Dear Hispanic Issues Section Members:
Most of this news summary issue is devoted to articles about Arizona’s SB 1070. There are, however, other notable articles.
The article by the San Antonio Express-News explaining why the San Antonio newspaper does not use the term “illegal immigrants”, except as part of a quote or attribution, is particularly interesting. Unfortunately, the Express-News is the exception among media outlets.
With increasing regularity, the legitimacy of Latinos as Americans is being challenged. The recent murder of a third-generation Mexican American Phoenix resident exemplifies how Latinos have now become suspect. According to the Arizona Republic:
Juan Varela, 44, was watering a tree in his front yard May 6 when police said his neighbor confronted him, pointed a snub-nosed revolver at his face, and fatally wounded him with a single shot to the neck.
Investigators said the neighbor, who was arrested immediately after the shooting, repeated a racial slur several times and told Varela to "go back to Mexico" or he would die. Phoenix police Bias Crimes Unit investigators are looking into the allegations of a hate crime.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/05/15/20100515varela0515.html
Several years ago newspapers changed the description of persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina from “refugee” to “evacuee”. Newspapers reasoned that the term refugee had negative connotations and should not be used. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/06/AR2005090601896.html
Ending the practice of using “illegal” to describe a person who has not been found guilty of a crime will not end hate crimes against Latinos, but it might reduce the willingness to make assumptions regarding Latinos in the United States.
Note: The NCLR has produced a PSA in response to Arizona’s SB 1070. The PSA is available on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7U-l044Hjs&feature=player_embedded#!
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: If you are interested in Mexican history following the Mexican Revolution, you may want to watch the PBS program “El General”. This episode of the series POV is described as:
The past and the present collide as filmmaker Natalia Almada brings to life audio recordings about her great-grandfather Plutarco Elías Calles, a revolutionary general who became president of Mexico in 1924. In his time, Calles was called El Bolshevique and El Jefe Maximo (the Foremost Chief). Today, he is remembered as El Quema-Curas (the Priest Burner) and as a dictator who ruled through puppet presidents until he was exiled in 1936.
The episode can be viewed in its entirety online between July 21 and Sepember 14, 2010. To view “El General”, go to:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/elgeneral/photo_gallery_watch.php/
PSS: On July 27, PBS will broadcast “Presumed Guilty” as part of the POV series. This episode of POV is concerned with the prosecution of a young street vendor in Mexico City for murder.
Imagine being picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about and then finding yourself sentenced to 20 years in jail. In December 2005 this happened to Toño Zúñiga in Mexico City and, like thousands of other innocent people, he was wrongfully imprisoned. The award-winning Presumed Guilty is the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free Zúñiga.
To read a description of the program, go to:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/presumedguilty/film_description.php
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
Opinion: A policy change on illegal immigration terminology
“When will the Express-News start being honest with readers,” asked one of those readers, Ben Marshall, “and stop referring to illegal immigrants as undocumented immigrants, or just immigrants? They are purely illegal immigrants. And for those who don't understand illegal, it means that it isn't legal.”
First, Mr. Marshall, the Express-News no longer refers to people who enter this country illegally, or who overstay legal visas, as “undocumented.” The newspaper's Ethics and Practices Committee two years ago adopted the term “unauthorized immigrants” to describe people who don't have the proper paperwork to live here.
It doesn't have the bite of illegal immigrant or illegal alien, the federal nomenclature, but it doesn't have the sanitizing effect of “undocumented,” which implies that said immigrant just misplaced his papers. Which really isn't accurate because most of them have some documentation — just not the ones they need to be here legally.
So does that make them illegal? This is where it gets dicey, not for people like Marshall and Czarnecki, but for people in my business. We don't call someone a murderer or an extortionist, even if he confessed, until he is proved guilty. So it's the “accused” killer or “alleged” thief until a judge and jury take away the adjective.
So why shouldn't a Mexican who wades the Rio Grande and is nabbed by the Border Patrol have the same constitutional protections? We don't call folks on this side of the river who hire immigrants with a wink at federal law “illegal” employers.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/bob_richter/e-n_changes_policy_for_describing_immigrants_who_are_here_illegally_97694064.html
LARGE MAJORITY IN ARIZ. POLL AGAINST GEOGRAPHIC BIRTHRIGHT: Survey: No citizenship for US-born migrant kids
PHOENIX - Nearly two-thirds of Arizonans think children of illegal immigrants should not be entitled to U.S. citizenship just because they were born in this country, a new statewide survey shows.
The findings, released Monday by Rasmussen Reports, come as state Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is weighing legislation that would prohibit the state from issuing a birth certificate to a child unless at least one parent could prove citizenship. Mere presence in this country, legal or otherwise, would not qualify.
A similar measure dealing with what are called "anchor babies" was introduced during the 2008 legislative session by Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, with Pearce signed on as a sponsor. But that proposal never got a hearing.
http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/article_84bd91e6-7c3b-595f-b7e8-e5b4a500aa72.html
To find a link to the Rasmussen poll results, go to:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/arizona/64_in_arizona_say_children_of_illegal_immigrants_should_not_automatically_become_u_s_citizens
Obama administration sues to block Arizona immigration law:
The federal government argues that states can't set their own policies on arresting illegal immigrants and that this law would disrupt federal efforts to target those who are dangerous.
Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration launched its long-expected legal attack on Arizona's strict new immigration law Tuesday, arguing that only Washington can set the nation's rules for arresting illegal immigrants.
The government said Tuesday that its immigration enforcement policy "targets … dangerous aliens," including violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers and others "who pose a danger to the national security and a risk to public safety," whereas the Arizona law would force federal officials to cope with a flood of illegal immigrants who pose no danger.
Entirely innocent Arizonans will suffer as well, the administration said. It foresaw "countless inspections and detentions" of people who do not have the correct papers. But U.S. officials did not contend that the state law violates federal civil rights laws or the equal-protection guarantee in the Constitution.
The lawsuit was cheered by a Latino community that has grown increasingly disillusioned with the Obama administration over the failure to revamp the immigration system. A Gallup poll showed that Obama's approval rating among Latinos dropped from 69% in January to 57% in May. Although Latino voters are unlikely to swing to the Republican Party in great numbers, they could damage the prospects of Democratic candidates in the midterm election in November by staying home. Over the past week, the Obama administration has taken steps to reenergize grass-roots Latino voters.
