Late one recent weeknight, Zambrano upended a canvas bag onto the living room floor of her southeast Yakima apartment. Fliers, printed postcards to U.S. senators and scraps of paper with names and numbers fluttered down.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/04/09/04-10-10-immigration-rally
Posted By: Christian Lopez
Immigration rights
To the editor -- Mexicans who are here illegally came for the American dream, just as all immigrants before them. All they are asking for is a chance to prove themselves and have more opportunities than they had in their home country.
Immigrants do pay taxes, sales taxes and property taxes are still taxes. My father paid for years with a fake Social Security number before his citizenship. The Social Security administration has yet to credit him for those taxes. I am bicultural and love it, so don't hate me because I am a proud American that loves my Mexican heritage.
Soon immigrants will rise up and ask to be recognized and the tea party and grass-roots people will have to contend with immigrant rights advocates like myself. We will not stop until the United States government recognizes immigrants' contributions to the American landscape and offer amnesty and tighter border control, to stop giving empty promises that the porous border helps create.
Amnesty is not a dirty word. Cease this quixotic ideal that illegal immigrants will just up and leave; it is not going to happen. All I am asking for is a healthy discourse. Not more of the same unproductive rhetoric.
GONZALO GUILLEN
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/04/23/04-24-10-letters-to-the-editor
Posted By: Christian Lopez
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Got a green card but need help becoming an American citizen? Free help will be on hand Saturday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yakima.
Members of the group OneAmerica are teaming up with immigration lawyers, paralegals and interpreters to provide free services to legal permanent residents who need help navigating the arduous naturalization process.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/04/15/oneamerica-group-plans-citizenship-event-saturday
Posted by: Christian Lopez
Become Americans first
To the editor -- The March 28 editorial was right on. President Theodore Roosevelt warned us to honor one flag, one language and one country. He said we could come from many countries and hang onto those traditions, but we were to remain loyal to this country where we reside. He warned if we did not, we would become forever divided and fail.
To the editor -- Yes, I'm a Republican advocating legal resident status for 12 million illegal aliens.
Here is my proposal. Issue each one a red or blue card, not green, so they are identifiable to the government and employers. Issue each a Social Security card so they can and must contribute to the Social Security system. Require that each file and pay income taxes and prohibit their working for cash, under the table.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/04/04/04-05-10-letters-to-the-editor
Posted by: Christian Lopez
To the editor -- Here are a few comments concerning the March 24 Froma Harrop op-ed column, "This time, a real immigration fix."
I agree we do need a fix. If we legalize those here now with an identity impossible to copy, it will stop a lot of the under-the-table sleaze that goes on now. They will have to pay taxes just like the rest of us. We also will not need a third leg to let more in. Or I suggest if an employer "needs" to import more labor, let it subsidize that labor. No more subsidized housing or food stamps or free medical care paid for by the public's tax money.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/04/02/04-04-10-letters-to-the-editor
Posted by: Christian Lopez
An estimated 10.8 million unauthorized immigrants were in the country in January 2009 compared with 11.6 million the previous year.
That decrease — nearly 7 percent — is probably related to the country’s declining economy in the first year of the recession. Other scholars have found a correlation between arrests at the Mexican border and labor market in the United States.
Of the 10.8 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in 2009, about 37 percent are believed to have entered the country in the last decade. Forty-four percent entered the United States during the 1990s and 19 percent during the 1980s.
The report had some other interesting numbers about the demographics of unauthorized immigrants.
Most of the immigrants were born in the Americas, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
People born in Mexico represented 62 percent of unauthorized immigrants in 2009, versus 55 percent in 2000. In a distant second was El Salvador, whose native-born represented about 5 percent of unauthorized immigrant living in the United States in both 2009 and 2000.
Among unauthorized immigrants, men outnumbered women in every age group except those 55 and older.
As you can see, the bulk of unauthorized immigrants were in their mid-20s to mid-40s, among the prime working years.
[Posted by Yoori Chung]
Updated April 20, 2010
WASHINGTON — Two senators said Tuesday it's time to consider ending a contract for a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border, contending it doesn't stop illegal immigration.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., even suggested an old-fashioned, real fence may work better than the electronic one designed by Boeing Co.
"We're counting on you to give us a direct assessment and take action to either terminate the contract or take from it what may work," Lieberman told Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin.
full text here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/20/senators-scrapping-virtual-fence/
[submitted by: Denise Chan]
WASHINGTON —
Illegal immigration, which has sparked political and social turmoil in communities across the nation, is on the wane, according to an independent report released Thursday.The number of illegal immigrants entering the United States has slowed significantly the past few years, falling below the number of those entering the country legally, according to the report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington think tank.
The report estimates there were 11.9 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. as of March. That would be a decline of 500,000 from the center's estimate a year ago. However, the change was not statistically significant because of the large margins of error.
full text here: http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,431762,00.htmlSome officers received only cursory training in immigration law, the report found.
