The Sanctuary - Front Page

Fever Swamps Infect National Discourse

yave begnet — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:30:02 GMT

It didn't take long for the bright lights of the conservative revolution to connect swine flu to undocumented immigrants.

One problem with these theories (and some of them are nuttier even than I would have thought): most undocumented migrants are trapped in the U.S. and have been for some time. They know they can leave, but if they do, most won't be able to come back. So they stay put. Fewer people are coming to the U.S. now because there are fewer jobs available in this recession.

The people Beck, Dobbs, and Savage need to take a closer look at are students on Spring Break, the frequent-flying business crowd, or vacationing pensioners. These are the people crossing the border now, when swine flu is being spread. Or these pundits could support immigration reform that would enable the government to better keep track of the migrants already here and those entering in the future. They could encourage President Obama to work closely with the government of Mexico to contain the spread of the flu and protect the citizens of both countries. They could acknowledge the reliance of the global economy on the movement of goods, ideas, and people.

But conspiracy theories make for better ratings in crazybaseland than clear-headed policy, and undocumented migrants are easier targets than jet-setting business travelers or college students.

Also.

Cross posted at change.org.

"Stirring the melting pot with hate and fear"

Duke — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:57:44 GMT

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Oldest Trick In The Book

Robert Cruickshank — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:29:21 GMT

Well I am just shocked, shocked to see that the wingnuts are using swine flu to bash immigrants. As I predicted over the weekend as soon as I heard that there was a swine flu issue in Mexico, the usual suspects who believe that anyone from south of the border is inherently inferior, criminal, disease-ridden and just plain subhuman are using this issue to try again to rally Americans to hate their neighbors, whether they live next door or across an artificial line.

This is a sadly familiar story to those of us who study California history. As recounted in Nayan Shah's excellent book Contagious Divides, a 1905 plague epidemic in San Francisco was blamed on the city's Chinese residents, and became an occasion to physically quarantine the entire neighborhood. Serious proposals to expel the entire Chinese population were considered, and for about four decades afterward every Chinese person who came to the US was quarantined on Angel Island, in bleak and often unsanitary conditions.

Hell, even during the Black Death in the 1300s Europe was full of conspiracy theories blaming Jews for the plague, a meme that unfortunately persevered well into the 20th century, coming to a head in Hitler's Germany.

As usual, immigrant bashing is done by right-wing populists unwilling to admit that their ideology of subservience to wealth and power is actually what's behind the problem. In this case factory farms appear to have played a significant role in causing and spreading the epidemic. That's not a problem unique to Mexico - anyone who's read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation knows that similar conditions exist right here in the good ol' US of A.

There are other aspects of this issue that suggest the assumed superiority of American over Mexican is utterly baseless. While waiting in the San Jos? Airport this morning I caught a report on a Texas town's concerns over swine flu. One man who came down with the flu - and who quickly recovered - said "well I think we just have a better health care system here than they do down there."

As many who have studied American pandemic preparedness are all too aware, of course, this is bollocks - our health care system is in tatters and would be totally unable to handle a serious flu epidemic. There too, the wingnuts blame immigrants, but the truth is that the system fails the native-born just as often, and for the same reason - because profit has been emphasized over safety and health. God forbid we actually focus on that!

That conservatives would be so quick to repeat these sordid lies should surprise no one, but it should outrage everyone.

Virus Brings Swine-Hearted Lobby Into Foreground

nezua — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:20:14 GMT

By The Sanctuary Founding Editors:

The moment that the news of the "Swine Flu" or "North American Influenza" hit the wires, it was easy to predict what the anti-immigrant faction would have to say about it. People like Michael Savage, Neil Boortz, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, Pat Buchanan, and groups like CIS, FAIR, and NumbersUSA are so locked into their views that their voices are unnecessary in a dialogue that actually preferences truth-which by nature requires flexibility and bravery. The stances of those who most vocally oppose immigration today are so predictable that one could paint a face on a septic-tainted soccer ball and paste up word balloons and rest well, knowing that The Nativist Lobby point of view on any immigration-related topic will end in "deport them all" and "seal the borders" if not "round them up" and other tired ideas. And nobody reading now needs a reminder of how throughout time, both Latin America as well as all immigrants have been slurred and painted with the brush of disease by those resistant to changing demographics.
This reaction:

(podcast here if not showing above)

is nothing new. Xenophobic fearmongering has long masqueraded itself behind public health alarmism.

Fear of contagion was used to justify Chinese Exclusion laws in the 19th century, backed up by pseudo-academic papers such as "Chinese Immigration and the Physiological Causes of the Decay of the Nation" (1862) and "How the Chinese Women Are Infusing a Poison in the Anglo-Saxon Blood" (1875). The Angel Island detention facility was set up specifically to quarantine immigrants from Asia, sometimes for months or even years, while European immigrants were processed at Ellis Island in a matter of hours. It is an especially cruel irony of history that it was the Europeans who were bringing to "the New World" the deadly diseases which would claim millions of indigenous lives.

There are of course legitimate public health concerns which deserve attention and precautions; but what's noteworthy is the manner in which these concerns are discussed and imagined, what's played up and played down, what's said and unsaid, and how a racial line is drawn between the clean and the unclean.

Moreover, when the border is lined with barbed wire as it is now, it actually keeps undocumented migrants in- this is another ever-repeating mistake made throughout history, including with Italians after 1924. Before that time, they were much more likely to return home because they knew they could come back if necessary. We have repeated this again with the US Southern borders, which has interrupted the age-old migratory patterns that have brought workers in and out of the US, depending on the seasonal need for more hands. Ironically, this has forced many undocumented to put down roots here. And then the predictable complaints arise from the Nativist Lobby-that we are being "invaded" and "overrun."

How sad for them. These people are unable to simply admit that they are seized with a mental illness that has frozen their mind into a shape echoed throughout time. It is a crooked, and ugly one.

This flu will pass. Meanwhile, people are dying and suffering in M?xico and in the US. Is hatred and fear all these well-paid pundits have to dispense in trying times? Do they see themselves as embodying something...American? We at The Sanctuary have to wonder if people like Michael Savage might best be described as terrorists cells awakening. After all, they are shouting that we should not trust our government, not trust our Health Departments, not frequent businesses that employ brown people, and they incite violence. Would not such disruption of society and our collective emotional fabric, in fact, be terrorists' goals for us?

Let us be united, then. United against fear and hateful misinformation. Together we can keep our heads, our hearts, and our health-while the crazed voices of Yesterday and the zombie-like Nativist choruses of today twist around one other in the rotted mire of irrelevance.

Apr 22 2009 Warning: If You Were Born on a Military Base, You Might Be Deportable!