But nationwide polls have also found that 50% to 60% of Americans support Arizona's effort to arrest more illegal immigrants, and politicians elsewhere have proposed similar provisions in their states.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-lawsuit-20100707,0,84096.story
Latino Attitudes About Women and Society
The Center for American Progress, in conjunction with A Woman’s Nation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and TIME magazine, conducted a landmark study in the summer of 2009 into public attitudes about women, society, and the workplace. Women are approaching the historic milestone of constituting half of the workforce, and the study sought to determine how Americans felt about a range of changes in the nature of modern family life and work.
The study found striking consistency in men and women’s attitudes about many formerly contentious issues of gender relations and the working status of women. The study overall found strong majorities of men and women agreeing that the rise of women in the workforce is a positive development for society—a belief that crossed partisan, ideological, racial and ethnic, and even generational lines.
We asked Americans to evaluate the fact that women today constitute about one-half of all workers compared to 40 years ago when women made up one-third of all workers. More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) overall viewed this development positively, with less than one-fifth (19 percent) viewing this change negatively. Positive views about the rise of women in the economy cut across nearly every demographic and ideological group. But Latinos were among the most favorable groups in the survey, with 87 percent of Latino women and 82 percent of Latino men viewing this change positively—7 to 10 points higher than men and women overall (Figure 1).
Latinos express a strong desire for better and more fulfilling job opportunities in life. The rank ordering of life goals is roughly similar between Latinos and the overall population, but larger percentages of Latino men and women rate “having a fulfilling job” as a very important life goal (Figure 2).
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/latino_attitudes.html
Immigration now a top concern among Latinos, poll shows
Latinos now view immigration as their leading concern along with the economy in what activists say is a major shift most likely driven by controversy over Arizona's tough law against illegal immigrants.
Nearly a third of Latinos also believe that racism and prejudice are the central issue in the immigration debate, over national security, job competition and costs of public services for illegal immigrants, according to a national survey released Wednesday.
The poll of 504 Latinos, stratified by region, gender, age, foreign-born status and other factors, was conducted by LatinoMetrics from May 26 to June 8 for the Hispanic Federation and the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC.
The poll results mirror the findings of another new poll of 1,600 Latinos in four states conducted for the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund in June. The results, which will be released next week, also shows immigration topping the list of Latino concerns, according to Arturo Vargas, the group's executive director.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-latino-poll-20100715,0,1720143.story
Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah may follow Arizona's lead on immigration law
Attention is focused on Arizona and the federal government's challenge to the state's strict new immigration law, but three other states could adopt similar legislation next year.
Lawmakers in Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah, which have already taken steps against illegal immigration, say that Arizona-style measures have a realistic chance of passing when their legislatures reconvene in 2011.
Legislators in at least 17 other states introduced bills this year similar to the Arizona law, which allows officers to question anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. But most of those measures are not considered likely to be adopted or signed by governors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/07/AR2010070703017.html
See also:
Arizona's immigration law isn't the only one:
Many states have their own regulations governing illegal immigrants. And five states have introduced bills similar to Arizona's SB 1070, which is the target of a federal lawsuit.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-states-20100717,0,4454228.story
Opinion: Headless bodies and other immigration tall tales in Arizona
Jan Brewer has lost her head.
The Arizona governor, seemingly determined to repel every last tourist dollar from her pariah state, has sounded a new alarm about border violence. "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," she announced on local television.
Ay, caramba! Those dark-skinned foreigners are now severing the heads of fair-haired Americans? Maybe they're also scalping them or shrinking them or putting them on a spike.
But those in fear of losing parts north of the neckline can relax. There's not a follicle of evidence to support Brewer's claim.
Brewer's mindlessness about headlessness is just one of the immigration falsehoods being spread by Arizona politicians. Border violence on the rise? Phoenix becoming the world's No. 2 kidnapping capital? Illegal immigrants responsible for most police killings? The majority of those crossing the border are drug mules? All wrong.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070902342.html
Laredo attorney is Trial Lawyer of the Year
A Laredo lawyer who won a $47.5 million verdict against one of the country's largest private prison companies over the beating death of an inmate has been named the 2010 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation.
Ron Rodriguez received the award, which is bestowed annually in recognition of noteworthy legal victories in socially significant cases, last week in Canada.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/laredo_attorney_is_trial_lawyer_of_the_year_98898459.html
Farmers Branch is sued over at-large council districts
Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Farmers Branch – this one seeking to force the city to institute single-member districts to elect City Council members.
The suit seeks to end at-large voting for City Council seats, arguing that the current method dilutes Hispanic voting strength. Nearly half the city is Hispanic, according to estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau over a three-year period ending in 2008.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas on behalf of several Farmers Branch residents by the Bickel & Brewer Storefront. Bickel & Brewer is the same firm that has sued the city over an ordinance that bans landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. Federal judges have ruled two versions of the rental ordinance unconstitutional.
A federal judge dismissed a voting rights suit filed shortly after the May 2007 council elections. That suit was brought by a San Antonio attorney and Dallas lawyer Domingo García, whose firm is most well-known for personal injury litigation.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/072010dnmetfbsuit.18c916d.html
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Texas
E-mails show ex-Farmers Branch official warned of expensive fight over immigration ordinance
The Farmers Branch City Council was warned by its former city manager that litigation over its immigration ordinance would be costly and that similar issues were already being litigated by the city of Hazleton, Pa., "with somebody else's money," according to e-mails disclosed in lawsuits against the city.
Since September 2006, Farmers Branch has paid $3.4 million to fight civil suits in federal and state courts over its renter ordinances aimed at barring illegal immigrants from housing in the Dallas suburb.
In addition, two teams of lawyers have submitted $2 million in bills as the winning side in the federal suit in which a judge ruled in March that immigration regulation to be "exclusively a federal power." The city plans to appeal, and city officials said that effectively puts a hold on any payout to the law firms.
Farmers Branch was first sued in December 2006 in state court by resident Guillermo Ramos. The city was sued two more times when the City Council enacted replacement ordinances. Each time, Ramos and his attorneys alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The e-mails and other documents were obtained through discovery proceedings in that suit by the Bickel & Brewer Storefront representing Ramos.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/070610dnmetfbopen.1afaf26.html
Opinion: Poll finds Hispanics turning away from GOP
A new poll out this week suggests that Hispanic voters in Texas are turning against the GOP in the wake of the Arizona immigration law.
