Assistant Secretary John Morton, Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has issued a memorandum establishing new procedures for handling immigrants held by ICE who have not been charged or convicted of serious offenses.
According to the New York Times:
Immigration enforcement officials have started to cancel the deportations of thousands of immigrants they have detained, a policy they said would pare huge case backlogs in the immigration courts.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27immig.html?ref=us
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the new approach was part of a broad shift in priorities at the agency, to focus its efforts on catching and deporting immigrants who have been convicted of crimes or pose a national security threat. The policy — announced in an Aug. 20 memorandum from John Morton, the head of the agency — drew praise from immigrant advocates, who called it a common-sense strategy, and was denounced by several Republicans as evidence that the Obama administration was weakening enforcement and making it easier for illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
Mr. Morton’s memorandum refers to a particular group of illegal immigrants: those who have been detained in ICE operations because they did not have legal status, but who have active applications in the system to become legal residents. The memo encourages ICE officers and lawyers to use their authority to dismiss those cases, canceling the deportation proceedings, if they determine that the immigrants have no criminal records and stand a strong chance of having their residence applications approved.
The Secure Communities Program was established to detain serious offenders. Recent reports found that a substantial portion of detained individuals had no history of serious criminal activity. In Travis County, a reported 82% of detained individuals had no history of serious criminal activity.
It remains to be seen how the memorandum will be implemented, but it does appear to move the Secure Communities Program back toward it’s original purpose.
To read the Memorandum, go to:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/us/27immig_memo.pdf
As always, I hope you find the referenced news articles informative.
Best Wishes.
Prepared by
John Vasquez
Chair
Hispanic Issues Section, State Bar of Texas
johnvasq@gmail.com
PS: Several Texas legislators have announced their intent to file bills seeking to impose anti-immigrant legislation similar to Arizona’s SB 1070. In Arizona, SB 1070 supporters used often erroneous statistics to justify the need for a law opposed by most Hispanics.
How do you overcome deliberate misinformation? By knowing the facts.
The Center for American Progress, Immigration Policy Center, National Immigration Forum, Political Correction, Progressive States Network and Southern Poverty Law Center have issued a briefing paper providing information and resources for challenging SB 1070 style legislation. To read the paper, go to:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/08/fernandez_arizona_copycat.html
PSS: Do you have a school teacher in your family? If so, you may want to refer them to the Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) resource website sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute. The website includes links to lesson plans and related materials. To see the website, go to:
http://smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/hhm/index.html
PSS2: On September 27, 2010, PBS will broadcast “When Worlds Collide” as part of it’s commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The program explores the first century following the arrival of Europeans in the New World. To read an article describing the program, go to:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1572553.php/When-Worlds-Collide-on-PBS-in-September-preview
PSS3: The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) will convene their 35th annual national convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from September 8 to 11. If you would like to learn more about the convention, go to:
http://www.hnba.com/hnba-35th-annual-convention/
NOTE: This News Summary is a service of the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas. If you would like to support HIS, visit
http://www.texasbar.com/Template.cfm?Section=Sections and click “MyBarPage” (near the bottom of the page) to join online. For further information, contact the Sections Department at 1-800-204-2222 or (512) 427-1463 ext. 1420.
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Top News
Fighting Back Against Copycat Immigration Laws Like Arizona’s: Helpful Materials for Opposing Similar Legislation
Since the passage of Arizona’s SB1070 law similar laws have been proposed in other states around the country. These laws have generally been found to be unconstitutional because they are preempted by federal law, as the federal court noted in Arizona last month. They are also problematic because they encourage racial profiling by requiring law enforcement officials to seek identification papers from anyone who looks like an immigrant. And they can cost states lots of money in legal fees and economic losses.
The following materials can be helpful in pushing back against such proposed laws.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute, or IRLI, the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, drafted the Arizona law and most of the copycat bills. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated FAIR a hate group because of its founder’s writings, its repeated participation with white nationalist groups, and its receipt of major funding from a racist organization.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/08/fernandez_arizona_copycat.html
EDITORIAL: Immigration Bait and Switch
Secure Communities, an immigration enforcement program created under President George W. Bush and now being greatly expanded by President Obama, is billed as an effort to catch and deport “the worst of the worst,” the violent criminals, drug and gun smugglers, gang members and other dangerous aliens. That would be excellent, if true. It doesn’t seem to be.
The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, the Center for Constitutional Rights, a public-interest legal organization, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network analyzed arrest and deportation statistics and other data on Secure Communities they obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The records, covering the program from its inception in October 2008 through June 2010, lend disturbing credence to fears voiced by immigrant advocates and some law-enforcement officials.
