The Sanctuary - Front Page

NPR Duped by FAIR Again

ragemail — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:59:39 GMT

National Public Radio is the electronic media venue of choice for the over-educated professionals, the thinking elite and, of course, for liberals. What it lacks in reach, NPR makes up for in influence, not unlike the New Yorker Magazine, which you will find at the bedside stand of most NPR listeners. For this reason, it is especially unfortunate when NPR's news division becomes a party to misinformation. On July 6, 2008, NPR's weekend edition ran a story by Martin Kaste, on Hispanic voters entitled, "Through Ads, Candidates Vie for Hispanic Voters." The gist of the story was the efforts by the presidential campaigns to woo Hispanic voters. The story quoted the usual suspect, but then the story swerved to a section on a "Hispanic group" that goes by the name of "You Don't Speak for Me." The article quoted as follows:

Davies, whose parents came here from Ecuador, is one of the founders of "You Don't Speak for Me," a group of Hispanics opposed to what they call "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. She says second- and third-generation Hispanics do not like being pigeonholed, even on the issue of language. For instance, she is not automatically charmed by the sound of ads spoken in Spanish. (emphasis added)

This attribution is egregious on a number of levels. First, it has nothing to do with the national election. Second, the "group of Hispanics" behind the organization, "You Don't Speak for Me," are not Hispanics at all. The organization, quoted by Kaste, is in fact a front group established by John Tanton's network of anti-immigrant and white supremacist organizations. A simple Google search by NPR's fact-checkers would have disclosed these affiliations. "You Don't Speak for Me," has been identified as a front for the Federation for American Immigration Reform and its sister organizations, such as Numbers USA, by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center:

FAIR-Cultivated Offshoots
To both broaden the demographic of its movement and cultivate a grassroots following, the Washington D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), has created front groups that work together, often in concert with vigilante groups, to broadcast a xenophobic message. At the same time, the groups serve as a defense against charges of racism.
You Don't Speak for Me
In May 2006, the Washington D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) "was proud to help launch" a group called You Don't Speak for Me (YDSFM), which claims to be a "coalition of Americans of Hispanic descent who believe that this nation must enforce its immigration laws in order to protect the security and interest of all citizens."

YDSFM has ties to the border vigilante Minuteman organization. The Minutemen are a loose network of local chapters around the country, whose primary goal is to keep undocumented immigrants from Mexico out of the United States. The more extreme Minutemen chapters advocate patrols of the Mexican-American border by armed volunteers.

This is not the first time that NPR has quoted FAIR and its network of hate organizations as legitimate grass-roots organizations without failing to identify their racist affiliations. And NPR is not alone in this regard, the New York Times and other nationally respected publications continue to quote FAIR and NumbersUSA as authoritative or advocacy sources despite the many glaring instances of misinformation put out by such organizations. If the mainstream media is going to use extremist groups as sources, it should, at a minium, identify them as such.

Rendered Stateless - Girl without a country

DreamActivist — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:22:32 GMT

How would you react if your govenment told you to drop your 16 year old daughter into the "garbage heap" that she was adopted from because they could not guarantee her a visa even after so long?

Alexander (Allie) Mulhivill, 16, is the latest victim of a rigid and heartless immigration system that often does not work. And no--she is not an "illegal alien." Allie was adopted by U.S. citizens, Lori and Scott Mulhiville, when she was 2 years old from Guatemala. For the past 14 years, the Mulhivills have been trying to get a visa for Allie without any luck. And time is running out for her as Allie turns 16 and becomes another DREAMer who cannot work, vote, drive legally, travel abroad, get financial aid for college because the USCIS is not willing to give her a visa. All this is because 15 years ago, the U.S. Embassy failed to verify that the woman giving Allie up for adoption was her birth mother--from the get go they allowed Allie to be adopted but did not grant her a visa because later they suspected baby trafficking. Allie continues to be in immigration limbo even as her adoptive parents fight to keep her in the United States but she risks deportation when she turns 16. Would readopting her do the trick? Government officials give no guarantee--they are still stuck on their baby trafficking scenario even without any hard evidence. Keeping Allie and her family in a state of permanent limbo based on unproven hypothesis is cruel and inhumane.

When the Mulhivills asked government officials how they could keep their daughter, USCIS was particularly unhelpful and told them they "simply cannot ignore the law. We strongly urge the Mulvihills to provide evidence showing their daughter is eligible for permanent residency."

Having almost given up on attorneys and government officials after years of making the rounds, the Mulhivilles are appealing to the public. This problem could be taken care of if the federal government passed the DREAM Act. What do other government officials say when asked for advice?

"We asked a gentleman from the state department after months, we said, 'What is going to happen to Allie if you don't allow her to come here?' He said, 'You have legally adopted her. She's going to go to an orphanage and you must pay for this.' He said, 'We're going to put her back on the garbage heap she came from.' Yeah, this is how we were spoken to by our government," Lori Mulvihill said

Allie is keeping optimistic despite her limbo immigration status. "I want to be able to have a job, drive, be able to vote, everything else other people take for granted. I've been here for 14 years I haven't done anything wrong," Allie Mulvihill said.

We hope for the sake of Allie and her family, her immigration issue is resolved soon and she does not face deportation away from her family. In the meantime, there is always the DREAM Act.

Adoption Timeline

Key events in Allie's adoption process:

October 1993: Guatemala approves adoption for Scott and Lori Mulvihill.

December 1993: U.S. Embassy denies the Mulvihills' baby a visa because of suspicion of baby trafficking.

Aug. 23, 1994: With then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno's intervention, the Mulvihills' baby arrives in the United States on two-year humanitarian parole.

1996: The Mulvihills first try to apply for citizenship for Allie.

May 2001: The Immigration and Naturalization Service denies Allie citizenship.

March 22, 2005: The Mulvihills meet with director of immigration services in Philadelphia and are told citizenship would be granted if they get DNA from Allie's birth mother.

2007: Guatemala approves a treaty requiring uniform procedures for international adoptions.

August 2007: Guatemalan police raid adoption home run by two people who worked on Allie's adoption; arrests follow.

May 2008: Guatemalan attorney general puts 2,286 pending adoptions on hold as authorities investigate.

Aug. 18, 2008: Allie turns 16 and will no longer be considered an orphan by immigration services.

Source: Allentown Morning Call

Alternatives To Detention: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:42:39 GMT

Detention Watch Network Releases NEW Map at T Don Hutto Blog.

The Detention Watch Network has released a new and improved interactive map of immigration detention. The map includes detention centers, community organizations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Offices, and Immigration Courts. A fantastic resource for public education!

Also read American Immigration Lawyers Association on Alternatives to Detention.

Daily Headlines: July 4, 2008 at The Latin Americanist. Also watch the muppets perform "Stars and Stripes Forever" in Today's Video: Happy Fourth of July, "wierdos".

Detainee Deaths lead IG to conclude that ICE needs to account for its treatment of immigrants and On the use of the term “illegal alien” at Eristic Ragemail.

Ever since George Orwell pointed out the pernicious nature of words being used as code, we have recognized that in political debate words are often freighted with much that is concealed. In the current climate, nativists insist, actually demand, that undocumented immigrants be referred to as “illegal aliens.” If you can classify a whole group of people with a pejorative –alien --and then group them as “illegal,” you have carried out a neat trick: you have stripped a whole group of people of their humanity.