The poll suggests the new law could be the reason an earlier poll found Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White now deadlocked at 43 percent each.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/molivera/stories/DN-olivera_26met.ART.State.Edition1.29e0ec6.html
Deputy constable accused of beating, exposing woman at school, suit says: Grandmother targeted because of ethnicity, document says.
A federal lawsuit filed Thursday accused a Travis County deputy constable of beating a woman and exposing her breast in front of an elementary school with her grandchildren watching in May 2009. Lawyers with the Texas Civil Rights Project filed the suit against Deputy Constable Richard Furrs on behalf of the woman, who used a pseudonym in the court filings. Furrs targeted the woman because she is a Mexican immigrant, according to the suit.
The lawsuit contained three sworn affidavits by witnesses. One was from Lorena Sanchez, who said she was walking with her daughter from the school to their car and saw Furrs yelling at the woman.
Sanchez said she knew the woman and saw Furrs yank her from her truck so forcibly that Sanchez was able to see the woman's feet. She said she saw Furrs beat the woman with his baton and dragged her on the hot pavement, while the woman was yelling in Spanish that she did not know what she did wrong.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/deputy-constable-accused-of-beating-exposing-woman-at-792869.html
White: Cops aren't immigration agents
Bill White tried to create some daylight between himself and Gov. Rick Perry on the hot-button issue of immigration Monday whiley denouncing Arizona's controversial new crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
On Saturday, Perry told members of the National Council of La Raza that the Arizona law would be a poor fit for Texas, even while noting Arizona's frustration with a porous border.
Speaking to the same group Monday, White, Perry's Democratic challenger, inched further, suggesting the law's central tenet — that local and state law-enforcement officials should verify the immigration status of people they detain — is fundamentally misguided.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/elections/white_promises_to_veto_arizona-style_bill_98279169.html
Former mayor denounces Arizona law
Immigration reform continued to be the topic of choice at the National Council of La Raza's annual conference as former Mayor Henry Cisneros spoke out at a packed luncheon Monday against Arizona's new law.
“For the first time in America, we're looking at people and making judgments about who they are and how they should be submitted to investigative processes of immigration based on appearance,” he said. “When we cross the line to simply identify people by appearance and then submit them to unfair legal processes, we've gone too far.”
Cisneros denounced the actions of Republicans who passed the law. He also expressed disappointment in Democratic governors for criticizing the federal government's recent lawsuit against the bill, saying their motivation was upcoming elections.
“It takes a whole group of people and puts them in a very dangerous situation, and no election is worth risking that,” he said.
The solution to the immigration problem, Cisneros said, can be found in national reform. The potential reform consists of four elements, he said: protection of the border, a guest worker program, an improved system for a path to citizenship and workplace enforcement.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sacultura/former_mayor_denounces_arizona_law_98285094.html
NM to host governors' meeting AZ called off
PHOENIX - Border governors are going ahead with their annual conference - without Jan Brewer and not in Arizona.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday that he is putting together a meeting for Santa Fe in late September, which is close to the same time Brewer was planning to host the event in Phoenix.
Brewer canceled the annual meeting after the governors of the six Mexican border states refused to come to Arizona in protest of SB 1070. Chihuahua Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza Terrazas, said the law is "discriminatory, racist and violates the International Civil Rights Agreement established in 1976."
http://azstarnet.com/article_99794b5b-2f87-5718-82aa-23eb8defbda6.html
See also:
Editorial: Change of venue: With Arizona out, Texas should bid to play host to border governors
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/7102598.html
and
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he'll skip border governors meeting if it's moved out of Arizona
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/071310dntswperryborder.222c0d2.html
NCLR panel analyzes Arizona law
As the immigration reform debate simmers across the country, the National Council of La Raza is taking center stage in opposing Arizona's controversial new law aimed at reducing illegal immigration.
At the council's annual conference at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, a four-person panel on Sunday analyzed ramifications of the bill and discussed a nationwide boycott of Arizona to force state legislators' hands.
The discussion titled “What's the Matter with Arizona?” was a featured event at the council's annual meeting, which concludes Tuesday.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sacultura/NCLR_panel_analyzes_Arizona_law_boycott_98216014.html?c=y&page=1#storytop
Irving ISD faces challenges as poverty grows in inner-ring suburb
Research studies – including a recent report by the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public-policy organization – have shown that inner-ring suburbs are increasingly diversifying and experiencing challenges once unique to major cities.
Brookings looked at national census data between 2000 and 2008. It found that in 2008 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, about 47 percent of the population living below the poverty line was in the suburbs, up from 41 percent in 2000.
At the end of June, about 80 percent of students in Irving schools were in poor families – close to Dallas ISD's 87 percent as of last fall. Twenty years ago, just 30 percent of Irving children were in low-income families.
About 69 percent of the district's students are Latino, many of them children of immigrants predominantly from Mexico and El Salvador. The district's ethnic demographics have flipped, with white enrollment dropping from 62 percent 20 years ago to 14 percent last year.
Ethnic makeup and social class are closely linked. Hispanic children in Texas public schools are more likely to come from poor families than are black or white students.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-irvpoverty_18met.ART0.Central.Edition1.29c3f74.html
Judge rejects Sepulveda's claim of ballot fraud in justice of peace race
A Dallas County justice of the peace's attempt to win a new election after losing in the Democratic primary in March came to an end Tuesday when a judge rejected his claim that his defeat was caused by widespread fraud involving absentee ballots.
District Judge Richard Davis, a visiting judge who was appointed to hear the case, issued his ruling Tuesday after eight days of testimony.
Luis Sepulveda had argued that the results of the March 2 Democratic primary, which he lost by 149 votes, were invalid. Sepulveda, of Precinct 5, accused his opponent, Carlos Medrano, of orchestrating the fraud.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/072110dnmetnovotefraud.2df66c0.html
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USA
Slain Hispanic's family wants case called hate crime
Family members of a south Phoenix father slain last week amid protests over Arizona's strict immigration-enforcement law said Friday they want police and prosecutors to classify the case as an anti-Hispanic hate crime.
Juan Varela, 44, was watering a tree in his front yard May 6 when police said his neighbor confronted him, pointed a snub-nosed revolver at his face, and fatally wounded him with a single shot to the neck.