DreamActivist — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:35:47 GMT

The US Constitution states that a US citizen can’t be deported unless he has committed treason or terrorism. Not one part of the US Government is looking into my case of a US citizen being deported. I was sent back to England where I have no family and had to live in the streets until I was able to get into a Hostel a few weeks later. I signed a wavier for deportation under great direst because they told me I would be deported anyway. I didn’t think a US Federal agent would lie or not do his job.

-Kevin Dale Cartee, Deported U.S. Citizen

Something is seriously wrong when a country deports its own citizens either through error or some misguided attempt to enforce immigration laws.

Meet Kevin Dale Cartee. He recently got deported back to the United Kingdom. Why? He happened to be born to a U.S. citizen and military officer on an army base.

Kevin holds a Citizen Born Abroad of a US Citizen certificate (DS-1359). But the United States could care less. Everyone from the officials at ICE to the office of Senator Chambliss were less interested in hearing his story and investigating his claims than simply deporting him back to where he was born.

In an email correspondence, Kevin describes his immigration nightmare:

I was pick up by (ICE) immigration on 14th FEB 2007 from Telfair State Prison in Georgia and taken to the Atlanta county jail where (ICE) leases part of the jail for immigration and kept there until they sent me to south Georgia to a private facility, which held only people for immigration. I stayed there a while until I was sent to Gadsden Alabama county jail and from there I was picked up and taken back to Atlanta, Georgia to be put on a plane and sent back to England. That was on the 19th of July 2007. The only officer I can remember is Agent Jeremy Blankly who was a federal officer with (ICE) who said he checked everywhere he could and there was no record of me at all ever being let into the USA legally.

The officer either lied or did not do a thorough-enough job. It turns out that Kevin Dale Cartee was a citizen of the United States by virtue of the fact that his father was a U.S. citizen serving in the USAF and shortly after Kevin was born on a U.S. military base, his Dad had filed a citizens born abroad certificate. It would have taken only a phone call to the Department of State to confirm this fact and prevent this wrongful deportation.

Unfortunately, there are dozens of cases of U.S. citizens deported. Professor Jacqueline Stevens has done meticulous research on the issue and blogged her recent findings:

–I saw files for at least 65 US citizens who were held in the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008.

–I read files for at least 15 US citizens who were held in jails or ICE-run detention centers in nearby Florence, Arizona between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

–One percent of the cases in FIRRP files were for US citizens. If this rate holds for the United States, then about 10,000 US citizens have been put into removal proceedings since 2003.

Those statistics are simply disturbing. Innocent civilians are snared in the fervor of immigration enforcement and that is inexcusable.

Kevin continues his story:

I left England when my father got his orders to go back to the US. I was 18 months old when we left England. I told ICE all of this , they just didn’t do there job, if they would have made one call or email to the Department of State, I’m now told they would have found out. If they had checked USAF records on my father, it would have shown that I was on a US passport when I came to America with the rest of my brothers and sister. I’ve found out also now that all reports of US citizens born abroad have to be reported through the Department of State.That should have been their first port of call, I’m told by the lady at the US Embassy in London.

ICE did not make the call and Kevin was deported. Maybe it is running short on the over-bloated DHS budget or misallocating resources. But I digress.

Kevin has till July 19 this year to file for wrongful deportation.

What resources are available to correct these wrongs?

Maybe he can sue the U.S. government for the trauma and hardship. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Nken v. Holder, 08-681 might also provide some relief. Chief Justice Roberts states in the Associated Press that “Aliens who are removed may continue to pursue their petitions for review, and those who prevail can be afforded effective relief by facilitation of their return.”

If any attorney can help with this case, please let us know and drop Mr. Cartee an email.

may day: are you ready to hit the streets this may 1st?

rachelfirm — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:51:08 GMT

One week from today, hundreds of thousands of people will be marching in the streets, demanding immigrant rights and calling for just and humane immigration reform. May Day, a day historically used to celebrate the the contributions of working people, has become THE day for the immigrant rights movement in recent years.

In 2006, millions of people took to the streets in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and everywhere in between to demand justice for immigrants. It was a show of enormous power and solidarity and the spark ignited by the 2006 marches is burning strong in the lead up to May 1st 2009.

With a newly elected President who is committed to immigration reform, with the full support of labor unions, and with more and more momentum building towards justice, this May 1st will be a huge moment in the fight for immigration reform.

Going to hit the streets? Rallies and marches are being planned everywhere in the country - you can check out a list of events in your area at www.anewdayforimmigration.org.

And be sure to text "justice" to 69866 - you will be connected to the folks on the ground in your are and will receive text messages about where to go, times and details of your local event. (you MUST respond with your zip code if you want to receive local information)

This is truly a day where the grassroots get to flex their muscles and show off just how widespread the support for immigration reform is. Mr. President, you can count on us to support your efforts to reform our immigration system and bring justice to immigrants in this country.

This May 1st, I will be marching for immigrant rights? Will you?

Torture Within, Torture Without

Manuel — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:06:53 GMT

Torture has been in the news lately, masquerading in the Witness Protection Program under the alias "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" and "not-torture", but there are too many of us who recognize its darkness no matter what the CYA Campaign declares. These lowest of standards are not reserved especially for prisons outside the United States, however; many instances of abuse have occurred right here on U.S. soil within the profitable network of migrant detention centers.

The night of the incident, in the very early hours of May 20, CCA officials interviewed both the alleged victim and the guard. The guard was immediately placed on administrative leave; he was officially fired the next day.
The company called ICE, which contracts out the facility to CCA to house immigrants seeking asylum with their families. In fact, the alleged victim's son was in the room during the sexual encounter, according to the ICE report. The son's age was not reported but the victim's room contained a crib.
Taylor Daily Press

That particular violation happened at the notorious T. Don Hutto "Family" Prison in Taylor, Texas. Across the way in Tennessee, another woman was shackled like an animal as she gave birth, with agents claiming she was a flight risk.

It started when Juana Villegas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was nine months pregnant, was pulled over by a police officer in a Nashville suburb for a routine traffic violation.
By the time Mrs. Villegas was released from the county jail six days later, she had gone through labor with a sheriff's officer standing guard in her hospital room, where one of her feet was cuffed to the bed most of the time. County officers barred her from seeing or speaking with her husband.
After she was discharged from the hospital, Mrs. Villegas was separated from her nursing infant for two days and barred from taking a breast pump into the jail, her lawyer and a doctor familiar with the case said. Her breasts became infected, and the newborn boy developed jaundice, they said.
NYTimes.com

The detention center system has all the same evil genetic makeup of the former President's fake Global War on Terror™ - denial of habeas corpus rights, magically disappearing detainees to who-knows-where, physical and sexual violence, and negligent refusal of medical care.