“One officer commented that after basic training, he came away with zero knowledge of how to process a case,” the report says. Inspectors found that local officers in the program were “not knowledgeable about the asylum process” and other basic tenets of immigration codes.
The report cites the case of an immigrant who had committed no offense but was the victim of a traffic accident. The immigrant was detained by the local police in a county jail until federal agents arrived to check the person’s legal status.
The protection of immigrants’ civil rights was “not formally included” in the training of local officers, the report found, nor was it taken into account in their performance reviews."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/us/03immig.html
[Posted by Yoori Chung]
Organizaciones de todo el país repudiaron la decisión de la Cámara Baja de Arizona de aprobar una medida que criminaliza la presencia de indocumentados en el estado y convierte a los policías en agentes de inmigración.
El Consejo Nacional de la Raza (NCLR) calificó la iniciativa de "alarmante e inconstitucional" y pidió a la gobernadora de Arizona, Jan Brewer, que la vete tan pronto llegue a su escritorio.
La propuesta de ley HB1070 fue aprobada con 34 votos a favor en la Cámara Baja estatal y ahora debe reconciliarse con una versión similar del Senado para después ser enviada a la oficina de la mandataria republicana.
(translation)
Organizations around the country repudiated the decision of the Arizona House approved a measure that criminalizes illegal presence in the state and makes the police into immigration agents.
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) called the initiative "alarming and unconstitutional" and asked the governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, who go as soon reaches her desk.
HB1070 The bill was approved with 34 votes in the state House and now must be reconciled with a similar version of the Senate before being sent to the office of the president republican.
http://www.webelpuente.com/nacional2.html
[svissoni]
Hace unas semanas cientos de buses y automóviles llegaron a Washington desde varias partes del país, y con ellos miles de personas que exigieron una reforma migratoria en la "Marcha por América". Los asistentes con camisas blancas, banderas de Estados Unidos, pancartas y cantos, les pedían a los legisladores que este año sean legalizados los indocumentados. Pero la realidad puede ser otra.
A pesar de que la comunidad inmigrante y los líderes de estas comunidades han marchado y se han reunido con el presidente Barack Obama, aún es incierta la aprobación de una reforma migratoria para este año.
(translated)
A few weeks ago hundreds of buses and cars came to Washington from around the country, and with them thousands of people demanding immigration reform in the "March for America."The assistants in white shirts, American flags, banners and chants, they asked lawmakers this year should be legalized undocumented immigrants. But the reality may be different.
Although the immigrant community and the leaders of these communities have gone and met with President Barack Obama, is still uncertain the approval of comprehensive immigration reform this year.
http://www.webelpuente.com/index.html
[svissoni]
Unos 350 defensores de los hispanos que representan a 100 organizaciones de base en 30 estados viajaron a Washington, D.C. la primera semana de marzo para entablar conversaciones con sus representantes en el Congreso sobre la falta de acción federal sobre la reforma migratoria integral.
Las visitas fueron invitadas por el Consejo Nacional de La Raza para participar en su día de defensa latina del 2010. Mientras se reunían con sus delegaciones de la Cámara y del Senado, compartieron historias personales que le pusieron rostros a los problemas de los migrantes y sus familias extendidas.
(translated)
About 350 Hispanic advocacy representing 100 grassroots organizations in 30 states traveled to Washington, DC the first week of March for talks with their representatives in Congress over federal inaction on comprehensive immigration reform.
The visitors were invited by the National Council of La Raza to participate in their defense days Latino, 2010. While they met with their delegations in the House and Senate, they shared personal stories and put faces to the problems of migrants and their extended families.
http://www.webelpuente.com/ep0310b/nacional4.html
[svissoni]
Mientras los políticos batallan con el presupuesto propuesto por el presidente Barack Obama, en Washington existe una oportunidad de 4.1 billones de dólares que algunos en el Congreso desean mantener oculta:
Reforma migratoria integral =
1.5 billones de incremento en el Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) en diez años
Deportación masiva =
2.6 billones en pérdidas en el PIB en diez años
(translated)
The country's economy will grow with comprehensive immigration reform
While politicians struggle with the budget proposed by President Barack Obama, in Washington there is a chance of 4.1 billion dollars that some in Congress want to keep hidden:
Comprehensive immigration reform =
1.5 billion increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in ten years
= Mass deportation
2.6 billion in losses in GDP in ten years
http://www.webelpuente.com/ep0210b/nacional4.html
[svissoni]
La secretaria de Trabajo de Estados Unidos, Hilda L. Solís, anunció una nueva norma agrícola que, a partir del próximo 15 de marzo, incluirá un aumento salarial promedio de un dólar por hora para poco más de 80,000 trabajadores del campo en el país, la mayoría de ellos de México y Centroamérica.