The national average of Secure Communities deportees with no criminal records was about 26 percent, but that figure also varied wildly around the country. It was 54 percent in Maricopa County, Ariz., whose sheriff is notorious for staging indiscriminate immigration raids. In Travis County, Tex., it was 82 percent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/opinion/18wed3.html?th&emc=th
See also “Travis County leads nation in deporting 'noncriminal' immigrants, groups find”
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/travis-county-leads-nation-in-deporting-noncriminal-immigrants-852776.html
Feds moving to dismiss some deportation cases: Critics assail the plan as a bid to create a kind of backdoor 'amnesty'
The Department of Homeland Security is systematically reviewing thousands of pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against suspected illegal immigrants who have no serious criminal records, according to several sources familiar with the efforts.
Culling the immigration court system dockets of noncriminals started in earnest in Houston about a month ago and has stunned local immigration attorneys, who have reported coming to court anticipating clients' deportations only to learn that the government was dismissing their cases.
Richard Rocha, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said Tuesday that the review is part of the agency's broader, nationwide strategy to prioritize the deportations of illegal immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. Rocha declined to provide further details.
Raed Gonzalez, an immigration attorney who was briefed on the effort by Homeland Security's deputy chief counsel in Houston, said DHS confirmed that it's reviewing cases nationwide, though not yet to the pace of the local office. He said the others are expected to follow suit soon.
Gonzalez, the liaison between the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which administers the immigration court system, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said DHS now has five attorneys assigned full time to reviewing all active cases in Houston's immigration court. Gonzalez said DHS attorneys are conducting the reviews on a case-by-case basis. However, he said they are following general guidelines that allow for the dismissal of cases for defendants who have been in the country for two or more years and have no felony convictions.
In some instances, defendants can have one misdemeanor conviction, but it cannot involve a DWI, family violence or sexual crime, Gonzalez said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/facebook/7169978.html
Immigration Agency Ends Some Deportations
Immigration enforcement officials have started to cancel the deportations of thousands of immigrants they have detained, a policy they said would pare huge case backlogs in the immigration courts.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the new approach was part of a broad shift in priorities at the agency, to focus its efforts on catching and deporting immigrants who have been convicted of crimes or pose a national security threat. The policy — announced in an Aug. 20 memorandum from John Morton, the head of the agency — drew praise from immigrant advocates, who called it a common-sense strategy, and was denounced by several Republicans as evidence that the Obama administration was weakening enforcement and making it easier for illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
The change in emphasis at the immigration agency, which represents a significant break with longstanding practices, has awakened resistance among agents and detention officers on the ground, according to officials of the agency, which is known as ICE, and of the union representing those employees.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27immig.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=immigration&st=cse
To read the memorandum from John Morton, Assistant Secretary – ICE dated August 20, 2010, go to:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/us/27immig_memo.pdf
Births to Illegal Immigrants Are Studied
Because they were born in this country, the babies of illegal immigrants are United States citizens. In all in 2008, four million children who were American citizens had at least one parent who was in the country illegally, the Pew study found.
Children of illegal immigrants make up 7 percent of all people in the country younger than 18 years old, according to the study, which is based on March 2009 census figures, the most recent data on immigrant families. Nearly four out of five of those children — 79 percent — are American citizens because they were born here.
About 85 percent of the parents who are illegal immigrants are Hispanic, the Pew Center said.
A nationwide survey in June by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, a group affiliated with the Hispanic Center, found that 56 percent of those polled opposed changing the 14th Amendment, while 41 percent supported it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/us/12babies.html?src=mv
To read a summary of the report by the Pew Hispanic Center, go to:
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=125
Four New York Teens Sentenced in 2008 Hate Crime
RIVERHEAD, New York (CBS/AP) Three of the seven Long Island teenagers who admitted to being part of a gang that targeted Hispanics for violence were sentenced to seven-year prison terms Wednesday for their roles in the 2008 killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant. A fourth teen who met the group on the night of the slaying was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence.
Anthony Hartfold, Jordan Dasch and Jose Pacheco, all 19, each pleaded guilty to gang assault, conspiracy and attempted assault as a hate crime after confessing that they participated in an ongoing series of attacks against Hispanics, resulting in the Nov. 8, 2008 stabbing death of Marcelo Lucero.
Prosecutors noted that many Hispanics attacked prior to Lucero's murder were afraid to report the crime to police because they feared questions regarding their immigration status - a concern that the teenagers were aware of.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014805-504083.html
Mario G. Obledo, 78, Latino civil rights pioneer, dies
Mario G. Obledo, a son of poor Mexican immigrants who became a prominent civil rights activist and the first Latino to head a California state agency, died Aug. 18 at his home in Sacramento after a heart attack. He was 78.
