Friday, February 26, 2010
Dream Act con nuevos bríos La Raza pide no aplazar sueño de miles
http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=278&secid=12134&cid=2294885&pagenum=4
posted by ericka salazar
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Study points to Valley immigrants' contributions
Immigrants in the central San Joaquin Valley contribute significantly to the economy and are more likely to be employed than native-born workers of the same ethnic groups, according to a study released Tuesday.
Those were among the findings in the report titled "Looking Forward: Immigrant Contributions to the Golden State" commissioned by the California Immigrant Policy Center, an advocacy group.
full article here
[Posted by Kimberly Vasquez]
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Immigration: Gov. Rick Perry asks feds to pay $13.5M in prison fees
Immigration: Gov. Rick Perry asks feds to pay $13.5M in prison fees
SAN ANTONIO -- Gov. Rick Perry called on the federal government Wednesday to reimburse Texas in full for holding undocumented immigrants in state prisons, reviving a symbolic message of border security woes made by other governors in previous years.
Among those governors was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who as Arizona's chief executive sent Washington invoices for imprisoning immigrants convicted of state crimes. Perry said he would begin doing the same.
http://www..elpasotimes.cpm/ci_14378579
Posted by Victoria Bell
Republicanos buscan abolir ciudadanía automática
Republicanos buscan abolir ciudadanía automáti
[Posted By: Zelene Valencia]Washington, 16 de Febrero (EFE).- Una iniciativa republicana que busca abolir la ciudadanía automática para niños nacidos en EE.UU. de padres indocumentados enfrenta ahora a quienes la consideran una buena medida para desincentivar la inmigración ilegal y a los que la califican como una violación de la Constitución.
No es la primera vez que algunos republicanos, y grupos conservadores afines, quieren abolir la ciudadanía automática a niños nacidos en Estados Unidos de inmigrantes sin papeles.
La idea cobró fuerza durante la década de 1990 y, de hecho, fue incluida en la plataforma del Partido Republicano en 1996, pero no prosperó porque se consideró que iba en contra de la 14 enmienda de la Constitución del país.
http://www.impre.com/inmigracion/2010/2/17/republicanos-buscan-abolir-ciu-173665-1.html
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Judge tosses sanctuary suit in S.F. killings
click here for more.
[posted by sosa]
Monday, February 22, 2010
U.S. officials to host immigration workshop
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is hosting a workshop Thursday to help immigrants better understand the immigration process, said spokeswoman Sharon Rummery.
"The idea is to try to demystify the process so people won't be intimidated by applying for citizenship," Rummery said. (February 16, 2010)
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/02/16/2540923/us-officials-to-host-immigration.html
Posted by: Uriel Lopez
Shop owners: Border Patrol spooking customers
Some business owners at a San Juan Capistrano shopping center say routine checks by the U.S. Border Patrol are scaring away customers and hurting their bottom lines.
Store owners at Alipaz Plaza at Del Obispo and Alipaz streets told Mayor Lon Uso during his Mayor's Walk this week that they want the city to ask the Border Patrol to stop going to the shopping center.
The Mayor's Walk is a monthly event organized by the San Juan Chamber of Commerce in which the mayor visits local businesses to hear their concerns. Wednesday afternoon's walk was the first for Uso, who became mayor in December.
"Last year I started hearing my customers say, 'Don't go to Alipaz Plaza, that's where (the Border Patrol agents) are hanging out,'" said Isabel Rizo Patron, owner of Isabel's Beauty Salon.
[Posted by Brenda Diaz]
http://www.ocregister.com/news/border-233915-patrol-mayor.html
GOP decline linked to immigration rise
As immigrants surged into Orange County in the last two decades, the number of poeple voting forRepublican presidential candidates in one of the state's most conservative regions dropped by nearly 18 percent – to just over 50 percent, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies.
The correlation between increased immigration and what the study called the Republican "demise" mirrors a nationwide trend in counties, according to the report released Friday by an anti-illegal immigration group, which seeks to curb overall immigration.