The articles, based on thousands of pages of internal documents, found that 83 detainees had died since ICE was created five years ago and that many more sick and mentally ill people have been denied the treatment to which they are entitled. The Post found medical staff shortages, treatment delays, sloppy record-keeping, poor administrative practices and cover-ups by employees aware of the poor care.
Washington Post

As the country has a discussion about whether or not its acceptable to almost-drown someone 183 times in a month while in U.S. custody, we in the pro-human/migrant rights community should remind them all loudly that abuses are tightly woven into the prison networks here. It shouldn't matter whether a human being is a citizen, non-citizen, enemy combatant, unlucky bystander, whatever - nor should it matter what type of treatment someone in our "group" may receive from "them" - if a society wants to claim its exceptionalism, then it must be earned.

In the case of migrant workers, the reality of family separation, criminal treatment of civil violations, and human rights violations is not a myth. Here are some resources to fight this cancer that grows within these militarized borders:

Notorious Anti-Immigrant and Racist to Run for Public Office

nezua — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:28:33 GMT

OH THIS oughtta be grand! Chris Simcox, notorious racist and xenophobe and embezzler and all around embarrassment to the US has decided that he would best be able to fulfill his very interesting worldview were he to run for office.

PHOENIX - Minuteman founder Chris Simcox announced his bid for U.S. Senate against John McCain Wednesday, blaming the senator for deaths caused from violence on the Mexican border and promising a national campaign to unseat the four-term incumbent.
"We have the ability to run a national campaign as well as a state campaign," Simcox said outside the Arizona state Capitol. "There are millions of supporters around the country who have been waiting for some leadership in Washington to take on this border security issue."

Yeah....'cuz I seem to recall that politicans have done real well lately on these types of platforms.
I can only say go for it, Chris! This ought to heat up the political scene a touch, especially when you begin claiming that rageaholics like John McCain are "fully responsible for the deaths along our borders, the raging violence in Mexico and the violence that we have in the streets of U.S. cities from border to border coast to coast"!!

Sombrero Tip: Dave Neiwert over at Crooks N Liars

Weekly Immigration Wire: The Importance of Building Toward Change

The Media Consortium — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:00:25 GMT

By Nezua
TMC Immigration Blogger

As the U.S. moves closer and closer to enacting immigration reform, the situation on the ground is evolving as well. Nothing is static for an issue that touches so many people across so many communities. This week's wire follows up on trends observed last week: holding mainstream media accountable, enforcement tactics, and immigration's positive effect on the economy.

But if you'd first like to get up to speed on immigration reform fundamentals, stop over at Feministing's interview with Christine Neumann-Ortiz. (And definitely don't miss Feministing's call to action to stop the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio.)

Last week, the Wire highlighted the importance of holding mainstream media accountable—especially when it comes to giving proper context to quoted sources. This week, Texas Observer's Melissa del Bosque writes that "[t]he truth differs wildly from the perception." when it comes to the actual political situation in Mexico and the image cultivated by mainstream media. While some outlets continue to develop an image Mexico as lawless and volatile, the actual scenario is not as dramatic.

Following up on enforcement tactics, Marcelo Baliv?, writing for New America Media, explores the "backlash against immigrants" that "continues to rage countrywide." According to Baliv?, anti-immigrant sentiment is bleeding over into American perceptions about Mexican culture, "casting a pall on all Hispanic immigrants, whether they entered the country illegally or not."

On a more positive note, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) head Janet Napolitano's recent statements that ICE will henceforth target employers rather than workers is a move in the right direction, though she gives no indication of how that might manifest on a practical level. Napolitano also admits that there will be "no halt to arrests of undocumented workers."

This is unfortunate. The effects of ICE raids, and the ongoing hunt for "illegals in our midst" is hurting most Latinos in the U.S., even citizens. Even the so-called "Sanctuary" cities, which refuse to enlist local law enforcement to federal duties like immigration control, are no longer offer a feeling of safety. San Francisco, much like Postville, Iowa, is now feeling the devastating effects of the ICE raids. I'm not sure how the Democratic party intends to square its support for community-shattering raids with previous promises to a large part of their constituency.

In the American Prospect, Ann Friedman writes that nearly one year after the raid in Postville, "The lingering effects of the raid make depressingly clear how misleading the "immigrants take from our communities" narrative really is." Friedman asks that we consider what a community loses when we act as if a huge part of that same community is "illegal."

Following up on last weeks coverage of immigration as an economic issue, Pramila Jayapal and Renee Radcliff Sinclair argue that Immigrants Keep Washington’s Economy Strong for the American Forum:

The Office of Financial Management estimated that in 2007, Washington households with at least one foreign-born member contributed $1.48 billion in tax revenue, or 13 percent of the state's total tax revenue. Even low-income immigrant households earning less than $20,000 a year contributed a total of $50 million in tax revenue.

And in other immigration news, Wiretap's Naima Coster writes of an ethical conflict of interest when "anti-immigrant policy and the capitalist ambitions of pharmaceutical giant Merck" are joined. Is it right to federally mandate all women immigrants to receive the Gardasil vaccine, which has claimed approximately 20 lives and produced "thousands of cases of adverse effects"?

Women have good cause to be concerned with the immigration issue "because of the displacement and separation of families—and the inherent link ... between women and family life," writes Elisabeth Garber-Paul for RH Reality Check. It's a point also implicit in Made in LA, an Emmy-winning documentary that follows the lives of three Latina immigrants fighting for labor protections and the right to pursue freedom, happiness and a fair living.

This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration.

Visit Immigration.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on immigration, or follow us on Twitter.

And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy and health issues, check out Economy.NewsLadder.net and Healthcare.NewsLadder.net.

This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and was created by NewsLadder.

Also featured at The Unapologetic Mexican, Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Open Salon, DailyKos, MyDD, Open Left, FDL, Rabble, America's Voice, Alternet, RaceWire, and The Washington Post's Voices.

Open Thread

Manuel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:57:05 GMT

Have we had one of these before? Stop by in the comments to say hello.

Also, check us out on Twitter by following @SanctuaryFeed for frontpage posts and @ProMigrant for human rights/immigration-related news from across the borderless SanctuarySphere.

Talking DREAMs and Identity at NYTimes Online

Manuel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:19:33 GMT

Join the discussion at the New York Times' Room for Debate blog with The Sanctuary's Associate Editor Prerna. There are five featured web-panelists, and as you'll note, some of them have no problem with mass-deportation and racial profiling.

Prerna's bio is powerful because it allows the voice of someone directly affected by political foot-dragging to speak out. This perspective gives the human dimension center-stage to a discussion that is often conducted by either the brain that discounts the familial and cultural toll of inaction, or the rectum that brings tons of defiling b.s. that keeps forward movement at bay.