Mr. Obledo, one of 13 children raised by a single mother in San Antonio, has been called the godfather of the Latino civil rights movement for his efforts to raise Latinos' profile as a political force.
A lawyer by trade, he co-founded the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in the late 1960s and served as its first general counsel, using the courts to fight discrimination against Latinos in the workplace, in public schools and elsewhere.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082202747.html
See also “Hispanic rights leader Obledo dies at 78”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/hispanic_rights_leader_obledo_dies_at_78_101356169.html
And “Marcos Breton: Newer generation shouldn't forget Mario Obledo”
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/22/2974313/marcos-breton-newer-generation.html
Arizona immigration law blamed for death of Hispanic man
Tension surrounding the passage of Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration contributed to the slaying of an Hispanic man, allegedly shot by a white neighbor, a representative of the dead man's family said Friday.
Police and the family said the arrested man, 50-year-old Gary Thomas Kelley, allegedly directed racial slurs at 44-year-old Juan Daniel Varela before the May 6 shooting near their homes.
A probable cause statement filed May 6 said Kelley confronted Varela outside Varela's home and repeated racial slurs at Varela. Varela then apparently attempted to kick Kelley who then allegedly pulled out a revolver and shot Varela, police said.
A police statement said the two men had gotten into altercations several times in recent years. The family wants Kelley charged with premeditated first-degree murder, not second-degree murder, with a hate crime allegation, Galindo said.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/05/14/20100514phoenix-immigration-shooting-family-blames-law.html
Visa rules are loose for illegal immigrants who are victims of crimes
Illegal immigrants who are victims of crimes are being denied special visas that aim to encourage their cooperation with police, Valley immigration attorneys say.
Called U-Visas, the documents allow immigrants who have endured substantial mental or physical abuse from a crime to stay legally in the U.S. for up to four years if they cooperate with law enforcement. The aim is to encourage the victims, who otherwise may fear deportation, to assist in an investigation.
But immigration attorneys say the haphazard application of the federal program - local law enforcement has total discretion in deciding who should be eligible - essentially denies visas to some immigrants based on little more than location.
"Whether or not a crime victim gets protection depends, really, arbitrarily on where the crime happened to have taken place," said Valerie Hink, an attorney with Southern Arizona Legal Aid. "Certain jurisdictions, no problem. Other jurisdictions, you'll never get it."
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/08/19/20100819arizona-illegal-immigrants-visas.html
SPLC Files Suit Against Georgia Police Officers Who Beat Latino Man
The Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Immigration Project and civil rights attorney Brian Spears filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today against two Cobb County police officers over the stop, arrest and beating of an unarmed Latino man. They also joined the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) to call on the federal government to terminate the county's 287(g) agreement due to the civil rights abuses perpetuated by the program.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Angel Francisco Castro Torres, who was riding his bicycle in Smyrna when he was stopped by Cobb County police officers Jeremiah M. Lignitz and Brian J. Walraven. According to their own account, the officers, who are the named defendants in the complaint, stopped him after observing his race. The officers immediately demanded Castro's identification and questioned his immigration status. He was also beaten, resulting in a broken nose and eye socket, and arrested.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-files-suit-against-police-officers-who-stopped-and-beat-latino-man
See also “Lawsuit against Cobb police alleges racial profiling”
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/lawsuit-against-cobb-police-597854.html
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Texas
Hundreds attend Farmers Branch rally against amnesty for illegal immigrants
FARMERS BRANCH – Issues surrounding illegal immigration drew hundreds to a rally here Sunday afternoon despite triple-digit heat, but there was no agreement on solutions to one of the nation's most intractable problems.
Those attending the rally were generally angry about illegal immigration, but many disagreed about the desirability of mass deportations, or about what new laws should say about conditions under which illegal immigrants might be allowed to stay in the U.S. and eventually gain citizenship.
"Many think we are in ground zero of the illegal immigration battle," Farmers Branch City Council member David Koch told the crowd at the three-hour event, which drew an estimated 200 to 400 people to the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
More than half the speakers were Hispanic. And a black politician, Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, drew applause when he said, "Stand up to the critics who say you are a bunch of callous racists."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/081610dnmetnoamnesty.2ee04ef.html
Supporters seeking release of past Hispanic leader
DALLAS — Ramsey Muniz received 214,149 votes as a third-party candidate in Texas's 1972 gubernatorial race. Almost 22 years later, he received a life sentence for drug charges.
Now the candidate turned convict, 67, spends his days in a federal prison hoping a last-ditch effort to free him will succeed before it's too late.
