Posts with the tag immigration

Immigration Officials Announce 1,000 New Workplace Audits (i.e. Quiet Raids)

Erin Rosa — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:43:53 EST

Officials with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have just announced that they will be conducting at least 1,000 new employer audits.

The audits, basically the Obama administration’s version of immigration raids sans massive arrests and armed government agents, are compounded with the White House’s stated determination to target employers that hire undocumented workers.

Just recently in Minnesota, at least 1,200 janitors were fired from a cleaning company after an audit conducted by ICE found they did not have proper documentation.

Because of this action, thousands more may stand to lose their jobs. It is currently unknown where the audits will take place.

The agency is holding a press briefing this afternoon. Developing….

UPDATE 1PM: From ICE press release: "The 1,000 businesses served with audit notices this week were selected for inspection as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security—for example, privately owned critical infrastructure and key resources. The names and locations of the businesses will not be released at this time due to the ongoing, law enforcement sensitive nature of these audits."

UPDATE 4:45PM: ICE chief John Morton just held a telephone briefing with reporters, and here is some new information Campus Progress has learned:

The audits affect businesses in every state in the nation.
Morton claims that workplaces critical to national security infrastructure have been targeted, including “power plants,” and the “food industry.”
The audits are an effort to “change the national enforcement perspective,” and create a “culture of consequences.”

Report: Latinos Will Add At Least 7 Seats To Congress

Erin Rosa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:23:09 EST

The 2010 census, a decennial survey of momentous proportions that will attempt to count every single person living in the United States, is already being projected to reshape the House of Representatives, thanks to Latinos.

Because House districts in each state are based on census results every ten years, the growing Latino population in the U.S. will be adding at least 7 seats to Congress, according to a report by CQ:

According to the consulting firm Election Data Services Inc., Texas is projected to gain four congressional districts in reapportionment, from 32 to 36, in large part because of burgeoning growth among Hispanics. According to a report from America's Voice, Texas grew its population by nearly 3.5 million since 2000 and by 2.2 million Hispanics, or 63 percent of the total.
…
In Arizona, which is expected to gain two seats (from eight to 10), Hispanics account for nearly half of the 1.4 million residents who have been added to the state population since 2000.
In Florida, which is expected to gain one seat, Hispanics again account for half of the state's population growth of 2.3 million residents since the beginning of the decade. Vargas advocates the creation of a Hispanic-influence district in central Florida, where there is a growing population of Puerto Rican Hispanics.

Whether the additional seats will equal more Latino lawmakers, remains to be seen. As CQ notes, currently only 23 Latinos belong to the 435-member House.

Twitter: Tea Party Prankster Planning “Self-Deportation” Event

Erin Rosa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:15:36 EST

Robert Erickson, the pseudonym for the young man who became an overnight YouTube sensation after rallying Tea Partiers to shout “Columbus Go Home!” at a Minnesota anti-immigration event last week, will allegedly be holding a press conference to announce that he’s deporting himself.

That’s according to a Twitter page that was supposedly created by Erickson.

If true, the move will only build upon the tongue-in-cheek speech that Erickson gave as an orator at the Tea Party rally, that “European immigrants are responsible for the most violent and heinous crimes in the history of the world!”

Here’s the original video:

The press conference may also be taking place at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, or, so reads a tweet by the individual claiming to be Erickson. Stay tuned.

Govt. Changes Vaccination Policy For Immigrant Women

Erin Rosa — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:50:59 EST

After coming under criticism from a variety of advocacy groups, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agency has rescinded a mandate requiring female immigrants applying for green cards to receive a vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women.

The government was criticized because the mandate was seen as unfair. Unlike other shots, HPV vaccinations are not required for U.S. citizens. They can also carry a hefty price, according to the Associated Press:

At a price of $400 to $1,000 for the three-shot series, the vaccine also was an added burden on green card applicants already paying more than a thousand dollars in application fees and hundreds of dollars for mandatory medical exams. Insurance companies do not cover health services required for immigration purposes, advocates pointed out.
"It also put the financial burden on the individual woman and her family," Gabriela Valle, senior director of community outreach and mobilization for California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, said Monday. "Not only are you taking my rights to make an informed decision over my body, over myself, over my daughter, but you're having me pay for it as well."