Contrast that with some of Prerna's heart-speak:

While my presence in this country is not a crime, the tag of "illegal alien" comes with a presumption of criminality, so I am wrongly deemed a criminal. The opponents of the legislation say that "illegal is illegal" and that lawbreakers should not be rewarded, yet they do not want to provide a way for us to live and contribute as law-abiding citizens.
What is American? Who is an American? The lack of a nine-digit Social Security number and a green card does not make me less American in my tastes, values and ambitions. With my family, friends and community here and only distant memories of a country we left, I have nowhere to go. I want to stay here, attend law school, become a public interest lawyer and professor, and serve my community - and stop living in the shadows of the only country we know as home.
NYTimes.com

Join the discussion here

Pulitzer For Arizona Journalists' Expos? on Arpaio

Manuel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:17:15 GMT

The East Valley Tribune covers suburban communities throughout the Phoenix metro area's east side and has had a roller coaster year. As with other traditional media sources facing a downturn in demand and economic stability, they have downsized their staff and services.

Well, one of the laid-off reporters, Paul Giblin, snagged the newspaper a Pulitzer Prize yesterday along with still-employed Ryan Gabrielson for their work on the series Reasonable Doubt that chronicled the abuses of Maricopa County's Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Executive editor Chris Coppola, who was managing editor at the time the series was produced, said:
"This series by Ryan and Paul was the result of an exhaustive examination of public records and interviews with numerous sources, including many within the sheriff's office, to shed more light on an issue of growing importance both nationally and right here in our communities. It's gratifying that the Pulitzer judges recognized that effort with this honor.
"I know many of our readers appreciated what this series brought to light, while others were critical of our reporting, but in the end, the Tribune helped engage more people within our community on the topic,'' Coppola said.
East Valley Tribune

The five-part series was a welcomed addition to the conversation about Arpaio's controversial and ongoing abuse of power that has leveraged the Maricopa County Sheriff Office to target migrant workers and latinos by extension. Reasonable Doubt chronicles the effects of MCSO's expenses and personnel assignments, showing very clearly that Sheriff Arpaio fails at his job to maintain safety in the jurisdiction.

Global Reservations

nezua — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:27:09 GMT

THOSE WITH MORE MONEY AND POWER THAN MOST fight to retain the right to ignore borders when it comes to moving monies or goods to their own financial advantage, or opening bank accounts to evade taxes, or opening sweat shops and hiring populations that will work for substandard wages, or dropping bombs or firing bullets into bodies not like theirs, or dumping nuclear waste, or committing rape and torture to evade laws in the land of the torturer.

But when the people in general start to move about to try and escape the vacuums and pressure zones that open up suddenly and make life a suffering thing as a result of all these behaviors? The Global attitude suddenly constricts violently. And borders are seen as safeguards of civilization. And civiliation-the people-are actually seen as dangerous.
The people-civilization-of course, are not allowed to hop borders to better their situation. The poorer folk, the rabble, the great unwashed masses, the labor force, the buying force, the engines of this society, who work and toil in stores, factories, fields, farms or worse yet who just starve and wish for something different-we are to remain behind fences, ocean-moats, and walls. For national security.

The [Australian] Federal Government has warned the nation to brace for more illegal boat arrivals, describing the surge as a "threat" which must be stopped. ...
Senator Evans blamed increased armed conflict in northern Asia for people taking to leaky - and increasingly deadly - boats to try to reach Australia and seek asylum, The Sunday Telegraph reports. ...
Senator Evans' warning follows the death of three people and injuries to a further 47 on a sinking refugee boat last week after it had been doused in petrol and set alight off Ashmore Reef, 600km from Broome. ...
-Prepare for another wave of boat arrivals, says Immigration Minister Chris Evans

Hard to blame "armed conflict" as Armed Conflict doesn't have a mind nor mouth nor bank account but easier than pointing at the powerful people who initiate or allow or sustain or benefit from that armed conflict-that might get tricky. The conversation we have about these things generally veers away from that end of it.

When we talk of Iraq, we talk of soldier bodybags and sometimes even of vague death counts that spiral up past one million. We talk of of Civil War Brinks, we talk of whether or not we should have used phosphorous to sear the flesh off them, we talk of Whether Or Not They Desire A Strongman, we talk of how Saddam Gassed His People, and we talk of whether or not we should build bases there...even when we dare talk of removing our soldiers (won't happen) we don't so much talk about the massive humanitarian crisis involving the actual Iraqi refugees who are fleeing this hell we opened up over there. We hear the TV sneer and sizzle threats of more bombs and war when it is rumored that Iraq's next door neighbors may be aiding them. You see, that is another illegal use of a border. Iraq's border is for us to run troops and supply lines and bullets and body armor over. Not for Iranian people to aid our targets. Not for people to escape over, either. Like the concrete barriers we have erected in Baghdad, people are to remain in their little reservations while BigBoys divide all the goods.

It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 million Iraqis in Syria today. I believe it. Walking down the streets of Damascus, you can hear the Iraqi accent everywhere. There are areas like Geramana and Qudsiya that are packed full of Iraqi refugees. Syrians are few and far between in these areas. Even the public schools in the areas are full of Iraqi children. A cousin of mine is now attending a school in Qudsiya and his class is composed of 26 Iraqi children, and 5 Syrian children. It's beyond belief sometimes. Most of the families have nothing to live on beyond their savings which are quickly being depleted with rent and the costs of living.
Within a month of our being here, we began hearing talk about Syria requiring visas from Iraqis, like most other countries. Apparently, our esteemed puppets in power met with Syrian and Jordanian authorities and decided they wanted to take away the last two safe havens remaining for Iraqis- Damascus and Amman. The talk began in late August and was only talk until recently- early October. Iraqis entering Syria now need a visa from the Syrian consulate or embassy in the country they are currently in. In the case of Iraqis still in Iraq, it is said that an approval from the Ministry of Interior is also required (which kind of makes it difficult for people running away from militias OF the Ministry of Interior...). Today, there's talk of a possible fifty dollar visa at the border.
-Baghdad Burning blog

When we speak of Mexico and the people there that have been systematically exploited by larger powers, who watched half their land (including the gold-rich California) become US land, who saw Porfirio D?az build trains that all ran up to El Norte, but not East to West in their own country, who were told NAFTA would open up the Mexican market to the world but saw their corn rot after it was replaced by cheaper US corn, who have provided so much of the workforce necessary to build this mighty engine and have since the railroads first were laid down, often responding to Spanish language advertisements US companies pay to broadcast in MX-we talk of "invaders" and "ILLEGALS" and parasites on the system and even voices of popular politicians (and crazy martial artist TV stars) talk of building a huge fence and wall to keep the Mexicans on "their side." Where they should remain while we keep pillaging the global market and economy and stacking it in our favor.

Just as a wall that keeps the poor away from the rich in our own cities and towns and marks the divide where law enforcement begins caring a whole lot more about property and people, so do the borders operate in our world. This entrenched and justified and bullet-peppered divide is a crime in and of itself. In towns, in cities, in nations, and in the world. All the rest that follows is fallout. And if the conversation omits the destination from where the debris is dumped, we may as well not be talking about it at all.