Muniz has been a political activist, a Hispanic leader, a gubernatorial candidate, a high school and college football star, a drug felon, a bail jumper, a fugitive and now, at the end of his life, aging inmate number 40288-115. A series of federal drug convictions culminated in a 1994 life sentence without parole for charges of possession and intent to distribute cocaine.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7164051.html
Ex-AG Gonzales at Texas Tech another year
LUBBOCK, Texas — Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will serve as a visiting professor at Texas Tech for a second year. The announcement was made Tuesday by the school in Lubbock.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7168909.html
Austin Lawyer Lulu Flores Selected for Hispanic National Bar Award
HendlerLaw is proud to congratulate firm partner Lulu Flores on her selection as the National Latina Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association.
The Hispanic National Bar Association will recognize and honor Lulu at its National Conference in Minnesota during the Latina Lawyer Commission Luncheon on September 9, 2010. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will be the keynote speaker. The award will be presented at the Conference closing gala the evening of Saturday, September 11, 2010.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/08/prweb4432744.htm
St. Mary´s Alumna Named Latina Judge of the Year
The Hispanic National Bar Association has announced St. Mary’s University School of Law alumna and 144th Criminal District Court Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl (J.D. ’93) as Latina Judge of the Year.
She will be recognized at the 2010 Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention September 8-11 in Minneapolis, Minn.
http://www.stmarytx.edu/news/?section=law&id=2474
Homenaje a Adelfa Callejo
La abogada Adelfa B. Callejo de Dallas, conocida desde hace muchos años como incansable defensora de los derechos civiles latinos, pronto sumará un reconocimiento más a su larga lista de homenajes.
La Asociación de la Barra de Abogados Hispanos de Dallas (DHBA) le entregará el Premio al Logro La Luz 2010 durante su quinto banquete y ceremonia de premiación anual y entrega de becas "Iluminar el Camino a la Educación Jurídica" en Belo Mansion el 30 de septiembre.
Conocida por su manera franca de hablar, Callejo ha participado enluchas públicas y privadas, y siempre ha salido airosa.
http://www.aldiatx.com/sharedcontent/dws/aldia/locales/stories/DN-colOlivera_18dia.ART.State.Edition1.35741e5.html
Texas officials estimate at least $250 million spent on illegal immigrants annually
AUSTIN – Texas taxpayers spent at least $250 million last year in state prison and health care costs for illegal immigrants, but figuring out the precise cost will be difficult, state officials testified on Wednesday.
The House State Affairs Committee solicited information about services and benefits provided to noncitizens – a preliminary review in preparation for a legislative session certain to see a push for tougher immigration laws similar to those enacted in Arizona.
"We want to focus on what the real costs are for state services," said committee Chairman Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton. "There's really not a lot of wholly accurate data."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-immigcosts_19tex.ART.State.Edition1.358aa36.html
Opinion: SMU Cox School of Business program aims to break glass ceiling for Hispanics
Our country is becoming more diverse.
The leadership at U.S. corporations is not.
At least not as quickly as the demographic change that is occurring. Hispanics, now the largest ethnic group in the country, are projected to number more than 60 million when the 2010 census is tallied. That's more than 18 percent of the U.S. population.
But Hispanics represent a paltry 5 percent or less of managers and executives in Fortune 1000 companies, and only about 1 percent hold seats in the boardrooms of Fortune 500 firms, according to industry studies released in the last four years.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/molivera/stories/DN-olivera_21met.ART.State.Edition1.361fc27.html
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USA
Justice Department threatens to sue controversial Arizona sheriff
WASHINGTON — A federal investigation of a controversial Arizona sheriff known for tough immigration enforcement has intensified in recent days, escalating the conflict between the Obama administration and officials in the border state.
Justice Department officials have issued a rare threat to sue Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio if he doesn't cooperate with their investigation into whether he discriminates against Hispanics. The civil rights investigation is one of two targeting the man who calls himself "America's Toughest Sheriff" — a federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining whether Arpaio has used his power to investigate and intimidate political opponents and whether his office misappropriated funds, sources said.
The Civil Rights Division investigation began in March 2009 and is focusing on whether Arpaio's department engaged in "discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures," along with allegations that his jail discriminated against Hispanic inmates, according to a letter the division sent Arpaio. A complaint to the Justice Department said even bilingual jail guards are required to speak to inmates only in English, which could endanger their medical care.
http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/justice-department-threatens-to-sue-controversial-arizona-sheriff-865081.html
See also “Sheriff's office pledges some cooperation in probe”
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/article_f20322df-d5f7-57f5-8cac-87a9b96e291c.html
AZ has 2% of population, 19% of fed prosecutions
PHOENIX - Nearly one in every five cases being brought by federal prosecutors nationwide are filed in Arizona, according to a new report.
