Claretian Justice and Peace

The Expensive, Porous Fence

2009-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last week the Government Accountability Office, which watches over the funding that Congress has voted, gave a scathing report on the "virtual" fence being built on the Southwestern border. It's way behind schedule, costs a lot more than expected, and doesn't do much good. Already determined immigrants have devise ways -- some unquestionably dangerous -- to get around it. As the New York Times editorializes fences are no solution to immigration problem, rather we need comprehensive immigration reform.

IMMIGRANT POPULATION IN CALIFORNIA DECLINES
Evidence has been growing that the immigrant population, especially of undocumented, has been declining. Most experts attribute it to the recession. Fewer are trying to cross the borders and a few, though not all that many, are returning home. The Los Angeles Times reviewed the findings of the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey and suggests the biggest impact of the decline has been in California -- as well as Arizona and Florida. These states have long been identified with large immigrant, mostly Hispanic, populations. Texas -- thanks to a healthy economy -- is still attracting immigrants, as well as the ancient doorway to the immigrant -- New York. The Times quotes experts on immigration flows to the effect that the current patterns are not entirely new because of the recession. Already in the 90s, immigrants -- especially the undocumented -- have shunned the ethnic enclaves East LA or South Phoenix for the more exotic climes of Minnesota and Iowa or Georgia and North Carolina. Georgia in fact continues to attract immigrants. In part the shift that started before the recession was due to aggressive enforcement of immigration law. But over the last year it has been in Connecticut, North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa that we witnessed the most aggressive factory raids. Immigrant have remained faithful to the new pattern, simply because -- even in hard times -- that's where the jobs are.

GAO Report Creates Doubts about the Fence

2009-09-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Government Accountability Office, Congress's watchdog on program it finances, has a scathing report on "the fence" -- the jumble of cameras and sensors along the Mexican-US border known as the Secure Border Initiative. The reports finds the project seven years behind schedule, seriously overrunning costs, and no ideas on how to measure "success". (See New York Times article.)

More on the Undocumented and Health Care Reform

2009-09-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Hiltzik. a Los Angeles Times columnist, responded to the nay-sayers to health care reform who objected to the Census Bureau recent estimate of 46 million uninsured in the country. A 46 million figure gives urgency to reform, and so to defuse concern the nay-sayers explained away the numbers. Many of the uninsured are voluntary drop-outs of health insurance -- the young and wealth -- and many are too dump to know it's available -- the poor who qualitfy for Medicaid or Children Health Insurance System, but don't apply. Still others are only temporarily without health insurance. The undocumented, they say, don't deserve it. Hiltzik picks apart their specious arguments and misreading of the census figures to reveal the horror of 46 million uninsureed.

Push Back on Immigration Restriction in Health Care

2009-09-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Before Joe Wilson's outburst on the floor of Congress, most immigration advocates had seemingly accepted the exclusion of the undocumented from health care reform -- at least in so far as government payments or subsidies. But in an effort to quell nativists' suspicions that aid to the "illegals" will sneak into a government-run public option, President Barack Obama extended his exclusion to even banning the undocumented from the proposed insurance exchanges -- even when they out of their own pockets. That was too much for many Democrats and immigration activists. They are now organizing to make sure the Obama administration cannot automatically count on their votes. Their point is that it is not "a reward for breaking the law" in paying for something out of your own pocket. As it is, the undocumented underutilize the health system and in the insurance exchanges their money would be a wind-fall for the insurance companies. Immigrants are younger than the general population and so less of a risk for insurers. Also they tend to be more reliable when taking on financial obligations. But Obama's scruple seems to be a last straw for many immigration advocates and Democrats. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Senate Finance Committee Considers the Undocumented

2009-09-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Senate Finance Committee, which is working up a version of health care reform expected to be "the compromise", began considering the issue of the undocumented alien and health care insurance. It's not a question of whether they will be eligible for any benefits -- with the exception of emergency room care -- but whether they can traffic for health insurance at the "exchanges" or "marketplaces" that would be created. A Republican idea, not yet accepted, is being discussed whic would require verification of status to purchase on the exchange -- even with cash out of the pocket. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Undocumented to be Barred from Health Insurance Exchanges

2009-09-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

A White House aide said the Obama plan to establish an exchange for health care insurance would excluded the undocumented from purchasing a policy -- even at their own expense. All the congressional bills voted out of committee exclude most immigrants from subsidies, but one allows them to purchase insurance at their own expense. It seems the politics of the moment has won out over the morality of the issue. (See New York Times article.)

