Immigrant Solidarity March NYC 4-1-06

Solidarity March for Legalization for all
Undocumented Immigrants
Saturday, April 1—11:00 AM

WHAT: The latest developments in Senate Judiciary Committee give some hope to the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States that they will be able to legalize their status. Of course, we will have to see the final version of their bill for comprehensive immigration reform to fully understand its benefits and implications. However, the Senate will debate this bill alongside the more sinister House Bill 4437. As you know, HR-4437, already passed by House of Representatives, seeks to criminalize undocumented immigrants and anyone who would assist, harbor or transport them, essentially making you and me into criminals under federal law. We must anticipate the conflicts that will arise in this debate, and be vocal in our opposition to the rise of a dangerous compromise between the two pieces of legislation. We must organize to publicly express our support for legalization for undocumented immigrants and our fervent opposition to HR-4437.

It is time to come together to strengthen our community against the anti-immigrant trend with one voice, one plan, one action.

We invite you and your friends, family, and associates to attend our Solidarity March for Legalization for all Undocumented Immigrants, on Saturday, April 1, 2006, beginning at 11:00 AM. The march will proceed from Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge, and will terminate in a rally at 26 Federal Plaza.



(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, New York, immigrant march, HR 4437



Your participation in this event is of the utmost importance. Your presence will help send a clear message in support of undocumented immigrants to the elected officials in Washington.

We look forward to seeing you there, as we march in solidarity with all undocumented immigrants!

We also invite you to attend a Press Conference on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. at the International Immigrants headquarters, at The Immigrants Building 7 West 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

WHO: Edwardo Juarez-Pagliocco, President, International Immigrants Foundation,
Community and Religious Leaders, and Concerned Members of the Public

~ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND~

WHEN: March Begins: 11:00 AM

WHERE: Gathering Place: Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn
Rally: 26 Federal Plaza, Manhattan

tags: pro-immigrant, immigration, New York, New York March

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Today's Senate Immigration activity

In a move that can bee seen as a bid to bolster his standing within certain factions of the Republican party in anticipation of a 2008 Presidential run, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) put his enforcement only bill before the full Senate for debate Thursday. Senators began amending Frist's "Securing America's Borders Act" (S.2454) which mirrors it's House counterpart, the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005" (HR4437) with the addition of increased immigration quotas. Members adopted an amendment that would require a report on deaths while crossing the border, and discussed amendments to prohibit criminal aliens from participating in a temporary worker program and to help defray the cost of enforcing immigration laws at the border by state and local governments.

When the Senate reconvenes tomorrow at 9:30 it is expected that further debate on the bill will continue throughout the day while the leadership tries to reach consensus on which amendments to take up first. The least controversial will be brought to a vote first to speed the process.

The main event – the vote on whether or not to replace Frist's bill in it's entirety with the one passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee last Monday is not expect to take place until next Monday afternoon. The Committees "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of2006" ( which would then become S.2454) would then be worked on throughout the next week and into that weekend according to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairmen Arlen Specter (R-PA)

To veiw the final version of the Judiciary bill that will go to the floor HERE

tags: immigration, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Specter bill, Senate Judiciary, S. 2454,

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Breakdown of the Rallies

This is from an email I received from my father and I did a fact check and cleaned up the numbers if needed.

Here is a breakdown of the estimated sizes of the gigantic immigrant rights protests that happened in the last 2 weeks against the bill in Congress that is a major assault on immigrant rights:

March 14, Philadelphia's - 1,000
March 15, Monterey CA, 200
March 18, Santa Cruz, CA 1,000
March 18, Seattle WA, 2,000
March 18, Chicago IL, 300,000
March 24, Milwaukee WI 10,000
March 24, Phoenix AZ, 20,000 biggest demonstrations in city history
March 24 - 27, Los Angeles CA 25,000 students walkouted from 10 local high schools and middle schools
March 24, Riverside CA, 400 students at two campuses in the Moreno Valley Unified School District
March 24, Atlanta GA, 80,000 workers struck and hundreds protested GA state bill similar to HR4437 that passed on Friday.
March 24, Tuscon AZ 1,500
March 25, Denver CO, 50,000
March 25, Dallas TX, 1,500
March 25, Houston TX 6,000
March 25, Kansas KA, 2,000 largest Hispanic gathering
March 25, Charlotte NC, 5 - 7,000
March 25, Sacramento CA, 4,000
March 25, Los Angeles CA, 500,000

Tags: HR4437

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Lo barato sale caro

What's cheap ends up expensive

Reuters has an article that addresses the underlying issue to the mass re-migration of people from Central and South America to the United States.

Roughly half of Mexico's population lives on less than $5 a day, according to government figures. The U.S. minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. Annual Mexican Gross Domestic Product per capita is just under $7,000. It is almost $44,000 in the United States.

The gap is now wider than it was when Mexico, the United States and Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992.

The treaty took effect two years later and was supposed to generate more jobs in Mexico, raise incomes and, as a consequence, reduce the number of Mexicans crossing the 2,000-mile border with their superpower neighbor, legally or illegally.

[snip]

An investment of $20 billion a year over the next 10 years in Mexico in roads and communications connecting the poor southern part of Mexico to the North American market, Pastor says, would attract new companies to invest in Mexico and encourage many Mexicans to stay home and others to return.

"The idea of funding development in Mexico may sound ludicrous to many," Pastor said, "and it would not end illegal immigration overnight. But it would end it eventually. And besides, it would benefit the U.S. economically."

linkage

That "ludicrous idea" is one that is being echoed by former deputy assistant secretary of Commerce, Karl Reiner, who was snagged for an interview by Blog for Arizona.

Here's a snippet:

American economic policy has long touted the benefits of free enterprise, open markets and the rule of law. As such, we must put emphasis on helping our southern neighbor get its economic house in order. Of the $8 billion spent on foreign economic assistance annually, only $30 million currently goes to projects in Mexico. We need to change that policy to ensure Mexico becomes an economic success. There is no reason why it can'’t become an example for other developing nations. As Congress debates the illegal immigration issue, it should also review the old programs that rebuilt Europe and Japan after World War II and consider doing some of the same for Mexico. A booming Mexican economy would do a lot ease the pressure on workers to migrate. An economically successful Mexico would also be a larger market for U.S. goods and services in the future.

Go read the whole thing. It is provocative, to say the least, but takes notice of the elephant in the room: the United States has been touting economic stabilization while grossly underfunding initiatives that could bring it to fruition.

Sound familiar? Of course it does, this government is "All Hat, No Cattle." They sold the American public a gold brick that ended up being iron pyrite.

Crossposted from my humble blog

Tags: Immigration, Mexico

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The Money Quote: What is Home?

Say what you will about South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham ... Lord knows over the years I have ... but on Monday afternoon during the Senate Judiciary Committee's deliberations on immigration reform he made a statement that most eloquently summed up the whole debate … What constitutes someone's "home".

“…Most of us here believe that the 11 million undocumented people are also workers.

We couldn’t get by as a nation without those workers and those people.

And the question is ... sending them ‘home’.

I would just throw this out for some consideration…

What do you mean by ‘home’?

There's domicile, and there's legal residence ...and for some …they’ve been here so long that they can’t imagine where they live is not home.

And that’s the real debate here.

Where is home ….and where would you want home to be?

…The President says he wants a guest worker program, but doesn't want amnesty.

All the guest worker programs allow people to stay here a long period of time and work, some would have a group within the group to go back … home.

And I would argue that for someone who's been here three or four generations … they don't know where to go.