Su mensaje fue claro y directo: "Estas reglas van a ayudar a los trabajadores del campo con visas H-2A y también a los residentes de Estados Unidos; queremos protegerlos, que les paguen salarios justos y no abusen de ellos".
Según explicó Solís, la nueva norma ofrecerá más protecciones laborales, más transparencia y más información en español.
(translated)
The Secretary of Labor United States, Hilda L. Solis, announced a new agricultural standard, effective March 15, will include an average pay increase of one dollar per hour for little more than 80,000 farm workers in the country, most of them from Mexico and Central America.
His message was clear and direct: "These rules will help farm workers with H-2A visas to residents of the United States, we want to protect them, pay them fair wages and do not abuse them."
Solis explained, the new standard will offer more labor protections, more transparency and more information in Spanish.
http://www.webelpuente.com/ep0210b/nacional1.html
[svissoni]
En el próximo programa estatal de emigrantes a los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica y Canadá, que iniciará a partir del mes de febrero de este año, se está pidiendo a los solicitantes que sepan algo del idioma inglés, cuando menos lo más elemental.
Actualmente se cuenta con 26 solicitudes de personas que quieren probar suerte en la Unión Americana.
Lo anterior, fue informado por el director de la oficina de enlace municipal del Instituto Estatal del Empleo en la ciudad de Matamoros, Gonzalo Escobedo Salazar.
(translated)
In the next state program of immigrants to the United States and Canada, which starts from the month of February this year, is asking applicants to know something of the English language, at least the basics.
Currently has 26 applications from people who want to try their luck in the United States.
This was informed by the director of the municipal liaison office of the State Institute of Employment in the city of Matamoros, Gonzalo Escobedo Salazar.
http://www.webelpuente.com/ep0210a/nacional5.html
[svissoni]
Washington, D.C. - El congresista de California, Xavier Becerra, vicepresidente de la bancada demócrata de la Cámara Baja, vaticinó que la reforma migratoria integral es viable este 2010, a pesar de todos los asuntos en los que están enfrascados el Congreso y la Casa Blanca.
Becerra dialogó con medios en español en una conferencia de prensa telefónica organizada por el portal MaribelHastings.com, de America’s Voice. La conferencia en español contó con la participación de 40 medios de comunicación de 17 estados. El periódico El Puente participó en ésta conferencia el pasado 19 de enero.
El evento se condujo en la víspera del primer aniversario de Barack Obama en la presidencia del país y a una semana de que el mandatario pronuncie su primer discurso sobre el estado de la Unión.
Los políticos de ambos espectros que se preocupan sobre la seguridad de nuestras fronteras y el crecimiento de nuestra economía continuarán impulsando la reforma inmigratoria este año. Aquí hay siete razones por qué:
El público estadounidense quiere que sus líderes dejen de politiquear y que tomen la iniciativa para resolver temas difíciles. La reforma inmigratoria se presenta como la oportunidad perfecta para cumplir.
El apoyo a la reforma inmigratoria integral es amplia, profunda, y bipartidista. Las encuestas llevadas a cabo por Benenson Strategy Group en junio y diciembre del 2009 demostraron que dos tercios de los votantes apoyaron la reforma inmigratoria integral, incluyendo 69 por ciento de Demócratas, 67 por ciento de Independientes, y 62 por ciento de Republicanos. Y éstos números aumentan un 87 por ciento cuando la propuesta es explicada— apoyo para reforzar la frontera, medidas duras contra los empleadores que atentan contra la ley, y requerir que los inmigrantes indocumentados se registren, paguen impuestos, y así ganen la ciudadanía.
(translated)
The politicians from both spectra are concerned about the security of our borders and the growth of our economy will continue to push for an immigration reform this year. Here are seven reasons why:
The American public wants its leaders to stop politicking and take the initiative to resolve difficult issues. The immigration reform presents itself as the perfect opportunity to do so.
Support for comprehensive immigration reform is broad, deep and bipartisan. Surveys conducted by Benenson Strategy Group in June and December 2009 showed that two thirds of voters supported the comprehensive immigration reform, including 69 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Independents and 62 percent of Republicans. And these numbers increase by 87 percent when the proposal is explained, support for strengthening the border, cracking down on employers who violate the law, and require that illegal immigrants are registered, pay taxes, and so earn citizenship.
http://www.webelpuente.com/ep0210a/nacional3.html
[svissoni]
An emerging immigration proposal by three Democratic senators calls for more federal enforcement agents and other border security-tightening benchmarks before illegal immigrants could become legal U.S. residents.
Those goals "must be met before action can be taken to adjust the status of people already in the United States illegally," according to a copy of the draft legislation, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez are developing.
rest of article here.