Some Common Sense on the Undocumented and Health Care

2009-09-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

The rude interruption of a South Carolina representative during President Barack Obama's speech on health insurance reform has embarrassed the GOP and knocked them off their argument, The incident seems to have quieted the discussion around the eligibility of undocumented workers for federal support in health care reform. The New York Times addressed the issue "with common sense" in an editorial, but the issue must go beyond "common sense". The president shifted the discussion to moral and political grounds. Politically, it's not wise to advocate for benefits to those Illegally here. But I don't think you can argue that morally. While the Catholic bishops don't highlight care for the undocumented, by implication they believe some minimal benefits beyond caring for the undocumented in emergency rooms or allowing to purchase private insurance is not enough. Health care is not just an American right, but a human right. While it's not politic to bring up the issue at this time, any successful reform will eventually have to face up to care for all -- even those here illegally. Pragmatically it cost issue. Now much of the costs are swallowed by private medical providers who truly believe health care is a right for all. We don't know yet how reform will impinge on their charitable efforts. Even some counties and municipalities use their own tax dollars to provide a modicum of care with no questions asked. Other developed economies often provide health care even to visitors. (I had an in-grown and infected toe nail care -- gratis and with any fuss -- in England and Germany. Excluding the undocumented -- while good politics now -- will eventually have to be dealt with. And it will have to be more than just emergency-room care. Rep. Wilson, if for the wrong reasons, was on to something.

Cheating the Undocumented Worker

2009-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Center for Urban Economic Development surveyed the wages and work condition of low-income workers -- many of whom are undocumented. (See Center's report: Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers.) They found wide-spread violations of labor laws by employers. Even though the undocumented are here unauthorized, they still are protected by wage and safety laws. While often low-income workers do hazardous, work excessive hours or are under age -- all of which is against the law __ still most abuse of workers by employees is cheating on wages -- usually not paying the minimum wage or for overtime is the most common violation. (See Washington Post editorial.) The Obama Labor Department is increasing the number of investigators and promises to be more aggressive in enforcing the law.

Health Care Reform and the Undocumented

2009-09-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

During the hectic town hall meetings in August, the issue of affording health care benefits to undocumented immigrants was often raised with some heat. Democrats took to quoting from the bills that the undocumented would not be eligible for the subsidies to pay for health insurance. They are already barred from Medicaid and Medicare. What led to the confusion is that the undocumented must be cared for in emergency rooms at government expense. This is a public safety measure. But the GOP, notwithstanding the provisions of the bills, saw an opening. The Democrats were not explicit enough in banning the undocumented. They should have demanded "citizen verification". That was excluded from the bills because expert testimony and state officials said it would be too costly for a problem that was not large. The GOP, smelling an popular issue, intends to raise it once Congress returns. (See New York Times article.)

Phoenix Undocumented Population Drops by a Third

2009-09-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

The recession has obviously cut into the undocumented population. But how much? The census bureau hasn't a way to measure it. Yet we know the number of detentions at the border has declined. If the border patrol is catching fewer crossing, there must be fewer undocumented in the States. Still those here already, are they leaving and going back home? The evidence is weaker on this, but the indications are some are returning. Now the Arizona Republic, in a brief survey of the recession's impact on Phoenix, quotes the Center for Immigration Studies that the decline was about 16% nationwide, but for their city almost a third. CIS is no friend of the immigrant, but some of its studies are fairly reliable. The reason for the decline is the slowdown in industries that attract and employ the undocumented -- light manufacturing, domestic service, restaurants and especially construction.

Massachusetts Cuts Back on Health Coverage to Immigrant

2009-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Massachusetts's state health insurance is often put forward as a model of the national health care reform President Barack Obama is proposing for the nation. The program is the closest thing to universal coverage -- all but 2.7% of the population -- and includes legal immigrants. While there are some limits to immigrants' coverage, the benefits are rather generous. Now, because of the recession and a state budget deficit, Governor Deval Patrick proposes to cut some benefits, such as dental or hospice care. Immigrant will still qualify for a rather good basic package, but the reorganization will create such hardships as changing doctors. (See New York Times article.)

