Hispanic / Latino

An article from the Washington Post sheds light on yet another local law attempting to fix our broken immigration system the wrong way. This time, the spotlight is on Farmers Branch, TX, a Dallas suburb, which is facing a vote to keep an ordinance like others around the country "prohibiting landlords from renting to most illegal immigrants."

Some residents of Farmer's Branch blame the inability of the federal government to act on this issue as the reason for taking such a stand. But we all know that Harry Reid and Senate Democrats are attempting to put forth a comprehensive plan, one that doesn't evoke discriminatory views or bigotry.

Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma signed an immigration bill this week that tightens employment standards to prevent illegal immigrants from finding work. On his state's action the Governor said, "States can take some actions on their own, but until the U.S. Congress enacts a comprehensive, national immigration policy, citizens will see little progress on this issue."

More on the bill from the Houston Chronicle:

The measure requires state and local agencies to verify the citizenship and immigration status of applicants for state or local benefits.

It also requires public agencies starting Nov. 1 to use a program to screen Social Security numbers to make sure they are real and match up with the job applicant's name. Private companies must comply by July 1, 2008.

The measure would not affect emergency medical and humanitarian services, such as visits to hospital emergency rooms and enrollment in public schools, that are required by federal law.

...

"It's going to take us back," said Ray Madrid, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "I'm sure there's going to be neighbors turning neighbors in.

Things like this inspire us to work so hard to pass humane, comprehensive immigration reform.

The critical debate over how to best fix our broken immigration system entered an important new phase yesterday. At a press conference in the Capitol, a group of Senate Democrats, led by the courageous Harry Reid, did just what the President asked for in his State of the Union address - they introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The bill that was introduced is the same bill that passed the Senate last year with 62 votes, including 23 Republicans. Known as Hagel-Martinez, the bill is based on the McCain-Kennedy legislation.

This smart bill, which goes a long way to solving this vexing national problem, had the support of leading Republicans - President Bush, National GOP Chairman Mel Martinez, and leading Senators John McCain, Mitch McConnell, and Chuck Hagel. The coalition supporting this bill includes the Chamber of Commerce, leading labor unions, the Catholic Church and elements of important Protestant dominations, and many of the nation's leading immigrant rights groups. It is a good bill, one that received broad bi-partisan support, and was able to muster a deep and broad coalition behind it.

By offering a bill that received so much Republican support last year, Senator Reid is showing that he wants to work with the Republicans to get this done. Next week the Senate will debate this bill. Our hope is that Republican leaders, including the President, will join Senator Reid and work to pass a bill that will go a long way to solving our nation's broken immigration system.

As we have been for the last two years, NDN will be working hard in these critical days to keep the bi-partisan momentum on immigration reform going. Our community has spent millions of dollars and contributed an amazing amount of time to this battle. It now enters a critical phase, and I hope all of you will join us in encouraging your Senators to stand with Senator Reid in solving this important 21st century challenge.

The Hill shines light on the possibility of a deal on an immigration bill in the Senate. From the article:

The Senate’s bipartisan immigration talks yesterday yielded the first stirrings of a “grand bargain,” but the fate of the compromise remained uncertain amid political pressure from interest groups and a potential filibuster.

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican and leader of recent negotiations on immigration reform, took the floor to announce the progress and ask Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for more time before the next week’s floor deadline.

“We have come to an agreement on what we have called a ‘grand bargain,’ which is the outline of an immigration bill,” Specter said.

Sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants, thousands of new Border Patrol agents and a trigger mechanism to tackle border security are all under consideration, Specter said. But he warned that Reid’s plans to call up last year’s
Senate-passed immigration bill — which has lost significant support — as a placeholder could bring the process to a halt.

Be sure to check out NDN's work on passing comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Below is a video from the Courage Campaign and its partner, Strengthening Our Lives (SOL), an organization dedicated to empowering and educating immigrant worker communities towards change. It shows how people are "walking" and getting their neighbors involved in creating a better future for themselves and their families.

Check out the work NDN has done on these issues, as well as the poll we conducted of California Latinos leading up to the state's 2006 gubernatorial race.

Leading Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is up on the air, with the first Spanish language radio ads of the '08 cycle.  But here's a few things you won't hear in his ads.  First, Mitt Romney wants to amend the constitution to make English the national language: "English needs to be the language that is spoken in America. We cannot be a bilingual nation like Canada."  And Romney opposes comprehensive immigration reform that would bring millions out of the shadows and provide a path to citizenship for hard-working, tax-paying immigrants who play by the rules and want a better future for their families.  At this month's Conservative Politcal Action Conference Romney said: "McCain-Kennedy [Comprehensive Immigration Reform] isn't the answer. As governor, I took a very different approach. I authorized our state police to enforce immigration laws. I vetoed a tuition break for illegals and said no to driver's licenses. McCain-Kennedy gives benefits to illegals that would cost taxpayers millions. And more importantly, amnesty didn't work 20 years ago, and it won't work today."  This kind of anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic rhetoric is bad policy.  It did not help Republicans win elections in 2006 and it won't help them in 2008. 

Today, Americans all across the country are marching in support of a lasting and functional immigration policy - one that ensures a strong, safe, and secure border. NDN supports these marches, as they represent the need for something we have been strong advocates of for over three and a half years: Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

These marches are also a testament to the failure of the Bush Administration's to enact the comprehensive, meaningful reform America needs. As Director of NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center, I will be speaking and participating in a large march in South Florida this afternoon.

NDN's own Joe Garcia was quoted in an AP article on the planning of upcoming immigration marches. Citing the evolution of the immigration debate and how different cultures are becoming involved, Joe said:

"It used to be that Hispanic immigrants, those who came legally, were more conservative on the issue. But now it's become so wrapped up with issues of racism and identity, even Puerto Ricans and Cubans care about immigration."

For those interested, check out this article for a look at what the City of Los Angeles is doing to prepare for the crowds.

For more information on NDN's efforts on passing comprehensive immigration reform, click here.

The LA Times highlights Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's trip to Mexico and El Salvador today. His nine day mission: "to promote trade and coordinate the fight against violent international gangs." Yet he is also prepared to handle questions from the media on immigration. As Villaraigosa said in an interview for the article:

"As much as I want to talk about economic development, trade, investment [and] tourism, there's no question that there's going to be a real strong effort to move it away to immigration," Villaraigosa said in an interview last week. "I've said, 'Hey, I'm prepared for that. I welcome it. I recognize it's an important issue. It is, however, not the only issue.' "

In his commencement speech to Miami Dade College, President Bush encouraged the graduating students to contact their Representatives and have them push for immigration legislation. More in the AP article here.

Once again, the President is preaching to the choir: more than half of the students at Miami Dade College were raised speaking a language other than English.

I'm not going to go into the details of his speech, because we've all heard the speeches. We've read the statements. We need more than words. We need comprehensive immigration reform legislation - now.

For more on NDN's work on comprehensive immigration reform, click here.