The Transactional Research Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University found there were 20,818 prosecutions here in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, out of 109,532 for the entire country.
By contrast, Arizona represents just 2 percent of the national population.
More than four out of every five Arizona prosecutions are related to violations of federal immigration laws - a category of prosecution that is showing an upward trend.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_0c23a518-1316-58ba-956a-a1e6a8b8ba7e.html
Suspect in latest Staten Island attack on Hispanic set to be arraigned
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 17-year-old facing hate crime charges in the alleged robbery of a Mexican is expected to be arraigned this afternoon.
According to police, the 15-year-old victim was approached in front of 190 Burgher Ave. at 8 p.m. Wednesday by a group of black men, including Plair.
Plair split off from the group, police said, approached the teen, pulled a knife on him, then used an anti-Mexican slur before taking property from him. The teen was not seriously injured.
Since April, the Hate Crimes Task Force has investigated 11 attacks on Staten Island, most of them in the Port Richmond area involving black suspects and Mexican victims.
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2010/08/suspect_in_latest_staten_islan.html
See also “In a working-class area, 10 Mexicans have been attacked by blacks since April in suspected hate crimes. Some community leaders say tensions have grown along with anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-staten-island-attacks-20100822-26%2C0%2C4973621%2Cprint.story
Complaint against Gaylord PD dismissed, but Latino group still concerned
Rochester, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has dismissed a complaint filed two years ago by a group of Latino residents who claimed police discrimination in the small town of Gaylord.
The migrant worker organization Centro Campesino filed the complaints on behalf of 17 Latino residents in 2008. The complainants alleged they were victims of discrimination and retaliation by the Gaylord Police Department due to their race and national origin.
A Minnesota Public Radio review of police records in 2008 found that Latinos received roughly 45 percent of the tickets written by the Gaylord Police Department. That's 45 percent of the all the tickets going to about 13 percent of the population.
Centro Campesino Executive Director Victor Contreras said the decision by the state Department of Human Rights is a huge blow for Latinos in Gaylord. He said many Latinos in town still feel they are victims of racial discrimination. "What worries us is that the majority of Latinos who filed the complaint no longer live in Gaylord," Contreras said. "They've left out of fear."
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/08/11/gaylord-latino-complaint/
Latino leaders hail primary victories for Colo. legislature
Denver - State Rep. Joel Judd, who thought he had his state Senate race "in the bag," believes ethnicity played a role in his crushing defeat.
Judd lost to Sen. Lucia Guzman, 62 percent to 38 percent, in the Democratic primary. She was appointed to the north Denver seat in May.
"I went into this race knowing it was going to be very difficult to win a seat where more than 60 percent of the district is Hispanic — and in this case we had a Hispanic candidate who was very good — but I worked really hard," Judd said Wednesday.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15749554
Bill McCollum braces for Hispanic backlash over law targeting immigrants
Orlando - Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum sought damage control Thursday as prominent Hispanic supporters fumed over him spearheading legislation that's even tougher than Arizona's new crackdown on illegal immigration.
McCollum hastily arranged a conference call with his Hispanic leadership team late Thursday, calling them the "backbone" of his campaign and acknowledging that they had concerns about his stance.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Miami, a co-chair of the team, said Thursday afternoon that she last spoke to the state attorney general on Tuesday — one day before he called a news conference in Orlando to unveil the bill with Republican legislators.
"I'm disappointed and was blindsided by Bill's decision to promote this, and I encourage the candidates to focus on plans that will improve Florida's economy, bring jobs to our state and jump-start our tourism," Ros-Lehtinen said. "I fail to see how promotion of this issue will accomplish that, and I was taken aback."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/obama-inauguration/fl-mccollum-hispanics-immigration-law20100813%2C0%2C5983928.story
Deputy files suit against Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office
An embattled deputy sheriff has filed a federal human-rights lawsuit against his commanders at the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
In the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Deputy John Smith claims that he has faced retaliation and violations of his First Amendment rights ever since he began speaking out against the sheriff’s administration a few years ago.
Smith claims that his troubles first started when he heard Capt. Bill Michaelis make a racist comment several years ago about the three Hispanic officers who later sued and were recently awarded nearly $1 million in damages. Smith reported Michaelis’ comment to commanders, and Smith said he was soon punished by Michaelis.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/government-and-politics/article_6ad11f1e-aa5f-11df-9156-001cc4c03286.html
Latino leaders, Denver safety manager to examine beating
Denver - Latino leaders plan to tell Denver's new safety manager in a face-to-face meeting today that they fear he is taking a major step backward in oversight of the city's police force.
