Immigration ’08
Analyzing the Politics of Immigration (A Project of America’s Voice)

Posted 01/19/10 at 11:22am by Jackie Mahendra

Roundup: Rep. Steve King Vs. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Immigration, Civil Rights, and Arpaio

Yesterday we celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the many lessons from his life that inform the struggle for real immigration reform in the U.S. today.

Seth Hoy writes, at Immigration Impact:

His legacy will be remembered this week by people of all colors and creeds who still believe in the American dream and who continue to fight for equality, civil rights and the basic human dignity they deserve. Over the weekend, thousands of human rights activists took to the street in Phoenix, Arizona, to march for civil rights and for “long-overdue federal action on immigration.”

Here is a video from that 10,000-person Arpaio march, which we live-blogged on Saturday:

From ManEegee of Latino Politico, who attended the march:

That's why it's important to come together in public like we did - to signal to other political leaders (and hopefully, Department of Justice officials) that Arpaio's actions are unacceptable. [...] Each time the march is covered with commentary on the investigations and continue blowing the lid off the sheriff's abuses, the more politically toxic he becomes and the feds are forced to act.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights also hosted a 1,000-person event in Chicago for immigration reform, which the Chicago Sun-Times covered. It featured the Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking about Dr. King's legacy:

The Rev. Jesse Jackson invoked the memory of King -- whose birthday is being commemorated Monday -- in calling for a change in immigration policy.

"His fight was about immigration reform," Jackson said. "It was about one set of rules" for all people.

And Jackson, like several others who spoke, highlighted the plight of the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake there.

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Posted 01/19/10 at 10:07am by Jackie Mahendra

Center for American Progress: Public Strongly Backs Immigration Reform

The Center for American Progress has a great snapshot of public opinion on immigration today. The piece begins:

There’s no doubt the politics of immigration reform are very complicated and that getting a bill through Congress will not be easy. But it’s important to be clear that the public is quite supportive of immigration reform, especially reform that is comprehensive and does not simply focus on punitive measures. This has been true of the public for some time and a new Benenson Strategy Group poll for America’s Voice demonstrates that it is still true today.

That's right, when it comes to public opinion on immigration, the numbers have it. According to the latest research, a whopping 87 percent of people support three of the major elements of comprehensive immigration reform, which includes creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who register with the government, meet requirements, pay taxes, and study English.

In addition, when asked push-button questions on immigration, most Americans respond that we'd be better off turning unauthorized immigrants into full taxpayers, instead of sending them home to free up jobs for Americans (the argument many anti-immigration pundits are making). Check out the chart:

View the rest of their snazzy graphs here.

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Posted 01/14/10 at 12:08pm by Web Team

Representative Mike Honda: In Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

This is a guest post from Reprentative Mike Honda and originally appeared on his blog and the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress blog.

On December 15, 2009, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) strongly supported the introduction of comprehensive immigration reform legislation by Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), H.R. 4321, includes CAPAC’s top immigration priorities, including: Ensuring a robust family reunification system, earned legalization for undocumented workers and DREAM Act students, the restoration of due process and judicial review in our immigration system, humane treatment of immigration detainees, and the integration of new American communities.  CAPAC members joined a diverse coalition of Members of Congress as cosponsors to the legislation.

As chair of CAPAC, I am thankful for Rep. Gutierrez’s passionate advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform. I was proud to represent the 1.5 million undocumented Asian immigrants living in the shadows and the millions of Asian and Pacific Islander family members caught in endless backlogs waiting to reunite with loved ones. Immigrants built this country and their contributions should be recognized with a fair and humane immigration system. I and CAPAC will continue to work closely with President Obama, congressional leadership, and the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Progressive Caucuses to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Asian and Pacific Islander voices must be heard in this debate, and I’m proud that CAPAC members stood alongside a diverse coalition that is excited and ready to advance immigration legislation.

I was particularly pleased that CAPAC endorsed this bill which incorporates my Reuniting Families Act to reduce and eliminate our backlogs and ensure family reunification remains a cornerstone of our immigration system. Further, this bill honors the contributions of World War II Filipino veterans by exempting their children from numerical limitations on immigrant visas.

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Posted 01/13/10 at 01:00pm by Jackie Mahendra

Poll: Hispanic Americans Skeptical about Race, Forty-Two Percent Feel Ignored by Obama

New polling released by the Pew Research Center today explores racial attitudes one year after the historic election of President Barack Obama. While the phone-based (land line and cellular) poll found increasing optimism among African Americans, and decreasing racial tension among white and black Americans, it uncovered deep concerns about race among Latinos. The tension felt by Hispanic Americans is perhaps unsurprising given the tone and tenor of the unresolved immigration debate in this country.

