Despite oil spills, the economy, and the World Cup, immigration reform is on still at the forefront of the news. As the guest bloggers have pointed out, the current system is broken. Check out what others have to say about one of our nation’s most pressing issues:
Obama’s Latino Backlash
Has President Obama broken his promise, or is there still time for him to create the change we need?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-28/univisions-jorge-ramos-obamas-immigration-promise/
SB 1070 is Spreading Like the Plague
This sad situation just keeps getting worse as other states join in the inequity of Arizona-style reform.
http://www.theroot.com/buzz/sb-1070-spreading-plague
Arizona Governor: Most Illegal Immigrants are Smuggling Drugs
Governor Brewer speaks, need I say more?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/25/jan-brewer-drug-smuggling_n_626258.html
Hillary Clinton: US Will Sue Over Arizona Immigration Law
All may not be lost.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/18/hillary-clinton-u-s-will-sue-over-arizona-immigration-law/
Why So Few Blacks Join Immigration Rallies
Now is the time for a new Rainbow Coalition.
http://www.theroot.com/views/why-so-few-blacks-join-immigration-rallies
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Stephanie Beck Borden, district director for Reform Immigration FOR America, guest blog
Many people hold complex, and sometimes contradictory, feelings and ideas about immigration. Recent public opinion polling bears this out. America’s Voice recently found that most Americans support both Arizona’s controversial anti-immigration law at the same time they also support proposed federal comprehensive immigration reform legislation with a path to eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Overall then, opinion research shows that rather than a newfound wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, most Americans support Arizona’s law as well as support for national comprehensive immigration reform is driven by a desire for action by Washington on a problem that has been left unattended for too long.
For years now, Americans of all political persuasions have agreed that the current immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. We need effective border security, accountability for employers and rationality in the process to immigrating to the U.S. Reform Immigration FOR America is a national campaign that launched a year ago to work with grassroots organizations, faith communities, labor unions, small business owners and community leaders to advance just and humane comprehensive immigration reform. The campaign supports the following principles:
• Immigration reform must promote economic opportunity. We must renew our commitment to helping all low-income Americans improve their job prospects and move up the economic ladder towards the American Dream.
• Immigration reform must be comprehensive. Unless we tackle the broken immigration system as a whole, we will fail to solve the problem at hand.
• Long-term reform requires long term solutions. The factors shaping immigration are not just domestic; the issue transcends our borders. As such, how we as a country approach our relationships with other nations matters. We must deal with the domestic aspect of this issue and work in partnership with other countries over time to develop long-term strategies.
Here in Cincinnati, nearly 500 people participated in a march through downtown on Saturday, June 5. They gathered to express their outrage over the legislation signed into law in Arizona that effectively requires police officers to racially profile people.
Fr. Jorge Ochoa, a Catholic priest with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Office of Hispanic Ministry, rallied the crowd, telling them it’s time for Senator Voinovich, Senator Brown and President Obama to….well…..lead and take action to fix the broken immigration system. Civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein recently won a $100,000 settlement from Butler County in the wake of actions by Sheriff Richard Jones’ staff during a workplace raid. At the march, Mr. Gerhardstein outlined the risks to the counties and the state, as well as the costs, of pursuing a path similar to Arizona’s.
The march wound through downtown, passing the federal building, Senator Brown’s office, Fountain Square and concluded at Senator Voinovich’s office. There, a high school student spoke of his dream to become an engineer but facing stiff challenges because he came to the US with his parents when he was just a toddler. Now, despite going to church, working hard in school, speaking perfect English and getting good grades, college is almost a pipe dream for him. And for his 14 year old cousin who wants to go to college as well.
Just and humane immigration reform will address safe and effective border security. Common sense reform will ensure that greedy, bad-actor employers can’t continue to drive wages down and pit workers against one another while corrupting the system against their competitors. Rational reform will lay out an earned path to citizenship for immigrants in the country without proper status, requiring them to register with the government, get in the back of the line, pass a background check and pay back taxes. Comprehensive reform will also take a realistic look at workforce needs and develop a way to a workable process to meet the needs of employers for workers.