Investigators said the neighbor, who was arrested immediately after the shooting, repeated a racial slur several times and told Varela to "go back to Mexico" or he would die. Phoenix police Bias Crimes Unit investigators are looking into the allegations of a hate crime.
Varela's family mourned at his funeral Friday in south Phoenix. The father of a 13-year-old girl, a third-generation Mexican-American, was known as a volunteer Little League coach and proud Phoenix resident, his family said.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/05/15/20100515varela0515.html
The HNBA Commends the U.S. Department of Justice for Challenging Arizona's SB 1070 in Court
WASHINGTON, July 7 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) commends the U.S. Department of Justice for taking legal action against Arizona's SB 1070. "We are pleased to see our federal government taking a position on this issue, and to make it clear to all states, municipalities, counties, and parishes, etc., that immigration is strictly a federal issue," said HNBA National President Roman D. Hernandez.
The HNBA has taken very public positions against SB 1070 since the legislation first started to surface. First, it spoke out publicly against SB 1070 and highlighted the grave constitutional concerns present in the legislation before it was signed into law. Next, it joined other national organizations and their efforts for a boycott of Arizona until SB 1070 was repealed. Most recently, the HNBA joined the National Council of La Raza, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Los Abogados Bar Association of Arizona as amici curiae, and filed a brief in support of a preliminary injunction of SB 1070. "We remain optimistic that SB 1070 will be successfully challenged in federal court," stated Mr. Hernandez.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/07/2875230/the-hnba-commends-the-us-department.html
HNBA JOINS AS AMICUS CURIAE TO CHALLENGE ARIZONA SENATE BILL 1070
Washington, D.C. – The Hispanic National Bar Association (“HNBA”), the national voice of the Hispanic legal community, announces that it has joined the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association of Arizona, and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as amici curiae in support of a motion for a preliminary injunction against Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 (SB 1070) filed by plaintiffs in that matter. The amici brief was prepared by LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
On May 17, 2010, the plaintiffs, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), National Day Labor Organizing Network (NDLON), and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona challenging the Arizona law.
http://www.hnba.com/hnba-joins-as-amicus-curiae-to-challenge-arizona-senate-bill-1070/
Hearing on Justice Dept. injunction request set for July 22
PHOENIX - A federal judge will hear arguments in two weeks on the request by the U.S. Department of Justice to block Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect. At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ordered the newest of the challenges to SB 1070 transferred to her court. That puts her in control of all six lawsuits already filed.
The hearing, set for July 22, actually will be the third time that Bolton will have heard arguments to enjoin the law. She already has a hearing scheduled for next Thursday on a similar motion by David Salgado, a Phoenix police officer who contends his rights will be violated by the law's requirement that he ask those he has stopped on other matters to reveal their immigration status when there is "reasonable suspicion" they are in the country illegally. He says that will leave him vulnerable to being sued if he doesn't enforce the law "to the fullest extent permitted by federal immigration law."
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_45293576-ca32-5319-9c98-154fd87822fb.html
Court hears first arguments over Arizona immigration law: A police officer's attorney says it undermines the U.S. government's ability to set foreign policy.
Reporting from Phoenix — In the first courtroom showdown over Arizona's new immigration law, an attorney for a Phoenix police officer asked a federal judge Thursday to halt the implementation of much of the statute, saying it undermined the ability of the federal government to set foreign policy.
"We have only one nation; we can only have one immigration law," attorney Stephen Montoya argued in a courtroom packed with more than 100 spectators. "Even though the state of Arizona believes Congress is not very competent and is inept, the state of Arizona has to live with the laws of Congress."
The law, set to take effect July 29 unless U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton stops it, requires police to investigate the immigration status of people they lawfully stop and have reason to believe are in the country illegally. It also makes it a crime in Arizona to lack immigration documents.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-immigration-20100716,0,3564312.story
S. Dakota files brief supporting Arizona immigration law
PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota is joining other states in filing a legal brief that backs Arizona's immigration law, Gov. Mike Rounds and Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday.
South Dakota will support state governments' joint authority with federal officials to enforce immigration laws, the two Republican officials said.
The state will not be a party in the U.S. Justice Department's challenge of the Arizona law but will join other states in filing a "friend of the court" brief, Jackley said. Michigan is taking the lead in that effort, so South Dakota likely will bear no costs as it acts in a supporting and advisory role, he said.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/13/20100713south-dakota-brief-supports-arizona-immigration-law.html
Training video for Arizona law takes heat
In a training video released to Arizona law enforcement officers Thursday, state officials repeatedly discourage racial profiling when enforcing the state's new immigration law — but some Hispanic civil rights groups say some of the instructions constitute a recipe for racial profiling.
In the video, factors such as "dress," "traveling in tandem" and "significant difficulty communicating in English" are given as clues that a person may be an illegal immigrant.
"This list has obviously been drawn to legitimize racial profiling," said Foster Maer, senior litigator for LatinoJustice. "I don't believe the police will approach white people and ask them for their papers because of the way they're dressed."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-01-immigration_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Arizona law may prompt racial-profiling suit
Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said Sunday he might sue Arizona a second time if its new tough-on-illegal-immigrants law leads to racial profiling.
The nation's top law enforcement officer said the federal government's lawsuit against Arizona, filed last week, made scant mention of racial profiling because it focused on the stronger argument that the state law preempted the federal government's responsibility in deciding immigration policies.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-holder-immigration-20100712%2C0%2C6185743.story
Commentary: Profiling's enabler: High court ruling underpins Arizona immigration law
In its challenge to Arizona's controversial immigration law last week, the Justice Department argues that the state law conflicts with federal law, intruding on federal power and ability to regulate immigration. For many Americans, however, the lawsuit is needed because of concerns that Arizona's legislation, S.B. 1070, will lead to police harassment of people, particularly those of color, who cannot prove they are in this country legally. Yet for all the controversy over those concerns, few are talking about the real legal issue underlying the law.
Supporters and opponents of S.B. 1070 assume that racial profiling is unconstitutional, largely because many Americans believe that it ought to be. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has approved the racial profiling permitted -- indeed encouraged -- by S.B. 1070.
