against Alabama Anti-Immigrant Law

3:38 pm By Maegan La Mala · Alabama|Immigration · 3 Comments

2 Aug 2011

Yesterday, the US Department of Justice file suit against the state of Alabama charging that HB 56, anti-immigrant legislation signed into law in June and slated to take effect on September 1, conflicts with federal law and undermines federal immigration priorities. The lawsuit also argues that the state law expands opportunities for police to push immigrants toward jail for various new immigration crimes.

HB 56 includes provisions that require local school districts to check and report on the immigration status of all children enrolling in public schools. It also transforms local police into federal immigration officers, and creates criminal consequences for anyone who provides housing, transportation, or employment to undocumented immigrants. HB 56 is considered one of the many Arizona SB1070 copycat laws that have been multiplying across the country, each meeting legal and community action in response.

Parts of SB1070 were effectively blocked, at least temporarily, by legal action, but it is interesting, at the very least, to try and reconcile the Obama administration’s lawsuits against anti-immigrant laws in Alabama and Georgia with it’s own policies. Federal deportation programs like Secure Communities and 287g deputize local law enforcement as ICE agents. So while these lawsuits are important and hopefully their success means more equitable living conditions and quality of life for immigrant communities. What these lawsuits do not do, is change the way the federal government has essentially abandoned all efforts of immigration reform and focuses on detentions and deportations.

Pelican Bay Prison Hunger Strike Only Kind of Over. Support Still Needed!

9:57 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|California|Justice|Prisons|Violence · 4 Comments

23 Jul 2011

There has been some confusion over the last few days as to if the weeks old hunger strike which began at Pelican Bay California State Prison is over. The hunger strike was started specifically to protest the conditions inside the entire prison system but also very specifically the treatment in so-called Security Housing Units. You can read the entire list of demands of the strikers here.

It has been confirmed that inside Pelican Bay, the strike leaders have accepted an offer from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The leaders confirmed CDCR’s announcement that immediate changes in SHU policy are the opportunity for some educational programs, provision of all-weather caps (beanies) and wall calendars. More substantially, the leaders explained the CDCR has agreed to investigate changes to other policies including the gang validation and debriefing processes, and it is now up to supporters outside prison to make sure the CDCR upholds their promise.

Update from Pelican Bay Hunger Strike : Strikers Reject CDCR Proposal

8:26 am By Maegan La Mala · California|Justice|Prisons · 3 Comments

17 Jul 2011

This update was apparently released Friday but hit my inbox today. I think it is important that we spread the word and reflect on what it means to support those who are incarcerated with one of the goals being changing the way we think of safety, crime and justice.

When reading below, I hope people will check back with the demands of those on strike. The conditions inside Pelican Bay and other California prisons are conditions that were they happening in a prison overseas – there would be a different outcry – a different level of support. But given the racial and class politics inside of the US, most assume this torturous treatment is acceptable or deserved. An “assessment” is what government entities always offer up in the face of protest y dissent. It is what the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs Enforcement have offered up in the face of questions regarding how Secure Communities is being rolled out. To offer an “assessment” is to deny what the community is witnessing and EXPERIENCING as truth.

MEDIA ADVISORY–JULY 15, 2011

Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers Reject CDCR Proposal

Strike Continues

California—This afternoon leaders of the Pelican Bay hunger strike unanimously rejected a proposal to end the strike from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). In response to the prisoners’ five, straightforward demands, CDCR distributed a vaguely worded document stating that it would, “effect a comprehensive assessment of its existing policy and procedure” about the secure housing units (SHUs). The document gave no indication if any changes would be made at all.

While the CDCR has claimed that there is no medical crisis, mediators report that the principal negotiators have lost 25-35 pounds each and have underlying medical conditions of concern. Despite promises from the federal Receiver overseeing CDCR, no one has received salt tablets or multiple vitamins.

The hunger strike is now in its third week and shows no signs of weakening. In fact, the settlement document distributed last night to all hunger strikers at Pelican Bay prison, resulted in some people who had gone off the strike to resume refusing food. Hundreds of prisoners at Pelican Bay remain on strike, with thousands more participating throughout California’s 33 prisons. Advocates and strike leaders dismiss the false claims that the strike is being orchestrated by prison gangs.

International solidarity with the striking prisoners also continues to mount with demonstrations and messages emerging from the US, Canada, Turkey and Australia. According to mediation team member Laura Magnani, “From day one, the CDCR has demonstrated its inability to resolve this situation. We call on Gov. Brown to step in and negotiate in good faith to bring this situation to a just resolution.” Strike supporters plan to flood the Governor’s offices with phone calls and emails, echoing the strikers’ demands.

“Given how basic the striker’s demands are, it is immoral that the CDCR would insult these men with such poor faith proposals,” stated mediator, Dorsey Nunn.

For ways to support the strike see here

Half of California DREAM Act Passes

11:58 am By Maegan La Mala · California|DREAM Act|Education|Immigration · 26 Comments

15 Jul 2011

Yesterday the first half of the California DREAM Act, AB 130, passed 26-11 and included the support of one Republican, Anthony Canella. The bill, which is headed to Governor Jerry Brown for a signature (and he is expected to sign), allows undocumented college students access to privately funded financial aid in the form of scholarships and other assistance as overseen by state colleges and universities. According the Change.org, 40% of undocumented high school graduates reside in California, meaning potentially thousands of students could stand to benefit.