As hot dogs were shoved through jaws in contest and small explosives were lit by those that have never witnessed the explosion of a real bomb we have a letter to Iraq in The Bombs Bursting in Air at The Unapologetic Mexican.

Border Patrol: ICE targeting Amtrak, Greyhound at Dream Deferred. If you've ever traveled on Greyhound it's bad enough, but to make it even better they're apparently making you prove you're a legal resident now. If we're trying to fix "illegal" immigration then why is the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Tijuana being closed? Read Step backwards: USCIS closes offices in Tijuana.

Also read A Hypothetical 'Undocumented' Situation - What would You Do? on various situations outlining the 'no acceptions' rules on immigration enforcement and read USCIS Promises Modernization of Immigration Process (I guess on of the ways is to close offices?)

New ICE Report Sees the Trees But Misses the Forest at DMI Blog.

But whether or not ICE admits it out there, there is a forest out there. Immigrant deaths and lack of medical treatment are systemic problems for immigrants in ICE customs facilities.

At Dream Act Texas readProud to be here, Legal or Not.

Happy 4th! Let Freedom Ring!! at Immigration Talk With A Mexican American. Read some quotes on the foundation of this country which sadly we don't always see exhibited in reality today.

Read HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! at Immigration Prof Blog. Also Who is Watching Your International Travels (and Blog Posts?)? The State Department!. I actually attended a NYCLU meeting recently on FISA and essentially the government can 'snoop' on anyone communicating abroad without identifying the person or the reason. In Postville Redux it looks like we might finally see some employers prosecuted.

McCain's visit to Mexico's Basilica de Guadalupe is misguided campaign move at Latina Lista.

Assimilation makes you fat and other facts - Reject “Assimilation” Part 2 at No Borders and Binaries.

McCain and Obama Ignore Abuses in Colombia and Mexico at Of América.

Watch Inspiring story of an Immigrant Honor Student at Pro Inmigrant. Also check out the videos The Border. The Environmental Nightmare and U.S. Detention Centers a Nightmare.

State and Local Round-up at Standing FIRM. Also read Brownsville, TX takes on the Department of Homeland Security and The in-Between Generation in a Nation of Immigrants.

At Vivir Latino read Since When is Disgraced Attorney General Gonzales the Spokeperson for Latinos?

Read "Bare Life" at Wild Chihuahuas on people who die searching for a better life.

Painting Houses Is Not A Crime: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:18:52 GMT

Read The in-between Generation in a Nation of Immigrants at DMI Blog on generation 1.5 and their contributions which make the DREAM Act a necessity for the good of America.

At Just News read Advocates rally after raid, arrests.

More than 75 immigrant advocates gathered at Hopkins Plaza, in front of the Baltimore Offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, hoisting signs with slogans such as, "Don't divide our families," and "Painting Houses is not a Crime."

At Dream Act Texas Rabbi advocates for immigrant employees of Agriprocessors plant. The rabbi found the following when he visited the plant and has gained much support in boycotting Agriprocessors:

"We discovered things that were unbelievably painful," Rabbi Allen says. Among other allegations, he says pregnant women working on their feet all day were denied bathroom breaks; injured workers lacked proper medical care; and accounting machinations deprived workers of payment for all clocked hours.

In New Citizen Designs ICE Offices we learn of an immigrant who was an architect in his own country, but could only find work as a dishwasher here. After showing his portfolio to patrons he was brought into a firm as a partner.

Tech Sector Suffering Due to Restricted Immigration at Eristic Ragemail.

Watch Gay Marriage: Until Deportation Do Us Part? THE VIDEO at Immigration Equality Blog. Also read Persecution: Past and Present on a discussion to be held in the New York area next Wednesday July 9.

At Hatewatch we have an audio file discussion Walter Kistler in Space Pioneer Funds Racist Foundation, the last remaining donor to the Pioneer Fund. What's interesting about this discussion is the fact that this group believes that the western world will become dumber and dumber due to "a dysgenic spiral in which those people who are having the most children are less skilled and less educated." If these groups believe this to be true why do they fight against those seeking an education in this country? Aren't they just creating the environment they supposedly seek to avoid?

Alberto Gonzales and the Presidential Race at Immigration Prof Blog on an article Gonazales in the L.A. times on the importance of immigration reform to this year's election. In The Rustbelt Needs Immigrants we learn that immigrants are needed to fill job vacancies and continue building communities.

Independent analysis underscores the danger of not having a working immigration policy at Latina Lista. No matter how you feel about the current immigration issue it cannot be denied that pushing people into the shadows creates a world where terrible crimes can easily go unchallenged.

Immigration Buzzword - Reject "Assimilation" at No Borders and Binaries.

Assimilation is synonymous to losing cultural identity, which I find completely unacceptable, especially when it is touted as a prerequisite for U.S. citizenship.

I tend to think 'assimilation' in today's environment simply means "don't act or look like a foreigner." This is obviously not the voice of the true spirit of American or the world. I believe this post illustrates this quite well with this statement: "If the United States was a case of an "assimilationist society," we would all have the traditional English breakfast of bacon and eggs and scones for snacks."

Address Before Brownsville City Commission at Nonviolent Migration. Read a speech given in Brownsville on the hateful rhetoric being used to push the building of the border wall as few take into account the thoughts of those that will have to look at it every day.

Who among us will have the courage to stand up amidst the fray and fight for our land and our way of life? I will tell you who: over 98% of the residents along the border wall route, that's who. - This wall was started by those who think the United States and Mexico are enemies, and it will be stopped by the peacemakers who recognize the brotherhood of mankind.

At Smart Borders read A Last Stand on the Border which speaks on the meeting mentioned above.

The plan proposed by DHS would have the poorest city in the United States hand over 10 acres of taxpayers' land, at an estimated $95,800, for free. While the City Commissioners were seriously weighing the decision of whether or not to surrender this land, the public made its voice known for more than three hours in the public comment session.

It makes little sense that our government is ready to spend so much money to build a border wall when we have had two occurrences of terrible flooding due to levees breaking in the past few years. Where is the priority here - in filling the xenophobic desires of the anti-migrant groups or truly protecting the people of this country from harm?

Alberto Gonzales Taking Latino Pundit Route to Political Redemption at Of América.

We will not tolerate illegals in this county. Said John R, Leopold at Pro Inmigrant on the Annapolis raids. And watch the video Honoring Kendell Murphy a Green Card Soldier fallen in Iraq. Where is Justice?

As an aside here's a video from Scholars and Rogues titled Bush tours America to survey damage caused by his disastrous presidency. It's supposed to be funny, but instead it's deeply disturbing.

Reform, not Roundups on the Annapolis protests at Standing FIRM. Also check out the opinion piece Taking a bite out of Immigration Policy which illustrates the ridiculousness of today's anti-migrant arguments. The idea of a hotdog as an American food would not have been considered such 150 years ago as Germans were considered undesirable and not American. (In case you're concerned Tofu-pups are American.) Also check out Detention Watch Network Releases New Interactive Map.

Ingrid Betancourt and 14 Other FARC Hostages Free at Vivir Latino.

Taking a Bite out of Immigration Policy

rachelfirm — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:03:00 GMT

There is a great opinion piece in Phoenix's East Valley Tribune that approaches the immigration debate from a historical perspective - starting with the hot dog.