Cause their home is where they’ve raised their children, their home is where they’ve lived their married lives.

And we have allowed, rightly or wrongly, for that home to be established.

And we as a nation have sat on the sidelines since at least the eighties and allowed this situation to build up.

…There are generations who've been in America …who came across undocumented …and they set up roots and… they’ve led very noble lives.

They have a home.

And if you told them to go home they'd go right back to where they’ve been for thirty four years…. Cause they don’t know any other place.

…for several generations people have made America home.

And we've accepted the benefit of their labor and we've accepted the benefit of their work … and I'm trying to come up with a solution within American values.

…The law is about justice … How do we render legal justice …I would argue that if your breaking up families, and your sending people to some place that they don’t know to be home after forty years.

That is not a just result."

you can view the whole statement :
Afternoon sessions at 2hr 44min 25sec here

Johnnie Oz over at The Legend of Wooley Swamp has an excellent summary and analysis of the Judiciary Committee action from Monday. Well worth the read.

tags: immigration, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Specter bill, Senate Judiciary, S. 2454,

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Senate Judiciary Committee immigration bill: update

What follows is a list of provisions from the bill that I have thus far been able to cobble together from the available information. Once the official text is put up I'll revise and update this.

• Increased border security and cooperation with Mexico and Canada


• Creates a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and censors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border.


• Doubles the border patrol over five years adding 12,000 agents


• Provides a path to legalization and citizenship for the 12 mil undocumented immigrants as long as they pass security clearance, pay all back taxes, pay a criminal fine for breaking immigration laws, remain employed, have no criminal record, acquire a level of English proficiency, and eventually pass the civics section of the citizenship exam. Current undocumented residents cannot begin to apply for legal status until all current immigration requests have been processed


• Creates a guest worker program that allows approximately 400,000 unskilled workers to come and work for up to six years. Additionally, after a certain amount of time the guest workers who qualify may apply for permanent residency.


• Doubles all current fines for employers who hire illegal workers


• Quotas will become adjustable according to a given formula


• The Department of Labor will maintain an updated Job Bank of willing employers looking for workers


• The DREAM program will be continued allowing children of undocumented immigrants who have graduated from high school to be allowed to apply to Colleges without having their parents immigration status taken into consideration


• The inclusion of an agricultural provision that will allow 1.5 million agricultural workers to work in the US legally


• Redefines the "aggravated felony" language of HR4437 to exempt those already here from prosecution.


• Exempts humanitarian workers from possible criminal penalties

IMPORTANT UPDATE ACTION

From the AILA website comes this action item:

Mr. Frist apparently has sought and obtained "unanimous consent" (UC) to devote the first day of debate on immigration reform (starting either tomorrow or Thursday) to debate only, no amendments or votes. This means there will be no "motion to proceed" and no filibuster at this point. It is unclear which base bill Frist will proceed with (his own or the Judiciary Committee bill), but because he is apparently leaving the question open for now, we should continue pressing for the Senate Judiciary Committee bill to be the starting point for debate.

Please continue to call Senate offices and to express appreciation to Specter, Graham, Brownback, DeWine, and Feinstein for their votes yesterday. Their offices are getting slammed with negative calls and need to hear some positive reinforcement from our side!

Feinstein: (202) 224-3841
DeWine: (202) 224-2315
Graham: (202) 224-5972
Brownback: (202) 224-6521
Specter: (202) 224-4254

AILA

tags: immigration, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Specter bill, Senate Judiciary, S. 2454,

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Senate Judiciary passes immigration bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon passed an immigration reform bill that will now move on to the floor for further debate tomorrow morning.

The bill, which incorporates most of the provisions of the bill originally sponsored by Sen.Kennedy(D-Ma) and Sen. McCain(R-AZ) calls for the most massive reform of the immigration system in twenty years. It contains the comprehensive measures to allow for a path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the US. It also has provisions for a guest worker program and a plan to allow for 1.5 million agricultural workers and their families to work legally. Additionally an amendment was added to the bill that guaranteed that humanitarian aid workers and others providing services to immigrants would not be subjected to criminal penalties.

Senate Panel Approves Immigration Bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved sweeping election-year legislation Monday that clears the way for 11 million illegal aliens to seek U.S. citizenship, a victory for demonstrators who had spilled into the streets by the hundreds of thousands demanding better treatment for immigrants.

With a bipartisan coalition in control, the committee also voted down proposed criminal penalties on immigrants found to be in the country illegally. It approved a new temporary program allowing entry for 1.5 million workers seeking jobs in the agriculture industry.

"All Americans wanted fairness and they got it this evening," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who played a pivotal role in drafting the legislation.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said he hoped President Bush would participate in efforts to fashion consensus legislation. "The only thing that's off the table is inaction," said Graham, who voted for the committee bill.

The 12-6 vote broke down along unusual lines, with a majority of the panel's Republicans opposed to the measure even though their party controls the Senate.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., seeking re-election this fall in his border state, sought repeatedly to insert tougher provisions into the legislation, but was generally rebuffed. "This has been a very, very important and historic debate," he said.

Committee chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was one of four Republicans to support the bill, but he signaled strongly that some of the more controversial provisions could well be changed when the measure reaches the Senate floor. That is "very frequently" the case when efforts to reach a broad bipartisan compromise falter, he noted.

Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. had originally said debate on the issue would begin Tuesday, but an aide said those plans had changed.

In general, the bill is designed to strengthen enforcement of U.S. borders, regulate the flow into the country of so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

The bill would double the Border Patrol and authorizes a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and censors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border.

It also allows more visas for nurses and agriculture workers, and shelters humanitarian organizations from prosecution if they provide non-emergency assistance to illegal residents.

The most controversial provision would permit illegal aliens currently in the country to apply for citizenship without first having to return home.

"Well over 60 percent of Americans in all the polls I see think it's OK to have temporary workers, but you do not have to make them citizens," said Kyl, who is seeking re-election this fall.

"We have a fundamental difference between the way you look at them and the way I look at them," Kennedy observed later.

AP

tags: immigration, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Specter bill, Senate Judiciary

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Beyond the Band-aides

It is time to start looking deep within ourselves and really look at the problem of the divide here in the United States. Yesterday, at ePluribus Media a question was asked in regards to the lack of a true progressive representation at yesterday's march that was held in LA, Where were the progressives from outside of the Latino community today?

A diary written in Booman Tribune by Eternal Hope, Sickening: Kossacks supporting the Minutemenm confirms the claims made by another Booman Tribune diariest Man Eegee, Gut-Check Time on Immigration.

I felt the comment I made in Eternal Hope's diary really needed to be addressed if we really are wanting to heal this country.

As long as this issue is sweep under the rug and labeled "[not] my issue" to defend, then there will never be a true disscussion. There have been too many band-aides to this wound and people refuse to see the hemorrhaging that is taking place.

We had our chance to address many of these issues right after Hurricane Katrina, during Chief Justice Roberts' and Justice Alito's confirmation but we failed. The country did what it does best, just place more band-aides over the problems and hope it does not come up again. It is time to say BASTA!!!


(more below the fold)


Back to the question that was asked, "Where were the progressives from outside of the Latino community today?" the fact is, this question has been asked not just by Hispanics, but also Feminist, African Americans, Native Americans, the working class, the pro-Union, disability rights advocates and many others that is suppose to emcompass the liberal/progressive movement.

Whenever a minority or a gender issue is raised, it is often dismissed as a single issue and self-serving. It is damaging because because if complaints are made, they are often dismissed as making something out of nothing as we have seen over and over again.