Crossposted at The Unapologetic Mexican

Student Activists Shutdown Tancredo's Nativism

DreamActivist — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:17:35 GMT

Former Congressperson, Tom Tancredo, was not allowed to speak at a recent event in University of North Carolina hosted by the Youth for Western Civilization [Read: Youth Against Multiculturalism and Diversity].

Protestors shutdown the event through their non-violent chanting. Someone threw a brick through a window. And just for that, all hell broke lose or so the media spins. Our resident anti-immigrant demagogue William Gheen was quick to compare it to the persecution of Jews.

That's really a case of the pot calling the kettle black given that his organization--ALIPAC--has ties to right wing hate groups according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Setback for free speech? Boo-hoo. Get over it.

At least Tancredo and his cronies do not have to worry about being invaded and detained by ICE whenever they practice their hate free speech.

This is also the same Tom Tancredo that asked ICE to arrest and detain college immigration advocates when they were testifying for the DREAM Act in 2007.

Apparently, ‘free speech’ is only convenient when the speech in question is in agreement to one’s own sentiments and belief systems.

Tancredo, William Gheen and his goons have enough space, time and money to train and pay internet fighter pilots to spam their extremism on mainstream immigration news articles. Officially, I do believe that exposing their bigotry and hilarious delusions helps our cause so they should be allowed to speak at public forums like universities all they want wearing their white coats and carrying their copy-paste talking points. It reminds people like me who live in the hotbed of pot-smoking, gay-loving, commie-worshipping areas (the Bay Area), that archaic points of view are ‘out there’ and need to be defeated.

However, one wonders what sort of treatment do Tom Tancredo and his nativist cronies expect after spending years spewing hatred, lies, ignorance and misinformation about undocumented immigrants and anyone that is remotely ‘different’ from them? When one breeds a culture of hate and violence backed with policies that aim to make life difficult for immigrants in this country, one cannot possibly expect everyone to react in a peaceful manner.

These extremists don’t want dialogue as has been demonstrated time and again and the students in question were not about to engage in a dialogue with hate.

So what were Tancredo and his band of extremist nuts expecting at the liberal University of North Carolina?

Gabe at Documenting Me has a theory:

Now, clearly he is implicitly blaming this havoc on Dreamers, trying to make us look like an angry mob. However, if one takes a second to ponder about the potential repercussions of the protester's violent actions, such as jail time, then one thing becomes apparent.
Undocumented students would not risk being deported for such inefficient means of expressing one's self.
This thought then leads me into a conspiracy theory that begins by asking: "Who would have the most to gain from Mr. Tancredo being harassed off stage?"

And mind you, Tancredo could not even attract 1 percent of the votes while running in the Republican Presidential primaries. Nativism is so popular after all.

Gabe continues:

Clearly not my peers and I. Personally I do not condone violence, and I'm sure this sentiment is shared by many undocumented students who have been shouted at, harassed and CAPSLOCKED by the neighborhood Gheene fan.

Yet, the opposition relishes in its aggressive (and often times violent) efforts at making undocumented immigrants be pervasive law breakers.

So, when faced with intelligent English speaking, college educated, logic following undocumented immigrants, Gheene and his crew got desperate and formulated this disruption.

Or maybe, Mr. Tancredo forgot to write his speech and this was his back up plan?

It’s certainly food for thought.

One thing that is critically important to note from the videos and commentary is that the ethnic minority students protested quietly while the white student allies made the most noise.

Maybe that is an issue of empowerment and privileging that should be discussed more in-depth.

We love this piece in the Denver Westwood Blog:

In the end, though, the protesters won -- to the acute embarrassment of campus officials, who issued an apology of sorts to Tancredo and the group that invited him. There may not be a lot of substantive activism on college campuses these days, but speech is still cheap, if not free. Especially if you can scream louder than the other guy.

Effectively, Tancredo, Gheen and his cronies are not upset about their free speech rights being violated. They are upset that for once, a group of students shot down part of their National Hate Tour. One can only wonder how much whining we would hear from them once the DREAM Act or any other sort of pro-immigration legislation passes.

The Youth for Western Civilization continue to embark on the journey to become the junior StormFront. Now Goode, a Republican who opposes illegal immigration and supports limits on legal immigration, will speak Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Gardner Hall on campus.

Bellingham Raid Focus Results in Drastically Different Outcome

nezua — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:47:45 GMT

THE FEBRUARY ICE RAIDS IN BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON surprised many, coming as they did after President Obama was elected. The remnant of Bush-Chertoff style tactics were a brand new shock again, as a mass of federal agents surrounded a car engine repair shop and scooped many workers into buses waiting in the back.

Shortly after, Janet Napolitano confessed that the raid had taken even her by surprise, that she was not consulted, and that she would order a review. Speaker Pelosi was soon quoted speaking out against the devastating effects our "enforcement" tactics have been having on communities.

Did the focus have an effect on how this raid played out in the aftermath?

Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said there was no policy shift and that other worksite immigration inspections had taken place since the Bellingham raid.
But Rosalinda Guillen said people in the pro-immigrant rights community were heartened by the fact that shortly after Napolitano ordered a review of the Bellingham case the immigrant workers who were still in immigration detention were released.
"I was just flabbergasted," Guillen said. And the same immigration agents who had arrested the workers, she said, now promised them visas that would allow them to work temporarily in the U.S.
"Homeland Security drove them to the place where they had to go to fill out the paperwork for the work permits," she said "That is totally unheard of." ...
After 11 years of living illegally in the United States, it was not until Gerardo Arreola Gonzalez was nearly deported that he finally received permission to work here.
-Illegal immigrants detained, then freed to work

Now look at that. No shattered community, no ankle bracelet, no tears, no lonely children, no jail. Man goes back to work next day, helps make products for the company, his boss pays him, his family eats, they live together and life goes on, and hey-the nation keeps growing.

Wow, I bet if that happened all over, that would just destroy the USA! Just like NumbersUSA, CIS, and FAIR are always weeping and moaning about. Maybe we should start giving these "anti-immigrant" groups more credit, like the CNN article does by positioning Ira Mehlman's response directly opposite the Democratic Speaker of the House.

Crossposted at The Unapologetic Mexican

Weekly Immigration Wire: Legalize the Undocumented, Help Fix the Economy

The Media Consortium — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:52:53 GMT

by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger

The dialogue on immigration has, historically, been contentious and cyclical. There are times when hysteria peaks, and rational thought struggles to enter the national dialogue. There are also moments of truth. This week, independent media debunked many myths about the undocumented and made the case for the positive impact of immigrants in the US, including the positive effect of legalizing the undocumented on the economy and how citizens are holding elected representatives accountable for votes against pro-immigrant measures.