As we approach 4th of July weekend, millions of Americans will be eating that quintessential symbol of the USA. But, as the article points out, hot dogs were an "invention" of German immigrants, who sold their traditional sausages from street carts in their new country.

"If I had been celebrating Independence Day 150 years ago, however, [they] wouldn't have been on the menu. In those days, Germans weren't considered Americans, or even white. When they fought over the most lucrative street corner for food vendors [against Italian immigrants] in the 1880s, the press called the incidents "race riots."

The identity of America is constantly evolving. The question "Who is an American?" is not as easily answered as many nativists would like to believe.

Restrictionists have frozen images of a "true" America, as though our identity hasn't changed since 1776. Stasis, however, is a fiction. Cultures do not stand still, nor should we want them to. We have the chance now to remake our immigration policy in the modern era, not by taking it back to the 1920s, but by grappling honestly with the fact that the American identity is always undergoing cultural change. Modernity challenges us to create a policy that recognizes the full humanity of all immigrants without regard to their racial identity.

So, as we gear up for 4th of July picnics, pool parties and cookouts, let's remember that our identity has been molded and changed by a wonderfully diverse array of cultures, backgrounds and traditions. And it is still evolving. As it should be.

Below is the full text of the original article:

Rinku Sen, Commentary

On this July 4, I will be eating hot dogs. While I was trying to fit in as an Indian immigrant child throughout the 1970s, they represented the quintessential American food.
I begged my mother to let me have them for dinner every night instead of chicken curry and rice. She nixed the hot dogs but sometimes allowed spaghetti and meatballs - straight from a can.
Hot dogs were "invented" by German immigrants, serving their traditional sausages in the hustling streets of the new world, and spaghetti, everyone knows, came from Italy. If I had been celebrating Independence Day 150 years ago, however, neither would have been on the menu. In those days, Germans and Italians weren't considered Americans, or even white. When they fought over the most lucrative street corner for food vendors in the 1880s, the press called the incidents "race riots."
I'll be sharing this holiday with a group of restaurant workers, largely immigrants. Along with the hot dogs, we'll have tacos, samosas, falafel. According to one side of the immigration debate, we can keep our goodies to ourselves. America doesn't want them, or us.
Immigration restrictionists argue not only that we need to stop undocumented immigration, but cut back drastically on legal immigration as well. They argue that this economy - no longer industrial but focused on information and service - has no room for masses of poor immigrants.
There's a fear that technology makes travel and communication so easy that new immigrants won't break ties with the old country and reassign their loyalty.
Restrictionists have tried to modernize their argument, but it hasn't changed much through the years. Immigration of the late 19th century was dominated by Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Jews and other groups from southern and eastern Europe. At that time, these new residents were widely seen as inferior to native-born whites. They were reviled for their refusal to speak English, for their political and economic demands on American corporations, for being so poor that they became "public charges" or undercut the wages of the native-born workers.
The Immigration Acts of 1920 and 1924, the most restrictive immigration policies we've ever had, limited new entrants to 150,000 per year, which was less than a quarter of the total immigration rate at that time. These laws crafted large quotas for northern Europeans while setting limits for countries such as Russia and Italy.
As immigrants were deported for violating the quota policies, social reformers began to fight for long-time residents who had built families and communities in the U.S. These reformers won a series of changes that gave immigration officials the ability to change someone's status.
The liberalization remade the American identity, but kept it white.
Mexicans, for example, were left behind by the process. According to historian Mae M. Ngai, they weren't explicitly excluded, but they had little access to the mechanisms through which to change their status, and no one cared to correct that oversight. In 1929, Congress also passed the Registry Act, allowing people to change their status if they paid $20, hadn't left the U.S. since 1921, and were of good moral character.
Of the 115,000 people who were forgiven between 1930 and 1940, 80 percent were European or Canadian. The attorney general began to suspend deportation orders after 1940, and an internal Justice department study in 1943 revealed that the overwhelming majority of suspensions went, ironically, to Germans and Italians; only 8 percent involved Mexicans. Instead of liberalization, Mexicans got a guest worker program.
Restrictionists have frozen images of a "true" America, as though our identity hasn't changed since 1776. Stasis, however, is a fiction. Cultures do not stand still, nor should we want them to. We have the chance now to remake our immigration policy in the modern era, not by taking it back to the 1920s, but by grappling honestly with the fact that the American identity is always undergoing cultural change. Modernity challenges us to create a policy that recognizes the full humanity of all immigrants without regard to their racial identity.
If we are indeed what we eat, Americans are already eating like the world. It's time for our policy to catch up to our palates.

Rinku Sen is the president of the Applied Research Center and the publisher of ColorLines magazine.

Keep Up The Good Work: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:42:36 GMT

Congratulations to Man Eegee and Latino Politico! Happy 3rd Blogiversary to Latino Político at Latino Politico. This is a great post which speaks of the energy in yesterday's SanctuarySphere. Man Eegee notes that we must strengthen one another and remember that we share a responsibility to all of our brothers and sisters of this world. This is why we're here in this realm of thought, because we believe in the good of each other. Thanks to Man Eegee for 3 years of dedication and thanks to everyone else for their dedication as well.

Immigrant Ballot Power at Standing FIRM on our newest voters. Also check out the great series of articles at The New Bedford Times in Series Spotlight: The New Immigrants. In Op-Ed: Real Change Happens Off-Line we learn one person's belief that while the internet brings us together it is not in a "real" way. I do believe we have to be active in person as well as on-line, but they can certainly work well together. What do you think?

Supreme Court Won't Hear Kansas In-State Tuition Case at A Dream Deferred. While Kris Kobach tried to take his case to the Supreme Court that undocumented students should not receive in-state tuition they refused to listen. And Leaving the United States for Higher Education tells of one undocumented student who sought an education elsewhere because it was denied here.

Here's an article in the New York Post Kobach wrote as an adverstisement for E-Verify. It's quite disturbing.

Also at Standing FIRM read Desire For Change - Not Anti-Immigrant Sentiment - Does In Congressman Cannon on the anti-immigrant view on Cannon's loss. I took advantage of a Strand bookstore sale and grabbed "Taking Back America" from 2004 which states "Who controls state politics controls American politics." This is something that the major anti-migrant groups have begun focusing on more than ever as they haven't found a champion in the presidency.

Profile of a pro-immigrant advocacy coalition at Working Immigrants on The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). Also on the New Bedford Series read High quality profile of immigrant labor in one city. Also in A great pro-immigrant blog Working Immigrants gives love to Citizen Orange. If you have time go through the links at Citizen Orange and check out the host of pro-migrant blogs out there. If you have any to add just leave a comment.

Immigration Raids Tend to Spare Employers at DMI Blog where we learn that only 2% of employers have been penalized since last October.

Hugo Chavez criticizes new EU immigration rules at Dream Act Texas.

"We need a strong stance ... in defense of the dignity of our people," Chavez said at a summit of the Mercosur trade bloc, which passed a resolution condemning the EU measure. "'Civilized' Europe has legalized barbarism..."

In Americans are the customers of the Drug Cartels we learn that the U.S. takes in the most drugs of all nations which means we support drug cartels. The enforcement only approach to drug has done nothing to reduce the desire to use. In U.S. Borderwatch in Houston we learn of a Shell gas station whose owner asked U.S. Borderwatch to sit on their premisis to scare away day laborers with threats of arrest.