The immigration issue is not only about racism, but it is also sexism and classism. Whenever an issue dealing with race or gender needs to be addressed, we as individuals become so afraid talk about it because it might reveal we to are contributing to the problem, which would require admitting to ourselves we do have our prejudices when it comes to ethnic, race, gender, social economic, and disability issues.

If we do not address the source that is causing this divide, how are we to address the moral juxtaposition that continues to divide America. The source of this moral delema are the messages we receive from society, and this is the crux of the problem. It is these messages that are shaping our view on any group.

Let's take the immigration issue. Fact is, immigration emcompasses all other immigrant communities, not just Hispanics. But, the message that was given out to the public is that Hispanics are the ones who have intensified many existing social problems and created a number of new ones. The immigrantion debate revolves around two issues; one, "the war on terrorism" and the other, on a myth - La Reconquista, Mexico's plan to take back its lost territory. In my blog, I wrote about the America's cruel history of deportation in the 20th century, which is now into the 21st century. HR4437 talks about building a wall, and where will this wall be built? On the US-Mexico border, yet, nobody feels threaten by Canadians, even though the hijackers came through Canada.

From the State Department:

Who from Canada and Mexico, Needs a Nonimmigrant Visa to Enter the United States Temporarily?
Canada
Citizens of Canada do not require a visa, except as described below.

Canadian citizens travelling to the US for these purposes require nonimmigrant visas:

• foreign government officials (A);
• officials and employees of international organizations (G),;
• NATO officials, representatives and employees if s if they are being assigned to the U.S. (as opposed to an official trip).

Mexico
Citizens and permanent residents of Mexico generally must have a nonimmmigrant visa or Border Crossing Card (also known as a "Laser Visa"). The Border Crossing Card, Form DSP-150 is a biometric, machine readable, visitor B1-B2 visa/Border Crossing Card that may be used to enter the U.S. from within the Western Hemisphere. Select Border Crossing Card to learn more about the requirements for this card.

To someone like me, a Xicano/Mexican-American/Hispanic/Latino, this is out right racism and a double standard.

Take a look at a study done last year, "Network Brownout Report," by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

• One out of every three Latino stories (34.7 percent) was about immigration in 2004. More than one hour of coverage was devoted to the topic, making up almost a third (31.6 percent) of the total time (three hours 25 minutes) devoted to Latino stories.
• Half of all Latino stories (58 out of 115 stories) did not feature an interview with a Latino.
• Latino coverage lacked depth, with one third (33 percent) of all stories lasting 30 seconds or less.
• Out of 115 Latino stories, 47 (41 percent) featured visual images of groups of unidentified Latinos. Of the 47 stories, 31 (66 percent) featured immigrants, including images of illegal border crossings.
• A significant proportion of Latino stories lacked diversity of opinion. Of 115 stories, more than one third (41 stories) did not cite a single source. Of the stories using sources, 40 percent (46 stories) presented mostly one perspective.

Immigration was a central theme in much of the networks' coverage, regardless of story topic. Most immigration stories focused on undocumented immigration. Many showed images of unidentified groups of undocumented immigrants crossing the border illegally or being arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol.

• Overall, Latinos were viewed as problem people and burdens to society in 2004.
• Stories on Latinos and politics focused on the use of Spanish by the presidential candidates and portrayed Latinos as a monolithic group of voters. Issues important to Latinos were virtually ignored.
• Networks continued to use the theme of the American dream to frame stories about Latinos, without providing more substantive coverage.

The country is undergoing an historic demographic shift, yet network coverage has failed to explain this change and its impact on our society. We fear viewers watching the network news have learned very little about the Latino community since we issued our first Network Brownout Report in 1996.

What viewers have learned is that too often Latinos are portrayed as problem people living on the fringes of U.S. society. Rarely do we see stories about the positive contributions of Latinos.

The issue of classism can be found within the Hispanic community because more affluent Hispanics separate themselves from undocumented immigrants. Sure, Hispanics will advocate for Hispanic rights, but there is also a fine line. I wonder how many affluent Hispanics attended any of the recent pro-immigration/anti-HR4437/anti-S.2454 rallies? I would imagine a few, it is not their "problem." And yet it is.

There are also gender issues, such as, the gender role for women change drastically when they arrive to the US because it counters many of their cultural values. From a study, Gender(ed) Migrations: Shifting Gender Subjectivities in a Transnational Mexican Community, conducted by Deborah A. Boehm at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies:

Without question, women in the United States exercise flexible and diverse roles, and are redefining femininity and what it means to be a woman. Teresa, for example, has a life that is quite distinct from her previous life in Mexico. In Mexico, she tells me that she was constantly in her home doing domestic chores, and that her family struggled because they had so little money. Today, Teresa works full-time for a clothing manufacturer, and she is responsible for many public interactions--with her children's teachers and doctors, the family's immigration attorney, bank tellers, and her realtor, among others. But while Teresa finds herself in spheres that are entirely new for her, and in charge of important family business, she still is the one who must do everything in the home. Her teenage daughters help with the load, but her husband and son do not. Teresa tells me that she is exhausted. She says that she has even purchased a daily planner-- something she thought was ridiculous when she first saw a co-worker using one. But now, she explains,  her life is so hectic that she is lucky to just get by.

Immigration also deals with labor issues and many other issues. The question must be asked, when gender issues are brought up, how often are immigrants included in the debate? The same thing can be asked about labor issues. May union members feel threaten they are losing blue collar jobs to undocumented workers, why not bring them in or help organize so they too can be protected under labor rights. Obviously it is possible to organize, if not, how does one explain the success of the United Farm Workers.

There are many who call themselves liberal and are quick to recite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when it comes to civil rights, but MLK was also an anti-war activist.

From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s November 1967 speech at the National Labor Leadership Assembly for Peace:

Now what are some of the domestic consequences of the war in Vietnam? It has made the Great Society a myth and replaced it with a troubled and confused society...It has given the extreme right, the anti-labor, anti-Negro, and anti-humanistic forces a weapon of spurious patriotism to galvanize its supporters into reaching for power, right up to the White House. It hopes to use national frustration to take control and restore the America of social insecurity and power for the privileged. When a Hollywood performer, lacking distinction even as an actor can become a leading war hawk candidate for the Presidency, only the irrationalities induced by a war psychosis can explain such a melancholy turn of events.

At this moment tens of thousands of people and anti-poverty programs are being abruptly thrown out of jobs and training programs to search in a diminishing job market for work and survival. It is disgraceful that a Congress that can vote upwards of $35 billion a year for a senseless immoral war in Vietnam cannot vote a weak $2 billion dollars to carry on our all too feeble efforts to bind up the wound of our nations 35 million poor. This is nothing short of a Congress engaging in political guerilla warfare against the defenseless poor of our nation.

When I first decided to take a firm stand against the war in Vietnam, I was subjected to the most bitter criticism, by the press, by individuals, and even by some fellow civil rights leaders. There were those who said that I should stay in my place, that these two issues did not mix and I should stick with civil rights. Well I had only one answer for that and it was simply the fact that I have struggled too long and too hard now to get rid of segregation in public accommodations to end up at this point in my life segregating my moral concerns.

Often called the Latino Martin Luther King, like King, Cesar Chavez also advocated for civil rights and economic justice for all people. Before MLK was assassinated, MLK sent a telegram commending Chavez's public "fast" to protest the violence taking place during the Famous Delano Grape Strike. MLK wrote:

"You and your valiant fellow workers have demonstrated your commitment to righting grievous wrongs forced upon exploited people. We are together with you in spirit and determination that our dreams for a better tomorrow will be realized." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would say about the current state of affairs and our divide?