Wendy Norris, writing for the Colorado Independent, held the New York Times to task for using questionable sources in an article about President Obama's push for immigration reform. Norris exposes the background of quoted anti-immigration groups like NumbersUSA, CIS, and FAIR, who have ties to white supremacy groups and eugenics promoters and calls the New York Times out for quoting organizations "repeatedly discredited as hate groups."

When hate groups are quoted as legitimate sources, society suffers from the misrepresentation. Also in New America Media, Jacqueline Esposito and Jumana Musa explore the kinds of "enforcement" that groups like NumbersUSA and FAIR claim is the most important part of Immigration Reform. Esposito and Musa cite the case of Guido Newbrough, a detainee who made multiple requests for medical attention; there was a treatable bacterial infection in his heart. Newbrough was locked in an isolation cell and died of the ailment.

"As the country moves forward on comprehensive immigration reform," they write, "We must uphold American values by ensuring that all people, no matter where they come from, are afforded fundamental rights, including the right to a fair day in court before being deprived of liberty and the right to be free from inhumane conditions of confinement. As a nation, we cannot stand for anything less."

The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) would no doubt agree with that sentiment, as Beatriz Herrera reports for Wiretap. Apparently, the DCCC voted 20-1 against San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to preserve Sanctuary ordinances for juvenile offenders. These ordinances ensure that offenders have a chance to prove their innocence instead of facing immediate deportation.

During the 2008 election season, voices calling for reason in the immigration debate were often drowned out by the near-hysteria that certain elements of the Right called forth. Another encouraging sign that we are, perhaps, at a new juncture: Today, even democratic state senators are being held accountable. Colorado Sen. Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora) was recently forced to defend her vote against SB 170, the tuition bill was one that would provide in-state tuition equity for undocumented Colorado high school graduates, on the air.

According to the Colorado Independent, Sen. Morgan appeared on progressive talk radio host Mario Solis-Marich's show on April 10—after "a week of being beat up in the press and on the blogs" for her opposition to the bill.

In Public News Service, Doug Ramsey has news about a report which focuses on the benefits of legalizing currently undocumented workers. Compiled by the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Center, the report breaks down how legalizing the undocumented community would increase the amount of income that the immigrant community brings into the economy. Rather than immigrants costing us, "legalization would boost tax collections at all levels of government by $66 billion over the next few years."

Public News Service also explores the economic benefits to bringing the underground economy above ground. According to David Kallick, an economist with the Fiscal Institute, billions of dollars are simply "lining the pockets of employers who hire folks in the underground economy and avoid contributing to payroll and other taxes."

And OneWorld US reports that Hispanic rights advocates are eager to hear the president's plan for immigration reform and note that very reform is key to economic recovery. Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the US notes that "the path to a strong economic recovery includes strategies that lift wages, increase revenue, and create a level playing field—and immigration is a crucial element of that equation."

Even the American Prospect's Ezra Klein is writing about immigration in a more proactive light. Just last week, Klein wrote Why Immigration Reform Won't Happen. He is now making The Political Case for Immigration Reform.

So maybe we're figuring it out as we go. The costs of letting parts of our country fail and fall away are more than economic, they are moral and profound. We have time to act, but opposition voices are gathering in number. There are many anti-immigrant myths, and many oppose a truly progressive stance on immigration. But we have the will for the struggle and the payoff will come not only in a healthier economy, but in a sounder national soul.

Are you ready? Let's go.

This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration.

Visit Immigration.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on immigration, or follow us on Twitter.

And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy and health issues, check out Economy.NewsLadder.net and Healthcare.NewsLadder.net.

This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and was created by NewsLadder.

Unified Labor Movement Supporting "Rights-Based" Immigration Reform

nezua — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:40:14 GMT

LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOME ORGANIZING going on behind the scenes. This is pretty big. And overall, it's very exciting news.

The nation's two major labor federations have agreed for the first time to join forces to support an overhaul of the immigration system, leaders of both organizations said on Monday. The accord could give President Obama significant support among unions as he revisits the stormy issue in the midst of the recession. ...
The accord endorses legalizing the status of illegal immigrants already in the United States and opposes any large new program for employers to bring in temporary immigrant workers, officials of both federations said.
-Immigration Accord by Labor Boosts Obama Effort

We know that big biz really likes their "temporary worker program" so they are going to fight this tooth and nail.

I've already offered my feelings on that angle (illustrated below). But follow me behind the cut for a liveblog of most of the call.

Liveblogging the April 14 2009 SEIU/A.F.L.C.I.O conference call :
They say they'll post a copy of the Immigration Reform approach they are taking, on their site
Includes:
-indpent commisssion of flow of workers based on labor market shortages that are based on actual and real needs
-call for verification system that protects workers and is effective mech for insuring workers are authorized to work
-proposal addresses rational operational control of the border
-imprtnt element: adjustment of status of undoc 11 mil undoc workers
- improvement and no expansions of temporary worker programs

Pres Hansen is pleased to be part of this important effort, we look fwd to working with our partners, building strong coalitions that will take us across the finish line

"Proud and pleased" to be part of this unified labor movement to support CIR ... We have a new President who is focused on tackling hard issues...status quo not acceptable

Finally a principled public policy dialogue...we will do justice to our history as a nation of immigrants

No two tiered society
Equal Rights
Come out of the shadows
Re unify families, childrens, spouses, across borders

UFW Pres Arturo Rodriguez:
express thanks to John Sweeney of AFLCO , many others for hard work over lats few weeks to bring about this unified movement.
70% of the labor force in our country is farmworkers, a large part of that is undocumented, look fwd to working with everyone, religiuos comm, employer groups, labor groups
we will do whatever it takes to encoruage our legislatyors and people of the US to support this deciison
as we look at history of the labor movement, it was the immigrants and african americans who built that labor movement and we think this will be the same coalition today

DPE
reps white collar workers
putting in place a real mechanism to evaluate what needs of US workforce is and will address those concerns
a part of the framework has to be taken into account with what is going on today:
5.5 mil workers unemployed
soon to be graduating, 3 million potential workers looking for work
we need this comprehensive program to evaluate what the needs are and meet those
not just lowering wages and putting in programs that dont serve the greater purpose of the US workforce

Director of AFLCIO
on behalf of Pres Sweeney, echo sentiments earlier about the importance of unity on this issue
we found in the past division hasnt helped any of us
division in the past has only fueled anti immigrant hatred and
helped businesses take advantage of workers
but today is abrand new day
obama is a commmunity organizer
understands working people
working with us not like last pres who was working against us
on promoting a framework for imm reform

Questions from listeners segment

Guest Worker situation opens up many to abuse. "Full labor rights needed for people, a way to enforce those rights. If we don't insure they do, we repeat mistakes of the past, which is essentially indentured servitude."