[Posted by Brenda Diaz]
http://www.ocregister.com/news/percent-235564-born-immigration.html
LATINOS PURSUING DREAM OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP
Dramatic increase in Latino naturalized citizens reflects success of ya es hora campaign
LOS ANGELES - Latino newcomers seeking to become new Americans helped contribute to a record
number of naturalizations in FY 2008, according to a report recently released by the Department of
Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS). An analysis of OIS data by the National
Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund reveals that nearly
one out of two (44%) of the nation’s 1,046,539 new U.S. citizens was Latino.
According to the NALEO Educational Fund analysis, 461,317 Latino legal permanent residents became
U.S. citizens in FY 2008, the largest number of Latino naturalizations in recent history. While the total
number of naturalizations increased by 58% between FY 2007 and 2008, the number of Latino
naturalizations nearly doubled during the same period, growing by 95%. In addition, the share of Latino
naturalized citizens has increased significantly in the last five years, from 27% in 2003, to 30% in 2006,
to 44% in 2008.
for more info follow link
http://http//www.naleo.org/pr/pr04-06-09.html
Porous border not so scary
Steve Chapman
From listening to the more vigorous critics of illegal immigration, our porous borders are a grave threat to safety. Not only can foreign terrorists sneak in to target us, but the most vicious criminals are free to walk in and inflict their worst on innocent Americans.
In xenophobic circles, this prospect induces stark terror. Fox News' Glenn Beck has decried an "illegal immigrant crime wave." A contributor to Patrick Buchanan's Web site asserts, "Every day, in the United States, thousands of illegal aliens unleash a reign of terror on Americans."
For full article click here.
[POSTED BY DAISY ALEJANDRA CUEVAS]
Fundador de Minuteman se retira de contienda para Senado (Founder of the "Minuteman" withdraws from the race to Senate)
(Translated) Chris Simcox, Founder of the group anti immigrant Minuteman, announced today its retreat of the combat for the Senate by the state of Arizona and offered its support to the former republican congressperson John D. Hayworth. "We should assure our border and we can be sure that J.D. will protect and will defend our Constitution", said Simcox.
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/inmigracion/2010/2/16/fundador-de-minuteman-se-retir-173530-1.html
[Posted by Sonia V.]
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Undocumented immigrants barred from visiting loved ones in prison
click here for more
[posted by sosa]

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Border Crackdown Has El Paso Caught in Middle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082002022.html
(posted by Alejandra Franco)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Migrants struggling for work in Texas return to Mexico as a burden
By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-return_02int.ART.State.Edition2.4bbcef0.html
CORRAL DE PIEDRAS, Mexico – The leader of this community has a message for its native sons and daughters who work in Texas and dream of returning home: Don't do it. You'll regret it.
To make her point, she has the perfect example: her husband.
Teresa Cadena Moreno, 34, the mayor's delegate in this farming community of 5,000 people in central Guanajuato state, has noticed a troubling trend over the past few months. With the slowdown in the U.S. economy, she is seeing a rising number of expatriates returning home. They're not coming just for a Christmas visit or town celebration, but with every intention of staying permanently. And that has the town in a bind.
They come back with more expectations than they left with. They want better public services – roads, schools, sewer systems – and, more important, jobs. Some complain about the lack of drinking water. Their children often speak only English or broken Spanish...Read More
© 2010, The Dallas Morning News, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
[Posted By Michael Felix]
ICE non-criminal detentions fell for 3 months
By SUZANNE GAMBOA
Associated Press Writer
http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/1965912.html
WASHINGTON — A decline in detentions of immigrants without criminal records led to an overall drop in the detention population late last year, a data research group reported Friday.
Roughly one in four immigration detainees - or 27 percent - had criminal records between October 2008 and September 2009, the Syracuse University-based Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reported.
But the number of immigrants with criminal convictions increased to about four of 10 - or 43 percent - between October and December 2009 and is trending upward, according to TRAC.
There was no increase in the overall number of detainees with criminal arrests. The numbers are tracked by fiscal year, which is a 12-month period beginning on Oct. 1.
ICE told TRAC it agreed with the findings, but says more complete data shows a modest increase in the detention of immigrants with criminal records.
That data has not yet been provided to TRAC, which is a nonpartisan data research group supported by numerous foundations and based at Syracuse University in New York.