In a 1975 case regarding the Border Patrol's power to stop vehicles near the U.S.-Mexico border and question the occupants about their citizenship and immigration status, United States v. Brignoni-Ponce, the high court ruled that the "likelihood that any given person of Mexican ancestry is an alien is high enough to make Mexican appearance a relevant factor." In 1982 the Arizona Supreme Court agreed, ruling in State v. Graciano that "enforcement of immigration laws often involves a relevant consideration of ethnic factors."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071204049.html
Hablan víctimas del perfil racial: Testimonios recogidos en Los Ángeles se enviarán al Congreso
Una vendedora ambulante se enfrenta con un policía que hostigaba a otra vendedora y éste la empuja, la maltrata verbalmente cuando ella trata de hacer valer sus derechos, a pesar de estar embarazada.
Un hombre latino es detenido por la policía. Es preparador de impuestos pero está mal vestido porque hace una mudanza. Un policía lo para y le pregunta de quién es el automóvil, para luego ponerle una multa que él considera injusta. Un joven afroamericano en Watts sale a buscar comida para su familia. Cuando regresa hay policía en su calle y es detenido por "cruzar líneas de investigación". Le tiran al suelo su comida, lo esposan y luego lo liberan.
Una conductora latina espera frente a un cruce del Metrolink junto con otros vehículos. De pronto, un policía motorizado la ve, se detiene y mete la cabeza por la ventana para ver qué y quien va dentro del vehículo. Le pregunta si tiene licencia. Luego se va sin explicar nada. La mujer y sus dos hijas pequeñas quedan intimidadas por la experiencia.
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/2010/7/13/hablan-victimas-del-perfil-rac-198976-1.html#commentsBlock
Limits on police kept Colorado illegal-immigration law out of court, lawyers say
Colorado's 4-year-old law designed to halt illegal immigration did not capture the legal scrutiny of Arizona's controversial immigration measure because it limited the responsibilities of local law-enforcement officers.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Arizona last week in federal court over Senate Bill 1070, which requires Arizona's law enforcement officers to arrest and detain anyone they lawfully contact if they have a hunch or a "reasonable suspicion" the person is in the country illegally.
Under Colorado's law, local law enforcement must only report people whom they have arrested — but not necessarily detained — for another crime to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they have "probable cause" to think the person is in the country illegally.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15493493
High court passes on tobacco cases, takes on Ariz. immigration law
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to review an Arizona law that sanctions employers for hiring illegal immigrants, but the justices declined to get involved in landmark anti-tobacco litigation, leaving in place a ruling that said cigarette makers lied about the dangers of smoking.
The Arizona law that the court will review during its term starting in October imposes sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants. It is not the new Arizona law that President Obama and other members of his administration have recently criticized. That measure empowers police to question anyone who authorities have a "reasonable suspicion" is an illegal immigrant.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062802787.html
POLICE ARRESTS: Misdemeanor violations leading to deportations
Las Vegas - Since the inception of its partnership with federal immigration authorities, the Metropolitan Police Department has repeatedly said it would target only violent, "higher-level" criminal illegal immigrants for potential deportation.
But more than a third of inmates the police department has referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the partnership's first 18 months were arrested on misdemeanor charges including jaywalking, driving without a license and other minor traffic offenses, according to police records.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/questions-generated-by-287-g--97289294.html
Illinois Accuses Countrywide of Discrimination
June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp.’s Countrywide unit claiming the company discriminated against black and Latino borrowers.
The mortgage lender steered minority borrowers into risky subprime mortgages more than it did white borrowers who were similarly situated, Madigan said today in a statement. Minority borrowers also paid more than other borrowers for all Countrywide mortgages, including its prime loans, Madigan said.
“Countrywide’s illegal discriminatory lending practices destroyed the wealth and dreams of thousands of African American and Latino homeowners,” Madigan said in the statement. “Bank of America needs to be held accountable by taking financial responsibility for cleaning up the devastation of the predatory company that it chose to take over.”
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-29/illinois-accuses-countrywide-of-discrimination-update1-.html
Justice Dept files lawsuit, employment discrimination in N.GA
DALTON, WHITFIELD COUNTY (WRCB) - In the hiring process at Garland, a U.S. citizen says he was asked to produce a green card, and when he didn't he says Garland withdrew his offer of employment. He then filed a complaint, and the lawsuit quickly followed.
"If you are a natural born citizen, you don't need a green card," it's simple says Edgar Rincon, the owner of Servicios Latinos in Dalton.
And that's one reason the Department of Justice is suing a local company.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12782971
Latino civil rights group: Gym chain discriminates
LOS ANGELES — A Latino civil rights organization sued an international gym chain on Tuesday, accusing 24 Hour Fitness of racial and gender discrimination against its workers in California.
The lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and a law firm claimed that black, Latino, Asian and female staffers systematically hit glass ceilings when they applied for management jobs at some of the company's approximately 200 California clubs.
"When they ask to apply for promotions, they're given the run-around or given a moving target," said Victor Viramontes, MALDEF's lead attorney. "They say they have to hit their (sales) goals for the month to get a promotion, but they meet those goals and they're never promoted."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwZJ7Exzl0pbSJ_STA6cuttC5xiwD9GUD3E80
Arizona immigration law unlikely to survive federal lawsuit
Reporting from Washington — Arizona's law giving local police immigration enforcement powers is likely to be struck down, most legal experts predict, now that the Obama administration has gone to court asserting that it conflicts with federal law.
They cite the longstanding principle that the federal government has exclusive control over immigration and that "no state can add or take away" from the policy set in Washington.
Traditionally, the federal government's view carries extra weight in disputes over immigration.
"It's one thing for MALDEF [Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund] or the ACLU to say this [Arizona law] interferes with federal policy. It is quite a different thing when the federal government goes to court and says it," said Jack Chin, a University of Arizona law professor. "The clear rule has been that states do not have the power to regulate immigration."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-legal-20100709%2C0%2C5875359.story
Q&A: Understanding Arizona's immigration law
Reporting from Phoenix — Unless it is halted by a judge, Arizona's new immigration law is set to take effect July 29.
Civil rights groups have filed suit against the law, arguing that immigration is the purview of the federal government and that SB 1070 will promote racial profiling.
What does the law do?