Despite the changes, the government does recommend all young girls start receiving the HPV vaccination by age 9. Sexually-active women should also be getting the shots too, according to officials.

Speaker Co-opts Anti-Immigration Tea Party

Erin Rosa — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:28:25 EST

“Who are you calling an immigrant, Pilgrim?”

Right-leaning activists held an anti-immigration rally in Minnesota over the weekend, but thanks to some creative Jiu-Jitsu by one speaker, the event took an about-face, without supporters realizing it.

By the end of his speech, a young man going by the moniker “Robert Erickson" gets the tea-partiers to yell a rallying cry of “Columbus Go Home!” over and over again.

Speech nuggets, with the loud crowd cheering throughout the entire event:

All across America they’re contributing to the flood of our job market, making it harder for Americans to find jobs. We’ll I’m fed up and its time to let our politicians know that enough is enough, and we’re not going to take it anymore.”

…

We need tougher immigration laws to make sure we send these people back where they came from.

…

It’s no secret that with the invasion of immigrants comes waves of crime. A secret involving massive theft, and murder, and bringing diseases like small pox, which is responsible for the death of millions of Americans. These aren’t new problems though. They’ve been going on for hundreds of years. They continue to this day. It’s time for us to say enough is enough. Are you with me?

…

All right. Let’s send these European immigrants back where they came from! I don’t care if they’re Irish, English, or Norwegian. European immigrants are responsible for the most violent and heinous crimes in the history of the world!

…

Columbus go home! Columbus go home!

Homeland Security Chief Talks Immigration

Erin Rosa — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:20 EST

In her first major speech on immigration reform since becoming the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano worked to define the Obama administration’s agenda and what has changed since the issue was debated by Congress in 2007.

Speaking at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Napolitano said her department had met with more than 1,000 groups in an effort to find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to immigration.

“The businesses, community leaders, labor leaders, faith groups and law enforcement we’ve met with all have different stories, but they all reach the same conclusion: we need reform,” Napolitano said.

Apparently, the White House is favoring a “three-legged stool” approach, as it was called during the speech, which includes a “a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here.”

As for what has changed since the failed McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill debated in 2007, Napolitano emphasized the department’s amped up enforcement near the Mexican border—a key part to passing immigration reform according to the Homeland Security chief.

“The immigration debate in 2007 happened during a period of historically high levels of illegal entry into the United States,” said Napolitano. “Because of better enforcement and the current economic circumstances, those numbers have fallen sharply.”

The New, Quieter, Immigration Raid

Erin Rosa — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:11:48 EST

Under the Obama administration, undocumented workers apparently don’t have to worry about armed immigration officials raiding their workplaces and detaining them for indefinite periods of time, but they do have to worry about losing their jobs.

Recently, at least 1,200 janitors were fired from a cleaning company operating in Minneapolis-St. Paul, according to investigative reporting from Minnesota Public Radio:

One of the largest immigration crackdowns under the Obama administration to date took place in the Twin Cities last month, when 1,200 undocumented janitors were fired from their jobs, according to immigration lawyers.
…
The most important rumor to dispel was that the workers were arrested. Unlike raids at the Swift meatpacking plant in Worthington in 2006, and the Postville, Iowa raid in 2008, the ABM janitors would not be rounded up or arrested.
The union worked with the company and ICE to give employees more time to show proper documents. They had until October. Then, each Monday, another batch of workers who failed to show correct papers was fired.

Following the story, the Service Employees International Union, the body representing the janitors, stated that “instead of solving problems, [the worker purge] only succeeds in pushing undocumented workers away from responsible employers and deeper into the shadows--benefitting the most unscrupulous off-the-books employers and degrading the quality of life for the rest of us.”