Generation 1.5 references an article from Dream Act Texas titled Waiting for 2009...

Notorious Alabama Politician Keynotes White Supremacist Conference at SPLC's Hatewatch Blog.

Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Rendition Case of Maher Arar at Immigration Prof Blog. Also McCain and Obama Similar Agendas on Immigration Reform and Immigration Raid at Painting Company. Some stories just expose the zealotry of the anti-migrant mindset. This one is about two co-valedictorians who gave part of their speech in Vietnamese as a homage to their parent's sacrifice only to have the school board yell "English only!" in Valedictorians Targeted for Speaking Vietnamese.

Also at Immigration Prof Blog Judge orders Texas University and Federal Agency to Mend Fence Dispute on the college's fight to keep the border fence from separating their campus. Also read A Cautionary Tale: Of how a USC became undocumented which is so telling of the nature of identity. Do documents and numbers make you real? While this immigrant searches to regain their identity people like Samuel Israel try to lose it.

Just News reports on the raid at a painting services company in Annapolis in Feds Bust Down Doors Looking For...Painters.

Presidential campaign stops in Latin America and Europe mean little for US voters at Latina Lista.

The Battle For Colorado: Activists Recruit The Newly Naturalized at Nuestra Voice. Also read US Politicians Find Ways To Play On Racial Fears where we learn of some disturbing tactics by both Democrats and Republicans to inject racial fear into elections.

Obama, Uribe and the School of the Americas at Of América.

Not sure how long the "hope" machine will hold if Obama continues to be either tepid or Bush-like in his policies towards America Latina. Last night, I interviewed a woman who was crying as she described the torture, violence she her family and colleagues experienced at the hands Colombia's Alvaro Uribe, who Obama failed to condemn after the Colombian military violated the sovereignty of Ecuador.

What part of Law they do not Understand? at Pro Inmigrant. Read this article on how people are labeled in the media that commit crimes. I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I believe the use of "illegal" to highlight the fact that a person who commits a crime happens to be undocumented is a recent custom in the media. Also read Canada Open Border: It's a unique situation and it requires a unique solution. The wide open Canada border gets no attention while I believe that's the only place a terrorist actually has tried to enter the country.

Making Babies is The Cause of Latino Population Growth, Not Immigration (and no one else is concerned with this framing?) at The Latin Americanist. Also read What the Caribbean basin can teach us on Iraq. (The first article is from Vivir Latino and can be found here.)

The Intolerant States of America

kyledeb — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:28:42 GMT

Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

"I think Obama would be a disaster, and there's a lot of reasons," said [Leroy] Pollard, explaining the rumors he had heard about the candidate from friends he goes camping with. "I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me."

Eli Saslow - Washington Post (30 June 2008)

Welcome to the Intolerant States of America. Liberal elitists will read the words of Leroy Pollard, a resident of Flag City, U.S.A., and feign disgust. This arrogance betrays the truth that we are all part of Leroy Pollard, and Leroy Pollard is part of us. The first person I ran into who believed the myths about Barack Obama was not a resident of a small town like Flag City, U.S.A., but a wealthy investment banker, and the parent of a Harvard graduate.

You see, the residents of the Intolerant States of America would have you believe that intolerance is now a thing of the past, popular only among the ignorant. In this limited worldview, the original sins of the Intolerant States of America were washed away just 40 years ago by the heroes of the civil rights era.

Great victories were won then, and they were felt the world over. But to believe these victories have vanquished intolerance is to do the heroes of our past a great injustice.

It might be that it is no longer acceptable to say the "n-word" in the public sphere, but intolerance has found new ways to inject it's poison into society. In the quote above, Leroy Pollard does not once mention the fact that Obama identifies as a black male. Instead, Pollard's intolerance is directed towards residents of the majority world ("he's from Africa"), towards unauthorized migrants ("bring his family over here, illegally"), and towards Muslims ("then there's the Muslim thing"). Some might argue that these phrases are just substitutes for racism, but it runs deeper than that, in my opinion. Pollard's words don't just amount to racism, they amount to nativism and religious intolerance, as well.

Intolerance did not die along with the now sanitized image of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.,as the residents of the United States of America would have you believe. It just mutated as it has done since time immemorial. Intolerance is not relegated to the small and backward towns of the United States of America, it is within every one of us. Like demons, lurking in our subconscious, awaiting resurrection, intolerance is summoned from the lesser halves of all of our souls.

These demons win when we see them as a thing of the past. These demons win when we see them only in the minds of others, far away from ourselves. These demons win when we fail to see them as a confluence of sentiments, where fear of Muslims, can turn to fear of migrants, can turn to fear of brown people, can turn to fear of the majority world. Daily we must religiously search our souls for these demons and work hard to find ways to stand against them.

I don't know what makes me more sad, the fact that Leroy Pollard considers African people, unauthorized migrants, and Muslims as less than worthy humans, or the fact that Barack Obama considers these rumors so damaging to his electability, that he works constantly to distance himself from these categories.

What I do know, is that there is always hope. Even in the darkest of nights there is light and all we have to do is move towards it. There is one set of Obama supporters who, rather than distance themselves, have chosen to embrace the aspect of Barack Obama's identity that is inspires so much hate.

Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

"Emily Hussein Nordling," her entry now reads.

Jodi Kantor - New York Times (29 June 2008)

Nordling has never met a Muslim, but still she has adopted Obama's Muslim name as her own in an act of defiance against the intolerance that has sprung up as a result of Obama's candidacy. I am still undecided about who I'm going to vote for, but Nordling's act has so inspired me that I'm going to follow her lead for at least the remainder of the election season.

From now on, please refer to me as Kyle Hussein de Beausset.

Energy To Do Good: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:18:45 GMT

First let me say congratulations to XP. Check out XP the Radical and Soon to be Uncle.

Harris County Grand Jury: Kill An Immigrant, Go Scot Free at Para Justicia y Libertad. Also check out the Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up: 06/30/2008.

Federal judge "compels" Department of Homeland Security to honor original agreement with Texas university at Latina Lista.

As the nation gets ready to celebrate the 4th of July this week, Texans along the U.S.-Mexico border are defending their property rights in the face of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) scooping up land to construct the mandated border wall.

Check out the post UMX: Stronger Than Aryan Pride where we read of Nezua's interaction with white pride while shooting water falls at The Unapologetic Mexican.

Today's youth-and all humans-are currently untapped reservoirs of power and heart. Someone like Obama comes along and speaks to that and you see what this nation could be if there were some truth and heart here, some lessons worth ingesting, some pride worth having.

The above quote from Nezua's article reminds me of a quote from Smart Borders from a while back:

Every 6-week marking period, students are required to internalize this spirit of volunteerism and community service. Because I feel most people are just waiting for an excuse to do good, it is easy for me to ask this of my students. And most of them have responded with impressive results.

There is definitely an energy waiting to be released by a powerful cause or call to action and it's important that we ensure that it's positive. It's quite apparent that the anti-migrant groups have tapped into this energy through using fear.