Instead of asking where were the rest of the progressives, I ask you this:
How could we progress as a society and talk about civil liberties, yet allow millions of immigrant families be condemned to a life without pride?

How could we progress as a people while immigrants here in the US are being denied their self-respect?

But most of all, how can you believe that your child can become lawyers and doctors and judges and business people while this shame, this injustice is permitted to continue?

Technorati : Hispanic, Feminist, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrantion, HR4437, racism, classism, sexism, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez

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Immigration Rally in Los Angeles: The sleeper awakes

In a show of solidarity unseen since King's March on Washington in 1963, half a million people clad in white shirts and waving flags took to the streets of Los Angeles yesterday to voice their opposition to proposed legislation that would among other things make the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the United States into felons.



The huge crowd, winding serpentine through the streets of the city carrying signs denouncing HR 4437, the bill passed in the House of Representatives last December and coming up for Senate debate this week, was the largest of many that took to the streets throughout the country this past week. Last weekend 300,000 marched in a similar demonstration in Chicago.

With more marches and rallies planned in the coming weeks it's obvious that those most effected by the draconian new legislation are not about to take this matter laying down. Despite media efforts to downplay earlier demonstrations it's becoming more and more evident that the Mr.'s Sensenbrenner and Frist have disturbed a hornets nest in their attempts to garner favor with the far-right, anti-immigrant wing of their party.

If the events of the last week are any judge, they may regret that they ever attempted to create an electoral wedge issue out of immigratiom reform by forcing the debate to such an extreme. It seems they have opened a Pandora's box of pent up frustration and resentment from those on both sides of the issue, and in so doing they've awoken a great sleeping giant that might prove to be their undoing.


(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, Los Angeles, immigrant march, HR 4437

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Immigration rights advocates more than 500,000 strong marched in downtown Los Angeles, demanding that Congress abandon attempts to make illegal immigration a felony and to build more walls along the border.

The massive demonstration, by far the biggest of several around the nation in recent days, came as President Bush prodded Republican congressional leaders to give some illegal immigrants a chance to work legally in the U.S. under certain conditions.

Wearing white shirts to symbolize peace, marchers chanted ``Mexico!'' ``USA!'' and ``Si se puede,'' an old Mexican-American civil rights shout that means ``Yes, we can.'' They waved the flags of the U.S., Mexico and other countries, and some wore them as capes.

Saturday's march was among the largest for any cause in recent U.S. history. Police came up with the crowd estimate using aerial photographs and other techniques, police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr. said.

Other demonstrations drew 50,000 people in Denver and several thousand in Sacramento and Charlotte, N.C.

-snip-

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, require churches to check the legal status of people they help, and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border.

-snip-

The Senate is to begin debating the proposals on Tuesday.

President Bush on Saturday called for legislation that does not force America to choose between being a welcoming society and a lawful one.

``America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address, discussing an issue that had driven a wedge into his own party.

Bush sides with business leaders who want legislation to let some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants stay in the country and work for a set period of time. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, say national security concerns should drive immigration reform.

-snip-

In Denver, police said more than 50,000 people gathered downtown at Civic Center Park next to the Capitol to urge the state Senate to reject a resolution supporting a ballot issue that would deny many government services to illegal immigrants in Colorado.

-snip-

Since Thursday tens of thousands of people have joined in rallies in cities including Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta, and staged school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

The demonstrations are expected to culminate April 10 in a ``National Day of Action'' organized by labor, immigration, civil rights and religious groups.

AP

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Houston's March for a DREAM

Photo taken by RoB at Houston Indy Media

From Houston Indy Media

An estimated 5,000 people took to the streets of Houston demanding the Passage of the DREAM act, Amnesty for undocumented people in the US and human rights for all people.

Chants included classics "si si puede" and "el pueblo unido jamas será vencido" I think my favorite was "Aqui estamos, y nos nos vamos, y si nos sacan, nos regresamos" (here we are, we're not leaving, if they kick us out, we'll come back)

In the morning I was out in the streets and I saw a caravan of cars, with signs on the grill and flags waving. It was a great sight to see.

To hear that Houston had 5,000 people, brings tears to my eyes. Even though Houston is the fourth largest city, those numbers equate to the same number seen in Chicago and Los Angeles. Houston, has a bad reputation of making sure to black out any news regarding civil rights. That can be said about any city and that it would be impossible to do any type of blackout.

Houston is a city with a long history of racial discrimination. During the 1960s, many Southern cities were have rallies and sit-ins, including Houston. However, whenever a sit-in was about to happen, the local press were persuaded to black-out the news.


(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, DREAM, Houston rally,

In 1998, a documentary was made about these events. I was one of the few allowed to see one of the first public screenings of The Strange Demise of Jim Crow.

The Strange Demise of Jim Crow reveals for the first time on film how many Southern cities were desegregated in a quieter, almost stealthy fashion with behind-the-scenes negotiations, secret deals and controversial news black-outs. It makes visible a fascinating case-study of how urban power is really wielded.
...
The Strange Demise of Jim Crow is a multi-level story of urban power and change: student demonstrators vs. segregationists; the white power structure's fear of integration vs. their greater fear of violence, embarrassing national publicity and financial losses; secret deal-making vs. freedom of the press.

Most of all, the documentary demonstrates how threats of demonstrations and civic strife compelled the power elite to negotiate with more moderate, "responsible" black leaders and neutralize arch-segregationists. At the same time, by censoring news coverage...[it] undermined efforts to build a mass movement that might truly threaten and destabilize white power and privilege.

The entire film can be viewed over the internet here. I recommend that if you have a chance to see, do so, because it provides a great example how the MSM can be pressured to blackout certain events.

The March today, is no exception. I was checking the local media and still nothing is being reported. The so-called new "Houston Chronicle" has nothing about the rally. The big story: LSU eliminates Texas; [Houston Astros'] Bagwell headed to disabled list; may not return; Bush pushes guest worker plan (An AP report); HPD academy classes may double; and Houston man kills suspected home invader.

Houston's local ABC: City could profit from computer glitch, Two men shot to death at apartment; Neurologist stricken with brain tumor, Agencies teaming up to fight crime.

Houston's NBC: Duke Forfeits Lacrosse Games After Rape Accusation; Outdated Tickets Can Cost Drivers Money
Subpoenas Issued In City Hall Bonus Scandal; 2 People Shot, Killed At Apartment Complex; Man Shot In Motel Room; 13 Students Arrested In School Fight; Grandmother Scares Off 2 Armed Intruders; Coach Accused Of Forcing Student To Defecate In Bag; and Texas Cracks Down On Drunks In Bars

Houston's CBS: Astros' Jeff Bagwell to start season on disabled list; could be out for the season; AP's Bush calls for fair immigration bill; Yesterday's AP report: Immigration rallies draw thousands nationwide and Slain minister's wife being brought home.

JIFM went beyond the call of duty to let people know about this rally.

From JIFM's Blog:

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

we also got some wonderful news, several actually... national coverages, chinese media coming up... meeting with mayor's city council and end the day [on air with KPFT's Proyecto Latinoamericano].
...
Listen out for us in La Raza. Tatiana and Genesis will be going to record a segment for nuestra vida in univision. Tatiana then has a radio show later that day.

Friday we are also doing a show in la mera, mera, so listen out folks.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006
banner party!!!!