[posted by Maria Rohani]
Amongst other recess appointments, President Obama installed former Border Czar Alan Bersin as the Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection on March 27, 2010. The administration nominated Mr. Bersin for the post in September 2009, but in the long appointments backlog in the Senate, no confirmation hearing for Mr. Bersin had been scheduled yet.
In April 2009, DHS Secretary Napolitano appointed Mr. Bersin as a Special Representative for Border Affairs, a.k.a. Border Czar, a position similar to the one he held under President Clinton, when he served as the Attorney General’s Southwest Border Representative. Mr. Bersin was a major force behind Operation Gatekeeper in San Diego, an effort to dramatically increase Border Patrol enforcement to keep undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S.
As Commissioner of CBP, Bersin will lead an agency with over 50,000 employees, responsible for welcoming travelers and immigrants to the United States, facilitating trade and enforcing customs laws, and preventing smugglers, criminals, and potential terrorists from entering the country.
[see original here]On March 19, President Obama issued a memorandum extending Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status for Liberians in the United States, allowing Liberian nationals, or stateless persons who last resided in Liberia, to remain and seek work authorization in the U.S. for 18 months. Deferred Enforced Departure is a grant of lawful status to Liberians to defer removal of any Liberian national, with certain exceptions, such as for persons who are judged to be a danger to the United States or are subject to extradition. DED status means that the 4,000 Liberians who fled during Liberia’s civil war will not be returned en masse while the country is still unstable.
When Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Liberians expired in October 2007, President Bush granted DED for Liberians who had originally received TPS. President Obama extended DED until March 31, 2010, and now, effective March 19, 2010, DED is granted for an additional 18 months.
[see original here]
[posted by Maria Rohani]
In a 7-2 ruling, the high court reversed a lower court decision that upheld a jury verdict against Alex Salas.
The state Supreme Court said admitting Salas' immigration status presented a danger of unfair prejudice.
A native of Mexico, Salas was working on a construction project in Seattle when he fell from a ladder. He was seriously injured and sued the contractor, alleging the ladder did not meet safety codes.
Salas' immigrant status was revealed during a pretrial deposition. He moved to exclude it from trial, but his request was denied.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SEATTLE (AP)—The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that a man's illegal immigrant status should not have been introduced in court while he sought damages in a negligence lawsuit against a construction contractor.
In a 7-2 ruling, the high court reversed a lower court decision that uphold a jury verdict against Alex Salas.
The state Supreme Court said admitting Salas' immigration status presented a danger of unfair prejudice.
A native of Mexico, Salas was working on a construction project in Seattle when he fell from a ladder. He was seriously injured
MIAMI — A hospital that sent a seriously brain injured illegal immigrant back to Guatemala – over the objections of his family and legal guardian – did not act unreasonably, a jury found Monday.
Deputy Court Clerk Carol Harper said the unanimous six-member jury found in favor of the hospital and against the guardian of 37-year-old Luis Jimenez, a Mayan Indian from Guatemala.
Health care and immigration experts across the country have closely watched the court case in the sleepy, coastal town of Stuart. The hospital had cared for Jimenez, who was uninsured, for three years. But it was unable to find any nursing home to take him permanently because his immigration status meant the government would not reimburse his care.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/jury-sides-with-hospital_n_246213.html
[Posted by: Juliana Steers]
4-22-10
John McCain has no reason to fear illegal immigrants "intentionally causing accidents on the freeway" -- according to Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), "trained professionals" can identify undocumented workers just by looking at their clothes.
Discussing Arizona's pending profiling bill on "Hardball," Chris Matthews challenged Bilbray to cite a "non-ethnic aspect" by which law enforcement agents could identify illegal immigrants. "They will look at the kind of dress you wear, there is different type of attire, there is different type of -- right down to the shoes, right down to the clothes," Bilbray replied.
Of course, law enforcement wouldn't detain people based solely on clothing, Bilbray said. They also know to look out for the ways in which illegal immigrants just act illegal.
"It's mostly behavior, just as the law enforcement people here in Washington, D.C. does it based on certain criminal activity," he told Matthews. "There is behavior things that professionals are trained in across the board, and this group shouldn't be exempt from those observations as much as anybody else [sic throughout]."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/22/brian-bilbray-gop-rep-cla_n_547710.html
[Posted by: Juliana Steers]
4-26-10
South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer (R-S.C.) introduced a new line of reasoning into the contentious immigration debate last week, blaming "flat-out lazy" people for allowing illegal immigrants to thrive in his state.
"The real problem is the work force," Bauer said during the first Republican gubernatorial debate on Friday. "The problem is we have a give-away system that is so strong that people would rather sit home and do nothing than do these jobs."
"Laziness is not a disability," Bauer continued. "There are a lot of people that are flat-out lazy and they are using up the goods and services we have in this state."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/andre-bauer-south-carolin_n_551985.html
[Posted by: Juliana Steers]