One of the most heinous terms I've learned through the anti-migrants is "anchor baby." Those innocent little things used to have a special place in everyone's heart, but in today's environment even babies are vilified. At Damn Mexicans we learn that babies cannot 'anchor' their parents in The Anchor Baby Myth. I believe this should have been made apparent to the anti's when Elvira Arellano was deported. Also read Why Do I Have To Push "1" For English? which is a question we here quite often from the anti's. My answer is 'because you want the information in English.' Also check out an update on Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa who's now in an ABC show called "Hopkins" in Undocumented Immigrant to Brain Surgeon.

Can you be bible-thumping and anti-immigrant? at No Borders and Binaries.

How many rabid ALIPacers, 'FAIR' and NumbersUSA members are actually compassionate Christian conservatives? Going by the hatred and scapegoating, not an overwhelming number would be a wise guess.

When Sanctuary equals shooting self in the foot - Protecting undocumented juvenile "crack dealers" is an interesting post on San Francisco's desire to go to great lengths to support their sanctuary policy and refusal to comply with the federal government's current immigration laws.

At DMI Blog read The Emergence of Mass Deportation: Lessons from the Past we learn of the many instances where migrants have been either detained or deported in the name of national security.

In a climate of fear and defensiveness, there is a psychological need to assign blame and fight back against the perceived bad guy. It's not the first time that fear has triggered the adoption of tough immigration policies. For example, it was economic insecurity that triggered the racism that contributed to the passage of the infamous laws excluding Chinese immigrants from the US in the late 1800s.

Also take the survey if you have few minutes - Last chance to take the DMI blog readers survey!.

At Dream Act Texas read ICE Raid in Maryland- Employers not Fined or Detained. Also read Morals and Immigration: Thinking What is Best for the World.

Professor Mathias Risse from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has presented a theory that some people are finding novel - that the U.S. is unfairly restricting immigration. Salon.com praises Risse for being so bold as to "turn immigration policy on its head"

In Scholarship for BILINGUAL social work students we learn that "The Hogg Foundation will enhance the opportunity for bilingual people who want to enter the field of Social Work in Texas by providing a scholarship"

Read Tancredo Endorses McCain at Eristic Ragemail. The graphic here shows a fictitious bumper sticker with Tancredo as McCain's VP. I hope that doesn't happen.

Read Lifting the language barrier at Immigrants in the USA Blog. This is always a good blog to pick up news on people helping one another. This is another one of those stories.

At Immigration Talk With A Mexican American read Breaking News: Minutemen Planning "Operation Secure America Now!" July 3 - 6. Check out this post to read more about this 'event.'

At Immigration Prof Blog read Article: "Meeting Uncle Sam the Hard Way" about the U.S. tax system. Also check out McCain and Obama pledged to make immigration reform a priority, Virginia Journal of International Law On-Line Symposium on Gonzales v. Williams (1904) and Cross Border Yoga where we learn that the border fence can't keep neighbors from enjoying yoga classes.

Brief Commentary on the Fate of Employers after Raids talks about the lack of prosecution of employers while migrants are detained and deported.

Truth is that hardly ever are employers convicted after these raids. According to ICE's own annual reports, in fiscal 2007 the agency secured fines and forfeitures of more than $30 million in worksite enforcement cases. ICE, however, did not provide statistics on the number of employers criminally charged nor convicted last year.

The theme of no enforcement for employers continues at Just News in Workers Jailed, Bosses Skate.

White House Backs Lieberman's Warning Of Attack at Nuestra Voice. "The White House on Monday said it agreed with Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) warning that terrorists could test the new president with an attack next year."

Spanish Language could play a Key role in the Upcoming Election at Standing FIRM. Also check out Get out the (immigrant) vote! and UPDATE: More than 100 Protest the Houston Raid.

Sheriff's Department's Gator Cruelty and Literal Illegal Baiting

Edmundo — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:26:05 GMT

The following email was obtained by our local ABC affiliate, ABC 13, from the Harris County Sheriff's Department as a result of a lawsuit from an undercover investigation.

The email reads: "With a little planning they easily could have transplanted it to the Rio Grande River. Now that should have cut down on the illegal migration just a tad!!"

If that wasn't bad enough. Our sheriff's department also had an email where Osama bin Laden dressed up like Uncle Sam urging people to vote Democratic.

For more about the sheriff's department email etiquette here in Harris Country, read the rest here.

A DREAMER's Hope for 2009

dreamacttexas — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:19:26 GMT

Below is a post written by Juli, a DREAMER, who is one of the authors of the blog dreamacttexas

I am just waiting for 2009 to come, if the DREAM doesn't happen by then i will be out of here!

I hear this more and more from fellow DREAMers, just waiting on 2009 to come by; we are kind of waiting for something better to come along. Students with one or two degrees are getting burnt out already. They/We are itching to learn, experience, practice... to really live! Many of us feel betrayed by the sentence: "hard work pays off" I don't know how many times I have said this to others and how many times I've heard somebody saying this to me, but it's definitely a sentence that everytime i hear it, i can't help but to grin. As positive as i really am though, i have been telling myself more that if by 2009 nothing happens nothing will ever happen... or was anything ever going to happen?

I mean, by 2009 i should be finally done with school, other things should be settled, and most importantly: new horizons are surely waiting somewhere else, no? It is very hard to describe the feelings going through me right now when i am almost reaching 24 years of age- I mean, it is like this itch to go and see the world, to learn, to hope that there are better things out there waiting to be devoured by our passion and hunger. Many DREAMers are now adults, we are in our mid-20's, we are thinking of other things like: really living our lives! (whatever that fully entails)

Will Obama or McCain bring some sort of resolution in 2009? Not just for DREAMers, what about our parents? Will they also be 'forgiven'?

I don't know- all i know is that I am not angry anymore. I am done with the questioning of why things are the way they are. I finally understood that there are people in the world in far worse situations than I am. Sure, it takes a big toll in my life and the life of other DREAMers to be in this state of limbo. Some of us have had to drive and struggle to other states just to get an ID, or have a bachelor's and master degree but continue to work in the restaurant kitchen, we have two jobs to make rent on top of classes. Some of us are still writing papers at three in the morning and can't help but to stop and say out loud: "hold on, why am i doing this again?"

What i believe at this point is that CHOICE rests in the power of our hands. We can choose to continue fighting here, for us, our families. On the other hand, we can now look for other alternatives; this is not giving up but understanding that the world does not end in this land of the 'freedom.'

posted on June 29, by Juli on dreamacttexas.blogspot.com

No Justice in Postville: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:53:50 GMT

At Para Justicia y Libertad check out some disturbing 'jokes' emailed within the Texas Sheriff's department in Sheriff’s Department’s Gator Cruelty and Literal Illegal Baiting.

At A Dream Deferred watch Protestors Blast ICE raids in East Houston.

At Immigration Talk With A Mexican American read Postville Update: Agriprocessors Free to Stir Up More Trouble in Postville!

Postville was left "absolutely shattered" after last month´s heavily armed worker raids. The workers received swift, cattle barn justice. The employers, however, were left free to continue their abuses, despite hiring a GOP crony-pal "compliance" officer.

Read New Horizons in 2009? at Dream Act Texas on hope for the future of the DREAM Act. Also read Immigrants and employee abuse: It doesn't just happen in New Orleans and ICE vs. "In the best interest of the child". The 'best interest of the child' does not seem to apply to migrant children.

