Immigration Reform
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Progressive Principles for Immigation Reform
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Rep. Gutierrez Unveils Plans for Immigration Reform
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DREAM Act Not Controversial After All
USCIS Director Gets Ready for Immigration Reform
Published October 22, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT
'Modernizing Immigration' - The irony was unavoidable as the title of a foreign press center briefing held in the Capitol yesterday with new USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas.
After all, USCIS is a long-shot from what one would consider a 'modernized immigration' system. One only need to look through this great spoof of our immigration processing centers to see how desperately we need modernization of poor USCIS services and practices. It is almost impossible to get a response from them regarding individual case files let alone the ability to file applications online.
Mayorkas was on a public relations blitz and wanted to present the USCIS as a transparent body responsible for serving the public:
What brings me here today is another pillar of importance to the administration of our agency's work, and that is transparency. We are a public agency. We serve the public. And we, therefore, must be answerable to and responsive to the public.
That is really interesting since the last time we petitioned ICE to stop the deportation of a DREAM Act student, we were told to stop telling them how to do their jobs. Maybe the public nature of USCIS does not extend to answering questions about detention and deportation practices.
Mayorkas did admit that there may be shortcomings in the immigration system with respect to family reunification that should be fixed by immigration reform. While, he skirted around Obama's lack of progress on overhauling antiquated immigration laws and avoided any discussion about local police enforcement of immigration laws, Mayorkas did confirm the immigration reform will be vigorously pursued:
Q: Zoltan Mikes, World Business Press Online: What do you think about the plan of Mr. Obama of immigration reform? Why is after one year he is in office, not so much in progress?
Mayorkas: With respect to comprehensive immigration reform, the president has indicated that comprehensive immigration reform is a top priority of his and has remained so. He has designated an individual, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, as his point person in that effort. And she shares his commitment and his prioritization of that effort. We have embarked on developing ideas and learning from the public what the public would most want to see in the context of comprehensive immigration reform. And so we are active. The reform process is a legislative one. It is one that the legislature will ultimately accomplish. But the president is quite devoted to the effort, and we are pursuing that vigorously.
Republicans Have No Plans on Immigration Reform
Published October 20, 2009 @ 02:00PM PT
In a nutshell, that is what we can gather from the Jorge Ramos interview with RNC Chairman, Michael Steele.
When asked to issue a statement regarding what plans he had for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, Steele said:
"...the party as I said is always the party, its been the party of assimilation and that is something that we believe in very firmly and basically what we should be saying is that there are rules that you need to get into the country, go the right door, fill out the right form, have some apple pie, hum a few bars of the star spangle banner and get to work, God bless you, and I think that that begins to set us on the right road to dealing with this issue."
Does that mean the Republican Party supports spending billions in hunting down, detaining, litigating and deporting all undocumented immigrants to their countries and asking them to 'get in line?' Good luck.
Steele makes getting citizenship sound so easy. If only it was as easy as going down to the local immigration office, filling out some forms, eating apple pies and singing the national anthem, we wouldn't have the problem of 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of society.
The GOP track record with Latino voters is dismal and Republicans have continuously irritated the Latino community this year, especially during the Sotomayor hearings, which led to the early resignation of their only Latino GOP senator, Mel Martinez (FL). Even Senator McCain, once a champion of immigration reform, is still licking his wounds over losing 68% of the Latino vote to Barack Obama and refusing to budge on the issue of immigration reform.
Given that Latinos overwhelmingly support immigration reform and are the fastest growing ethnic group in this country, opposing the issue based on reactionary politics only hurts Republicans.
Try again Michael Steele.
(Picture: Creative Commons from WisPolitics Flickr stream)
Does Obama Get a NOPE on Immigration?
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)
New Report: Breaking the Immigration Stalemate
Published October 14, 2009 @ 10:41AM PT
It seems like a busy week for immigration reform as everyone is simply coming out with their own set of principles and policy proposals.
After Charles Schumer (D-NY) revealed his seven pillars in June but failed to deliver a bill by Labor Day, Representative Luis Gutierrez went ahead with his own set of principles and he promises a bill by the end of November.
Immigration reform legislation would probably follow the recommendations and findings of the bi-partisan Council on Foreign Relations report.
But a new Brookings Institute report here, from the Brookings-Duke Immigration Policy Roundtable constituting academics and think tanks, aims to go from deep disagreements to constructive proposals. Lets examine these tenets.
- The United States Should Dramatically Reduce Illegal Immigration by Linking Workplace Verification and Legalization
- Congress Should Eliminate Diversity Visas, Restrict Eligibility for Family-Sponsored Visas, and Increase Visas for Skilled Immigrants
- Congress Should Improve Temporary Worker Programs and Bolster Labor Market Protections
- Congress Should Establish an Independent Standing Commission on Immigration
- Public and Private Sectors Alike Should Increase Efforts to Assimilate and Integrate New Americans
- The United States Should Engage Mexico
Still, the report is lacking and contradictory. It proposes a legalization program for people who have lived here for 5 or more years while never addressing those that don't meet the criteria, leaving an estimated 3.5 million still undocumented. And not allowing 'family unity' by restricting family-based visas to just minor children simply encourages more unauthorized immigration as adult children and siblings are left out without a legal pathway to citizenship. Legislation for same-sex bi-national couples is not even mentioned in the report.
These proposals may break the stalemate, but they would do little to fix the broken system of immigration in this country. At this point, we don't need more reports. What we need is sound legislation that puts human beings above mere politics.