Sunday, February 05, 2006

JIFM-UH representing @ George R. Brown [Houston's Convention Center]
...
We also got our march very well publicized, it was only the beginning of this march which promises to be something.

Considering they have been working hard to get the word out about the march, says a lot, given Houston's long history of silencing any type of civil rights events taking place here.

Regardless if 5,000 or 100,000 show up to a rally, the sleeping giant is awake and should be considered a threat in the next election.

Viva La Raza!

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Gut-Check Time on Immigration

After lurking at several liberal political blogs over the past few years, I quickly realized that the issue of immigration reform was one of those taboo subjects that rarely got any attention. Diaries on the subject were sure to either disappear into the ignored/unmentioned ether or ignite into a massive flame-war until both sides finally threw up their arms in disgust and walked away to other pressing topics.

When Booman Tribune opened up for business in March 2005, I jumped right into the fray and decided that I would try to focus my attention on a humane and just viewpoint on immigration reform. My first big diary, The Immigration Crisis, was so well-received, that I did a follow-up to it a month later when Jon Kyl and John Cornyn released S.1438, a hard-lined answer to the bipartisan bill offered by John McCain and Ted Kennedy.

Now, eight months later, the immigration storm clouds have finally gathered enough strength to draw the lines in the desert sand and force the American public decide where they stand, and more importantly why.

continued below the fold...

Through a well-organized and concerted effort by human rights groups that serve the Latino population in the United States, rallies and marches have been staged in cities all across America, demanding an end to the hate-mongering string of bills that have been working their way through the Republican-led Congress.

Will the liberal left join bigot-filled groups like the Minutemen and American Patrol in reacting negatively to these powerful demonstrations of democracy? Will you join your voices with the likes of these commenters at the Arizona Republic's Blogizona?:

Comment from: jeanne7272 - 03/24/06 @ 15:50

Not just no, BUT HELL NO! We have existing immigration laws in this country which have been totally ignored and now we have hundreds of thousands of ILLEGALS waving the MEXICAN flag and protesting on AMERICAN SOIL? This is just wrong, these people are law breakers and ICE should be there hauling their butts right back to Mexico and dropping them off at Vicente Fox's front door! AMERICANS, we can't let ILLEGALS dictate our border policies to us! They don't have the right to be here in the first place! I am afraid these protesters are going to start a HUGE mess in this country! TAKE YOUR MEXICAN FLAG AND FLY IT IN MEXICO WHERE IT BELONGS, NOT ON U.S. PROPERTY!

Comment from: Jaime3766 - 03/24/06 @ 18:29

And what about crime here in Arizona? Ever notice that most crimes we hear about here are committed by someone with a Hispanic last name? Don't tell me that crime levels wouldn't drop if illegals weren't sent back to Mexico.

You see, in a black-and-white world for people like Jaime3766, any person with a Hispanic last name is 1) automatically illegal and 2) a criminal. As someone who is neither of those two and also blessed with a Hispanic surname, you can see why I would take exception to her calls for expulsion and blatant xenophobia.

American exceptionalism is driving the adverse reactions to the images that have been played out in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Trenton, Washington, D.C., Knoxville, Milwaukee, Tucson, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco, Kansas City (KS), Columbus, New York City, Houston, and Los Angeles.

To be perfectly honest, it reminds me of reading stories of slaves owners in the civil war era who were offended and appalled that the slaves would dare demand some semblance of dignity. "How dare they? Who do they think they are?"

The echo in my ears from one of the gritos at today's Tucson rally provides an answer:

¡No Somos Enemigos, Somos Tus Amigos!

We are not enemies, we are your friends.

Indeed.

I implore the left and moderate ends of the political spectrum in the United States to consider the humanity of these people who are merely asking for a chance to ensure the survival and prosperity of their families. The debate on immigration has been dominated by bigots like James Sensenbrenner, Russell Pearce and Chris Simcox. It is now time to let the targets of their ire have their say, and clue-in the American public on the reasons they have risked their lives and livelihood to come to the United States.

One of the signs at today's rally was very simple, and was held by the hands of young girl who was no more than ten years old: "I want to be a doctor."

Will you respond to her as an American exceptionalist and deny her a path to succeed or as a human being who recognizes that we all have have a right to follow our dreams?

It's gut-check time, my friends. There are no borders when it comes to love.

Crossposted from my humble blog

Tags: immigration, HR4437, Tucson, S1438

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Immigrant Rights are Human Rights: San Francisco hunger strike

From: Happening-Here?

Immigrants, members of numerous organized groups from many ethnic groups, are holding a week long fast in front of San Francisco's Federal Building. The main stream media isn't giving these outsiders much coverage, but you can read all about it at their excellent blog.

The hunger strikers want Senator Feinstein, long something of an immigration restrictionist, to come out against the horrible House-passed bill, HR 4437, which would make being undocumented a felony. They hope for an immigration reform that would provide amnesty to many of the 11 million people working in this country without papers, that would end exploitation and harassment, and that would enable families to reunite.

-snip-

For more on the hunger strike, visit the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition. The hunger strikers will lead a march to Senator Feinstein's office (yes, the same one we visited during the anti-torture demo) at 11 am, Monday, March 27. I'll be there

Read full story at: Happening-Here?

From: SF Hunger Strike & Week of Actions

Day 3: Thurs, March 23

This was the most physically grueling day for the hunger strikers so far. Several experienced nausea, dizziness, and headaches; our eldest hunger striker – whom we affectionately call abuelita (grandma) – registered high on the blood pressure meter. Nurse Stephan Lynch and other medical volunteers will continue monitoring their vitals.

While physical ailments challenged the hunger strikers, the love and encouragement of supporters continue fueling hunger strikers’ calls for Senator Feinstein and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to take leadership in opposing Chairman Arlen Specter’s bill. One hunger striker explains, “It’s the little things people do – cracking jokes, smiling, digging through boxes looking for earmuffs to keep us warm – that are so filled with love that make all the difference.”

-snip-

After the candlelight vigil, we asked hunger striker Jay Pugao why he got involved in opposing Specter’s bill:

“This is something that breaks up families. It forces educators like me to turn in my undocumented immigrant students and call them ‘criminals’. We’re shaping young leaders and organizers. They are not criminals.

The same thing goes for the elderly in my community – the Filipino community. These bills would force me to turn in my titos and titas (uncles and aunts) who are working and paying taxes. They are the foundations of the workforce in this nation, although they don’t reap the benefits of it. These bills would further drive them underground and force them to hide.” – Jay

read more from: SF Hunger Strike & Week of Actions

In many ways this simple act says volumes about the sacrifices made by those who are forced to fight their way to become part of the American dream.

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Houston Rally - Saturday 3/25/06

For Release: Saturday, March 25, 2006
For more information and on-site contact: Julita Rincon, 832.298.3404 or Donajih R. Robles, 832.455.4074

March for a DREAM, organized by JIFM (Jovenes Inmigrantes Por Un Futuro Mejor/ Young Immigrant For A Better Future), is a call for immigrant student rights and for the enactment of the DREAM Act.

"Walk for a DREAM"

Where: Chestnut St. & Henry St./Near "Northside" by Jeff Davis High School (1101 Quitman Houston, TX 77009), proceeding to the University of Houston-Downtown (1 Main St.) where we will end with a rally (12:30-2 pm). Left side, UH-D's free speech platform.

(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, Houston, DREAM, rally

Thousands of young people from immigrant families have grown up here, stayed in school, and kept out of trouble. Each year about 65,000 U.S.-raised students have graduated from high school, with a desire to go onto college. But many of them are faced with unique barriers to higher education because of their legal status.

However, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) that will be able to address those issues.

Unfortunately, because under the current law, many of these young people derive their immigration status solely from their parents. When parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, their children are in limbo with no mechanism in obtaining legal residency.

DREAM Act
Under the DREAM Act, once a student graduates from high school, he or she would be allowed to apply for conditional status, which would authorize them up to 6 years of legal residence.

Permanent residence would be granted at the end of the 6-year period if the student has continued to maintain good moral character and has met one of these requirements:

• graduate from a 2-year college,
• complete at least 2 years towards a 4-year degree, or
• serve in the U.S. military for at least 2 years.

The DREAM Act would also eliminate a federal provision that discourages states from providing in-state tuition to their undocumented immigrant student residents, thus restoring full authority to the states to determine state college and university fees.

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Hillary on HR 4437: "this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself"

After months of skirting the issue of immigration reform, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) yesterday spoke at a news conference in Manhattan flanked by a multicultural group of 30 immigrant leaders. Clinton, who had been criticized by immigrant activists for remaining silent on the issue until her remarks before an Irish rally on March 8th , vowed to oppose a bill passed in December by the House (HR 4437) that would make unlawful presence in the United States - currently a civil offense - a felony. The Senate is set to consider a version of that legislation put forward by Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), as well as several other bills seeking to address the issue of immigration reform

Clinton did not specifically endorse any competing legislation, including a bill co-authored by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and another by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), saying she hoped the Senate Judiciary Committee would produce a compromise incorporating the best elements of all the bills and would remove the harsh penalties contained in the House measure

(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, HR4437, Clinton, Frist, S.2454, Sensenbrenner

"It is hard to believe that a Republican leadership that is constantly talking about values and about faith would put forth such a mean-spirited piece of legislation," she said of the measure, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December and mirrored a companion Senate bill introduced last week by Senator Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican and the majority leader.

"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

-snip-

Mr. Frist's bill, like the House measure, would make it a crime to be in the United States without proper papers and would add guards and fencing along the Mexican border, and speed deportation.

Some versions, including one proposed by Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, would expand the definition of alien smuggling to include help to illegal immigrants already here.

Mr. Frist has set a Monday deadline for the Senate Judiciary Committee to complete its own, broader version of immigration legislation, which could include "a path to earned citizenship" for illegal residents who qualify, and a guest worker program for foreigners, as well as new enforcement provisions. But even if a committee bill emerges in time, unless a majority of the committee's Republicans vote for it, he has vowed that he will not let it reach the Senate floor. Instead, Mr. Frist, who is also considered a 2008 presidential contender, said he would seek a vote on his bill, without debate.

-snip-

Mrs. Clinton said she and New York's other senator, Charles E. Schumer, were trying to build momentum toward a bipartisan bill that would include a legalization provision that many Republicans would support in defiance of Mr. Frist. But any form of legalization is anathema to supporters of the House measure, co-sponsored by two Republican representatives, Peter King of Long Island, and F. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.

Mrs. Clinton said, "We want the outcome to be that they're on the wrong side of politics as well as on the wrong side of history and American values."

New York Times

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L.A. March for Immigrants Rights This Saturday - Sunday

On March 2, 2006 , the Southern California based coalition "March 25 Coalition Against HR4437" held a press conference to announce a major mass mobilization against the passage of the Sensenbrenner Bill, to be held in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday March 25, 2006. The march expected to be the largest in the country to date will also demand an integral, comprehensive and family oriented immigration reform that will lead to the legalization and eventual citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country.

The Coalition calls on all immigrants and all Californians of all colors and creeds, labor, clergy, community and political organizations, students and youth to protest, make their voices heard and galvanize the movement for humane immigration reform all the way to Washington DC. The US Senate is expected to begin debate on the Senate floor on March 27.

The Coalition publicly calls on and invites Mayor Antonio Villaraigoza, LA Council President Eric Garcetti, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, and Senators Gil Cedillo and Gloria Romero to join and repudiate the "wall of shame" and the criminalization of immigrants as felons proposed in the House approved "Border Protection and Antiterrorist and Illegal Immigration Control Act" on Dec. 15, 2005. The coalition leaders also makes a special call to all the members of the wide and popular Spanish language media and progressive media to assist them in making MARCH 25 the largest demonstration in support of immigrant workers and their families in recent history.

http://www.nohr4437.org/

Gran Marcha 2006 Los Angeles

25-26 de Marzo/March 25-26

Coalicion 25 de Marzo Contra La Sensenbrenner King Bill

March 25 Coalition Against HR 4437

MARCH 25TH 10 AM
AT OLYMPIC AND BROADWAY, LOS ANGELES
Ending at the L.A. City Hall

Also on Sunday, March 26

Procession and Mass
Walk starts at 1:00 p.m.
Temple & Los Angeles Streets (Click for Map)
Ends at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles


A mass commemorating the life of Cesar Chavez and calling for permanent residence will take place.

tags: immigration, HR4437, Sensenbrenner

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Arizona Rallies - Friday 3/24/06

Press Release

As immigration debate in D.C. hits boiling point, AZ communities lead national call for reform solutions

Local groups join nation-wide mobilization, carry message to Senator Kyl's Tucson and Phoenix offices:


"We are not the enemy; we are part of the solution"

Tucson: Rally in front of Kyl's office at 7315 N. Oracle Rd (northwest corner of Ina/Oracle). Friday, March 24 at 11:00am

Phoenix: March begins at St. Agnes Church at 24th and McDowell. Concludes at Senator Kyl's office 2200 East Camelback. Friday, March 24 at 11:00am

(more below the fold)

Tucson-On Friday, March 24th, Border Action Network will lead a coalition of Arizona organizations in front of Senator Kyl's offices in Tucson and Phoenix to insist that "we are not the enemy; we are part of the solution." Following immediately on the heels of a trip to D.C. to brief Senators and staffers on border issues, Border Action's statewide effort is at the forefront of an ongoing borderwide and national mobilization asserting community voices in debates over impending immigration reform legislation.

Arizona communities are among the populations most heavily and negatively impacted by failed US immigration policies -- from the grizzly deaths of migrants and the criminalization of humanitarian aid, to the continuous violation of the civil and human rights of border communities, to the irreversible destruction of delicate desert environs. more info below the fold...

In December the House of Representatives approved the infamous Sensenbrenner bill, H.R. 4437 which would criminalize the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., those that provide assistance to undocumented immigrants, build a 700-mile border wall and erode due process and judicial review. In early March the Senate took up the debate.

"Arizona Senator Kyl is not representing his constituents and is calling for measures similar to H.R. 4437," said Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of the Border Action Network.

Kyl is being challenged by his constituents for:

• Mischaracterizing the charges against two AZ humanitarian aid workers and using their case to call for criminalizing humanitarian aid.
  
• Calling for the construction of double or triple walls in Nogales, Douglas, Naco and Lukeville which will lead migrants and smugglers to more desperate and deadly means to enter the U.S., cause greater environmental damage, and cost the taxpayers more than $700,000 million for a band-aid strategy that fails to address root causes of migration.
  
• Not supporting provisions to enable the 12 million workers already here to legalize their status nor any way for temporary workers to legalize their status.
  
• Calling for thousands of more border patrol agents while ignoring the glaring need for creating mechanisms to oversee and hold the border patrol accountable to constitutional and human rights.

"We have just returned from a very successful trip to Washington, D.C. and I can tell you that immigrant and border communities across the country are standing up by the tens of thousands to show that we are not criminals or the enemies of this country. We are mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who want to be a part of this country and its democratic processes," said Ana Alicia Casas of Border Action Network, "Our work and contributions to this country are permanent; our residency ought to be permanent as well."