Watch McCain vs McCain on immigration reform in HOW FAR APART ARE MCCAIN AND OBAMA ON IMMIGRATION? at Greg Siskind's Blog.

At Immigrants and Politics Blog read Grappling with LA’s Special Order 40. Currently LA officers are limited as to when they can ask for immigration status which is a stark contrast to the laws many cities are creating and enforcing.

CSUS Students Feel Transformed As They Help Immigrant Parents Learn English at Immigrants In The USA Blog.

Every Saturday morning for the past month, behind closed doors and without fanfare, nine college students go about making their world a better place -- one new word, one flipped flash card, one pat on the back at a time.

Also read Students learn English; teachers how to teach it and $1.85 million Knight Foundation grant will help 500 Silicon Valley immigrants become citizens.

Feds Looking at SF Sanctuary Ordinance citing they may be shielding some deportable immigrants from removal - at Immigration Prof Blog. Also read Obama Challenges McCain on Immigration Reform and Border Fence to Divide UT Brownsville.

ICE: No Proof Home Invasion Suspects Part of Mexican Military at Mexico Trucker.

The newest outrage against Mexico going around the blogosphere and on the rabid right wing talk shows and overnight conspiracy fests, is the story of personnel of the Mexican Army being involved in a home invasion and murder in Phoenix Arizona.

Hecklers Highlight Silence of Major Latino Organizations Around War at Of América.

Daily Headlines: June 30, 2008 at The Latin Americanist.

A Cowboy From the West and the Sword of Simón Bolivar at The Unapologetic Mexican.

New Jersey Assemblyman Richard Merkt responds to last week's Daily Record article on the DREAM Act in Give us your tired, poor, but please do it legally at American Humanity.

Anti-Immigration Ads In The NY Times: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:29:31 GMT

Anti-Immigrant Hate Groups Place Ads in The New York Times at Hatewatch. FAIR is at it again working though a front group called "America's Leadership Team for Long Range Population-Immigration-Resource Planning." Their ads cater to American's dislike of traffic congestion.

Report From the Houston East End Raid Protest at Para Justicia y Libertad.

5 More Bodies This Week on deaths in the desert at Latino Politico.

State and Local Round-up at Standing FIRM. In Who is an American? check out the story on Minneapolis Public Radio asking this question. That this question is asked is a testament to the fact we're a nation of people joined from all parts of the world.

Who's Sorry Now? Oh, Puhleeze! on Gilchrist's recent comments on te minuteman movement at Wild Chihuahuas.

The hope of non-citizen soldiers at Dream Act Texas. Many don't realize that there are many soldiers serving now that are not U.S. citizens. Also read a two part post on how we're easily misled. Though I love her dearly I was shocked when my grandmother stood at the World Trade Center site and said "now I know why we're in Iraq." Countering Misinformation part I and Countering Misinformation part II. Part II gives some great examples of truth versus myth.

Take a break and check out Bajofondo Friday at The Unapologetic Mexican.

The relationship between a people's alcohol and their pride and/or patriotism is nothing new to this country. Read Univision Like a Cold One With Sports and Is Our Pride As Latinos In Our Beers? on marketing campaigns targeting Latinos.

Fragomen Fires Back at Greg Siskind's Blog.

Politicians and Pride at Immigration Equality. Read A Time to Celebrate on the raid that sparked the movement for LGBT on this day in 1969. Also read More Corruption at ICE and HIV immigration ban update.

Read about the movie Sangre de mi Sangre at Immigration Prof Blog. Read http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2008/06/nafta-and-the-e.htmlNAFTA and the Elephant in the Room on the meeting of representatives from Mexico and Canada on this agreement. Also read 38 more arrests in Wisconsin Immigration Sweep and Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives Edited by Peter Orner. I'm actually reading this book now and it does give a much needed voice to many that live undocumented and the terrible things they go through. From being coaxed to the U.S. under the guise of religious work to being forced to perform sexual acts this is as much a book on the evils of man as it is on the problems with our immigration system.

Guest Voz: Congresswoman Solis demands oil companies stop withholding oil from the market at Latina Lista.

A collection of blog posts from around the blogosphere in Bloggers of the world unite! at The Latin Americanist.

thoughts from the AILA conference

yave begnet — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:33:00 GMT

It can be stressful working in a field where my clients, and I by extension, feel constantly under siege from government agencies, the courts, and even members of the public. So sitting at the opening session of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) annual conference with 3,000 or 4,000 other immigration attorneys yesterday was an empowering experience. We are fed up! Both the outgoing 2007 and incoming 2008 AILA presidents took a vocal and rousing stance against the egregious violations of constitutional rights and basic human rights we have seen recently from ICE and the other immigration agencies.

Marshall Fitz, advocacy director for AILA, said what most immigration attorneys have come to realize in recent years, that 9/11 changed the entire immigration landscape.

After the attacks, many Americans felt threatened and they, and politicians especially, looked for someone to blame for that lost feeling of safety. In the public mind, something--anything--needed to be done. Unfortunately, as we know from the war in Iraq, too frequently the people the government went after turned out to be not the right targets but the easy ones. Not members of al-Qaeda responsible for the attacks, but instead foreign nationals inside the U.S. who had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, but happened to be close at hand, legally vulnerable, and convenient scapegoats with whom to soothe an anxious public.

It took a few years for the full effects of 9/11 to be felt. It took time for existing restrictionist organizations to fully capitalize on the feelings of insecurity spawned by the attacks. Just as Bush served as the vessel to promote an existing neoconservative agenda to project American military power into the Middle East, Congress and the executive branch acted as tools of a longstanding movement that used the new landscape to promote its nativist agenda.

This series of events may not be obvious to everyone, but it is painfully apparent to migrants in the U.S. and their attorneys.

Fitz made some interesting comments about current prospects for comprehensive reform (CIR). He said CIR will not be decided by the Obama/McCain race, but by who wins downticket. The “New Southern Strategy” of demonizing migrants for political gain has demonstrably failed just about everywhere it has been tried. But, inexplicably, politicians continue to use the strategy.

As Publius likes to point out, the only thing politicians can be counted on to respond to is fear of political death: defeat at the ballot box. Fitz said politicians have to be shown they need not fear touching CIR the way they do now. They have to be afraid of not doing something to fix the unholy mess that currently masquerades as our immigration system. The next few months will be very important in this respect, and the Latino vote will play a big role in how that issue plays out in the election. My view is that Obama needs the Latino vote to win, and to get it he needs to show that he will fight for issues important to the Latino community. A good way to do that is to vocally support CIR.

Likewise, advocates of CIR should give up the dream of slipping favorable immigration legislation into omnibus bills and realize that CIR will only be won through hard-fought battles in the public sphere and at the ballot box. We should not settle for mushy positions from both candidates with the expectation that if they can get through the election without drawing too much attention to immigration, either one will do “the right thing” after winning and push for CIR. This hasn’t worked before and is unlikely to work now.

If McCain continues to obfuscate his position on CIR, if Obama continues to triangulate and avoid the issue, Democrats risk losing enough of the Latino vote to affect the outcome in November, and migrant advocates risk losing a crucial chance to secure a commitment to real immigration reform. Also, the debate at the top will filter down to other races, and recent history shows that in general elections, candidates running primarily on a restrictionist platform lose. Advocates should make a strong, very public case for the benefits of CIR and not run from the issue this election cycle.