ICE spokesman Brian Hale said the agency is focused on immigration enforcement that "focuses first on those dangerous criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities...Read More
copyrighted by Fort Worth Star-Telegram
[Posted By Michael Felix]
Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico to march against racist inn keeper in Taos
http://www.aztlan.net/chaos_in_taos.htm
Post by Braulio Felipe Ocampo
Siblings face deportatation after work for feds
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — There was a time, just a few years ago, when the lives of Emilio and Analia Maya brimmed with possibility, when their little Main Street cafe thrived and their hard-fought dream of life in America seemed enticingly within reach.
They had emigrated from Argentina in the late 1990s and settled in this picturesque village at the foot of the Catskills, working in restaurants and gas stations, becoming respected members of the community. Emilio joined the volunteer fire department. His sister volunteered as a translator for the local police.
Life was hard, but happy, and they had big plans. They were saving to open a restaurant where Emilio, now 34, would whip up Argentine specialties like chicken empanadas and chimichurri steak while Analia, 30, served customers.
But that was before the Mayas struck their deal.
Like so many other immigrant workers here in the Hudson Valley, the Mayas had overstayed their visitor visas years earlier. Their days were haunted by the fact that they could be deported at any time
http://www.star-telegram.com/462/story/1966806.html
[Posted by Aaron Mendez]
Latinos say their votes could tip 40 congressional races
WASHINGTON — Failing to overhaul the nation's immigration system, currently a backburner issue for Congress and President Barack Obama, could play a pivotal role in key mid-term election races in November, according to a new study on Latino voting patterns.
The report by America's Voice, which supports comprehensive new immigration policies, says that revising the laws is the defining issue for Latino voters. The report says that progress — or the lack thereof — in revamping immigration laws and regulations could affect as many as 40 congressional races in areas with sizeable Latino populations, including the re-election bids of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just two years ago his party's presidential candidate.
"Immigration reform is a litmus test in the Latino community," Eliseo Medina, the president of the Service Employees International Union, said during a conference call about the study. "To us, this is a policy issue, but it is also an issue about respect."
The study says that Obama and Democrats who campaigned in 2008 on the promise of revamping immigration laws benefitted from a 54 percent growth in registered Latino voters between 2000 and 2008.
http://www.star-telegram.com/668/story/1954855.html
[Posted by Aaron Mendez]
It really ought to be 'illegal’
Those on the pro-immigrant left have shown considerable courage in taking on Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Minutemen vigilantes, border walls and an endless supply of lame immigration enforcement measures. But there’s one thing that makes them tremble: the word "illegal."
That’s what occurs to me whenever I hear the slogan: "No human being is illegal." It’s the creed of the immigrant rights movement — a cause for which I’d have warmer feelings if it called itself "the immigrant responsibility movement." Americans often demand their rights while ignoring their responsibilities. Immigrants would do well not to adopt those ways.
No human being is illegal.
http://www.star-telegram.com/1020/story/1860346.html
[Posted by Aaron Mendez]
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Dan Walters: Openness of U.S. borders is dilemma
The professional football season has ended. Baseball is a couple of months away, but a
Basketball, both pro and collegiate, hockey and soccer games are available daily. As one samples the video fare, the internationalization of sports quickly becomes evident.
While there are few non-Americans playing professional football in the United States, pro basketball and hockey teams have scores of Canadian, European, Asian, African – and even Middle Eastern – players. The summer sport, baseball, is filled with Latinos
As foreigners, they must obtain special work visas to practice their trades and collect millions of dollars from their teams. We have chosen, as a nation, to say that if the Sacramento Kings' Israeli star Omri Casspi, to cite one example, wants to work in America, that's fine and dandy – a win-win for everyone, even if the Kings don't often win.
The same is true when American universities offer professorships to noncitizen scholars, when a corporation hires a foreign executive, or when a high-tech company recruits engineers. We're happy to have them come to America to earn and spend money and help our nation prosper. (February 14, 2010)
http://www.sacbee.com/politics/story/2535895.html
Posted by: Uriel Lopez
Fewer unauthorized immigrants in U.S. in 2009, government says
Washington (CNN) -- The number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States decreased by 800,000 from 2008 to 2009, the Department of Homeland Security said in a report released Wednesday.