Q: How will have a unified labor front attract Republicans who are needed to pass this?
A: What we are looking at, not just looking at Dem or REpub framing. How do we pass CIR? So to do that we need 279 votes. 218 in House of Reps, 60 in Senate, and one president. We are going to be having comversations with each and every member of Congress of both houses, as well as Independents about why we think this makes sense for US, why now, why we need to take advantage of this opportunity. We are taking nobody for granted, we will work as we have to with our allies in the community and the churches and civil rights community in general people who care about this issue and I think when we do that we will find enough votes to get this done.

A: (Esther Lopez) We are committed to working to insure we get to that 279. Not a party matter.
A: Arturo R.: Civil Rights issues that has to be worked with. All of us reaching out with employers to make sure they are pulling in legislators regardless of party affiliation, but to really do something for US's labor force.

A: AFLCIO: Regarding parties, we need a new lens. It's not so much howt o convince GOP, but how GOP will convince the US that with today's economy they can justify a framework that brings in hundreds of thousands of indentured workers to our economy each year. The burden is on them to show how it makes sense.

Q:IS there any concern that redoing the guest worker program will cause GOP to pull support?
A: The approach we are taking is one based on meeting actual. labor. market. shortages. The diff in our apprch vs GOP is that workers will come with full rights in our approach.
A: We are looking fwd to having these conversations with Congress. We know its not an easy issue, if it were it would be fixed by now. Now is the time and i think those conversations will get us there.

Q: Will there be a more detailed plan than what came out today?
A: What we have agreed to are the essential components of CIR. As we move along, the details will become part of the bill. We want to fix the problem without repeating this over and over and over again down the line.

Q: A Battle to win over GOP. Are you going to talk to GOP each member?
A: We are not writing anyone off. We will talk to everyone and have this conversation.

[Nez: Reporters love focusing on GOP, why does GOP they get centered in everything? ]

So finally I got my question in at the end, the Sanctuary's question, that is. Basically went like this:

"And here's Neh-ZOO-uh, from Pomegranate Dot Org:
"Hi, I'm Nezua from Promigrant.org. First I want to thank you all, I think it's great that you are getting together on this and we are hearing the workers' rights centered, the undocumented being centered instead of the fearful GOP reaction, like some of the earlier questions were attempting to do. I hear you talk about human rights and ending the two tiered system, unifying families and such. And I'm hearing that you are all very unified on this 'comprehensive' approach. But what I want to know is does this 'comprehensive' approach include detainees, victims of raids and such? Considering that the Human Rights Watch report came out and revealed so many abuses in the detention system, and we know that there are two tiers of medical treatment and two tiers of legal prosecution as they are shoved through criminal proceedings for civil violations? Or is this Comprehensive Approach a rewrapping on the McCain-Kennedy fiasco for President Obama? Thank you."

The answers touched on Human Rights and how the specifics would be worked out, and in some places felt encouraging, with talk about "a rights-based approach not based on past compromises." I wasn't even sure I'd get that much. And I wasn't just trying to be contrary at a positive juncture. They sound earnest when they talk about how we have to end the injustices and do it right so it's not a big mess in another few years. But if we don't tend to all these questions and especially the dirty compact unspoken about propping up the new detention industry at the cost of these same "undocumented," then that's exactly what we'll do.

Gracias, tambi?n, for the support and collusion w/my homies at The Sanctuary. I run with one badass joyfilled crew.

In any case, here's to forward motion on the issue. As I first wrote in this post, it's encouraging and exciting news. I'm sure specifics will filter out in time and we'll argue them and do our best to bring about the fairest reform we can. it won't be an easy fight, but it's a worthy one.

Weekly Immigration Wire: Binghamton Shootings Impact all Sides of Debate

The Media Consortium — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:35:04 GMT

by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger

Last Friday, 13 people were killed at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York. The event shocked the nation and was "the worst mass shooting in the United States since the 2007 massacre at the Virginia Tech college," as New America Media reports. Because the violence erupted at an immigrant service center, the immigrant community has been especially affected, and immigration opponents are predictably using the tragedy to justify, or at least voice, their vitriol toward the undocumented population.

The impact of the Binghamton shootings on the U.S. immigrant community, already aggravated by ICE raids that funnel them into an abusive system, evokes multiple concerns. One is of further violence. But a grim possibility has also emerged: Immigrant activists who want to become integrated members of U.S. society might stop patronizing the places that can help them do just that, as Public News Service reports. Facilities like the American Civic Association provide many services for the immigrant community, one of which is improving their English. It's hard enough for those with a limited grasp on a new language to navigate life in a new country. If immigrants fear the places that help them learn, it only makes their lives harder.

When issues like immigration become politicized, nothing is off-limits. Even the national census is "morphing from sociological project into a political one," according to RaceWire's Michelle Chen. Conservatives fear losing votes and political power to regions where "illegals" are counted as a part of the census (As if they didn't lose the Latino vote all on their own in 2008). Civil rights and immigrant advocates fear a worse miscount this year of the Latino population than 2000's 3 per cent under count.

Erin Rosa reports on possible census-count solutions for the Colorado Independent. Rosa writes of “Ya es hora! Hagase contar!" (It’s time! Make yourself count!), an "unprecedented media campaign" that encourages Latinos to participate in the census.

The Colorado Independent has a few interesting articles on immigration this week. In Bush Admin’s Environment Waivers Remain Intact at Border, a contrast is drawn between President Obama's recent speech in Germany about walls "between races and tribes" being "the walls we must tear down" with the controversial construction of a border wall in southern stated. Construction proceeds, despite President Obama's professed philosophy. And in Senate kills immigrant in-state tuition bill, Wendy Norris writes about Colorado's legislative "companion to the federal DREAM Act" that would have provided college tuition equity to undocumented Colorado high school graduates was lost on a 18-16 vote." One Democrat explained her vote against the bill as a practical one: Because children of immigrants are at risk for deportation, the bill is "at odds" with federal law.

This type of legislative deadlock doesn't escape Ezra Klein of the American Prospect, who comments on Senator John Mccain's "testy" rejoinder to a number of Hispanic business leaders who questioned when reform would come. "Where the reformers will turn," Klein asks. In 1986, a particular alignment of politicians enabled the last major reforms in immigration law to pass—a configuration of forces not currently in place.

So, who will reform immigration? It's an important question. The terrain is dangerous because there is no clear consensus or policy to rely on. In the legal gaps that this absence creates, questionable legislative bridges spring up, like agreement 287(g), which enlists local law in enforcing federal immigration violations. The most famous symbol of 287(g) is, of course, Sheriff Arpaio, who has left an entire community "terrified and afraid to call the police."