The Elderly Immigrant

2009-08-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

The fastest growing segment of the immigrant population are seniors. They make up more than a tenth of the immigrant population. Not many of them are undocumented, save for those who have come earlier and have aged here. Most have come legally, brought here by children for family unification. They have made a lesser impression on the public than young immigrants who may be sucked into gangs or who overcrowded schools. But attention is now turning to their problems. (See New York Times article.) Older immigrants often come unprepared for the new society. They do not know the language and lack skills -- like driving -- needed in an urban society. They often have a self-imposed isolation or live in "ethnoburbs" . As a consequence many are suffering from loneliness and depression. Since they have limited access to health care and social services, many of their physical and mental ailments go untracked and unmet.

Letter to Obama about the 287(g) program

2009-08-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Homeland Security has promoted the "Secure Communities" initiative that supposedly focuses enforcement on the criminal and fugitive element of the undocumented population. One part of that is the 287(g) program that promotes cooperation between ICE and local police. More than 500 civil-rights, immigrant advocates, religious and labor groups have signed on to a letter to President Barack Obama protesting the recent expansion of the program. The basic objections are that the program will lead to racial profiling and that it has not been restricted to ferreting out the dangerous criminals. Many have been deported for minor offenses under the program. Many also question the competence of local police to enforce immigration law and the abuses of the past. The Arizona Republic brings up the criticism of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Maricopa County Office as the worse offender. Meanwhile Los Angeles County, which is thinking seriously about demanding E-verify for all its contractors, will now begin to send the files of all inmates to ICE to verify their status. Ironically, ICE complains that it's not ready to take that number of referral's. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Los Angeles County Government Contemplates E-Verify

2009-08-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles County, which has responsibility for schools, hospitals, jails, roads, records and much more, has enormous economic power in letting contracts for services. Now the County Supervisors have voted to explore adapting the use of E-verify to require contractors to vouch for the legality of their employees. The federal government is making this a requirement for its contractors, as does six states. Immigrant advocates and labor leaders oppose the use of the system. It was created by the Social Security Administration for other reasons but is used to verify the status of workers. If there is a "no match" -- i.e., if the worker's Social Security number does not match the administration's records -- then the employer will have to dismiss the worker. The program is currently voluntary, but being made compulsory with immigration reform. LA County will be one of the largest public jurisdictions to require verification, if it's adopted. The system has been unreliable and has created a number of court challenges. The Obama administration claims to be perfecting the system. The county is only studying the possibility and will later act on a recommendation. (See Los Aneles Times article.)

ICE Begins to Fly Detainees to Mexico City

2009-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Over the last six years, ICE has been repatriating undocumented aliens deep into Mexico as a way to get them away from the border and discourage them from going to the coyotes to try re-entry. They are flown ro Mexico City and then buses to their home villages. There are two daily flights from Tucson, carrying 150 each. (See Washington Post article.)

Washington Post on ICE's Clean-up of Detention Centers

2009-08-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post editorially welcomed many of the changes initiated by the Department of Homeland Security in how it held aliens for deportation in detention centers. But the paper joined immigrant advocates to deplore the unwillingness of ICE to release new mandatory regulations.

Impatience Grows Among Immigration Advocates

2009-08-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Notwithstanding a surprise appearance of President Barack Obama and Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano at the White House with advocates of comprehensive immigration reform, many came away disheartened by hints that reform may take as long as two years. They were grateful by the president's reaffirmation of his commitment and also at the reduction in household raids. But many advocates, especially Hispanic, were upset by the stepped up workplace enforcement and Homeland Security's reluctance to issue new rules for detention centers and on quotas in its fugitive operations. Some even warned that further delay may lead to an electoral backlash in 2010. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

NEW DOCUMENTARY ON CHILD MIGRANTS
HBO will air a documentary -- Which Way Home -- following the journey of a 9 year-old Honduran boy illegally into the U.S. in search of his parents. In Chicago the program airs at 9 pm on Monday, August 24, and probably will be rebroadcasted a number of times during the week. Consult local TV guides or HBO station for the times. (See the Los Angeles Times article.)

