This Friday - Congressional Briefings for the DREAM Act

by Prerna Lal

Published October 20, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Congressperson Howard Berman are marking the two-year anniversary of the defeat of the DREAM Act with congressional hearings on the issue for immigration and education staffers in the Capitol.

The Senate hearing is from 11:00 – 2:00 PM in The Capitol, SC 6, while the House hearing is from
2:30 – 4:00 PM in Capitol Hill, Rayburn 2141.

Speakers include Louis Caldera, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Former Secretary of the Army;
Dr. Robert G. Templin, Jr., President, Northern Virginia Community College; Herta Llusho, a DREAM-eligible youth from Michigan; and Noe Guzman, a DREAM-eligible youth from Missouri.

Concerned residents are encouraged to contact their representatives and senators to send someone to the hearing, as well as make visits to their local district offices to urge co-sponsorship of the DREAM Act.

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is bipartisan legislation that addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the United States years ago as undocumented immigrant children and who have since grown up here, obtained a high school diploma or GED, and kept out of trouble with the law.

(Picture: Creative Commons from Dreamactivist Flickr stream)

Does Obama Get a NOPE on Immigration?

by Prerna Lal

category: Immigration Reform

Published October 19, 2009 @ 01:53PM PT

It's not just 'the gays' that are losing hope in President Barack Obama, but a lot of young immigrants are tired of waiting for change as well.

To quote an undocumented friend of mine:

I feel like living on "hope" has made me loose my competitiveness.

I suppose we are what the White House calls the 'internet left fringe' as well. Obama was the great hope of last year, when he promised immigration reform in 2009 and said the DREAM Act is something that could be done immediately.

Representative Luis Gutierrez has proposed a bill by the end of November, but without the support of the Administration and the Senate, it is unlikely to have any impact. With President Obama breaking his promises to immigrant families and reform unlikely to come by till 2010, right now he is scores a big fat zero on the pro-migrant scale.

Due process violations, terrorizing home and workplace raids and malicious immigration enforcement programs continue under the Obama Administration. Janet Napolitano has promised better detention practices, proposing housing immigrant detainees in hotels, but reading between the lines, this is an invitation for further privatization of the detention industry, thereby increasing the archipelago of detention.

Modern-day cowboys like Sheriff Joe Arpaio should have their wings clipped but instead, the Department of Homeland Security is signing new 287(g) agreements to outsource immigration authority to local law enforcement even after detailed abuses of the program by several counties. Additionally, the White House is extending Secure Communities, which would likely ensnare immigrants on minor charges while increasing distrust in local law enforcement.

In the past few months, Obama has stooped to using the hateful rhetoric of 'illegal immigrants' and appeasing nativists like Joe Wilson, backing away from his pre-election claims of taking the hate out of the immigration debate. This hard-line approach on immigrants to appease the right-wing nativist nuts serves no re-election purpose--it is unlikely to bring in votes for Obama from the wingnuts while also more likely to alienate voters on the left.

The political pandering and maneuvering continues behind the scenes. In the meantime, immigrant families are still separated daily, young immigrants still live in limbo, and 'si se puede' does not feed our families or quell our fears. How much longer till the 'great hope' delivers?

(Picture Credit: The Advocate)

Offenders: The 'Illegal Alien' Halloween Costume

by Prerna Lal

category: Nativism

Published October 16, 2009 @ 03:34PM PT

This 'illegal alien' Halloween costume, complete with a fake green card is available at several online stores, including Buy.com, Amazon, Target, and Walgreens.

The overwhelming message sent through this particular costume is that 'illegal aliens' are subhuman, which legitimizes their detention in orange jumpsuits. Gitmo anyone?

There's also 'illegal alien' masks, as well as an 'over-sexed' costume for women complete with a sombrero hat to remind us that those 'illegals' are from Mexico.

Considering many of the companies selling these costumes, especially Target and Walgreens, employ undocumented immigrants, has anyone seen this 'escaped convict' in their customer service departments?

Sorry, we usually look more like this, and love our corporate Gap, Navy, American Eagle, Banana Republic, smokin' wheels and bling-bling. Maybe there is some money to be made on suing for misrepresentation. We have much better fashion sense. Try again.

10/19/09 Update: Target, Walgreens, Amazon and Toys R Us have apologized, pulling the costume off shelves.

H/T: Latina Lista

My Name is Diana and I am Undocumented

by Prerna Lal

category: DREAM Act

Published October 16, 2009 @ 01:00AM PT

[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Diana, a DREAM-eligible future entrepreneur in Georgia who refuses to let fear rule her life. Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the DREAM Act.]

I am about to turn 27, I have lived here for 18 years, but time is running out quick for me. Though I have not had the privilege of finishing college because of my immigration status, I have pushed forward and tried to learn as much as I could and can from the people around me who were and are willing to teach me, and I continue to try to contribute to the society and community around me.