The law essentially mandates that local governments in Arizona enforce immigration laws. The provision that has received the most attention is the creation of a new state crime: failure to possess proper immigration documents.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-law-qa-20100706%2C0%2C7471165%2Cfull.story
Harry Reid's dislike of Arizona law may aid re-election: Nevada senator trails in poll; Latino vote may prove critical
WASHINGTON - Arizona's divisive new immigration law could end up having a big impact on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bid for re-election, political analysts say.
The Nevada Democrat's opposition to the Arizona law and his support for comprehensive immigration reform may help him shore up support among Latino voters, who could be crucial to his re-election.
At the same time, polls have shown a majority of Nevadans support the Arizona law and oppose a federal legal challenge to block it from taking effect as scheduled on July 29. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to file a challenge soon.
"Immigration is a risky issue to raise in an election year," said Fred Lokken, a political-science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno. "It's the kind of issue that can bubble over and go in ways that Senator Reid's campaign may not be able to control."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/05/20100705harry-reid-arizona-law.html
Pasco fairgrounds owner settles discrimination complaint
The Pasco County Fair Association Inc. settled a federal lawsuit accusing the organization of discriminating against Hispanics.
The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, alleged the association charged and quoted Hispanic customers higher deposit fees for renting the Dan Cannon Auditorium, a reception hall used for weddings, anniversaries and other events, a release said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2010/07/12/daily43.html
List sends chill through Utah's Latino community: An anonymous letter naming 1,300 purported illegal immigrants sparks investigations and a wave of worry.
Reporting from Seattle — Since the distribution of an anonymous letter this week containing the names, addresses and other personal data of more than 1,300 Utah residents said to be undocumented immigrants, Tony Yapias' phone has not stopped ringing.
"I have one phone line; I've already missed 60 calls now, and there are 72 messages," said Yapias, director of the advocacy group Proyecto Latino de Utah. "People wanting to know if they're on the list. Should they move to another state? Should they leave the country? Horrified, scared, whatever language you can put on it."
The office of Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, announced Thursday that an investigation into the list was focusing on the possibility of an unauthorized release of information from the state Department of Workforce Services, which collects information on unemployment benefits, food stamps, Medicaid and other government programs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-utah-immigration-20100716,0,6028318.story
At least 2 state workers behind ‘The List’
The state has identified and placed on leave at two employees from the Department of Workforce Services who accessed state data to compile a list of 1,300 people who were purportedly in the country illegally. At least two more workers are suspected.
“This tactics by these rogue employees to go out and single out individuals and their families and in some cases falsely accusing people of an illegal status is deplorable and is counterproductive to the issue that ought to be the focus,” Gov. Gary Herbert said at a press conference.
Two employees have been placed on administrative leave pending completion of the full investigation, according to the governor’s office. Others may be identified as the review continues, with results to be turned over to the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/49941046-90/information-state-law-list.html.csp
Drive to put immigration law on ballot abandoned: Assemblyman says lawsuits derailed his efforts
CARSON CITY -- A proposal that would have made Nevada a battleground state in controversial efforts to control illegal immigration is dead.
Assemblyman Chad Christensen is abandoning his petition drive to put an Arizona-style immigration law on the books in this state, citing costly lawsuits.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/drive-to-put-immigration-law-on-ballot-abandoned-98347464.html
See also:
Legislator fights lawsuits over initiative petition on immigration issue
http://www.lvrj.com/news/legislator-fights-lawsuits-over-initiative-petition-on-immigration-issue-98076904.html
_______________________________________
General Interest
Editorial: Challenges to Straus put ideology ahead of the state
Here's a question for Texas' conservative activists: Do you consider yourself a conservative first or a Texan first?
We raise that point because Republican House Speaker Joe Straus is coming under fire from his party's hard-right flank. State Rep. Leo Berman of Tyler, a conservative's conservative, announced last week that he wants to challenge Straus for the speakership next year. Berman complains of Straus not being sufficiently on the right.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-straus_0628edi.State.Edition1.5154c5a.html
Denying citizenship for illegal immigrants' children is a bad idea
They are called "anchor babies" -- the children born in the United States of illegal immigrant parents -- and pressure is growing to change the meaning of the 14th Amendment so as to deny them automatic citizenship.
Ninety-one members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill to do just that. It was submitted in the House last year by Georgia Republican Nathan Deal. Backers of Arizona's harsh anti-immigrant measure are drafting legislation that would withhold birth certificates from these babies. Similar measures are being proposed in other states.
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that bestows "birthright citizenship." Opponents of the practice say that it induces immigrants to enter the country illegally with the devious strategy of having a baby as a citizen "anchor," through which the rest of the family can petition to stay and get access to American jobs and welfare.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062504393.html
Students face deportation to countries they don't remember
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles — Early one morning in March, two Chicago-area brothers were dozing on an Amtrak train when it stopped in Buffalo, N.Y. A pair of uniformed Border Patrol agents made their way through the car, asking passengers if they were U.S. citizens. No, the vacationing siblings answered honestly, with flat, Midwestern inflections: We're citizens of Mexico.
And so it was that college students Carlos Robles, 20, and his brother Rafael, 19 — both former captains of their high school varsity tennis team — found themselves in jail, facing deportation.
Their secret was out: Despite their upbringing in middle America, their academic success and their network of native-born friends, they had no permission to be in the United States. Their parents had brought them here illegally as children.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-deport-student-20100628-1%2C0%2C218526.story
Rightward Drift on Immigration Continues
Quinnipiac has a poll out of swing-state Ohio today that should make for some interesting discussion for President Obama when he meets with the Hispanic Caucus this afternoon.
The survey finds deep support for the Arizona immigration law that has so angered many in the Hispanic community and even deeper opposition to attempts to move towards integrating illegal immigrants into American society.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/06/rightward-drift-on-immigration.html
To read a summary of the poll by Quinnipiac University, go to:
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1322.xml?ReleaseID=1470
Editorial: U.S. case against Arizona law:
The suit is an assertion of federal authority, on solid grounds, but there still is a need for a sound immigration control policy.
In filing its long-awaited suit to block implementation of Arizona's harsh new immigration law, the Justice Department has taken a necessary step to reassert federal authority over immigration enforcement. The Obama administration rightly argues that states cannot be permitted to concoct their own rules and regulations on this issue to suit local needs and local politics, no matter how frustrated they are with the federal government. Allowing states to do so would result in a mishmash of laws handicapping Washington's ability to do its job.