Prominent Latinos asked for the meeting following Safety Manager Ron Perea's decision to keep on the force two officers accused of covering up the beating of a 23-year-old Latino.
Concern over Perea's decision became so intense that it disrupted the conclusion of a reception Tuesday at Su Teatro honoring Perea's recent hiring. After the reception, which also honored the recent appointments of Tony Lopez as the new commander of Police District 6 and John Lucero as the city's deputy director of economic development, several people confronted Perea and demanded a meeting.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15822645
See also “ACLU wants Denver police to reopen probe into traffic stop”
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15918974?source=pkg
Neb. high court to get immigration-law question
OMAHA, Neb. -- A federal judge says the Nebraska Supreme Court should answer a legal question about whether a Nebraska city's ban on hiring and renting to illegal immigrants is allowed by state law.
U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp ruled late Wednesday on briefs from parties in lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska and the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund, also known as MALDEF. Those lawsuits challenging Fremont's ban have since been combined.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082604565.html
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General Interest
Some job-screening tactics challenged as illegal
WASHINGTON — Companies using criminal records or bad credit reports to screen out job applicants might land afoul of anti-discrimination laws as the government steps up scrutiny of hiring policies that can hurt blacks and Hispanics.
A blanket refusal to hire workers based on criminal records or credit problems can be illegal if it has a disparate impact on racial minorities, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency enforces the nation's employment discrimination laws.
"Our sense is that the problem is snowballing because of the technology allowing these checks to be done with a fair amount of ease," said Carol Miaskoff, assistant legal counsel at the EEOC.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g9mBNs_6usTSEuZ9yff-j-evFEzgD9HHFB6O4
14th Amendment: why birthright citizenship change 'can't be done'
Washington - “Birthright citizenship” – the policy of granting US citizenship to every child born on US soil – may be one of the hottest political issues of the summer. In recent weeks, some congressional Republicans have become increasingly vocal about their desire to deny such recognition to the children of illegal immigrants, saying it is a lure that draws foreigners to sneak into the country.
However, as a practical matter, changing this policy would be extremely difficult. That’s because it is in the Constitution – or, rather, it is based on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment begins this way: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Passage of a new constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds “aye” vote in the House and Senate, plus the approval of the legislatures of three-quarters of the 50 states. In today’s polarized political environment, it is hard to envision that happening.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0810/14th-Amendment-why-birthright-citizenship-change-can-t-be-done
See also “Editorial: Bogus 'birthright' battle”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-birthright_0812edi.State.Edition1.6c55dc.html
Editorial: The birthright debate
THE SERIOUS and necessary debate on illegal immigration has been hijacked in recent days by a sometimes hysterical fight over birthright citizenship. It is a nasty and wasteful diversion.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution declares that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Children of foreign diplomats are generally excluded.
Some on the right argue that the Constitution should be changed to prevent U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants from gaining automatic citizenship, in part to prevent these "anchor babies" from being used to legitimize their parents' presence in the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/15/AR2010081502468.html
Hispanic group highlights discrimination suit against USDA
Discrimination wasn't the primary topic of conversation at Friday's workshop about livestock industry competition, but several Hispanic farmers from Colorado said they attended the event at CSU to raise their voices about being disenfranchised by the federal government.
Standing at the entrance of Lory Student Center at Colorado State University on Friday afternoon, Anthony Hurtado of Castle Rock said all the Caucasian farmers and ranchers at the workshop, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Depart-ment of Justice, were most likely unaware of the plight of Hispanic farmers.
Hurtado and a group of other Hispanic farmers from Colorado and around the country say the USDA has systematically discriminated against them for decades, and they're looking for a settlement similar to one the USDA reached with African-American farmers for $1.25 billion.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20100828/NEWS01/8280343/Hispanic-group-highlights-discrimination-suit-against-USDA
See also “Hispanic farmers claim discrimination drove them off land, out of business”
http://www.kens5.com/news/Hispanic-Farmers-protest-discrimination-by-USDA-101331149.html
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, growing community of immigrants leaves some New Orleans residents anxious about jobs and status.
NEW ORLEANS Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the ongoing rebuilding of the Big Easy has created a new community of Latino immigrants in this famously insular city, redrawing racial lines in a town long defined by black and white.
The change began within weeks of a storm that decimated homes and upended lives in one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The number of black residents dropped as many left for Baton Rouge, La.; Houston and other places, including Charlotte.