The current system is broken. We need federal elected officials to take action on a rational reform that reflects or national values of fairness and moves us all forward together.
****Stephanie Beck Borden, district director for Reform Immigration FOR America.****
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Arizona law, Ohio bills signal disturbing trend
By Michelle L. Watts • June 7, 2010
This article first appeared in The Sunday Enquirer, June 6, 2010.
BRIDGES for a Just Community understands the full range of complexities associated with comprehensive immigration reform and the protection of our nation's borders.
Our national leaders are charged with the difficult task of drafting and enforcing immigration reform policies. BRIDGES unequivocally supports our nation's rights to limit the number of immigrants permitted to enter our country each year.
Likewise, we support our nation's right to deport those who violate our immigration laws.
However, the passage of the controversial Arizona immigration bill signals a disturbing trend in the immigration reform movement.
The Arizona law requires immigrants in the state to carry proof of their immigration status. It also mandates that police can question anyone they believe to be in the United States illegally. Such a law begs racial profiling, resulting in the harassment of both documented and undocumented persons.
Current Ohio Senate bills (SB150 and SB35) are similarly troubling - both seek to make significant changes to the current state immigration laws.
The new legislation would require employers to check a prospective hire's legal status or risk significant fines and penalties and permit local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration laws.
Enforcement of Ohio's bills would give employers an incentive to discriminate against anyone they believe to be foreign-born, the risk of a fine for noncompliance is just too great.
Ohio cannot afford to enforce policies unseen since post-Reconstruction America when African-Americans were forced to carry "papers" to show proof of employment.
Our national and state policies must not implicitly encourage the mistreatment of immigrants or citizens who are believed to be foreign-born or who happen to speak English as a second language.
We call upon our elected representatives to be mindful of the full consequences of the Ohio Senate bills and encourage all in Greater Cincinnati to examine the purposes underlying local and national immigration reform efforts to discern between policies designed to responsibly manage immigration and those designed to intimidate persons of a different national origin.
BRIDGES pledges to continue its work to achieve inclusion, equity and justice for all immigrants and foreign-born citizens in the United States.
Check out this link: http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/crime/immigration-suit-against-sheriff-settled-for-100k-663732.html?imw=Y
This article first appeared in The Sunday Enquirer, June 6, 2010.
BRIDGES for a Just Community understands the full range of complexities associated with comprehensive immigration reform and the protection of our nation's borders.
Our national leaders are charged with the difficult task of drafting and enforcing immigration reform policies. BRIDGES unequivocally supports our nation's rights to limit the number of immigrants permitted to enter our country each year.
Likewise, we support our nation's right to deport those who violate our immigration laws.
However, the passage of the controversial Arizona immigration bill signals a disturbing trend in the immigration reform movement.
The Arizona law requires immigrants in the state to carry proof of their immigration status. It also mandates that police can question anyone they believe to be in the United States illegally. Such a law begs racial profiling, resulting in the harassment of both documented and undocumented persons.
Current Ohio Senate bills (SB150 and SB35) are similarly troubling - both seek to make significant changes to the current state immigration laws.
The new legislation would require employers to check a prospective hire's legal status or risk significant fines and penalties and permit local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration laws.
Enforcement of Ohio's bills would give employers an incentive to discriminate against anyone they believe to be foreign-born, the risk of a fine for noncompliance is just too great.
Ohio cannot afford to enforce policies unseen since post-Reconstruction America when African-Americans were forced to carry "papers" to show proof of employment.
Our national and state policies must not implicitly encourage the mistreatment of immigrants or citizens who are believed to be foreign-born or who happen to speak English as a second language.
We call upon our elected representatives to be mindful of the full consequences of the Ohio Senate bills and encourage all in Greater Cincinnati to examine the purposes underlying local and national immigration reform efforts to discern between policies designed to responsibly manage immigration and those designed to intimidate persons of a different national origin.
BRIDGES pledges to continue its work to achieve inclusion, equity and justice for all immigrants and foreign-born citizens in the United States.
Check out this link: http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/crime/immigration-suit-against-sheriff-settled-for-100k-663732.html?imw=Y
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