Immigration | VivirLatino

Posts Tagged ‘Immigration’

Department of Homeland Security Road Show : Next Stop Today in Arlington, VA

8:09 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration|Secure Communities|Virginia · Comments Off

24 Aug 2011

Apologies for taking a few days off from the site to spend time with visiting familia. One thing is for sure, that in spite of little earthquakes, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demonstrates that the passage of time doesn’t change a thing.

After holding such successful taskforce meetings in Los Angeles and Chicago, DHS is holding another meeting tonight at George Mason Law School at 3351 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, Virginia to hear testimony on the Secure Communities deportation policy.

Like with the other meetings, local organizations are holding press conferences and actions to show their appreciation. Today at 5:15 p.m. ET, followed by March at 5:30 p.m, there will be a press Conference at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 3304 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA.

2nd annual Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice – Caminamos: Justice for Immigrant Women, August 1-5, 2011

8:51 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Immigration|Justice|Politics|Women · 1 Comment

4 Aug 2011

On behalf of VivirLatino, I am proud to be a part of the 2nd annual Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice. This year’s theme is Caminamos: Justice for Immigrant Women.

Co-sponsored by California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ) and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), Latinas across the country will elevate the voices and experiences of immigrant women at community forums, letter writing events and signature collection campaigns in California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New York and Texas and a “What’s the Real Problem” online Blog Carnival 2011. Activists will also be collecting stories of immigrant women to change the existing negative ways in which immigrant women are viewed in the media and society.

“Mean-spirited law enforcement, workplace exploitation, criminalization of basic life including education and health care are just a few of the challenges that have forced immigrant women into the shadows and ignore the often vital, positive role they play in communities across the country”, said Maria Elena Perez, interim Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

Here at VivirLatino, we have written for years about sexuality, access, and our immigrant communities. I use the word “our” very deliberately. Perhaps it’s unfair to get caught up in the use of one word, but reading/writing “for” immigrant women when many of us are immigrant women or have mothers, hermanas/sisters, tias who are immigrant women. Defining immigrant womanhood from the outside complicates if not obstructs the real struggle for justice – whatever that means and all that means.

I am going to work on a post for tomorrow that looks a little further/deeper at this issue and the path we are caminando on/walking on – together.

I welcome and look forward to your thoughts.

Late to the Civil Disobedience Party (Again)

2 Aug 2011

Last week, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill) was arrested in front of the White House protesting the over one million deportations that have happened under President Obama and as a push for President Obama to use his executive power to stop the deportations of at least some undocumented.

While there was some media coverage of the event that created a short term buzz, the overall response from many in pro-migrant circles was a collective, non-impressed yawn. Especially given the fact that while Gutierrez was getting arrested “for show”, a young man was getting deported for real.

Civil disobedience is important. I feel it is a tool like street protests, like voting, like not voting but civil disobedience in a vacuum, and a divided one at that smells of opportunism. For a while now, DREAMers have been getting arrested, risking not just a few hours in jail (and usually getting little to no mainstream media coverage- hell Fox News covered Gutierrez’s arrest), but risking their very existence in the United States. At first their campaign was to push the DREAM Act when it was before Congress, lately to push for more equal access to educational opportunity and executive action. Gone on the days when bodies participating in civil disobedience needed to represent, be symbolic for something else. Young people have been and are standing as themselves, confronting a system that wants to disappear them, their families, and their opportunities.

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.

Georgia Day Without Immigrants Action(s)

1:22 pm By Maegan La Mala · Georgia|Immigration · Comments Off

1 Jul 2011

Today marks the first day of parts of Georgia’s anti-immigrant law, HB 87, going into effect. Despite parts of the law being put on hold thanks to a court decision, there are still portions which threaten the ability of immigrant communities to live without fear, including mandatory E-Verify. For this reason, the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and others have organized a day of non-compliance in which Georgians against HB 87 and in support of immigrant rights are not going to work or shop, and business owners will be closing their doors.