“We’re dealing with a climate of hate, people don’t understand they’re being moved by people who hate,” says Phoenix attorney Danny Ortega. “Then you’ve got the Joe Arpaio’s of the world making it politically popular to hate.”

The power that can be leveraged by law and political agenda is vast and must be closely monitored. Immigrants, especially women of these communities, have long been a target of such iniquities. National Radio Project reports on yet another instance in a long line of oppressive reproductive health policies that target women of color and the immigrant community.

Going back to RaceWire, Michelle Chen follows up on President Obama's Aunt Zeituni's fight for citizenship, and how anti-immigrant groups have fixed upon her case as a high-profile example of how immigrants "game the system." The article outlines precisely how ludicrous this stance is.

Finally, make sure to check out In These Times' thoughtful review of the new "immigration/baseball drama" Sugar, by Brooklyn-based filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. Reviewer Brandon Harris writes that "Sugar's experiences reveal the labors of all immigrants who struggle to adjust to the harsh realities of American life on the margins."

That phrase could apply to many today. And to many who paved the way for us today. It is a story we must not forget.

This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration.

Visit Immigration.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on immigration, or follow us on Twitter.

And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy and health issues, check out Economy.NewsLadder.net and Healthcare.NewsLadder.net.

This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and was created by NewsLadder.

ICE Agent Sues ICE for Violation of Rights

rachelfirm — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:30:09 GMT

Originally posted at Standing FIRM:

Oh, the irony. We have all heard the countless stories of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers invading houses. There are stories of parents arrested in front of children, doors being broken in, kids left alone for hours at a time, and the list could go on.

Well now, in what I find a slightly amusing twist, ICE is being sued by one of their own for violating constitutional rights.

From KWST News in Yuma, Arizona:

Jim Slaughter and his wife Sheila were doing laundry last July when, they say, a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up on their doorstep looking for a fugitive.
"My wife said is this candid camera and that kind of ticked him off a little bit and he says no mam you need to step back," says Jim. The couple claims they were ordered to stand in the middle of their living room as agents were about to search their home. "I said do you realize i'm a U.S. Customs K-9 officer at San Luis, Arizona and they all just froze. The lead agent, his eyes got real big, and he's like what? You are?"
In fact Jim has worked for CBP for seven years. He says the agents immediately retreated. In March, Jim's attorney filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security citing a violation of the fourth amendment for protection against unreasonable searches. "You must have probable cause or a warrant to enter a home in America," explains attorney Robert Cook. "He had five armed cops and he understood and respected the firepower that was in his living room."
The Slaughters are seeking $500,000 from each defendant... Jim says he filed the suit because ICE officials have refused to explain or apologize for the mix-up.

Unfortunately, this situation is not uncommon. However, most people do not have the advantage of being a Border Patrol agent, and are therefore left with no options to fight the injustice.

DREAM With Me.

nezua — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:39:37 GMT

IF YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT The DREAM Act, I want to introduce you to the legislation, fight, and arguments. There's really no need for me to try and explain it because some compas have poured hours and hours of work into making cases, offering links, and organizing already. I'm just going to write at the moment to say I do support it (despite the fact that I don't support creating new ways for our war machine to suck up more mexicano-or other-lives) and I'm going to paste some links and writing from Dream Activist as well as Blogmigo Kyle from Citizen Orange.
First, what is "The DREAM Act"?

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (also called "The DREAM Act") [is] a piece of proposed federal legislation in the United States that would provide certain immigrant students who graduate from a [U.S. high school], are of good moral character, arrived in the US as children, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency.
-Wikipedia ((23 March 2009)

Furthermore, as Kyle notes, The National Immigration Law Center has a basic information sheet (pdf).

Dreamactivist.org introduces it this way:

The federal DREAM Act (S.729 / H.R. 1751) will provide undocumented immigrant youth in the United States with conditional residency and a pathway to citizenship provided they came here before the age of 16 and maintained continuous residence for 5 years, graduate from high school or obtain a GED, attend 2 years of college or join the military and have no criminal records.
If Congress fails to act this year, another entire class of outstanding, law-abiding high school students will graduate without being able to plan for the future, and some will be removed from their homes to countries they barely know. This tragedy will cause America to lose a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society.

Here's a short video on the DREAM Act. And what bothers me about it is the blurred faces. It's too perfect a metaphor for what we ask of the undocumented, of how we ask them to live. Without a face, without a self, without an identity.

A post I really recommend if you want to get a full understanding, complete with many links:

65,000 unauthorized migrant youth graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Many were brought to the U.S. before they could remember much else, and most know no other home except for the U.S. The cruel irony of their situation is made all the more apparent by contrasting it with my story. I was born in Guatemala and spent most of my life there. I was given the privilege of U.S. citizenship simply because I was born of U.S. parents. Meanwhile, DREAMers have lived most of their lives in the U.S., but are denied the privilege of U.S. citizenship because they had the misfortune of being born somewhere else.
If I had to sum up the DREAMer struggle in one sentence it would be this: DREAMers don't even have a right to exist in the only country they know as their home. DREAMers haven't even gotten to a point where they're fighting against be considered equal humans, they're fighting just to be recognized as humans. That's a huge part of what inspires me about DREAMers. If any nation told me I didn't have the right to exist, I would hate it, much less want to live in it. I've long joked that if I was a DREAMer, I would have started my own version of Marcus Garvey's "Back to Africa" movement. The U.S. should be begging for talented youth like this, especially during this time of economic crisis. Astonishingly, DREAMers don't hate the U.S., they work to better it. Where I probably would have been tearing the U.S. down, DREAMers instead fight to make the U.S. a better and more just place. They embody the essence of what it means to do good in this world.
-Citizen Orange

Actions one can take to help get this legislation passed:

1. CALL - The National Council of La Raza has a page to help you call your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://capwiz.com/nclr/callale...
2. FAX - America's Voice has a page to help you fax your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://americasvoiceonline.org...
3. EMAIL - Change.org has a page to help you email your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://www.change.org/ideas/93...
4. PETITION - Dreamactivist.org has the official petition in support of the DREAM Act.
http://dreamact2009.com/
5. TEXT - Text "Justice" ("Justicia" for Spanish) to 69866 to be the first to know when the DREAM Act is introduced. FIRM's Mobile Action Network is an excellent way to stay connected and have maximum impact at just the right moment.
http://fairimmigration.wordpre...
-Citizen Orange

Sometimes I find it hard to advocate for things that seem common sense. I don't know what to say to convince people that everyone should have air, or water, or love, or freedom of movement or opportunities such as this. It seems a win-win to me. Give people room to excel and contribute, give them the homeplace they already feel they belong to and do belong to, increase happiness and productivity all 'round. This can be a nation brimming with good will and joy and community. We just have to believe it is possible and make a few small steps toward that vision.

This is one.

crossposted at UMX