Unemployed now crowding day labor spots

Erin Rosa — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:07:56 EST

With the sluggish economy, a number of unemployed craftsmen are apparently hanging out in parking lots and hoping to get some jobs that might traditionally go to undocumented immigrants.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that the spectacle of Anglos seeking work in Home Depot parking lots could be a growing trend:

In the latest sign of the Las Vegas Valley’s economic free fall, U.S. citizens are starting to show up in the early mornings outside home improvement stores and plant nurseries across the Las Vegas Valley, jostling with [undocumented] immigrants for a shot at a few hours of work.
…
Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said he has been seeing the same thing elsewhere. “It’s happening, though still not in massive numbers,” Alvarado said. In the past six months or so, he has heard of “americanos” on the street corners and parking lots of Silver Spring, Md., Long Island, N.Y., and Southern California locations.
“It’s just beginning,” he said. “But I think it’s only going to increase.”

Whether an individual is undocumented, this isn’t exactly the best news for prospective job seekers and those who are just entering the labor market.

Census Flap Could Ignore Millions of Young Latinos

Erin Rosa — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:04:38 EDT

Every ten years the U.S. constitution requires the federal government to take a census of every single person in the nation, and that means counting the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country.

But such a tally could be problematic to say the least if the Senate seriously considers a proposal to question census responders about their immigration status, a plan that would likely create more fear and distrust in immigrant communities, where it’s difficult to take accurate surveys already.

On top of that, not getting an accurate count of the undocumented population could potentially ignore millions of Latino youths.

Govt. Announces Immigration Detention Reform

Erin Rosa — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:12:00 EDT

The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it will be revising the way federal agents detain undocumented immigrants by creating alternatives to incarceration and reclassifying immigrants into “non-criminal” and “non-violent” populations.

Student Profile: Liana Montecinos

Tobin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:45:10 EDT

“I profoundly believe in advocating for immigration reform not only because my life has dramatically changed, but because it pains me to see so much young talent being wasted and rejected. For me it’s very difficult to accept the fact that many people who do not appreciate the opportunities the United States offers and who are not willing to become good citizens are easily given a visa, green card or citizenship based on a quota or their economic status while thousands of students, like myself, who are willing to work for the land that has given us everything, are rejected.”

-Liana

"Crossing Arizona" Sparks Immigration Dialogue at Michigan State University

misspronounced — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:31:58 EST

In response to a recent series of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, arrests and deportations in the Greater Lansing area, Michigan State University’s progressive student organization Amplifx hosted a screening of the documentary Crossing Arizona, and fundraiser for the newly-formed No Human Is Illegal Network (NHIIN).

The screening, sponsored by Campus Progress, was held on November 20th at the East Lansing Public Library. There was a good turnout, despite a sudden snowfall that took Michigan by surprise.

Crossing Arizona showcases what happens when border policy fails everyone, focusing on those directly involved. From local ranchers and humanitarian groups to the armed minutemen who patrol the border area, Crossing Arizona reveals the complicated web of failed immigration and border policy in the United States.

During the film, a representative from NHIIN explained objectives for local victims of raids. Families of those deported have been left extremely vulnerable, having lost their main breadwinner and in some cases not being able to communicate with them. Guests were invited to participate in a raffle, donate food items and donate directly to the over 70 individuals that have detained over the past few weeks.

For more on the film, visit www.crossingaz.com

Anti-Immigrant Sentiments are Alive and Well...if not logical.

Nicadulche — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:26:45 EDT

http://jewishworldreview.com/kathleen/parker051408.php3

Kathleen Parker, who was featured in the Washington Post yesterday, calling Obama and Edwards "girly boys", also wrote the appalling article above (alliteration!!!) apparently in defense of those who think that being a "real American" means having WHITE ancestors who arrived in the U.S. before some arbitrary date, 1800 perhaps? Seriously? She begins with a quote from a young West-Virginian who says that he dislikes Obama becasue he's not a "full blooded American". As some other bloggers out there have pointed out, Obama's grandfather fought in WWII. What about that is not American? What exactly is the qualification for being a "real American"? Is she proposing, by defending this opinion, that anyone that came to the U.S. after a certain date is a doesn't belong here?