But that's my take. What do you think?

[Cross-posted at Citizen Orange.]

Take Action Against Hutto: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:08:52 GMT

Where is Congress’s Priority when it comes to Immigration? at A Dream Deferred. It's with supermodels, of course!

Millionare abuses two Indonesian housekeepers at Damn Mexicans. A tragic tail of those searching for a better life only finding terror.

Immigrants and Crime at No Borders and Binaries. Studies are cited showing that immigrants are not more likely to commit crimes as many anti-migrant groups would like us to believe.

The Supreme Court on Alaska & Texas at Smart Borders. Recent decisions will have negative implications on the future.

ICE responds to anti-family detention op-ed at T Don Hutto Blog. Please check out this post and use the form to show you're opposition to detention centers.

The Realestateconquista at The Unapologetic Mexican.

Read the story A friends' life in FEAR... and then to to Pacheco Family Under the Lens at Dream Act Texas where DAT has provided a sample letter to send to congress in support of the Pachecos and the DREAM Act. Also in LAPD - don't ask don't tell on immigration status a judge upholds a ruling that keeps LA officers from asking for immigration status of everyone they stop for whatever reason. And watch 150 ICE agents: part IV on the ICE raids in Houston. (Here's a video I found showing people protesting this raid.) In HB 1 Visas - throwing away talent there's a link to the NY Times article "Building A Wall Against Talent.

At Eristic Ragemail the focus on Tanton continues in John Tanton and Peter Brimelow Publish Racist Tract Together.

REAL ID tale of woe at Immigration Equality.

NYPD Raid Home of Brutalized Radical Hip Hop Artist at Vivir Latino.

BREAKING NEWS Minuteman Founder Jim Gilchrist says some in Minuteman Movement Instigate Violence! at Immigration Talk With A Mexican American. Also read Denver Politics: ANTI supporters Cheer Racism on House Floor meanwhile Congresswoman Receives Death Threats for Keeping Rules of Order!

Pushout: Report Finds That Lousy Schools Fail Latino Students at Of América.

Racism or Just plain Prejudice in Hawaii?. Find out.......... at Pro Inmigrant. Also Operation B.S. within the Minuteman Groups. Lou Dobbs aren't you proud of them.!!!!!!! and It's not Funny how Minuteman members approached Day Labor groups anymore. It's Scary.

Judge rejects challenge to ordinance barring police to approach persons solely for immigration purposes at Immigration Prof Blog. Also 160 arrested at a second recent major raid in Houston, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Helps LPRS Become Citizens (and Voters) and More on "An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring in the Department of Justice Honors Program and Summer Law Intern Program".

Daily Headlines: June 27, 2008 at The Latin Americanist.

Chicago Resolution Condemning Hate Speech Introduced

rachelfirm — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:03:27 GMT

Courtesy of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights:

Chicago- "Joined by leaders from the immigrant community, Aldermen George Cardenas of the 12th Ward and Manny Flores of the 1st Ward today introduced a resolution for the Chicago City Council that condemns the increasingly venomous tone of the national immigration debate and reaffirms the City's support for sensible solution for the immigration issue.

"Throughout our history, Chicago has welcomed immigrants from around the world, including my own family," said Alderman Cardenas at a City Hall press conference announcing the resolution. "Our city was built by immigrants, and has respected the contributions that immigrants have made and will continue to make. Unfortunately, the overall climate surrounding the immigration issue has turned more and more ugly, fed in particular by cable news. It's time that our city took a stand against the hateful rhetoric."

The media watchdog group Media Matters Action Network recently released "Fear and Loathing in Prime Time: Immigration Myths and Cable News," a report documenting how Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck of CNN and Bill O'Reilly of Fox News use vitriol and myths to stoke anti-immigrant hysteria.

"The Media Matters report documents in great detail how Dobbs, O'Reilly, Beck, and others have used distortions and misrepresentations to portray immigrants in a negative light and push an anti-immigrant agenda," said Fred Tsao of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "We applaud Aldermen Cardenas and Flores for standing with immigrants and against hate."

While calling for an end to hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric, the resolution reaffirms the City's support for humane, practical solutions to the immigration issue. "Our city has stood by immigrants, and has consistently supported legalization of hardworking undocumented immigrants and other reforms," said Alderman Flores. "We hope that our federal government will hear our message and pass immigration reform soon."

Gilchrist's Lament: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:02:43 GMT

Take the DMI blog readers survey and win gift cards to Amazon.com! at DMI Blog. This post says that reading about public policy is like 'eating your spinach.' Well, get a fork and take a minute to tell DMI what you think. Also watch Mayor Martin Chavez on a New American History (One That Doesn't Celebrate Monolingualism).

The myth of the American frontier is one of the most accepted and well-known of any American legend. The Mayor of Albuquerque Martin Chavez, however, turns the myth on its head.

Raid At An East Houston Plant at Para Justicia y Libertad.

Read 150 ICE agents converge on Houston East End Plant, part III at Dream Act Texas (Here's Part I and Part II). In One Minute-Man Less we have Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minutemen, lamenting on the current state of the movement he started. From the article:

"In retrospect, had I seen this, had I had a crystal ball to see what is going to happen… Am I happy? No," Gilchrist said in a phone conversation late last week. "Am I happy at the outcome of this whole movement? I am very, very sad, very disappointed..."

Michael Savage Says Refugees "Can't Assimilate" at Vivir Latino.

Michael Savage, the shock jock whose bigoted rhetoric has ruffled more than a few feathers over the years has got something to say about refugees to the United States.

Also Latinos del Mundo : VivirLatino Wants You (to write for us) and Mexico City Activist Targeted and Arrested.

Roll of Anti-Immigrant Groups at Eristic Ragemail. Here's a list of prominent anti-migrant and hate groups along with a list of those leading the movement.

Chicago Resolution Condemning Hate Speech Introduced at Standing FIRM. Also read Congressman calls for Immigration Reform as a Priority and Working Hands do not Deserve Handcuffs: CHIRLA Denounces ICE Raids.

MAJOR PRO-IMMIGRATION GOP MEMBER OUSTED IN PRIMARY at Greg Siskind's Blog.

Minutemen Join White Supremacists In 'Co-Hosted' Strategy Session at Hatewatch. Also read Ex-Cop Linked To Aryan Nations Gets 52 Months For Bomb Making.

Read Citizens sue after detentions, immigration raids and Kerry and Smith on HIV ban at Immigration Equality Blog.

Nicklebag Joe Arpaio, Media Hound, Racist or Nut? at Immigration Talk With A Mexican American.

Immigration Daily Defends Fragomen Law Firm at Immigration Prof Blog. The Fragomen law firm was recently audited by the Department of Labor. Read the AP story. Also read Undocumented Immigrant Who Lost $49K Wins Appeal! and not to be outdone by Dobbs Savage Spews Nativist Gibberish. I'm not a fan of Michael Weiner or his ridiculous tirades.

New video shows the link between commonly used media sources on immigration and anti-immigrant organizations at Latina Lista.

Long a sore spot among us all who seriously write about the topic, is the propensity of the mainstream media to use as counter sources that are funded, however indirectly, by organizations with an anti-immigrant agenda - not just anti undocumented but anti-immigrant. In other words, pro-white (read white supremacy) agendas.