Additionally, On Saturday, GLAHR and others have called for a March for Justice at the Capitol in Atlanta starting at 10:00am. Marchers will be coming from all over the state of Georgia as well as North Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, DC, New York and more.

ICE Threatens to Drug Young Man so they can Deport him

10:36 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration · 13 Comments

1 Jul 2011

What’s happening to 24 year old Andy Mathe and his family is really disturbing and a sign of the lengths that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will go through in order to keep up with it’s record breaking deportation numbers.

Here since he was 19, Andy has been in detention for the last month waiting to be deported to South Africa. His family’s story is complicated and exemplifies the problems not just with the deportation system but with the asylum system.

Andy’s step-father fled Rwanda during the genocide, in 2001 he would marry Andy’s mother, Hope, and have a child. The family was enjoying their life in South Africa until they began receiving death threats in the form of personalized letters, phone calls and at one point an attempt to kidnap the youngest daughter. The family appealed to the United Nations, the local police, pretty much anyone who would listen.
After having her pleas for help rejected the family took things into their own hands with Andy’s stepfather disassociating himself from the family and his mother applying for visas to the United States. Once in Georgia they immediately filed for Asylum, a case which would take four years and end in Andy’s detention. To this day the family has not heard or seen their father.

Last week, Andy was extremely close to being deported. An ICE agent frustrated by the fact that so far Andy has been successful in avoiding deportation told Andy, ” ‘next time we will drug you and deport you.”

You can sign the petition asking that Andy not be deported here.

You can also call DHS – Janet Napolitano (202-282-8495) and ICE – John Morton (202.732.3000)

Sample Script: “I am calling to ask that Andy Mathe (A#88-488-386) and his family be allowed to stay. I don’t understand why ICE would threaten to drug Andy so he couldn’t fight his deportation. Please grant deferred action for the Mathe Family.”

Real Changes to Deportation Policies or Window Dressing?

10:29 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration|Obama|U.S.-Mexico Border · 6 Comments

21 Jun 2011

Last week the Department of Homeland Security announced alleged changes to the way the controversial Secure Communities deportation program and deportation policies in general are carried out.

According to a series of June 17th memos released by John Morton, Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Secure Communities, which runs the fingerprints of those arrested through immigration databases in order to find undocumented immigrants, will continue to be rolled out with the goal that all 50 states be using the program by 2013. The memo urges immigration agents to consider how long an undocumented immigrant has been in the United States, or whether the immigrant was brought here as a child and is studying in high school or college. The authorities are also instructed to give “particular care and consideration” to veterans and active duty members of the military, especially if they have been in combat, and to their close relatives. Mr. Morton also expanded the authority of federal lawyers who handle cases in immigration courts to dismiss deportation proceedings against immigrants without serious criminal records. Mr. Morton also issued new guidelines he said would ensure that illegal immigrants detained by the police who were victims of domestic violence and witnesses to crimes would not be deported.

The memos also creates an advisory commission to study how S-Comm actually is working.

This consideration is clearly a response to the pressure not only coming from advocates and activists, but from lawmakers and state governments attempting to opt-out of a program sold to them as something it was never meant to be.

Advocates, activists, and elected officials across the country rejected the memos as cosmetic and continue to demand a moratorium on the use of S-Comm as well as allowing states to opt-out of the program. While others, including immigration attorneys, praised the changes especially when it comes to prosecutorial discretion .

Live from Netroots Nation : Immigration and the Power of the Latino Vote Panel

10:17 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration|Netroots Nation · 3 Comments

17 Jun 2011

I asked and you voted!

Starting in approximately 20 minutes I will be livetweeting at VivirLatino the Immigration and the Power of the Latino Vote Panel.

Here is what it is about so please comment, tweet questions etc.