Arizona officials have argued that the state is merely seeking to enforce federal law. But that's not quite right. The new Arizona law, scheduled to take effect July 29, makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants to be in Arizona and requires noncitizens who are in the country legally to carry registration papers with them at all times. It also requires police to check the immigration status of people who are stopped for other reasons if they are "reasonably suspected" of being in the country illegally. But, as the administration notes, being an illegal immigrant is not a federal crime: "Congress has affirmatively decided that unlawful presence — standing alone — should not subject an alien to criminal penalties and incarceration." Deportation by the U.S. government, yes; arrest by civil authorities, no.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-arizona-20100708,0,4127529.story
Turning anger on immigration law into votes:
Activists in Arizona hope increasing voter turnout among Latinos will reshape the state's policies; it's a campaign that worked in California in the 1990s.
Reporting from Phoenix — Rafael Robles has been eligible to vote ever since he became a U.S. citizen 23 years ago, but nothing has spurred him to register until two young activists visited his house here last week.
The canvassers were part of an ambitious push to increase turnout of Latino voters in the wake of a controversial state law that requires police to determine the immigration status of people they legally stop and suspect are in the country illegally.
Robles, 60, recounted how his 39-year-old daughter, a Phoenix native, has been stopped multiple times by officers who ask her in broken Spanish where she was born.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-voters-20100706,0,3328699.story
Looking Back at United States v. Dan Morales, et al.
Editor's note: Texas Lawyer turned 25 on April 3. To mark our anniversary, each week the editorial department is looking back at the news we covered over the past 25 years and selecting one story to update for readers. This week, reporter Miriam Rozen updates an "Inadmissible" item from the July 21, 2003, issue of Texas Lawyer.
In 1991, Dan Morales became Texas attorney general at the young age of 34. The first Hispanic elected to statewide office in Texas and a Harvard Law School graduate, Morales was expected to rise quickly through the ranks of the Texas Democratic Party. But that did not happen.
On July 17, 2003, Morales pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing a false tax return. [ See "Inadmissible ," Texas Lawyer, July 21, 2003, page 3. ]
http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202463416882
Studies question Arizona’s policy on English learners
The Civil Rights Project at UCLA released nine new studies Thursday that examine the condition of English-learners in Arizona, a state where these students are segregated from other students for four hours each school day.
The project says that 21 senior scholars and advanced graduate students from four major research universities -- from Stanford and Arizona State universities, UCLA and the University of Arizona -- joined in an unprecedented collaboration to produce the reports.
In addition, some of Arizona's education policies have come under scrutiny, including its challenge of an ethnic studies program, and an effort to remove teachers with heavy Hispanic accents from the classrooms of Hispanic English-learners. Language acquisition experts blasted the policy, and a research study in Israel concluded that students learn a second language better from a teacher who speaks in the same accent as they do.
About 10 percent of U.S. students are English-learners; in Arizona the number is about 15 percent.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/english-language-learners/studies-question-arizonas-poli.html?referrer=emaillinkpg
To find links to the UCLA study of English language learners in Arizona, go to:
http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/news/pressreleases/azeep-abstracts-papers.html
The un-routine sets apart Sotomayor's first term
Several partygoers were on their way into the Supreme Court one Saturday evening in May to toast retiring Justice John Paul Stevens when they ran into Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She was not heading to the festivities, but coming from her chambers, where she'd been putting in a weekend shift.
She looked neither tired from the long hours nor overwhelmed by her new responsibilities, one of the partygoers noticed. "She was beaming."
In some ways, Sotomayor's just-finished first term on the court was like those of many who have come before her: She worked constantly, turned down interview requests and most speaking engagements, wrote unglamorous and largely noncontroversial opinions and was ideologically true to the president who appointed her. She voted with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg more than any other colleague on the court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/10/AR2010071002968.html
Group responds to report alleging housing discrimination: Panel vows to educate Latino community
In answering the conclusions of a recent report showing Latino residents in Frederick County face inordinate discrimination in housing, the Frederick County Human Relations Commission hopes to educate people about their rights.
The June report by the Equal Rights Center, a Washington-based civil rights organization, found Latinos faced more adverse terms and conditions for potential housing in 79 percent of cases related to an investigation of 22 local rental properties.
Commission President Hayden Duke said that anyone in Frederick County or elsewhere faces discrimination is disappointing and unacceptable.
"I think more than anything, it's a matter of education," he said.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=106752
To find the report by the Equal Rights Center “Fair Housing for All: The Disparate Response to Latino Housing Needs in Frederick County, MD”, go to:
http://www.equalrightscenter.org/publications/documents/FAIRHOUSINGFORALLfinalreport.pdf
(Note: From the report: “The study found that in a disturbing 79 percent of tests, Latinos seeking housing were subjected to discriminatory treatment—as evidenced by the imposition of different, more adverse terms and conditions on potential Latino tenants when compared to their white counterparts.”)
Comcast Plans to Add Latino Board Member Amid Proposed NBC Deal
June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp., the biggest U.S. cable operator, plans to name a Latino member to its board as it seeks support from minorities concerned that its proposed merger with General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal may increase discrimination.
Comcast and NBC Universal have worked with Hispanic groups to help “realize opportunities for Latinos” that would come from the proposed deal, Susan Gonzales, senior director of federal and external affairs at Comcast, wrote on the company’s blog today. Comcast will also recruit Latino employees and air more minority programming, she said.
Adding a Hispanic director is a priority independent of the NBC merger, said Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. Comcast plans to add the Latino board member within two years of the deal’s closing.
The company “does not have a great diversity record,” Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said in a congressional hearing about the Comcast-NBC deal this month. He urged Comcast to make additional commitments to hire minorities and buy goods and services from businesses owned by minorities. Comcast’s board currently consists of 13 members, one of whom is black and one of whom is a woman.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-30/comcast-plans-to-add-latino-board-member-amid-proposed-nbc-deal.html
Editorial: MLB should move the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona
Major League Baseball is preparing to host its All-Star game Tuesday, and roughly one-third of the players who will be in Anaheim are African American and Latino. Hispanic and African American players typically make up a third of all those playing major-league ball, with hundreds more in the minors. Given the diversity of today's game, it is especially frustrating that baseball Commissioner Bud Selig remains silent about the nightmare next year's All-Star game could pose for millions of Americans.
