Posts Tagged ‘Illinois’
Illinois is on a Roll : Drops Secure Communities
8:31 am By Maegan La Mala · Illinois|Immigration|Politics|Secure Communities · 4 Comments
5 May 2011Not 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 2011While 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 2010While 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.”
No Change from State of Fear for Immigrants : ICE Raids Continue
1:37 pm By Maegan La Mala · Immigration|US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
10 Nov 2008
The current presidential administration in power isn’t going to allow immigrant communities to get all caught up in slogans and chants about change post the Obama win. They are not going to allow them to hope. Rather, they hope that instilling fear and terrorizing people will be a more powerful message.
Right now, it is being reported, ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is knocking on doors in the town of Breese, Illinois.
Churches are reportedly opening their doors and offer sanctuary.
More information to follow.
We cannot let the illusion of change blind us from the reality of la gente.
Hola!
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