Alabama bishops criticize ALEC's immigration law - On the LAKE Front Some churches actually speak in public on what they profess to believe. Campbell Robertson wrote for the New York Times 13 August 2011, Bishops Criticize Tough Alabama Immigration Law CULLMAN, Ala. —On a sofa in the hallway of his office here, Mitchell Williams, the pastor of First United Methodist Church, announced that he was going to break the law. He is not the only church leader making such a declaration these days. and contractors have personally confronted their lawmakers. Are there any churches in Georgia that have the courage of their convictions? How about any churches in Lowndes County brave enough to oppose a CCA private prison in Lowndes County? -jsq PS: Owed to Jane Osborn.
Journalists Unite to Drop the I-Word Covering Immigration Post 9-11: A webinar on the rise of the i-word in public discourseLISTEN IN HERE We’re very excited about the latest endorser of the Drop the I-Word Campaign is UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, represents more than 10,000 journalists of color and is comprised of three national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association. To kick off our partnership, UNITY co-sponsored a Drop the I-Word webinar last week for ethnic and community press also co-sponsored by our friends at New America Media, the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. You can listen to the informative briefing here
Redondo Beach day laborer law is ruled unconstitutional In a decision that could have a wide-ranging effect on other cities with similar laws, a federal appeals court ruled that a Redondo Beach ordinance aimed at cracking down on day laborers is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. The anti-solicitation ordinance, which has been in place for more than two decades, drew attention in 2004 after police arrested nearly 60 day laborers over about four weeks. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Comite de Jornaleros de Redondo Beach later sued the city. The ordinance, which Redondo Beach officials said was needed to regulate traffic safety at two major intersections, barred standing on a street or highway and soliciting "employment, business or contributions from an occupant of any motor vehicle." In its ruling issued Friday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the ordinance "regulates significantly more speech than is necessary to achieve the city's purpose of improving traffic safety and traffic flow."
Report: Border Patrol abuses widespread People trying to enter Arizona from Mexico report being mistreated by U.S. Border Patrol agents, a humanitarian group says. Organization spoke with nearly 13,000 migrantsMany migrants reported similar cases of abuse by U.S. (CNN) -- Back in 2006, volunteers with No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping migrants along the Arizona-Mexico border, began hearing the same stories from many who had been in the custody of the U.S. Thwarted would-be unauthorized immigrants spoke of being denied water or food during their custody. The organization started properly documenting these allegations, and the stories added up to nearly 13,000 testimonies whose results were released in a report this week. The findings went beyond denial of food and water. A previous report by No More Deaths in 2008 raised the same concerns, but now the number of recorded cases point to a systematic problem. "Mistreatment or agent misconduct will not be tolerated in any way," the statement said.
New GOP campaign is aimed at Hispanics Eyeing potentially restive Hispanic voters in 2012, GOP operative Dan Garza is launching an “economic freedom” message campaign aimed at Latinos, and hiring big name business and religious figures to help in key states. Garza told iWatch News he hopes to raise $1 million by the end of 2011 for his campaign, dubbed the Libre Initiative, which will tout such core Republican values as less economic and business regulation. Among the big name donors he has approached are “representatives of the Koch family,” said Garza, who worked in the White House’s public liaison office under George W. Bush and then did stints with Spanish language media. Two GOP operatives familiar with the initiative say Garza told them he has already secured commitments for about $1 million — including funds from Koch family interests. A spokesman for Koch declined to comment. But Republicans see new opportunities in part because of the impact of the recession. Other groups are taking different tacks.