There were 11.6 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in January 2008 and 10.8 million one year later, DHS said. The decrease in the number of immigrants coincided with the U.S. economic downturn, the report said.
www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/10/illegal.immigrants/index.html?iref=allsearch
[Posted by Zelene Valencia]
Saturday, February 13, 2010
California's illegal immigrant inmates, by the numbers
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's suggestion on Monday to build a prison in Mexico raised several questions, not least of which was how many illegal immigrant inmates in California actually have Mexican citizenship.
Schwarzenegger's suggestion drew a response from Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, whose office said in a press release today that the governor erroneously implied all illegal immigrant prisoners are from Mexico, a claim that "showed tremendous racial insensitivity."
As of Dec. 31, 2009, California prisons had 22,173 inmates with an immigration hold or potential immigration hold, according to a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation analysis. That represented 13 percent of the state's 168,830 inmates. (January 26, 2010)
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/01/corrections-sta.html
Posted by: Uriel Lopez
The Conversation: Immigration & America
As California struggles to wrestle its budget back into balance, an ever-louder chorus of critics suggests there is an easy answer to the state's troubles: End all services to illegal immigrants.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger waved away these concerns June 5 when he told the Bee editorial board that it is a "myth" that illegal immigrants are to blame for the state's budget problems.
"Our budget is out of whack because we have self-inflicted wounds that the Legislature and this state has never really sat down and had the will to go and make the necessary changes that have to be made," he said.
But the governor's answer did not satisfy the critics, if The Bee's comment boards, letters and phone calls are any indication. Why not end those services, these people ask, before shutting down state parks, laying off public employees or cutting the safety net for U.S. citizens? (June 21, 2009)
Posted by: Uriel Lopez
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Girl who fled Honduran gangs is granted asylum
Click here for full article.
[posted by sosa]
Man who exposed himself may escape deportation
Click here for full article.
[posted by sosa]
What Fuels the Grass Roots Rage
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Immigration crackdown traps illegal farmworkers
For farmers and their employees, the reform of immigration rules is a patchwork process that is causing severe pain. It needs compassionate overhaul.
Agricultural businesses seem to be the favorite target of recent efforts by federal authorities to tighten immigration procedures. No industries are immune, but the feds seem convinced, as many others are, that agriculture, especially in California, harbors the largest number of illegal immigrants.
Full article here
[Posted by Kimberly Vasquez]
Monday, February 8, 2010
Achievement Gap Hearings
click here.
[posted by sosa]
Acusación pone en aprietos a ICE
Piden intervención del Congreso para realizar una investigación en profundidad
* Antonieta Cádiz/laopinion
* 2010-02-04
En base a los resultados de una investigación sobre la conducta de algunos agentes del ICE, varios grupos le están pidiendo al Congreso que investigue
http://www.impre.com/inmigracion/2010/2/4/acusacion-pone-en-aprietos-a-i-171697-1.html#
[Posted by Zelene Valencia]
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Reviven marchas por la reforma Activistas alistan movilización nacional
2 de Febrero de 2010
Decenas de activistas representantes de organizaciones defensoras de los derechos de los inmigrantes se reunieron el lunes en Los Ángeles, California, para definir "el paso siguiente" en la batalla por conseguir que el Congreso apruebe una reforma migratoria.
Se acabó el tiempo
Decepcionados por la escasa mención que el presidente Barack Obama hizo sobre el tema en el informe sobre el Estado de la Unión el pasado 27 de enero en el Congreso, organizaciones locales y nacionales anunciaron una manifestación masiva en Washington D.C. para finales de marzo, reviviendo de esa manera las marchas por la reforma amplia que se gestaron en marzo de 2006, primero en Los Ángeles y luego en varias ciudades con alta concentración hispana.
[Posted by Brenda Diaz]
http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=278&secid=12134&cid=2263080
The El Paso Miracle: How can a comparatively poor, high-immigration town that sits across the border from super-violent Ciudad Juarez be one of the sa
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Latino Congreso ends with resolutions
The delegates, who came from the region and several states, concluded their national three-day conference in El Paso by resolving to continue fighting against the abuses of undocumented and legal immigrants.
Southwest city Rep. Beto O'Rourke addressed the Congreso regarding the Juárez violence and his proposal to explore alternatives to drug-prohibition policies that may be contributing to the violence.
