Illinois | VivirLatino

Archive for the ‘Illinois’ Category

Evidence Shows No Confusion on Secure Communities, Only Deception

8:52 am By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|Immigration|New York|Politics|Secure Communities · 18 Comments

20 May 2011

Coming on the heels of Wednesday’s rally in front of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s NYC office demanding that he pull the state out of the Secure Communities deportation program are letters which show that the so-called confusion regarding the ability to opt-out was more like a cover-up.

In letters, that I will admit to finding somewhat confusing (PDF of letters here), a fired contractor, Dan Cadman says that he told DHS/ICE, in documents that have to come to light as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, that they had the right to tell states that Secure Communities was a mandatory program. Cadman asserts that he was then told to say that Secure Communities was voluntary, especially when pushing areas with many immigrants, like New York and Cook County – Illinois, to sign agreements. The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Morton, points to Cadman as the source of confusion regarding the opt-out option. Cadman asserts that it seems to be part of the design, especially in order to get places like New York to sign on.

Illinois House Tries to Get Smart with It’s Immigration Policy

8:41 am By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|Immigration|Secure Communities · Comments Off

9 May 2011

Following Illinois Gov. Quinn’s letter opting out of Secure Communities because of the way the enforcement program targets all undocumented immigrants, not just the so-called criminal ones, Immigration and Customs Enforcement head John Morton went to Springfield. Morton’s intentions were not to respect the will of the state government but rather to reinforce the idea that S-Comm is not something one can just opt-out from. On Friday, the Illinois House of Representatives responded by passing the Smart Enforcement Act (HB 929).

The bill, which passed by a vote of 66-43, with 17 Republican votes in favor, states that if Illinois is forced to participate in S-Comm it will do so we will do so based on terms that match Illinois values: accountability, local autonomy, effective law enforcement, due process, and respect for families.

Specifically, the Smart Enforcement Act will
· give counties the choice whether to participate in “Secure Communities”;
· offer a full accounting of the program’s impact and costs to local law enforcement; and
· require that this program be used only to identify and deport convicted criminals.

The bill is expected to move to the Illinois State Senate yet, but I have to wonder what the impact will be beyond rhetoric. I wonder of the possibility of local governments to sue the Feds for forcing an unconstitutional law that no matter how it is painted separates families and allows for more racial profiling within our communities. I suppose that within the confines of U.S. policy, bills like Smart make sense, but within the confines of humanity, outright resistance makes more sense.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Asks for S-Comm Moratorium

3:34 pm By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|Immigration|Politics|Secure Communities · 5 Comments

6 May 2011

Let’s face it, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus isn’t known for it’s bravery when it comes to facing the reality of comprehensive immigration reform. When it was clear that CIR was pretty much a dead issue, the CHC refused to rally behind the DREAM Act until the zero hour. Perhaps though, recognizing the error of their ways, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is calling for a moratorium on the “Secure Communities” deportation program due to problems similar to its predecessor, 287(g). The call was made via a letter sent to the White House

From the CHC Letter :

“Evidence reveals not only a striking dissonance between the program’s stated purpose of removing dangerous criminals and it’s actual effect; it also suggests that S-Comm may endager the public, particularly among communities of color…”

Illinois is on a Roll : Drops Secure Communities

8:31 am By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|Immigration|Politics|Secure Communities · 4 Comments

5 May 2011

Not only did Illinois pass it’s own version of the DREAM Act yesterday, Governor Pat Quinn sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) saying the state was canceling it’s participation in Secure Communities.

The letter states “that the implementation of the Secure Communities program in Illinois is contrary to the stated purpose of the MOA… By ICE’s own measure, less than 20% of those who have been deported from Illinois under the program have ever been convicted of a serious crime.” The Governor’s letter concludes, “With this termination, no new counties in Illinois can be activated and those counties that were previously activated… must be deactivated and removed from the Secure Communities program.”

This move to opt-out of Secure Communities should serve as an example for other states, including my own New York, which has an S-Comm agreement in place. It will be interesting to see how ICE handles this as they have said that opting out is not an option and the goal is to have S-Comm implemented nationwide as a matter of policy.

Illinois Gets It’s DREAM

8:07 am By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Education|Illinois|Immigration|Politics · Comments Off

5 May 2011

While some states move towards legalizing discrimination through anti-immigrant laws, others are attempting to push forward and away from that model. Yesterday the Illinois DREAM Act (SB 2185) passed. According to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) the bill will:

Encourage high school counselors and college admissions officers to receive regular training regarding educational opportunities for immigrant youth.

Establish a privately-funded Illinois DREAM Fund, administered by a volunteer state commission, to make scholarships available to undocumented students at no cost to taxpayers. The bill would also open up college savings programs and prepaid tuition programs to all Illinois residents, so that the families of DREAM students will be better able to pay for tuition. The commission would also monitor implementation of other parts of this law and research the needs of DREAM youths as they make their way through college.

While far from perfect as it actually compels the local government to do very little and falls far short of one of the goals of the national DREAM Act in terms of offering options for legalization, this can be seen at the very least as a nominal victory in reframing how state legislatures tackle issues impacting various parts of our immigrant communities.

English Only as Support for Arizona’s SB1070

7:09 pm By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|language · 4 Comments

17 Jul 2010

While some cities and states are writing copycat laws to show their support for Arizona’s SB1070, which goes into effect in less than two weeks, some towns are using English first/English only legislation to promote anti-immigrant nativism.

The bustling township of Homer, Illinois, population 30,000, with 12 percent Latinos, passed a resolution last week making English it’s official language. They have never had an issue with immigration and all of the town’s official documents have always been printed in one language, English. The resolution was passed without opposition as a way to show support for Arizona’s SB1070 and like laws.

“We recognize Native Americans had the first language in our Country, followed by Western European dialects, with English eventually becoming dominant,” the resolution reads in part. “The Homer Township Board supports actions to enforce existing Immigration law, enforce residency requirements in our school districts, and acknowledge that English the dominant language of Homer Township.”

vikki: I'm so sorry for your loss. Warm wishes, vikki [...]

Scrying Nicki Minaj, Stupid Hoe, and #Afrofutures | Nuñez Daughter: [...] forest of things that seem to matter a lot–like fingers waving in presidential faces� [...]

Karen: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/09/120109fa_fact_auletta [...]

Karen: I just read this about Rubio. Let's see the GOP make him a VP nominee. LOL http://www.democraticu [...]

Martes Media Minute : Roe v. Wade Anniversary, Medicaid Mama y Midwife Victory, Cervical Cancer Awareness month, & Mala’s Mami Closeup, | VivirLatino: [...] last week’s liveblog of a conversation on cervical cancer and Latin@s, Bianca Laureano s [...]

VivirLatino