AB 130 was the less controversial of the two companion bills that make up the CA DREAM Act. AB 131, which will come for a vote in August, is facing an uphill battle for passage because it would provide undocumented students access to state-funded public financial aid that U.S. citizen and legal resident students are entitled to.

As I have stated before, calling these state bills DREAM Act bills, is a little bit of a misnomer since they offer no legal status for undocumented students.

Via / MultiAmerican

NYC Protesting Prisons and Deportations

15 Jul 2011

I’m working on a few posts right now, including a book review and a post about the California DREAM Act but in the meantime, I wanted to give a heads up to NYC area folks about some rallies where it might be good to say presente at. The weather is supposed to be lovely so the perfect reason to get outside and yell a little.

Today Friday, July 15th

PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PELICAN BAY PRISON HUNGER STRIKERS
Today FRIDAY July 15 at 12:00 Noon
Federal Bldg. at Broadway & Thomas St. near Worth St. & Duane St.; MAP: < http://is.gd/bsM8D-/>
Info: <http://ow.ly/5EZG2 >

Prisoners on hunger strike in California are close to death.

Immigrants and Advocates Gather to Tell ICE: New Adjustments Fail to Hide Reality of Mass Deportation Program

Groups Also Confront Agency for Refusing to Meet with Families Affected by Unjust Immigration Laws and Policies

WHAT: Immigrants, faith leaders, and advocates will hold a rally to condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s so-called reforms to the mass deportation program known as “Secure Communities” and its refusal to meet with directly impacted immigrants. ICE officials are scrambling to save face, as the program has come under intense scrutiny from Congress and advocates across the country. On a desperate marketing tour through Illinois, Massachusetts, and on Friday in New York – the three states who have refused to participate in “Secure Communities” – ICE is trying to sell advocates, police, and elected officials on the adequacy of recent cosmetic changes made to the fundamentally flawed program.

WHEN: Friday, July 15, 2011, 12:00pm (before ICE’s 1:00pm meeting with New York advocates)

WHERE: 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY (Broadway side) [probably Broadway & Thomas St.]

[TRANSIT: J to Chambers (north exit to Pearl St./Foley Sq.); #4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall (north exit to Reade St./Foley Sq.); R (not N) to City Hall (at Broadway & Warren); A, C (not E) to Chambers St. (north exits to Chambers St. & Church St.); #1, 2, 3 to Chambers St. (at W. Broadway); E to WTC;
Broadway BUS; M22 bus via East Broadway, Worth & Chambers; M103 via Essex & Park Row;
MAP: < http://is.gd/bsM8D-/> -t.]

WHO: Immigrants and their families, faith leaders, and other advocates

WHY: New York immigrants and advocates join their Illinois and Massachusetts counterparts in lambasting the tweaks ICE announced on June 17 to the irreparable “Secure Communities” program. Advocates have decried the record-breaking deportations under the Obama Administration – nearly 400,000 in 2010 – and the role “Secure Communities” has played in exiling en masse immigrants from their families and communities. Protesters will rebuke ICE for excluding from its meetings the very people who are most greatly impacted by “Secure Communities” and call for a nationwide termination of the program, which funnels people directly into the deportation system, jeopardizes trust in the police, and encourages racial profiling.

Monday, July 18th

PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PELICAN BAY PRISON HUNGER STRIKERS
MONDAY, July 18 from 11:30am-1:00pm
California State Franchise Office
1212 6th Ave. btw. 47th & 48th Streets: B, D, F, M to 47-50 St./Rockefeller Ctr.;
212.633.6646 < www.iacenter.org> 917.328.6470

DREAMers in California Come Out of the Shadows & are Arrested

2:52 pm By Maegan La Mala · California|Immigration · 20 Comments

13 Jul 2011

Yesterday, seven undocumented youth, Martha Vasquez, Isaac Barrera, Ju Hong, David Lemus, Jesus Barrios, Jorge Herrera and Jonathan Perez were arrested after staging a sit-in near the campus of San Bernardino Valley College. All seven were taken to a holding center in San Bernardino County, this is the same county that has a contract with ICE to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. In fact the Sheriff was even on scene and told us point blank, ‘do these kids know they are risking an ICE hold if they pass through one of my jails?’ The youth were protesting the dangerous environment Southern California is for immigrant communities. In San Bernardino there are checkpoints often, local law enforcement cooperates very closely with ICE officials through Secure Communities as well as 287(g). There have even been numerous accounts of undocumented youth being turned over to ICE by campus police.

Jonathan Perez, 24 stated:

“I am undocumented and unafraid; queer and unashamed, I take action now to show the over half million undocumented youth in California that we no longer have to live in fear. My parents were unafraid in coming here to give me a better life and now it’s my turn to be unafraid and fight for my family and my community.”

If you are interested in making a donation towards the bail of any of those arrested, you can do so here.

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