For a long time I was afraid of doing many things for fear of being deported, but I have finally taken this to heart "a life lived in fear is a life unlived". I refuse to give in and cheat the system by marrying in order to obtain legal status, but I also refuse to continue to hold myself back and so God willing I will soon fulfill my dream of opening my own business. This is the best way I can think of to honor and contribute to this wonderful country that I consider my own, because regardless of what a piece of paper says, I have always believed that it is what you feel that matters most. I hold no grudges, for I have had opportunities here that I would have never had in my birth country.

My only and dearest wish is that I am allowed to continue to show even more how truly thankful I am for those opportunities. To anyone who may read this and who find themselves in the same situation: Don't let fear stop you, life must go on always, even in the face of incredible injustice. The best way to show that you deserve to be an "official" U.S. Citizen (because in our hearts, or at least in mine, I have always been), is to live your life as best you can, take every opportunity that comes your way to fulfill your dreams, and don't let fear stop you and hold yourself back from giving the best you have to offer.

I have wasted many years, but not one more day, not one more minute will I give to fear. Even if the worst happens, I will always continue to strive to better myself, to learn as much as I can about as much as I can, and in this country or in another I will always do my best to contribute and make the city, town or country where I live the best that it can be.

Also, no matter where I end up, I will always be thankful to this country because this is where I learned that with hard work, dedication and steadfastness, you really can achieve anything you want. It is because I have lived here that I now know that if I can achieve one of my most challenging dreams without having a college diploma and facing all these legal barriers, the limits of what I could accomplish with the former and not the latter do not exist.

(Photo courtesy DreamAct2009)

How Do You Make A Rabid Right Winger Believe in Global Warming?

by Prerna Lal

Published October 15, 2009 @ 01:25PM PT

Answer: Blame it on immigrants.

The anti-immigrant lobby, led by the Center for Immigration Studies, has long accused immigrants for global warming and climate change, targeting organizations such as Sierra Club to adopt anti-immigrant goals. 'Environativists' even attacked the progressive principles for immigration reform recently, arguing that environmental sustainability and immigration are at odds with one another.

The issue cuts through the heart of migrant rights and environmental justice. Why is it alright for the United States to export its pollution to poorer countries but not import people from the countries it is polluting? What about travel and tourism, including the exportation of food and privatized water. Does that not contribute to global warming? Trade liberalization under GATT, NAFTA and CAFTA keeps chipping away at environmental protections while displacing people from their countries and yet, environativists still point the finger towards immigrants who are simply trying to look for a better way of life.

Immigration and global warming are not zero-sum games. As a Pacific Islander, I can say for a fact that global warming is directly leading to immigration from the “Third World” (South) to the “First World” (North). Islands like Kiribati and Tuvalu are going under water as a result of emissions by countries such as Australia and the United States. Developing and underdeveloped countries are facing more climatic variations leading to increased agriculture and crop loss, not to mention devastation from higher magnitude hurricanes that does encourage migration to countries in the North. So instead of a definite immigration leads to global warming equation, we can also say that global warming leads to migration in greater numbers than we would like.

Read More »

Happy Diwali

by Prerna Lal

category: News

Published October 15, 2009 @ 08:00AM PT

In an effort to outreach to the Asian American community, President Barack Obama 'celebrated' Diwali quietly by lighting a candle in the White House, paying homage to a festival celebrated by more than a billion people.

Diwali is short for deepawali, and it celebrates the triumph of good over evil, seeking light over darkness. According to Hindu mythology, it is the day that Lord Rama returned to his kingdom Ayodhya after slaying the evil king of Lanka, Ravana. During this five-day celebration, people play with fireworks, decorate their doorways with rangolis, light diyas, share sweets, worship and clean to start the year anew, hoping for more prosperity and good-luck.

Lisa Miller in Newsweek recently proclaimed that "we are all Hindus" now due to how most of us regard God, ourselves, our relationships and treatment of 'eternity.' The White House affirmation of Diwali is a policy aimed at facilitating the integration of immigrants and winning their loyalty by focusing on the positive acknowledgment of cultural difference. Still, some Hindu American leaders demand that America be defined as a pluralistic religious country, where many religious holidays are recognized, instead of a country that is based on Judeo-Christian values.

I will leave you with that thought while I go celebrate Diwali with mi familia.

(Creative Commons, Attribution)

Portland City Council Calls for Passage of the DREAM Act

by Prerna Lal

category: DREAM Act

Published October 14, 2009 @ 05:52PM PT

I just found out from a tweet by Mayor Sam Adams of Portland that the City Council of Portland in Oregon adopted a resolution for the DREAM Act today. The resolution is here.

Papers the Movie, which is based in Portland, Oregon, deserves credit for making this possible. It was after seeing the great documentary constituting the struggles, dreams and aspirations of five undocumented students that the City Commissioner decided to draft and present a resolution to the City Council.

The City of Portland now joins Philadelphia, Oakland, Santa Ana, City of East Chicago in Indiana, Chicago, Los Angeles and 8 more cities in Los Angeles County in proclaiming support for the federal DREAM Act.