Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Friends of Adelanto August 6 Rally Update

The purpose of the rally outside the Adelanto Detention facility was to petition ICE to reinstate visits by the Friends of Adelanto and other organizations, including CLUE. 

Here's the post from their blog. It has links to news coverage of the rally where you can read more about it.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

This Week in Immigration

Click on the title to read the entire story

THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION
www.immigrationimpact.com
New Estimates of State and Local Taxes Paid by Undocumented Immigrants
Undocumented immigrants who live and work in the United States pay billions of dollars in taxes every year to state and local governments. Given the chance to earn legal status, they would pay even more. Those are the simple yet powerful conclusions of a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). According to ITEP, “undocumented immigrants paid an estimated total of $10.6 billion in state and local taxes in 2010.” Moreover, “allowing undocumented immigrants to work in the United States legally would increase their state and local tax contributions by an estimated $2 billion a year.” In short, legalization pays.
DREAMers Push For A Path To Citizenship
Ahead of a Wednesday meeting of House Republicans to discuss various options on immigration reform, hundreds of DREAMers—young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children—held their own version of a citizenship ceremony and rally yesterday to push for legislation that will provide a roadmap to citizenship for not only themselves but for millions of other undocumented immigrants as well. “We have come today to claim our citizenship,” said United We Dream’s Lorella Praeli. “2013 is not the time for separate but equal. It is not the time for legalization for some and citizenship for others.”
White House Report Outlines the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform
As Republicans in the House of Representatives search for a way forward on immigration reform, they should keep in mind a critical point: overhauling the U.S. immigration system would help jump start the sluggish U.S. economy. In other words, any Member of Congress who has expressed a desire to cut the federal budget deficit, create new jobs and businesses, boost wages, and increase U.S. economic output should be for immigration reform—not against it. Conversely, those who stand against reform should carefully consider the price that will be paid by the U.S. economy, and U.S. workers, if reform does not occur.
The Civics Lessons Many Undocumented Immigrants Have Already Learned
If the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill becomes law, many undocumented immigrants who apply for and become Registered Provisional Immigrants (RPIs) would have to pass an English and civics test before becoming Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). These tests are administered so New Americans can show their commitment to this country by demonstrating that they speak English and understand the basic tenets of our democracy.
TRUST Act Makes Progress in California
Just before the Fourth of July, the California Senate Public Safety Committee approved the TRUST Act by a vote of 4-2.. The state Assembly previously passed the measure in May, so now the bill heads to the Senate floor. It is the third version of the California TRUST Act considered by the state legislature, which “would limit who state and local police can hold for deportation.” Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed a previous version of the bill last fall.
This Week at the IPC
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

LA Times: Mexican American Mobility

Thank you to Nan for sharing this with us:
(article link at the bottom of this post)
____________________________________________________________
"I really liked this op-ed in today’s LA Times.  Written by Tufts and Stanford professors, it cites recent studies that show that Mexican immigrants and their descendants follow the same pattern in educational aspiration and economic attainment as did previous waves of immigrants. At the same time they faced/face greater discrimination than Europeans did.  It seems to me this is one of the great myths we are up against – that the current wave of immigrants is somehow “different.” "                                _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Some quotes I pulled out (statements for which documentation is provided):
§  “Each passing generation of Mexican Americans does better than the one before at making economic gains and progressing toward full integration into U.S. society.”
§  “…[G]enerational improvements also were seen in wages earned, rates of homeownership and percent living above the poverty line. The gaps between Mexican immigrants and non-Latino whites declined from the first to second generation in all areas (except for homeownership, where no gap exists)." 
§  “…[I]t is important to highlight the progress of many Mexican Americans [who] have made this uphill climb in spite of greater challenges than those faced by earlier, European immigrants.”
§  “For contemporary Mexican immigrants and their U.S.-born children, the biggest challenge to assimilation is illegal status… [L]legalizing the status of Mexican newcomers — a central tenet of the Senate bill — is one of the best ways to encourage and accelerate their progress..”
§  Last paragraph/conclusion:So whatever the rhetoric, the House needs to realize this: When Mexicans have the opportunity to live and work legally in the United States, the new arrivals and their descendants are more likely to overcome disadvantages and, as immigrants have always done, become strong and constructive contributors to our diverse society. Don't stand in the way. 
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-marrow-mexican-immigrants-20130702,0,2688136.story