While the overall numbers of Hispanics aren't huge, they continue to grow and have had an outsize impact on the culture of this proudly eccentric city and on how people here view their hometown. More than three-quarters of the 1.1million residents in the New Orleans area were born in the state. Many locals still point to long-defunct businesses as landmarks. Recipes at some beloved restaurants haven't changed in 40 years.
According to census data analyzed by the New Orleans data center, the percentage of Hispanics in the New Orleans area jumped from 4.4 percent in 2000 to 6.6 percent last year. Advocacy groups put the figure at closer to 10 percent or more as many workers, fearful of interacting with the government, avoid being counted.
The percentage of blacks fell from 37.1 percent to 34.5 percent, with the decline more pronounced in the city, where African Americans have long been the majority.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/22/1636460/latino-influx-sparks-uneasy-cultural.html
See also “Latino Community Celebrates Growth In New Orleans”
http://www.wdsu.com/news/24705367/detail.html
The New Face of Housing Discrimination
"Even though African Americans are 9 percent of the nation's homeowners, they make up 26 percent of the clients in the program," says Erin M. Angell Collins, a spokesperson for NeighborWorks America, the Congressionally created nonprofit that runs the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program. Latinos make up 8 percent of the nation's homeowners, a decrease from 11 percent in 2009, but 21 percent of the NFMCP program clients are Hispanic homeowners, Collins says. "They are in all stages of foreclosure or about to enter into foreclosure."
Why is housing discrimination of any kind still happening, and what can be done to prevent it?
Some experts say this kind of discrimination is simply an extension of the days when minorities couldn't get loans or buy in certain neighborhoods.
These days, Latinos and blacks get loans, but the loans typically are priced at a higher rate than white borrowers pay. Although the majority of families (an estimated 56 percent) who lost homes were non-Hispanic whites, Latino and African-American families disproportionately received the most expensive and risky types of loans during the subprime lending boom, according to the study, making them more heavily affected.
http://www.housingwatch.com/2010/08/26/the-new-face-of-housing-discrimination/
Staten Island Grapples With Attacks Against Mexicans
The national debate over immigration is hitting especially close to home for one small neighborhood on Staten Island, New York City's least-populated borough.
Police are investigating a string of at least 10 alleged hate crimes in the borough's Port Richmond area since April — all violent, and all perpetrated against Mexicans.
Police have beefed up their presence in the neighborhood, with a mobile command center, a watchtower and officers on horseback. But down the street from all that, in a parking lot where day laborers wait to get picked up for work, Ismael Fabian says crimes like this are nothing new — only the 24-hour police posts are.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129326420
Immigrants Might Leave Arizona But Not The Country
When Arizona legislators introduced SB 1070 earlier this year, their intention was to crack down on illegal immigrants in the state. The law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone in custody. Since the controversial law took effect, many of the toughest measures have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
One of the key goals of the law was to encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport to their home countries. But while people are leaving Arizona, many may be moving to other states, including neighboring New Mexico.
A 30-year-old woman from Guerrero, Mexico, did just that. Altogether she says 12 family members left Mesa, Ariz., about three weeks ago to move to The South Valley, a primarily Latino neighborhood in Albuquerque.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129400993
Arizona Fight Fuels Virginia Immigration Debate
As Arizona contends with a federal challenge to its new immigration law, Virginia is back in the spotlight over its policies.
Virginia lawmakers have said they will introduce legislation similar to Arizona's law next year, following five other states that have already done so. Meanwhile, Virginia's attorney general has issued a legal opinion that allows law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of anyone they stop for any reason.
Could this be a way for other states to crack down on illegal immigrants without getting mired in the courts like Arizona?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129151164
Poll: English-speaking Latinos turn to Spanish TV
WASHINGTON — An automobile technician by day, Miguel Ramirez often returns home in a mostly white Dallas suburb to a world of romantic telenovelas, futbol or the latest U.S. news on Spanish-language TV.
"When there is a Mexican soap opera that is really juicy, my wife and her mother are so focused on watching you can't talk to them," Ramirez, 52, of Frisco, Texas, said with a chuckle. "It's a chance for my young daughters to watch and learn since they don't get to speak Spanish in school."
An Associated Press-Univision poll finds many U.S. Hispanics who, like the Ramirez family, mainly speak English are turning to Spanish-language TV and radio. The main appeal: sports and entertainment, a cultural connection and a nagging feeling among some Latinos that English-language media portray them negatively.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8hLvcFCAfuybwM4HE2Zya8N6ZugD9HI5GLG0
Arizona hotels see SB 1070 fallout
First they were canceling in protest of Arizona's new immigration law.