The L.A Times reports:

One year after the election of President Barack Obama, black optimism about America has surged, while Hispanics have become more skeptical about race relations, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday. [...]

The poll found that Hispanics, not blacks, now are seen as the ethnic group facing the most discrimination. Twenty-three percent of all respondents say Hispanics are discriminated against "a lot," compared with 18 percent for blacks, 10 percent for whites and 8 percent for Asians.

A lot of that discrimination could stem from the racially-charged immigration rhetoric that flows from talk radio to nightly news to the halls of Congress, and back again.

The L.A. Times continues:

Hispanics also are less optimistic than other groups about interracial relations. When whites and blacks were asked how well their group gets along with Hispanics, more than 70 percent say "very" or "pretty" well. In contrast, only about 50 percent of Hispanics feel the same way.

There have been a number of recent attacks on Latinos that advocates say are hate crimes fueled by anti-immigration rhetoric.

"My sense is that racism in this country seems to be pretty entrenched," said Carmen Febo-San Miguel, executive director of the Latino cultural center Taller Puertorriqueno in Philadelphia. She cited the beating death of a Mexican immigrant in Shenandoah, Pa., that federal authorities have called a hate crime.

Interestingly enough, the majority of Latinos who felt discrimination were not foreign-born. On the whole, the L.A. Times reported that 79 percent of U.S-born Latinos felt significant discrimination against their ethnic group (versus 48 percent of foreign-born Latinos).

The Pew poll also dug into the extent to which different groups felt the President was paying enough attention to them. While only twenty percent of black Americans and twenty-two percent of white Americans reported feeling ignored, a whopping forty-two percent of Hispanic respondents felt that Obama was not paying enough attention to their group.

An NPR interview this morning also discussed the finding, coming to the conclusion that this could put more pressure on the President and Congress to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. NPR news analyst Juan Williams argued that Judge Sotomayor's appointment last year was not enough to satisfy Latino voters, who see immigration reform as a key priority.

In fact, a recent poll of Latino voters "found that 84% of Latino voters think it is either 'important, very important, or extremely important' that immigration reform is enacted before the 2010 midterm elections."

The good news for the President and Congress, however, is that immigration is not just a "Latino issue"-- overhauling our nation's broken immigration laws is still important to the majority of Americans, who want to see the system fixed and the crisis solved. Polling released this week shows that 66 percent of voters (Republicans, Independents, and Democrats) support a program that better regulates immigration flows and clears backlogs, prevents future illegal immigration, and has undocumented immigrants register, meet certain requirements, and pay taxes on their way to becoming full U.S. citizens.

Moreover, fixing immigration is an integral part of our economic recovery.

With over 100 events happening across the country in support of real immigration reform this week, the message to Washington is clear: it's time to get this done.

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Posted 01/11/10 at 06:39pm by Jackie Mahendra

Rep. Barrett (R-SC): Let’s Deport Anyone from a “Terrorist” Country

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Posted 01/06/10 at 07:58pm by Frank Sharry

On Immigration, Which New York Will Rule?

Note: Cross-posted at the Huffington Post.

In New York State, the legacy of Ellis Island is clearly echoed today. One in five New Yorkers are immigrants, granting the state one of the most vibrant and dynamic populations in the nation.

Perhaps it's only fitting, then, that New York has become an important crossroads at the intersection of immigration and politics. 

The state's current political landscape includes true champions of immigration reform sharing the stage with those who embrace the worst aspects of the immigration debate - those who demonize immigrant communities, embrace discredited conventional wisdom at all costs, and misread public sentiment on immigration issues. 

First, the good stuff. In his recent inauguration speech, Mayor Michael Bloomberg used the occasion to call for comprehensive immigration reform, stating:

With leaders from across the country, we will assemble a bipartisan coalition to support President Obama's call for comprehensive immigration reform that honors our history, upholds our values, and promotes our economy.

Mayor Bloomberg, who has also said that "New York's immigrant communities have driven America's economic engine for generations," could serve as an example to fellow New York politicos about the benefits of immigration and the necessities of reform.  

Down the road in Washington DC, New York's Chuck Schumer is hard at work crafting a long overdue comprehensive immigration reform bill, one that combines smart enforcement with the legalization of undocumented immigrants.  If enacted, this landmark effort, likely to spur a Senate debate this Spring, would significantly curtail illegal immigration and  restore America's tradition as a nation of immigrants. 