" We do not need policies like H.R. 4437. Instead we need an immigration policy that provides a means for immigrants to attain permanent residency and a border policy that upholds community security and border security. A safe border must also be a just and humane border," said Grizelda Moya Flores, Border Action Network member.

Sponsoring organizations: Border Action Network, No More Deaths, Service Employees International Union, Center for Biological Diversity, Samaritans, Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, American Friends Service Committee, Arizona Latino Legislative Caucus, Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus, AZ Coalition for Migrant Rights and other Phoenix organizations.

VISUALS & INTERVIEWS: Immigrant children carrying hundreds of drawings, banners, t-shirts with the message "We are not the enemy; we are part of the solution." Church leaders and immigrant workers and their families will be available for interviews.

Tags: hr 4437, immigration, Tucson, Phoenix

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Border Film Project

From the Border Film Project comes an amazing exhibition of photographs taken along the Arizona border by both migrants and members of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. The Project members gave out hundreds of disposable cameras to both groups, with instructions to photograph their experiences. The end result is an unfiltered photographic exhibit of uncompromising honesty that opens a window into the world of migration rarely seen by those not involved.

(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, migrants, minutemen, border

About the Border Film Project:

WHO WE ARE

We are three friends - a Rhodes Scholar, filmmaker, and a Wall Street analyst - who spent three months on the U.S. Mexico border filming and distributing hundreds of disposable cameras to two groups on different sides of the line: undocumented migrants crossing the desert and Minutemen volunteers trying to stop them.

WHY WE DID IT

To simplify the complexities of immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border, and to show the realities on the ground. To date, we have received more than 1,500 photographs and more continue to arrive everyday. The pictures speak for themselves. They capture the humanity present on both sides of the border. They tell stories that no news piece or policy debate or academic study could convey. They are non-partisan and inclusive.

link

The pictures speak for themselves.

The site also contains videos and other educational resources . Spend some time and view the galleries, they put a human face on the immigration debate that is all to often argued in the abstract.

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Immigration News Roundup from AZ

The MinuteMan Project Militia are preparing their return to the borderlands in two weeks. They're also taking credit for the national debate currently raging on immigration reform.

Love or hate 'em, those who follow the illegal immigration debate say the original Minuteman Project conducted in April 2005 in Cochise County and a subsequent patrol in October brought increased national attention to the Arizona stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. Some even credit the group with pushing legislators to create border enforcement bills

Too many of them, in fact.

Upwards of 50 bills dealing with the border and illegal immigration have come before the Republican-controlled Legislature this session, more than in any other session in state history.

Meanwhile human beings are still dying, and in some cases, getting assaulted by bandits

Armed robberies of illegal immigrants are on the rise along the Arizona-Mexico border, with notable spikes in remote areas increasingly favored by illegal immigrants, authorities say.

The increases reflect competition between smugglers pressured by U.S. Border Patrol crackdowns and bandits eager to take advantage of easy targets, officials say.

continued below the fold...

J.D. Hayworth (Wingnut-AZ5), who deserves permanent retirement this fall, is sending out anti-immigrant literature paid for with taxpayer money. Follow the link to view the mailing, and if you have a hard copy, AZ Congress Watch is looking for additional scans.

On the Dem-side, Blog for Arizona has an interview posted with Jeff Latas, who is one of several candidates for AZ's Congressional District 8. With Republican Jim Kolbe's retirement announcement, we have a good shot at picking up that seat (as long as the Democratic Primary doesn't produce any casualties). Here's part of the section where Jeff talks about immigration.

J: Obviously there is a real concern about using government resources in order to provide schools and medical treatment and such services. But there are certain cases where illegal immigrants pay their own way through their taxes. Some of that is failing to get back here to the states where the money is being spent, however. This issue needs close study of the facts. There might need to be a ‘fencing off’ of certain funds from those revenue sources, so that it can be sent back into the local economy where the impacts are. For instance, the state prisons here that are owed money for holding criminals who are Mexican nationals.

The immigrants generally are helping our society out and benefiting us greatly. I think much of the negative rhetoric is used to conceal that simple fact. A lot of it might be hate-based and prejudiceÂ… IÂ’m not willing to say that someone like Randy Graf is a bigot, but there are definitely people who are bigots who are attracted to this issue.

Heh.

Finally, the Tucson Citizen has a two-page profile up regarding a unique photography project underway that is trying to capture the human aspect of two opposing sides of the debate: immigrants and the Minutemen. They are handing out disposable cameras to various groups, along with a return envelope, and documenting the response.

"We were hoping to tell the story of the U.S.-Mexico border in a new and fresh way," said Adler, who graduated from Arcadia High School and the University of Arizona and works as a designer and filmmaker in New York City.

"Our goal was to show the journey without it being tainted by our own perspective and by just our presence there."

Crossposted from my humble blog

Tags: immigration, Minutemen

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America's Forgotten Agricultural Backbone

This political season, the issue of immigration has been a hot topic. The immigrant debate revolves around two issues; one, under the banner of "the war on terrorism" and the other, on a myth - La Reconquista, Mexico's plan to take back its lost territory. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee took up the issue of immigration reform that may increase the number of incarcerated undocumented immigrants into the millions. However, instituting these draconian measures will be devastating effects to American farmers who rely on migrants workers.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist wieghed in on the immigration debate by introducing his immigration reform bill. Sen. Frist's bill sidesteps the current proposaled Senate bill, "The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006", sponsored by Sen. Arlen Spectrer. Frist's bill mirrors the harsh punishment that was passed in the House, James Sensenbrenner's (R-WI) 'Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005"(HR4437), which would make it a felony for illegal immigrants to be in the United States, impose new penalties on employers who hire them and erect fencing along a third of the U.S.-Mexico border. But it had no temporary worker program. Some of the differences between Frist's bill and the House version, Frist's bill would

• increase the number of employment related green cards, from 140,000 to 290,000
• increases unkilled visa from 5000 to 87,00o - still far below the number needed
• create a new visa class, "investor," and allocate 14,500 visas to this group
• raises visa cap per country from 7% to 10%,

However, Sen Frist has caused a rift among Republican members, especially Sen. Spectrer who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Sen. Spectrer's version did contain some of the harsh measures from House version, but it also included: "a temporary guest worker program limited to three years with an additional three year extension; increase in the current quotas for both employment and family reunification; and a limited "amnesty" for those here since Dec.2004."

Perhaps the most glaring omission in Frist's bill is that it does not address the issue of the illegal immigrants who are already in the US. The medias focus on crime caused by a few immigrant has only skewed the publics persecption.

What is not often reported is that many migrant workers, which happen to be immgrants, both legal and illegal, have always been essential for agricultural production throughout the US, essentially, they are backbone of the agricultural industry.

A study was conducted in Rep. Sensenbrenner home state of Wisconsin, by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Demography and Ecology, Economic Impact of Migrant Workers on Wisconsin’s Economy. The purpose of the study was to "determine the impact of migrant workers on Wisconsin’s economy."