Major League Baseball is scheduled to play its 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, where discrimination and racial profiling will effectively be sanctioned by SB1070, Arizona's controversial new immigration law. Unless the league acts, next year our favorite all-stars could enter a hostile environment, and the families, friends and fans of a third of the players could be treated as second-class citizens because of their skin color or the way they speak.
This law isn't about solving the immigration issue; it's about scapegoating, an established practice in Arizona. For years, law enforcement agencies have criticized the Maricopa County sheriff's office for not serving felony arrest warrants in favor of conducting "saturation" sweeps in which hundreds of Latinos have been indiscriminately arrested in order to find undocumented immigrants. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has stated that "citizens are being stopped because they are brown," and in a letter to the Justice Department he asked for a federal investigation into Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio based on his "pattern and practice of conduct that includes discriminatory harassment, improper stops, searches, and arrests." And this was before SB1070 became law.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/11/AR2010071103040.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Gallardo would boycott '11 All-Stars over Arizona immigration law, other players voice concern
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Yovani Gallardo is firm. Even if he's fortunate enough to make the All-Star team again next summer, he'll skip it.
"If the game is in Arizona, I will totally boycott," the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher said Monday.
A year before Phoenix is set to host baseball's big event, the state's new immigration law kept drawing the attention of major leaguers. Kansas City reliever Joakim Soria, who leads the majors with 25 saves, said he would support a Latino protest and stay away. Detroit closer Jose Valverde can see himself steering clear, too.
Several All-Stars avoided the topic.
"That's a political thing," New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano said. "I don't have anything to say about it. They already made a decision. If I say anything it's not going to make any difference." "Wrong guy," teammate Alex Rodriguez said, pointing to other players in the interview room.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-bbo-all-star-arizona-next,0,1574445.story
Mehserle case re-ignites debate over lack of diverse juries - impact on verdicts
Moments after the verdict was announced this week in a racially charged case involving a white transit cop who fatally shot a black man, the accusations rang out.
Critics said the jury convicted former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle of the least serious of three homicide charges — involuntary manslaughter — because none of the jurors were black. Three were Hispanic, one was Asian, and eight were white.
Though the verdict prompted protests and looting in Oakland on Thursday, the violence was limited — mostly likely because it is so rare for a jury to find an on-duty police officer guilty of any abuse that the verdict was viewed by some as a small victory.
But the case has rekindled a hotly debated legal issue — the impact of the under-representation of minorities on juries, particularly blacks.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15487166?nclick_check=1
Albuquerque ideal for those fleeing discrimination
Some Hispanic immigrants and families may soon call Albuquerque their new home.
As a result of Arizona’s “draconian” new immigration law, undocumented immigrants and legal Hispanic citizens are looking to escape the state, said Ralph Arellanes, director of New Mexico’s League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
New Mexico, Utah and Washington are the only states that issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, according to Stateline.org. New Mexico issued about 80,000 driver’s licenses to foreign nationals, a group that includes undocumented immigrants, said S. U. Mahesh, New Mexico Taxation and Revenue spokesman.
http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2010/07/albuquerque_ideal_for_those_fleeing_discrimination?mailsent#mailform
R.I. troopers embrace firm immigration role: In contrast to Mass., they report all who are present illegally
SCITUATE, R.I. — Rhode Island State Trooper Nuno Vasconcelos was patrolling Interstate 95 a few months ago when he came upon a two-car accident in heavy traffic. The trooper pulled up, stepped out of his cruiser, and asked one of the drivers for his license.
The man said he did not have a license, and under questioning, confessed that he was here illegally from Guatemala.
If the accident had happened 15 miles north in Massachusetts, the man would probably have been arrested for driving without a license, which carries a fine of up to $1,000 and 10 days in jail, then released pending an appearance in district court. But in Rhode Island, illegal immigrants face a far greater penalty: deportation.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2010/07/06/ri_troopers_embrace_firm_immigration_role/
Commentary: Arizona immigration law motivates California's Latino voters
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which I oversee, set out to learn how local Latinos decide whether to participate in elections. The issue was more complicated than we'd anticipated.
We began our research with six focus groups composed of registered Latino voters who had cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election, yet hadn't always voted in elections for California governor. We wanted to know why they sometimes didn't vote.
But the groups had something else they wanted to discuss. It took no more than 10 minutes for each of the groups to shift to very emotional discussions about Arizona's draconian new immigration law. It was a subject we hadn't planned to raise, but we soon learned that it was very much on the minds of Latinos here as they talked about government and why they do or don't participate in it. In fact, to our surprise, more focus-group participants knew the number of the Arizona bill (SB 1070) than the names of California's two major candidates for governor.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-0716-durazo-latinos-arizona-imm20100716,0,1754509.story
Arizona immigration law heads to court, with $1.2 million war chest
First of seven lawsuits against tough Arizona immigration law is heard Thursday in federal court in Phoenix. Money from private donors across the US has flowed into a defense fund for the statute.
As Arizona heads to court Thursday to defend its tough new immigration law in the first of several legal challenges, it has the backing of many Americans who have opened their wallets to show support for the border state.
Contributions to Gov. Jan Brewer’s special legal defense fund now top $1 million, mostly in website donations of less than $100 pouring in from all over the country. Arizona, California, Texas, and Florida are the states with the most online donors.
As of Tuesday, website contributions totaled $1,104934.63 from 23,955 donors, according to the governor’s office. Additional mail-in donations totaled $93,084, with contributions still coming in, says Tasya Peterson, a Brewer spokeswoman. The average donation is about $46.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0715/Arizona-immigration-law-heads-to-court-with-1.2-million-war-chest
See also:
Hate donations to 1070 legal fund prompt inquiry
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/pueblo-politics/article_287f839a-9032-11df-a07b-001cc4c03286.html
Griego: Shared experiences shape fear, pain
"Why would a legal Latino be for an illegal Latino?" The man who asked me this last week is a regular caller and a decent human being. He must, then, be separated from the woman who asked me the same thing and then wondered why her Latino friend was upset by her suggestion that Mexicans are "too stupid or too lazy" to learn to speak English. I include this latter comment not for any cheap points, but because it speaks to my answer.
The answer must be accompanied by a Generalization Alert. That is, when speaking of Latinos, as with any group, one must acknowledge the variety of experience and opinion present.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15502000