In addition to that revelation, Ms. Parker points out that understanding America is "about blood equity, heritage and commitment to hard-won American values. And roots". I'd venture to say that the millions of people from around the world who apply for U.S. Visas every year, who have worked and saved for years to have enough money in their accounts to even apply to enter our country, understand commitment and the value of hard work. It is unacceptable to defend those who believe that the only true Americans are white people whose family came over on the Mayflower.

Ms. Parker also indicates that multiculturalism is evidently cause for concern for many "real Americans": "What they know is that their forefathers fought and died for an America that has worked pretty well for more than 200 years. What they sense is that their heritage is being swept under the carpet while multiculturalism becomes the new national narrative". I'm sorry, but I didn't realize that multiculturalism was the new damaging trend. The U.S. has always relied on "multiculturalism" for its success: it was immigrants who created some of the most important technological advances in American history. Also, our country was literally built on the backs of slaves who were stolen from Africa. Without that "free" labor, we would not have experienced the type of rapid economic growth that occurred in the 19th century. My black and white (I'm mixed) forefathers fought and died for the values of an America that still treats me like a second class citizen because I, like Obama, don't "look" American. Ms. Parker's post proves that racism is still alive and well. It is clear that even if Obama wins the presidency, we still have a lot of work to do to become united states, instead of the ones divided, along racial/social/cultural lines, that we have been for hundreds of years.

Dream Deferred

pdelatorre — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:34:02 EDT

Brave New Films just came out with a good new video on the DREAM Act – check it out:

This is one of many short films they will be putting out on immigration in the coming months.

Protection Against Domestic Violence for Illegal Immigrants

Kay Steiger — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:21:36 EDT

There's a great piece today by Anabel Lee in TAP. She talks about women who are the victims of domestic abuse, but because of their status as illegal immigrants, are afraid to come forward.

Massachusetts Shows Up Arizona

Kay Steiger — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:49:15 EST

While Arizona is busy overcharging illegal immigrants for going to college, Massachusetts’s Governor Duval Patrick proposed yesterday that illegal immigrants be granted in-state tuition status as long as they’ve graduated from a Massachusetts high school. Perhaps suspecting opposition, Patrick is considering implementing the measure as a unilateral action, bypassing the state’s legislature.

Xenophobia Arizona

Kay Steiger — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:56:40 EST

Via Chronicle. It turns out that thanks to Proposition 300, some anti-illegal immigrant legislation, has kept nearly 4,000 students from receiving in-state tuition. In order to get in-state tuition, you need to prove that you are a U.S. citizen, according to the new law.

It seems doubtful that Arizona has thousands of illegal immigrants who are clamoring to get cheap (ha!) educations at community colleges. What this shows is that such xenophobic legislation is actually also harmful to citizens. Requiring everyone to produce proper documentation for everything we do is a bit, um, fascist.

The counter campaign is to inform students that even if students are illegal immigrants they can still attend college -- the just pay a lot more. Awesome. At least we're making a buck off the illegals.

Racial Language and AP Style

Chelsea Toy — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:51:29 EDT

Tonight I am working on an editorial for our Campus Progress sponsored magazine, The InterActivist. Our staff decided to deviate from AP guidelines when it comes to racial identification. After talking to professors in the diversity studies and cultural education departments, we chose to capitalize "Black" and "White" as they refer to racial identities, not just colors. Also, we chose to move away from Hispanic, as the word is imperial and colonial in itself, describing the Conquistadors that raped and pillaged the indigenous Americans. Does anyone have any ideas on these issues? Should AP style be changed? Does anyone have any language preferences? These conflicts are always so interesting to me.

Immigration and Health Care

Kay Steiger — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:47:13 EDT

You know how conservatives like to blame uninsured illegal immigrants for the rising costs of health care? Well, the Economic Policy Institute released this graph that shows change in the share of the uninsured with and without post-2000 immigration increases.* Don't you love it when you can point to a graph to prove your point?

* This post originally said this was a change in overall health care spending.

Discriminating against undocumented students

Ben Adler — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:44:34 EDT

Via Ezra, a new bill in Virginia seeks to prohibit public universities from accepting undocumented students. As Ezra points out, this is a great idea because the last thing we need to is to educated immigrants and allow them to contribute to our economy. Brilliant.