But now the reason organizations are avoiding the state for their conferences and conventions appears to have nothing to do with how meeting planners and their organizations feel about the merits of SB 1070. Instead, it may be strictly business.
The latest figures put direct losses to hotels from canceled business at $15 million.
Jarnigan called that figure very conservative. She noted that the Sheraton in downtown Phoenix recently reported it has lost $9 million in future business because of fallout from the legislation.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2010/08/12/20100812abg-tourism0812.html
Editorial: Law is chasing Mexican tourists, dollars away
Arizona's reckless new immigration law is sabotaging a vital economic resource at a time of an enduring budget shortfalls.
Consider these numbers:
• $2.7 billion - the amount legal Mexican tourists/shoppers spent in Arizona from July 2007 through June 2008.
• 23,000-plus - the number of wage-and-salary jobs in Arizona directly attributable to those legal Mexican visitors.
• 17 percent - the decline in Mexican shoppers entering Arizona in the months after Senate Bill 1070 was signed in late April, compared with the same period in 2009.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/08/12/20100812thur1-12.html
Opinion: GOP candidates unpredictable and wacky
The big political story of the year may turn out to be the consequences of the GOP's foray into extremism and wackiness. It could be that the party acculturates its not-ready-for-prime-time candidates, harnesses the energy of the Tea Party movement and sweeps to a grand old victory. There is also the distinct possibility that the acute philosophical split within the party -- basically, a clash between bedrock conservatism and utter nonsense -- will hand victories to Democrats that they didn't anticipate and frankly might not deserve.
Anyone who doubts this assessment should reflect on the fact that major figures in the Republican Party are wasting valuable time and energy debating whether the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1868, should be repealed.
At issue is birthright citizenship -- the amendment's guarantee that children born here are automatically U.S. citizens, even if their parents are in the country illegally. It's hard to remember that as recently as three years ago, major figures in the Republican Party such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain were speaking out in favor of sensible, comprehensive immigration reform. But in today's GOP, which is energized by Tea Party passion, Graham and McCain want to hold hearings on whether birthright citizenship should be abolished. Many top Republicans have decided that taking a moderate, compassionate stance on illegal immigration -- even on the status of innocent newborns -- is just too big a risk.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/12/AR2010081204991.html
Majority in state frown on immigration reform: 57 percent oppose citizenship for those living here illegally
Las Vegas - A new poll shows a majority of Nevadans now oppose immigration reform that includes a path toward citizenship for illegal immigrants.
The survey, commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow, also reflects a growing divide on the issue between Hispanics and non-Hispanics.
Overall, 57 percent of Nevadans now say they oppose immigration reform legislation that allows those living here without legal status to be given the opportunity to stay and apply for citizenship. That's up from a mid-April poll in which 48 percent said they would oppose such legislation.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/majority-in-state-frown-on-immigration-reform-100714029.html
Poll: Hispanic immigrants hopeful about life in US
Daily life for Marlen Lopez sounds anything but easy: The undocumented worker cleans offices to pay her bills and hasn't seen her 8-year-old son since she left El Salvador three years ago. Yet Lopez is happy with her job, hopeful about the future and confident her son will one day graduate from college in the United States.
For the 33-year-old Lopez, as for many other Hispanic immigrants, optimism about life in the U.S. appears to be partly a product of what she sees in the rearview mirror.
An Associated Press-Univision poll of more than 1,500 Latinos finds that Hispanic immigrants, many of whom faced huge problems in their homelands, have more idealized views of the United States than Hispanics who were born in America do.
http://azstarnet.com/news/us/article_d9ab0618-c6d3-55ba-9305-92f3d12fce76.html
Increase in suicides among Border Patrol agents causes alarm
FORT HANCOCK, TEX. -- After a bad day on the job as a Border Patrol agent, Eddie DeLaCruz went home and began discussing with his wife how to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Then he casually pressed his government-issued handgun under his chin and pulled the trigger.
"It was the ugliest sound I ever heard in my life," his widow, Toni DeLaCruz, recalled of that day last November. "He just collapsed." A month later, one of DeLaCruz's colleagues at the Fort Hancock border post shot himself, too.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/18/AR2010081806569.html
Trial begins in California for Mexican-born actress accused of fraudulent marriage
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Mexican-born actress and her musician husband lied about their marriage to immigration officials so she could stay in the U.S., a federal prosecutor told prospective jurors Tuesday.
In his opening statement, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Left showed a picture of Fernanda Romero and Kent Ross on their wedding day but said the appearance was deceptive.
"There was a real ceremony but nothing else about it is real," Left said. "It was a sham marriage."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/wire/sns-ap-us-actress-marriage-fraud%2C0%2C7700346.story
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