Take Three Steps to Stop Alonso's Deportation
Published August 26, 2009 @ 04:56AM PT
[Ed. In my inbox recently from Dreamer Alonso Chehade:]
I was brought to the United States from Peru when I was 14 years old. Eight years later, I am being deported for reasons I cannot comprehend. On March 14, 2009, I and a friend went to visit some friends at Western Washington University and rather than driving back home late at night we decided to stay at our friends ' place. The next morning, not being familiar with the area we took a wrong turn on the highway and ended up near the Canadian Border. I was stopped by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities and when it was discovered that I was undocumented, I was arrested and jailed for 2 weeks. I am set to be deported on September 25th with a flight ticket scheduled for September 17th to a country I barely know.I have lived in the United States for 8 years. I have never had any problems with the law. All I ever wanted to do was to go to school and have a successful career, but our broken immigration system prevented me from continuing my career path after I graduated from the University of Washington.
Unless you step up and help there is little hope that I won't be deported on September 25th. I humbly urge you to immediately take action to stop my deportation.
EZ Act Now
SIGN | CALL | FORWARD
Help Me in 3 Steps & 3 Minutes!
1) Sign my online petition. (1 min.)
NOTE: Physical Petition Form available upon request.
2) CALL & Leave a Message (2 Mins.)
@DHS Public Comment Line 202.282.8495
NOTE: This is a voicemail line. You will not have to speak to anyone but only leave a message. This is a direct line, which means you will not have to go through many line transfers to get to the right place.
"Use the *CALL SCRIPT / Pre-read before calling"
*CALL SCRIPT: My name is (your full name) and I am calling regarding Jorge-Alonso Chehade's Deportation. File Number A88-738-410. Alonso qualifies for the DREAM Act and has a clean criminal record. I would like to humbly request that you take action to immediately halt his deportation. Thank you for considering my request.
PD: If mailbox is full, PLEASE try again the next day.
3) FORWARD This message to 5 More contacts (cut and paste into an email, or send the link to this blog post by email or Twitter)
Ted Kennedy, Champion of Immigrant Rights
Published August 26, 2009 @ 04:44AM PT
For decades, Senator Ted Kennedy fought in the halls of Congress on behalf of immigrants and their families. You can see the history of his involvement with leaders like Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez in the photos at the website of the United Farmworkers, which today mourns his passing.
Some Congress watchers may wonder how immigration reform can succeed without Kennedy working to push it through the legislative process. I think he would find fault with that sentiment and encourage us to continue to fight.
Update: Many of my change.org co-bloggers were also inspired by the work of Senator Kennedy. Here are the results by topic:
Animal Rights
Gay Rights
Genocide
Global Health
Global Warming
Health Care
Homelessness
Humanitarian Relief
Social Entrepreneurship
US Poverty
Women's Rights
My Name is Ashley and I am Undocumented
Published August 22, 2009 @ 06:09AM PT
[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Ashley, a DREAM-eligible would-be med school student whose hopes to contribute her talents in the medical field have been cut short by Congress's refusal to vote on the DREAM Act. Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the DREAM Act.]
The funny thing about my story is that my grandmother and mother were both greencard holders. Yet, here I am in a state of limbo status because the lawyer messed up. In the time it took for my mother to futilely navigate the immigration system, I had already overstayed my tourist visa and forgotten my native tongue. I thought of myself only as an American and was thoroughly disappointed and in a state of shock when I found that I couldn't get a driver's license. As I grew older, the barriers grew more formidable. I moved into a studio-size apartment with my family, checked vending machines for forgotten change, and somehow managed to finish my college education.
I graduated from a prestigious university without any form of institutional financial aid. I did, however, qualify for in-state tuition, without which I would not be the person I am today. To save money, I finished two majors in three years and received the highest honors given at my school. Throughout my college days, I was and still am an active member of the community. I led efforts to provide health service for the uninsured, tutored and mentored underserved youth, and volunteered at the free clinic. My status had provided me with unique insight into the struggles of the low-income and underserved and with undying strength to help those in greater need.
Finally, I realized that my greatest desire in life was to pursue a career in medicine so that I could dedicate each day to directly helping those in need. I applied and was accepted into MD-PhD programs across the nation, placing me in the top 10% of the student population. Yet, in a matter of days, my dreams would be destroyed. I am still out of status and unable to pursue dual degrees in medicine and research. Currently, I am still unsure whether or not I will be able to enroll in medical school. My elite pile of acceptances seem to dangle before me as dreams that are so close to reality and yet so far from my reach.
But I don't deserve this. I had made no excuses in my application and told no lies. I was, instead, reviewed and accepted by my own academic and personal merits. These schools don't even have a clue of what I've had to go through to get this far in my life. They offered me admission because I was well-qualified for a spot in their entering class, because I had shown the potential to make great differences in the world of healthcare and scientific innovation. It is entirely their loss that they revoked the acceptances I had gained fair and square.
I hope this nation will not make the same mistake as these schools. We, the Dreamies, represent some of America's most persevering and brightest youth. We have been tested by the most difficult challenges. Most of us have experienced days when we couldn't afford buying food for our family or painful incidents when we couldn't afford medical help for our loved ones. Yet, with each challenge, we continue to overcome. We face these adversities head-on and grow stronger in the process. And each day, we explore the limits of our potential as allowed by the restrictions imposed on us because we hold the faith that this country we love so dearly will one day recognize us and our efforts. We want nothing more than to contribute to the growth of this nation and, without a doubt, we have the potential to do so. All we need is the chance to grow.
Please pass the DREAM Act. All I ever wanted was to go to medical school, to spend the rest of my life giving back to the community, and to finally be an American.