Anti-Immigrant New Mexico Governor Reveals Her Grandparents Were Undocumented Immigrants By Marie Diamond on September 9, 2011 at 9:40 am "Anti-Immigrant New Mexico Governor Reveals Her Grandparents Were Undocumented Immigrants" New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) New Mexico Gov. But on Wednesday, Martinez surprised many when she admitted that her own grandparents were among those “people…who violated the law” when they came to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants: New Mexico Gov. This is the first time Martinez has definitively answered questions about her grandparents’ immigration status, and admitted that she would not be in this country — let alone be a governor — if they had not entered the U.S. without papers. Martinez’s office was quick to preemptively denounce anyone who would “personally attack the governor” for this revelation. This week, Martinez reiterated, “I don’t support piecemeal legislation such as the DREAM Act.”
nations-farm-states-push-competing WASHINGTON — Half a million foreign farmworkers could gain visas annually under a new plan that some U.S. growers believe doesn't go far enough. Entering a political minefield, the conservative chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has written a bill that gives growers some of what they want in a farmworker visa program. Housing and transportation requirements are eased. Farmworker lawsuits are limited. "If we are really going to help American growers in the long term, we need to provide them a workable guest-worker program that will help them hire a legal workforce," declared Rep. Smith leads the 38-member House Judiciary Committee, giving him a lot of say in the perennial immigration debate. "If bills creating a workable guest-worker program like this one ... are not passed, then the agricultural industry as we know it today will not exist," testified Chalmers Carr III, president of the Titan Farms in Ridge Spring, S.C. California growers make little use of the current program.
Immigration law in Alabama to be enforced, toughest in US Police in Alabama are getting ready to enforce what is considered by many as the toughest immigration law in the United States. Skip to next paragraph Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS ofThe Christian Science MonitorWeekly Digital Edition Beginning Thursday, authorities can question people suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them without bond, and officials can check the immigration status of students in public schools, Gov. Those two key aspects of Alabama's new law were upheld by a federal judge on Wednesday. The governor said parts of the law take effect immediately. "We intend to enforce it," Bentley said. U.S. There are three separate lawsuits against the Alabama law, including a challenge from President Barack Obama's administration. "I think down the line there are other arguments that can be made as the case goes forward," said Carroll. "There are some sweet potato farmers in this state it's really going to hurt. Republican Sen.
Border Patrol Abuses on the Rise Phoenix, Arizona - The number of apprehensions of undocumented immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border has dropped, but reports of abuses against immigrants are on the rise. Those are the findings of a new report released by the Arizona humanitarian aid organization No More Deaths. The report, “A Culture of Cruelty,” documents 30,000 incidents of human rights abuses against undocumented immigrants in short-term detention between fall 2008 and spring 2011. Allegations range from Border Patrol agents denying food and water to adults and children in detention for several days, to purposely separating families during deportation or forcing people to sign removal orders. They also include concerns that detainees were not provided the right to due process. “We didn’t go out looking for these stories. “Many of the grassroots services we provide wouldn’t need to exist if the Border Patrol was doing the right thing,” she said.
Tucson flights return 9,000 illegal immigrants to Mexico Nearly 9,000 illegal border crossers took free flights home this summer to Mexico City in the eighth-annual edition of a binational program aimed at saving lives. The final flight of the Mexican Interior Repatriation Program left Tucson on Wednesday with 139 people aboard, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Vincent Picard. The 8,893 people who participated are the fewest since the program was launched in 2004. At least 10,500 have participated each year, with a record 23,384 taking the flights in 2010, government figures show. The decrease in participants this summer is likely attributed to a precipitous decline in Border Patrol apprehensions. Under the voluntary program, non-criminal Mexican illegal immigrants caught by the Border Patrol in Arizona are offered free flights to Mexico City. Read more in Friday's Star
Forced by a Private Company to Wear an Ankle Monitor? The Truth About Obama's Latest Immigration Reform | Civil Liberties September 30, 2011 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Now that the electronic shackle is off, it's really nice not having to listen to the eerie computer-voice commands regularly broadcast from its plastic speaker. For 10 miserable days, I had to wear a thick rubber and plastic cuff around my ankle for 24/7 GPS monitoring. What does that even mean? On the other hand, now I get what it really means to experience abusive government intrusion into your life. Under a new policy instituted in August, immigration agents and judges are supposed to use more discretion when deciding whether to deport someone. As a college-educated, 25-year-old undocumented immigrant with an active deportation case and no criminal record, I welcomed this change — until I learned the hard way that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field offices are actually becoming even more ruthless than before. The experience was shocking and upsetting.