Immigration and the Power of the Latino Vote: Why Harry Reid Came Back and Alex Sink Sunk
FRI, 06/17/2011 – 10:30AM, L100 FG
Latino voters were critical to 2010 Senate victories and will play an even more central role in the race for the White House in 2012. But with the immigration reform promise still unfulfilled, President Obama under heavy criticism for deporting more immigrants than Bush and a Republican party searching for a Latino marketing strategy to mask their extremist agenda, where will these voters go? This panel will share polling and demographic data to uncover the enormous promise and challenge facing both parties as they develop strategies to court these voters in 2012. We will discuss the role of immigration reform as the key motivator for this growing segment of the American electorate and will discuss how candidates, like Majority Leader Harry Reid, modeled a winning strategy by delivering on their immigration promise.
PANELISTS: Adam Luna, Maribel Hastings, Markos Moulitsas, Eliseo Medina, Rep. Luis Gutierrez

The role of Eliseo Medina will be played by Paco Fabian as apparently Mr. Medina’s flight was cancelled.

What to Expect and Not Out of Obama’s Immigration Speech

6:50 am By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Immigration|Obama|Politics|Secure Communities · 1 Comment

10 May 2011

Today in El Paso, President Obama is scheduled to make a speech on immigration. According to background information from the White House, the focus will be immigration in the context of security and the economy – in other words how can this exploitative system of getting U.S. capitalist desires met keep working on the backs of immigrant communities. There will be the call for a need to a bipartisan legislative solution that not one person in Congress has taken seriously. There will be talk about how in a post-Osama world the U.S. is safer but not safe enough which is why we need a militarized border. There may even be a head nod acknowledgement to the DREAM Act the DREAMers.

What there will not be: a moratorium on deportations of anyone – not even the DREAMers and others that fall within the so-called “good immigrant” pool. Obama will reaffirm how the U.S. is a nation of laws and lie about how he has no power to take executive action.

Obama will not acknowledge the DREAMers that were arrested yesterday outside Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office in Indiana protesting both a mandatory E-verify bill and a bill that denies the right of undocumented students to be acknowledged as state residents for tuition purposes.

There will be no talk about the real consequences of all this security on the border and how safety, a mind trick more than anything tangible, is reserved for certain people, people not including those killed by border patrol because they are near their homes on either side of the frontera.

There will be no acknowledgement beyond imperialist pride of the increased deportations under Obama. The higher numbers, like the assassination of Bin Laden, will be used as macho political cred even as who comprises those numbers is questioned in states like Illinois y nationally.

Clearly my expectations for today’s immigration speech are low. Maybe I will be surprised and be forced to take back my criticism of the administration. However, given the number of speeches and meetings while immigration policy gets continuously more abusive, there where probably plenty more room for criticism and calls for action.

Someone Tell ICE Under Obama : Federal Agencies Remind Public Schools All Children Have Right To Public Education Regardless Of Immigration Status

2:20 pm By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Education|Immigration|Obama|Secure Communities · 2 Comments

7 May 2011

Yesterday the Department of Justice and the Department of Education sent out a letter reminding school districts nationwide of their obligation under federal law to provide equal educational opportunities to all children residing in their districts, regardless of their race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, or the immigration status of their parents and guardians. The guidance responded to discriminatory enrollment practices, documented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, that unnecessarily and unlawfully inquire, directly or indirectly, into the immigration status of students and their families and foster the fear that the attempt to enroll in public school may bring students and their families to the attention of the immigration authorities.

The guidance made clear that a school district may not:
• ask about a child’s citizenship or immigration status to establish residency within the district; or
• deny a homeless child, including an undocumented homeless child, enrollment because she or he cannot provide the required documents to establish residency.

The guidance further specified that a school district may not prevent a child from enrolling in school because:
• a child has a foreign birth certificate; or
• a child or parent chooses not to provide the child’s social security number; or
• a child or parent chooses not to provide the child’s race or ethnicity.

This is not a new policy rather the letter was meant to reinforce established policy. Problem is that the directive fails to address how at the Federal level policy and practice is discouraging immigrant parents and their children from participating in education through the use of fear.

Remember what happened in Detroit? Read more…

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