ICE Drops Quotas in Fugitive Operations

2009-08-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that the agency's "fugitive operations" will not set "quotas" in its apprehensions. The program, which grew since 2003 with eight teams and $9 Million budget to 104 teams with $225 million, was intended to track down criminals and those who defied a deportation order. With Bush administration's stept-up enforcement, pressure was put on teams to make more arrests. In some regions that pressure led supervisors to set "quotas" and the arrests skyrocketed. According to a study of the Migration Policy Institute, 73% of those apprehended had no criminal records. Agents who enter a house or apartment in search of an individual would leave with whomever they suspected of being undocumented. The suspicion was that the agents were under orders to meet the quotas. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Health Care Reform and the Undocumented

2009-08-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

The debate on health care reform has rarely touched on the undocumented, though it is a live issue in the southwest border states. But even there the issue is old, raised because of their already burdened emergency rooms. The undocumented cannot be denied help in the emergency room, though they do not qualify for Medicaid. Often costs then are shifted to the community tax base with miserly reimbursement from the federal government, or are subsidized by other patients. On top of that, emergency room care is more expensive. Still one of the House bills (HR 3200) expressly denies any tax-payer funds to buy health coverages for the undocumented on the insurance exchanges the bill sets up. A debate could be raised from the public health perspective of extending some basic services to the undocumented. But if "death panels" and "public options" have raise a public outcry to irrational levels, extending health insurance to the undocumented would drown out all other discussion. An L.A. Times editorial suggests that the issue be kept out of the current debate, but must be raised again in comprehensive immigration reform

Lawyers Prey on the Undocumented

2009-08-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Immigrants are susceptible to legal scams in seeking green cards and work permits. We often warn them that a "notary" does not have the same powers and function in the U.S. as a "notario" has in Mexico. If they have immigration problems, they should consult a "lawyer" or "abegado". Now. however, lawyers are joining in the scams, taking money from desperate families with promises of getting a green card or temporary work papers (H-2B visa). Not only do they fail to produce, sometimes they even get their client deported. (See New York Times article.) One lawyer in Salt Lake City is being charged by the Justice Department with having files fraudulently for 5,000 H-2B visas. As many as 300 lawyers have been suspended from pleading in immigration courts. This also creates problems for other immigration lawyers in cleaning up the mess afterward. The situation is also undermining the trust that should exist between lawyer and client.

LOS ANGELES TIMES FAULTS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ON STANDARDS AT DETENTION CENTERS
The Los Angeles Times editorially has sided with critics of the ICE's detention centers and deplored Obama's Homeland Security in continuing most of the Bush administrations policies. It would have preferred new binding standards to redress the deplorable conditions.

Napolitano Talks Tough on Immigration

2009-08-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in a speech at University of Texas, El Paso, defended the enforcement policies of the Obama administration and claimed the result were more effective than the Bush administration's. "Make no mistake," she asserted, "our overall approach is very, very different. It is more strategic, more cooperative, more multilateral and, in the long run, more effective." To underscore her point about effectiveness, the secretary noted that, already this year, ICE has arrested 181,000 undocumented and deported 250,000 -- twice as much as in 2007. She also claims that ICE isn't going after those who have not broken any other laws. Immigration advocates were disappointed and noted that Secretary Napolitano was defending and utilizing laws and practices both she and the president had previously claimed were "broken". All she is doing is prolonging human misery and should be pressing forward on comprehensive reform. (See New York Times article.)

MARICOPA COUNTY BOARD & SHERIFF'S OFFICE UNDER FEDERAL SCRUTINY
Not just Sheriff Joe Apraio has problems with the feds. The Maticopa County (Phoenix) Board of Supervisors must answered to the U,S. Department of Justice about a complaint that the county does not provide translators at public meetings in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Immigration advocates want the investigation to take in all agencies of the county, especially the Sheriff's office. (See Arizona Republic article.)

REPORTS ON MILITIAS AND TREATMENT OF HISPANICS IN THE SOUTH
The Southern Poverty Law Center has just published a report on the revival of violence-prone right-wing militias. One of militants' fantasies is fighting to save America from the wave of undocumented immigrants who are just one tool in a design to reclaim the Southwest for Mexico. Also SPLC reports on the exploitation and abuse of Hispanics throughout the south.

The Undocumented and Health Care Reform

2009-08-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Under every scheme for health care reform, health insurance coverage to the undocumented immigrant would be denied. They will still qualify for emergency room care and in same states their children -- even those brought here illegally -- might qualify for some care. Health care advocates have made a point of informing people that the undocumented do not qualify -- even the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. They don't want to jeopardize passage of health care reform. The nativist groups otherwise would be quick to pounce on the issue. NumbersUSA claims any inclusion of the undocumented would be incentive to sick Mexicans and Chinese to storm the U.S. border in search of care. But excluding the undocumented, however politically astute, is medically folly. Disease knows no borders. At least some diseases have to be monitored. Doing that through emergency rooms is going to create its own set of burdens, especially in California and the Southwest. The Los Angeles Times tells the story of one undocumented youth who manages to get some care in Chicago for his kidney ailment. It also tells of the plight of other immigrants dealing with serious health problems for whom returning to Mexico is no realistic option.