USCIS director answers questions on processing times at No Borders and Binaries.

Read The Rule of Law or the Law on their own Hands? on white supremacists groups at Pro Inmigrant. Also read Empirical Image. Sealing the U.S. Mexico Border doesn't match the reality.

Daily Headlines: June 26, 2008 at The Latin Americanist.

The Right To Learn: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:44:34 GMT

Many citizens have taken their education for granted and others throw it away. The DREAM Act provides undocumented students, so eager to learn, with a powerful opportunity to seek higher education in college. I believe we all understand education is fundamental toward ensuring a better future. To deny this opportunity is senseless. Support the DREAM Act!

The Debate Over In-state Tuition for Undocumented Students - FAQs - Part 2 at A Dream Deferred. Get facts through various court cases on this issue.

A First Look at Revoking Education Opportunities for NC Extralegals at Smart Borders.

Having taught English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students for the past two years on the Tex-Mex border town of Brownsville, the national trend toward limiting the futures and opportunities of immigrant students hurts me deeply.

51 Since October 1st at Latino Politico on the number of migrants who have died looking for a better life.

Will the Real John McCain Please Stand Up at Para Justicia y Libertad.

In an effort to win back lost Hispanic votes, Republican presidential hopeful, Senator John McCain held a closed door meeting with more than 100 Hispanic leaders in Chicago. However, things did not turn out as he hoped.

At No Borders and Binaries Supreme Court relaxes Immigration Laws - Chipping Away at “Illegal is Illegal” de jure on the ruling that those under "voluntary departure" can still petition their case if their circumstances change. For those into philosophy there's Michel Foucault - References and Works. There are a few good videos on You Tube of him debating a young Chomsky on Justice vs. Power.

Do you know the location of the U.S. - Canadian border? at Dream Act Texas. "It's hard to save the United States from illegal immigrants when you can't find the border."

Read The Aroma of Justice at The Unapologetic Mexican.

Watch the video Make the Road New York on a wonderful organization helping to bring people together at Standing FIRM.

Human Rights Groups Condemn ICE Detentions at Eristic Ragemail.

In an Amici Curiae Brief filed in the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Human Rights Watch and a number of other organizations provide profiles of individual cases that illustrate the unconstitutional nature of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) detention scheme.

Immigrant Athletes To Compete Under American Flag In Beijing at Greg Siskind's Blog.

Read The Terrorist among us. Know your Enemy on Domestic Terrorism. Isn't a Hispanic or Latino at Pro Inmigrant, but don't click this link if you're scared of clowns. In Outrageous. Every morning is the dawn of a new error we have a woman being let out of jail to attend her son's funeral (who she killed in a drunk driving accident) only to go to a bar. So apparently if your an alcoholic murderer you get special permissions, but if you're undocumented too bad you get none. Also watch the video Immigrants in Canada victims of Torture.

Vermont Secessionists Team Up with Racist Neo-Confederates at Hatewatch.

Price speaks on Immigration at Immigration Equality Blog. "A must read for anyone who wants to understand the challenges in passing immigration reform and why immigration reform efforts have stalled." Also in Marriage and Immigration. In this post find a letter to the editor on same-sex marriage and immigration rights. And check out Iowa Raid Analysis where Professor Aldana, from the Society of American Law Teachers, gives us an analysis of the terrible Postville raid.

BREAKING NEWS: Soap Opera Politics Vol 1, Issue 12: Tancredo Hauls McCain On the Carpet for Wooing Latino Voters! at Immigration Talk With A Mexican American.

Racial Bias in the United States at Immigration Prof Blog points to a Washington Post article on bias against immigrants of color. Here's a list of New Immigration Articles. Also read Boy George Denied Visa to Tour in US, Resource on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Anti-immigrant groups turn to local governments.

Ecuadorean Immigrants Sue Bakery Owners, Alleging Mistreatment at Just News.

Miami's El Nuevo Herald states McCain is the favored candidate by Hispanic voters. Huh? at Latina Lista.

At Vivir Latino we have For the First Time Ever, Democratic National Convention to be Simulcast en Español and Nearly 2 Million Latinos Living in Spain.

For hundreds of thousands of Latin American immigrants that leave their home countries each year -- and in spite of what Lou Dobbs might have you believe -- the first choice in destination isn't the United States but Spain.

The Real Grassroots Movement: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

symsess — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:52:51 GMT

First up is the video The Debate Over Instate-Tuition - Challenges and Affirmation Part 1 at A Dream Deferred. I think the people at the L.A. Times should watch this to see what a real grass roots movement looks like. Here we have hundreds of students rallying together to support one another. This is the America I want to live in where people help one another. Support these DREAMers.

Another must read article at Smart Borders: The State of Immigration.

Beyond these self-produced immigration patterns caused by our nation's myriad "conflicts" (read invasions) over the past 40 years including Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Somalia, our nation is simultaneously attempting to address the ongoing issue of illegal migration by erecting a $30-billion border wall.

At Greg Siskind's Blog we have SUPREME REFUSES TO BLOCK FENCE. This story really upset me yesterday as the idea of this fence just makes me more and more livid. I can see the day when the next generations will look at us and say 'what were you thinking?' In A FACE TO PUT WITH THE HIV BAN we learn of a waiver set to expire soon allowing HIV positive people to enter and stay in this country.

At Immigrants in the USA Blog read When teachers become the pupils - "This class is held every Friday after school. The teacher is an 11 year old immigrant, teaching basic Spanish to the teachers in her school. DP" Also read Muslim Americans rich in diversity.

State and Local Round-up at Standing FIRM.

Read Hutto Resolution Passes State Resolution Committee (Dem. Party) and Locked and Loaded: CCA, the private jailer and one of Nashville's richest companies, is facing heightened scrutiny.

In Iron justice at Immigration Equality Blog we staggering numbers for incarceration in the United States. There's obviously a problem when we have the highest incarceration rate of any nation. Of course the fact that companies make money on incarceration doesn't help any. Also read Dems seek to boost DHS funding.

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2008 at The Latin Americanist. And I'm sorry I missed Today's Video: Happy birthday Hope Sandoval! as I'm a big Mazzy Star fan and even her band Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions.

At Immigration Prof Blog read Knight Foundation and Opportunity Fund Launch Innovative "Saving for Citizenship" Program on a program to help 500 legal immigrants save the money to become citizens. In a new move anti-immigrant groups are going where they seem to be getting some results - local governments which just tells us we can't ignore our city and state politics. Read about this in Anti-immigrant groups turn to local governments. Also read Negusie v. Mukasey: Asylum Case in Supreme Court where a man that refused orders to punish others and tried to help them may be sent back home to most likely be killed.

More at Immigration Prof Blog. Read Migration Policy Institute on Postville and New Security requirements likely to cause Visa Delays.

New poll searching for racial bias in America reveals subtle feelings run deep on both sides of the questions at Latina Lista.

As much as some of us would like to think that this election is all about the issues, there's no denying that a major issue for a lot of voters boils down to black versus white.

Mortgage Crisis Hurts Black, Latino Economic Progress at Nuestra Voice.

Read Companero Don White, Presente! at Of América and celebrate the life of a man that lived to help others.

At Pro Inmigrant watch One year ago Dane Solomon walked through the doors of Immigration Equality asking for protection from abuse and mistreatment.