Friday, June 28, 2013

CIR Bill Resources

  • Think Immigration
  www.thinkimmigration.org 
  • Immigration Impact ~ They offer weekly summaries called "This Week in Immigration" every Friday
       www.immigrationimpact.com       "Spotlight Moves to House After Senate Approves Immigration Bill", Friday, June  28 2013
  • From Vanessa: What the immigration lawyers think of the Senate's passage of CIR bill
       click here for the press release
  • S.744 & Farmworkers
    "Senate Immigration Compromise: A Step Forward for Farmworkers", Thursday, 27 June 2013
  • From Vanessa: Immigration Reform Bill - Poison Pill
        "a detailed analysis of one problematic part of the Reform..."
           click here for the article

  • The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
         www.cliniclegal.org
         "CLINIC Welcomes Senate Vote on Immigration Reform, Notes More Work to be Done"

Websites that Gordon shared with us via email this week
(Thank you, Gordon)

**Helpful Websites that you can subscribe to for email updates


       

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Reaching Buck

Thoughts from our Team-member, N.:

"Hello Juana - It was a pleasure to meet you and M. I wonder if there is any way we could have more dialogue with the group that was present - via email of Skype or something before we get together again - or can we meet more frequently? I think we need to flesh out our issues. I wonder if there is someone who could take notes for the group and if we can come up with action items. I was a bit lost in the discussion. You mentioned responding to the "lies" about immigrants. I do not know about the lies specifically (of course, I hear some things but I don't feel I have enough information in this area) and the response you would have to those lies. Could you send me some information on that. Also, it seems to me that if we want to help immigrants (especially Hispanic immigrants) we need to reach them directly. In California, Hispanics are nearly 40 percent of the population. Maybe some of them have reached the "American Dream" and don't care about those who suffer but I would hope that most who are successful would want to help and those who are still struggling need to know that by their sheer numbers, they have a voice. Republicans are losing power in California - they may have already lost it. So, I guess I am saying we can talk to McKeon but I wonder if we should be talking to Hispanics... I understand Ann tried through faith-based organizations. I am shocked that she received no response and wonder if you know why that would happen or if Ann does. I wonder if meeting with unions who support and organize Hispanic workers would be a way to reach folks.

There were too few Hispanics at the meeting. Do we have contacts with unions, community colleges/universities, and other Hispanic community organizations that could help us deal with these issues. In my opinion, McKeon will respond to VOTES. I assume we were talking mostly about "illegal" immigrants - when Ann talked about a parent being deported. "Illegal" immigrants would be frightened to reveal themselves and speak up (I would think) but how about their family or Hispanics who do not have problems with their status. How do we reach them? We need to try to get McKeon to pull out his ethical, kind core and I hope that works. I am not experienced in this, but I think we also need to bring the "serpent" with us and get at what he is interested in most - votes and political donations. We can be kind, but we have to try to mobilize people and let him know he will lose his job if he doesn't listen. Please feel free to share my comments with the email list/attendees of the meeting and other interested folks. As I said, I am new to this and I would really like to know what other people think about my thoughts. An email response would be most appreciated and a good way to communicate and see what others are thinking. p.s. Is there any way to get in touch with the "Nuns On The Bus"? They seem to get lots of support and t.v. air time and they are interested in social justice issues as well. I know I am asking lots of questions and not coming up with solutions but I am just asking to better understand how I can participate. Best Regards, N."

WELCOME

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to our brainstorming board! This space is meant for us to share our ideas and research results with one another in an organized fashion. Creating a new post is similar to writing an email except that you don't have to type in a recipient's email address. The group will have access to reading, posting, and commenting 24 hours a day. Please take advantage of this resource.

I'm available over the phone if you need a tutorial.

Thanks!
Juana

E-mail:  organizer@cluevc.org
Phone:  (805) 607-2114