(Posted by Alejandra Franco)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
U.S. Rep. Gutierrez’ Bill Provides Sound Framework
(posted by Jesus Alfredo Galindo)
“We praise the introduction of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) as an important step in providing a solution to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. We believe this legislation will serve as a catalyst for a much-needed dialogue about the best way to construct fair and humane immigration policies that will promote America’s social and economic well-being
“While we are still reviewing the details of the CIR ASAP Act, we believe its provisions generally comport with the principles for comprehensive immigration reform outlined by the NALEO Educational Fund Board of Directors. It appears to provide a path to U.S. citizenship for those immigrants who have played by the rules and are contributing to our society. Its provisions are also intended to promote family reunification and reduce immigration backlogs; assist immigrant students who are pursuing their education; protect our national security with effective and fair enforcement measures; and promote the civic integration of newcomers.
“We commend U.S. Rep. Gutierrez’ leadership in recognizing that comprehensive immigration reform provides a crucial opportunity to ensure that our nation’s naturalization process is accessible and affordable for all eligible legal permanent residents. We understand that the CIR ASAP Act includes provisions which enhance the transparency of the process for imposing naturalization fee increases, which are putting the dream of U.S. citizenship beyond the reach of many newcomers. These provisions lay the foundation for the fundamental changes in our system of financing immigration services that are needed to prevent exorbitant fee hikes.
(To continue ) http://www.naleo.org/pr/pr12-15-09.html
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Frustration over lack of Agenda Attention
The Latino representatives in Congress are getting fed up with the lack of attention immigration is receiving in its agenda. On the heels of the SOTU address Obama gave last Tuesday, in which Obama just glanced at the mention of Immigration Reform, Rep. Luis Gutierrez is calling on all Hispanics to voice their opposition to being put on the back-burner of the Democratic agenda, by having no voice. If the US Congress doesn't get to putting immigration on the agenda by early Spring, then he is calling for Hispanics to no-show elections in the Fall.
Writer for the Daily News Albor Ruiz said the 36 words Obama dedicated to the issue [in the SOTU] “in passing near the end” of his speech were “at best an afterthought, at worse a bone thrown to the immigration community to keep it wagging its tail and hoping against all hope.”
Read the whole article here.
[Posted by David Kilmartin]
'Virtual fence' being built along Mexican border is plagued by glitches, may be scaled back
Associated Press Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — An ambitious, $6.7 billion government project to secure nearly the entire Mexican border with a "virtual fence" of cameras, ground sensors and radar is in jeopardy after a string of technical glitches and delays.Having spent $672 million so far with little to show for it, Washington has ordered a reassessment of the whole idea. The outlook became gloomier this week when President Barack Obama proposed cutting $189 million from the venture.Ultimately, the project could be scaled back dramatically, with the government installing virtual fences along a few segments of the nation's 2,000-mile southern boundary but dropping plans for any further expansion, officials said."The worst that happens is that we have a system which gives us some value but we conclude that it's not worth buying any more of it," said Mark Borkowski, the government's director of the project at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.The first permanent segment of virtual fence — a 23-mile stretch near Sasabe, Ariz. — was supposed to be turned over to the Border Patrol by the main contractor, Boeing Co., for testing in January, but the handover has been delayed by problems involving the video recording equipment.
For more, here
[Posted by Julia Matinez]
Monday, February 1, 2010
California gets help paying for jailed illegal immigrants in Obama's budget
(Posted By Uriel Rivera)
Source L.A. Times
California stands to receive more than $1 billion from President Obama's budget plan to help cover healthcare for the poor and the cost of jailing illegal immigrants.
The budget proposal includes $25 billion in additional Medicaid funds for states, of which California is projected to receive $1.5 billion. States received a funding boost in the economic stimulus bill that Congress passed one year ago. Obama's budget plan would extend the funding through mid-2011.
The proposal also includes $330 million to help states pay for jailing illegal immigrants. The money has long been a priority for California officials, who argue that local and state taxpayers should not have to bear the burden of Washington's failure to control U.S. borders. California's expected $90-million share would represent a fraction of the nearly $1 billion the state probably will spend this year on incarcerating illegal immigrants.