(more below the fold)
Tag: immigration

The found that over 90 percent of Wisconsin migrants are Hispanic, mostly coming from Texas' Rio Grande Valley area. However, some do come directly from Mexico and other countries.
Regarding Wisconsin's reason for needing migrant workers:

Hand labor is still needed in the cucumber industry, in apple orchards, and in picking peppers, cabbage, and other vegetable crops that have not been mechanized. Also, because many crops are processed and canned in the state, large numbers of workers are needed in food processing plants during the peak of harvest. Today, as in many past years, Wisconsin ranks first among the states in the production of snap beans for processing (USDA, 2001). Farm wives used to help during harvest; now many are likely to have year-round, off- farm jobs. High school students who used to help during the vacation summer months now may get employment in comfortable airconditioned malls, stores, and restaurants. Thus, employers turn to out-of-state, seasonally available workers.

Farmers and food producers were asked what would happen if migrant workers were not available. Farmers and food processors held different views on this issue:

1. would be more likely to close their business (49% v. 8%);
2. to go into other lines of work (28% vs. 0%);
3. sell their land or equipment (28% vs. 0%); and
4. they would retire (12% vs. 0%)

The study concluded:

Local economies depend on migrant workers in numerous ways. As a reliable and hardworking workforce, employers count on them to help plant, harvest and pack perishable produce, work double shifts in canneries, and accept wages that are above minimum but below a "living wage."

While in Wisconsin, migrants spend about half of their pay checks for various living expenses, such as food and clothes. This money is usually spent in local stores, thus re-entering the local economy. Migrants also make special purchases while in Wisconsin, which average $750 for a worker traveling alone, and over $1,100 for a family, and may include a used car, stereo and VCR, various home appliances and computers.

In sum, the migrant workforce continues to play a significant role in Wisconsin agriculture, its food industries, and its economy as a whole. Moreover, due to migrants’ spending in the state and the tax revenues that migrants make possible, there are significant positive economic impacts of migrant workers and their families in the State of Wisconsin.

Even though niether bills have become law, farmers are starting to feel the effects of the anti-immigration backlash. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Farmers Face Immigrant Workers Shortage farmers are currently suffering through the US due to lack of workers.

Randy Scarbor was counting on the 15 immigrant workers who lived on his farm to harvest his 60-acre sweet-potato crop last fall, but they vanished just as the work got under way. He instead was forced to bring in some less-motivated substitutes for the backbreaking job.

"I wound up hiring some locals that weren't worth hauling to the field," he said. "It was the worst harvest labor in my life and I've been in the farming business 35 years. But we got it in."
...
some farm groups also believe increased enforcement along Mexican border also may have curbed the number of illegal immigrants with false documents that get "entry-level" jobs like picking fruits and vegetables. There are also indications anti-immigrant civilian groups such as the Minutemen have discouraged farm workers who could enter the country legally.

And it even gets better....

a Farm Bureau study predicts one-third of the nation's fruit-and-vegetable producers would no longer be able to compete with foreign growers, U.S. agriculture would lose $9 billion a year and U.S. consumers eventually would be left with only foreign-grown produce in their supermarkets.

Of the nation's 3 million agricultural workers, about 2 million are members of farm families and 1 million are hired, including an estimated 500,000 who aren't authorized to work in this country, according to the Farm Bureau.

The anti-immigration Center for Immigration Studies feel these problems can be easily solved if farmers are willing to pay competitive wages.

However, California's Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, disagrees and are saying they are feeling the effects NOW!

Labor shortage is very real for farmers in the valley, a desert region north of the Mexican border with 450,000 acres of irrigated farmland. The Imperial Valley supplies 90 percent of the nation's winter vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach and broccoli....The increased border security, plus rumors about border vigilantes, was so intimidating that even workers who could cross legally decided to stay home.

The political backlash to the current economic hardships are once again falling on minority workers and their families. Immigrants are constantly scapegoated for the US economic woes and are subjected to racist attacks and severe immigration restrictions.

The US has historically been cruel to their Southern border immigrants and mass deportation has always been the US answer whenever, the US is ever faced with an econmic hardship.

Both legal and illegal immigrants, are known for working the most undesirable and lowest paid jobs in the US, however, they are part of the essential workforce that is essential to the US economy. Many immigrant workers are also employed through the informal, or underground jobs which are also part of the US economy. These unreported jobs include auto cleaning, landscape maintenance, hotels, janitorial, domestic services, manufacturing, construction, restaurant, and retail services. By conducting mass deportation, the US economy will continue suffer not repair it as many like to believe. Wages will continue to fall as unemployment will continue to rise. The quality of life in the US, which is currently deteriorating at the present time, will fall to even lower levels. Widespread economic and social dislocation will rise along the border and through out the farming communities. When will America wake up, mass deportations are not the answer. It never has and it never will be the answer.

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Senate Judiciary makes eleventh hour immigration compromise; Frist furious

On Thursday, in a rare bipartisan breakthrough, the Senate Judiciary Committee took steps towards the first major overhaul of U.S. immigration law in two decades.

The plan, which still has many hurdles to overcome when the committee returns after its weeklong recess, would pave the way toward offering a path to permanent residence for the 12 million illegal immigrants now in the country and would create a guest-worker program for unskilled foreigners seeking to immigrate in the future.

The Senate remains nowhere near passing actual legislation; the floor debate is expected to be highly contentious. If an immigration reform bill emerges, it will have to be reconciled with a House measure (HR4437) with tough border-control provisions.

The clock was running out on the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, and with it the chances for a meaningful overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. After weeks of work, the committee members faced a rigid deadline to get a bill ready before next week's recess. But about all they had agreed on were various ways to tighten the borders. It was increasingly likely that Congress's message to 12 million illegal immigrants would end up being this: Thanks for the help — now get out.

But in a startling pivot, so sharp you could almost hear it, a bipartisan consensus emerged in the hearing room. Senator Arlen Specter, the committee's chairman, endorsed the principle behind an earlier bill sponsored by Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy: that illegal immigrants who met strict criteria and paid fines and back taxes should have a path to permanent residency and citizenship.

Mr. Specter said he was all for that, as long as the country first cleared up the backlog of three million foreigners seeking to come here through legal channels. The panel also neared an agreement on a related proposal to allow foreign guest workers to enter legally and earn permanent status. Mr. Specter said he wanted a comprehensive bill ready when Congress reconvened on March 27, the deadline set by the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist,..

NYT

Apparently the idea that comprehensive immigration reform might actually go to the Senate floor was enough to force Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Rep-TN) to unveiled on Friday his own enforcement only immigration proposal. The "Securing America's Borders Act" (S.2454) combines most of the enforcement elements of the House bill, HR4437, that are targeted at immigrants and the humanitarian groups that help them, along with greater penalties for employers that hire undocumented workers.

(more below the fold)
tags: immigration, HR4437, Senate Judiciary


The Frist bill would:

• Require all employers to verify the identity and immigration status of their employees through an electronic system.


• Assess civil penalties of between $500 and $20,000 against employers for each illegal immigrant they hire and criminal penalties of up to $20,000 per illegal immigrant hired and up to six months in jail for engaging in a pattern of employing illegal workers.

As far as the bills effects on immigrants, Frist's bill would mirror HR4437 in regards to:

• The mandatory detention of all immigrants caught within 100 miles of the border


• The reclassification of any and all immigration violations as "Aggravated Felonies"


• The removal of judicial review for many immigration matters


• The creation of a new crime of "unlawful presence" that would make all undocumented immigrants felons


• Mandatory detention for many immigration violations


• Expedited removal

Expansion of the range of crimes that would allow for "indefinite dentention"

The Frist bill, like the House bill passed last December makes no provisions for a guest worker program or a path to legalization for the 12 mil undocumented immigrants already living and working in the US.

When the full Senate convenes to take up the immigration issue it will be interesting to see how far Mr. Frist will get with proposed legislation. This is something we must stay aware and on top off.

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