Then there's the other New York.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy (pictured above), who is reportedly considering a primary challenge to New York Governor David Patterson, is among the most notable anti-immigrant public officials in the state. Levy's Long Island base has been the site of several anti-immigrant hate crimes.

In fact, largely because of his incendiary immigration views, the state-wide Levy candidacy is already on rocky territory. El Diario recently argued:

Steve Levy has done little to discourage nativist intolerance or prevent hate attacks. In fact, he has thrown coals into the fire.

The New York Daily News reported that Hispanic lawmakers are organizing in opposition to a Levy candidacy and have issued a statement noting that Levy's "past and ongoing policy positions on immigration have been blamed for biased-related attacks on immigrants living in Long Island and for fostering hate speech and intimidation of Hispanic students in schools."

• By Frank Sharry
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Posted 01/04/10 at 05:23pm by Jackie Mahendra

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Shows Real Leadership on Immigration

Here's to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for using the occasion of his recent inaugural address to make a definitive pledge of leadership on the pressing issue of federal immigration reform.

Managing to address the issue even within a brief speech, Bloomberg pledged:

With leaders from across the country, we will assemble a bipartisan coalition to support President Obama's call for comprehensive immigration reform that honors our history, upholds our values, and promotes our economy.

Bloomberg has also said:

New York's immigrant communities have driven America's economic engine for generations.

The independent-minded mayor understands that immigration reform will enhance national security and strengthen New York’s economy, and as the leader of the nation’s financial capital (and home to thriving and diverse communities of immigrants), he knows that letting the broken immigration system fester is not an option.  

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Posted 12/18/09 at 11:07am by Jackie Mahendra

CIR ASAP: Week in Review, First Reactions

On Wednesday, Rachel LaBruyere posted a great roundup of coverage of the introduction of CIR ASAP:

Yesterday, Representative Luis Gutierrez rang the opening bell on the fight for immigration reform in 2010. Below is a (non-exhaustive) round-up of both blog and media coverage.

To kick it off, we have Representative Luis Gutierrez’s own words about why the time is NOW:

“This is a crisis. It’s a crisis of human and civil rights, it’s a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it’s a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer.”

Here is the Reform Immigration For America slideshow from Tuesday's press coference, announcing the long-awaited legislation:

Well, since Wednesday, we've seen some furious blogging by Congressman Gutierrez over at the Huffington Post. In "Time to End the Immigrant Blame Game," he argues:

In the immigration debate, some things are constant. They never change. One is that opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue and will blame everything from unemployment to rising health care costs on immigrants.

Then, in "CIR ASAP Is the Bill America's Workforce Asked for and Deserves," he adds:

This is the bill puts an end to this kind of unchecked corruption. It is a bill that America's hardworking labor community wants. It's the bill that American employers need to operate effectively and ethically. And we owe it to them to reward the hard work they do to sustain us every day.

Also at the Huffington Post, America's Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry writes, in, "Yes We Can End this Crisis: Real Immigration Reform, A.S.A.P:"

We've seen it all before - and this time we're much better prepared, and much better organized. Nevertheless, anti-immigrant extremists like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Minutemen, and the designated hate group FAIR are going to do everything they can to maintain the awful status quo. Broken borders, broken families, broken system - all in hopes of driving 12 million undocumented immigrants out of their jobs, out of their communities, and out of the country.

There's a better way. And the legislation crafted by Rep. Gutierrez points the way forward.

Clarissa Martinez de Castro (Director of National Campaigns at NCLR) took on the challenge and opportunity of debating immigration during an election year.

Past election cycles have shown that voters reject candidates who simply demagogue this issue or adopt extreme enforcement-only approaches. For far too long, those who support the harmful status quo have been allowed to lead on this issue, even though they do not represent the can-do will of the American public. And it is clear that the immigration debate has rallied Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, who participated in record numbers in the 2008 election, in large part in response to the promise of change. Latinos are watching. The American people are watching. And we have the public support to arrive at a solution.

Last piece at Huffington Post, Eliseo Medina (Vice President of SEIU) and Joe Hansen (President of UFCW) make the case, in "Immigration Reform is Critical Part of the Road to Recovery for America's Workers:

Today, as comprehensive immigration reform legislation begins to move in Congress, we face an historic opportunity to pass smart, comprehensive reform that works. For the first time, the union movement is in broad agreement on the framework for reform, and we are committed to ensuring that all workers have an opportunity to work a job they can be proud of -- one with middle class wages, benefits they can raise their families on, safe working conditions, and secure employment they can count on.

