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Posts Tagged ‘Massachusetts

Basing their assertion on the results of a Freedom of Information Act request which yielded thousands of internal documents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), legal advocates from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Cardozo Immigrant Justice Clinic, delivered a letter to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, advising that he has the power to prevent statewide participation in the controversial “Secure Communities” program (S-Comm).

The 21 page letter points to Washington State and Washington D.C. as examples of areas that effectively opt-ed out of the program which mandates the sending of fingerprints of those in police custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From the letter:

Washington State and the District of Columbia Have Effectively Opted Out of S-Comm and ICE has Provided No Reason Why Massachusetts Cannot Do the Same

In May 2010, after a series of communications with ICE, Washington State informed ICE that it would not sign an S-Comm Memorandum of Agreement. Rather, Washington informed ICE that it would leave the decision whether or not to participate in S-Comm to local jurisdictions. To our knowledge, Washington’s refusal to sign an MOA has meant that no localities in Washington have been “activated” in S-Comm without their consent. ICE’s own documents show that, to date, no jurisdictions in Washington are participating in S-Comm.

Similarly, in July 2010, following a unanimous vote by the DC Council opposing S-Comm, the District of Columbia informed ICE that it would not participate in the program.3 As with Washington State, the District’s opt-out has, according to our knowledge and ICE’s own representations, The District has not been activated in S-Comm, and it maintains a firm separation between local police and federal immigration functions.

If Massachusetts declines to sign an S-Comm MOA, there is no reason to believe that its decisionwould be any less effective than those of Washington State or the District of Columbia in preventing additional localities within Massachusetts from being activated in S-Comm absent an independent agreement between the locality and ICE. If ICE claims otherwise, the burden is on it to explain the justification for applying one standard to Washington State and the District of Columbia, and another standard to Massachusetts.

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I came across this via Facebook last night. Seems like the Massachusetts Senate has caught a case of the Russel Pearce’s. Their State Senate passed a budget amendment, 28-10, that would bar the state from doing business with any company found hiring undocumented immigrants. It would also toughen penalties for creating or using fake identification documents, and explicitly deny in-state college tuition for undocumented students.
The amendment would also require the state’s public health insurance program to verify residency through the Department of Homeland Security, and would require the state to give legal residents priority for subsidized housing.
The measure would also create a toll-free hot line for anonymous reporting of companies that employ the undocumented and opens the door for the state to work with the Feds, a la 287(g).

I could be wrong and I invite Mass. people to comment here, pero as this is an amendment, then the governor does not need to sign it not does the governor have the opportunity to veto it.

So if Massachusetts goes the way of Arizona, do we boycott them as well?

Via / Boston.com

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Michigan became the thirteenth state to legalize the physician supervised possession and use of cannabis. According to early returns, more than 60 percent of Michigan voters decided in favor of Proposal 1, which establishes a state-regulated system regarding the use and cultivation of medical marijuana by qualified patients…

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, some 65 percent of voters (and virtually every town) decided “yes” on Question 2, which reduces minor marijuana possession to a fine-only offense…

Question 2 is expected to become law in 30 days — making Massachusetts the thirteenth state to decriminalize the personal possession and use of cannabis.

Via / Alternet

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Kissing and Telling: LESBIRADAS

9:06 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Events|GLBT|Guatemala · Comments Off

18 Oct 2005

claudia.jpg There are some things Latinos still don’t speak about in public. Some aspects of our daily lives and identities are relegated to dark corners. One Latina in Guatemala is challenging the silence and coming to the U.S. to share her story and struggle. Claudia Acevedo is the co-founder of LESBIRADAS, the only public lesbian organization in Guatemala. She helped create the organization to carve out a women’s only lesbian space in a society where being out is not only considered shameful, it is dangerous. The organization organizes public kiss-ins, counseling, monthly parties for lesbians, advocating for non-discrimination legislation, and work against violence against women regardless of their sexual orientation. Because of her work, Claudia and other members of LESBIRADAS have received serious threats of physical and sexual assault.

The self proclaimed ‘ladina’ (a mixed-race person, Indian, Black, White) and co-mami will not be silenced and will be in the United States to share her experiences and perspective and to raise fund specifically for legislative work LESBIRADAS is currently doing. Claudia will be in NYC on October 21, 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th St. (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave. Claudia will also be in Amhurst, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 27, at 7:30 pm at Campus Center 904-08, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her appearances are part of a nation-wide tour sponsored by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala.

Via / Idealist.org

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