This jives with a piercing analysis from progressive blogger Duke, at the Sanctuary, in "Whining starts about lack of guest worker program in Gutierrez bill:"

Rather than letting business interests, with their insatiable need for cheap, exploitable labor, dictate the flow of immigration through both legal and illegal channels, Gutierrez’s bill creates a new antonymous regulatory agency within the executive branch solely charged with setting both policy and specific levels for all future employment-based immigration.

Marisa Treviño at Latina Lista puts the fight in context:

Like healthcare, immigration reform will be challenged by conservatives and liberals alike who don't understand the day-to-day realities of over 12 million people -- some parents to American-born children -- who think our immigration problems can be fixed if people went back home and got in line and waited for their rightful turn.

Nezua, at The Unapologetic Mexican, had both a Weekly Diaspora feature on CIR ASAP and initial coverage of the bill's introduction (with a killer graphic of Gutierrez), saying, respectively:

The legislation is an encouraging first step forward on the path to immigration reform. But many hurdles must be overcome before an immigration bill from the House or Senate becomes law, especially in today’s tense political environment. Outright antagonism from the nativist lobby or the far Right will be no small part of the challenge, no matter how concessionary the legislation is to Republicans. [...]

Finally, there will be a link posted so you can add your voice to help support this bill. We need every voice, truly.

Maegan La Mamita Mala of Vivir Latino argued that the bill, while very progressive, should go further to protect all families:

CIR ASAP is without a doubt one of the most progressive pieces of legislation we have seen, especially when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform. But progressive reform is not radical and in negotiations around policy it is often those that need the most help, some of the most marginalized in our communities, who get left out in the cold in the name of the greater good.

Becca Sheff, at the of Peace and Politics blog, blogged about the launch:

I attended the press conference for the introduction of the bill and, let me tell you, the room was packed. Members of Congress, Congressional staff, members of the press, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and immigrants of all backgrounds crowded into the room, cheering “Yes we can!” The energy was fantastic. While a lot of work remains for us to achieve humane and fair comprehensive immigration reform, Rep. Gutierrez’s bill offers important elements of reform.

Angela Caputo at Progress Illinois uses a video we shot at the press conference:

"The opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue," Gutierrez said while unveiling the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) (PDF). "The immigrant blame game is one of the most predictable [and] most deplorable of public debate in our nation ... The only way we're going to win this is if it's greater than the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, if we show our leadership to bring people together." Watch:

As evidence of the need for swift reform, USA Today covered the story of Rigo Padilla, a University of Illinois at Chicago student who has become a national poster child for the broken immigration system.

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Posted 12/15/09 at 09:27am by Frank Sharry

Join the Fight: Tell Your Representitives to Co-Sponsor CIR A.S.A.P.

The time for waiting is over.

Today, Congressman Luis Gutierrez is introducing a bill that would bring 12 million people out of the shadows and into the full protection of the law. Today is the first step in what I anticipate will be a six month, all-out-fight to pass real, comprehensive reform that restores justice to our broken immigration system.  When it is signed into law, this legislation will be one of the largest leaps forward for civil rights that our nation has seen in over 30 years. It is urgent that we start the fight strong – that’s why we need your voice now.

Please ask your Member of Congress to support, co-sponsor, and pass this critical immigration reform today:

http://www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org/ASAP

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Posted 12/14/09 at 02:07pm by Web Team

Representative Luis Gutierrez: “Comprehensive Immigration Reform, A.S.A.P.”

By Rachel LaBruyere, Reform Immigration FOR America.

In anticipation of the big day tomorrow, Representative Luis Gutierrez is takin’ it to the blogosphere to discuss introducing the “CIR ASAP act”.

Representative Gutierrez, who traveled the country this past year on the United Families tour, knows first-hand how our currently broken immigration system is harming families and communities. In his piece at the Huffington Post, he drives home the urgency of the need for reform and explains why this issue is at the crux of who we are as a nation.

In twenty-four cities across the country, we heard from families who were being ripped apart by the current system. We’ve heard stories from a father dying from cancer whose wife faced deportation. We’ve heard from American citizen children who are faced with choosing between their parents and a college education.

This is a crisis. It’s a crisis of human and civil rights, it’s a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it’s a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2009 is a solution that we, as a nation of immigrants, can be proud of.

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