Corruption Grow on the U.S.-Mexican Border

2009-08-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press reported that, just as law enforcement has grown rapidly to stem the traffic of humans, drugs and contraband across the U.S.-Mexican border, the arrest of local police, border patrol and custom officials for corruption has grown just as fast. Long suspected that border officials have look the other way -- even Mexico's President Felipe Calderon complains about it-- corruption is now a real hindrance to stepped up enforcement. Immigration advocates had warned that the rapid build up, especially of the Border Patrol, will create its own set of problems and not help the situation on the border.

OBAMA SAYS IMMIGRATION REFORM MUST WAIT
President Barack Obama, meeting in a North American summit with the President of Mexico and Premier of Canada. said that immigration reform must wait till his administration and Congress have dealt with other priorities -- especially health care and climate change. (See New York Times article.)

Mercy Sisters Minister to Detainees

2009-08-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have known Mercy Srs. JoAnne Persch and Pat Murphy for over twenty years and admired their dedication and hard work for refugees and immigrants. They started Su Casa as a refuge for Salvadoreans fleeing the dirty war in their homelands and more recently have rallied the religious community to the plight of the deportees and detainees around Chicago. Their hard work paid off recently when the Illinois legislature passed legislation that allowed religious ministers access to state facilities that house detainees for ICE. Now JoAnne and Pat regularly visit McHenry County Jail, the largest dentention center in Illinois. (Cook County does not have a detention agreement with ICE.) At ICE's Broadview center in the western suburbs of Chicago, the sisters have been denied the same access. But they publicized the plight of the deportees by holding a prayer service each Friday morning at the gate of the center. Bus loads of deportees hear the refrains of the rosary as they're moved to catch their planes. (See Chicago Tribune article.)

Homeland Security's Detention Reforms

2009-08-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

The New York Times editorially welcomes the revision of the detention system for immigrants facing deportation. Still Homeland Security has taken only a first step to revise a Rube Goldberg contraption of abuse to the personal dignity of immigrants who are not criminal. Time will only tell how effective the reforms will be. The advisory role of community organizations and immigrant advocates must be more than window-dressing. Some of the abuses -- especially the treatment of minors at the soon-to-be-closed the T. Don Hutto Residential Center near Austin -- has schocked the nation.

Plans to Revamp Detension Centers

2009-08-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Homeland Security (DHS) will embark on a revamping of the network of detention centers for immigrant about to be deported. It will review the current contracts it has with local jails and private prisons and may create its own centers. It is looking to house more suitably noncriminals to be deported. As an indication of its seriousness, DHS will close the infamous T. Don Hutto Residential Center near Austin, TX, that had created a stir because of its abuses of children detained with their mothers. To facilitate the make-over, it will create a new office -- Office of Detention Policy and Planning -- which will have two advisory boards of experts and immigrant advocates. The current Office of Detention Oversight that directs the program will also be revamped. Immigrant advocates welcome the closing of Hutto, but are still cautious about the rest of the remake. (See New York Times article.)

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO CHALLENGE ARIZONA'S EMPLOYER SANCTIONS
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional the Legal Arizona Workers Law which imposes sanctions on employers for hiring the undocumented. It uses the same basic argument that has already been rejected by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals -- that immigration belongs to federal jurisdiction -- but adds that allowing one state the power to penalize employers on immigration would invite a thousands of others to do the same -- as it has happened. That would be bad for business. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Sheriff Joe Ponders Cooperation with ICE

2009-08-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

After one of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's "criminal suppression operations", ICE refused to accept any detainees whose only "crime" was being in the country illegally. That has given pause to "America's toughest sheriff" -- not because he is getting soft on the undocumented -- and he has now 9o days to reflect on his cooperation with ICE. He defends his sweeps, not just for rounding up the undocumented alien, but because he has caught other criminals. They have netted over 550, less than half have been undocumented. Still, if the restriction now demanded by ICE were in effect, 150 of those picked up would have had to be released. Immigration advocates had criticized the sweeps as racial profiling. Most have happened in highly Hispanic neighborhoods and cars stopped generally carried Hispanics. The sheriff's office claims to have strict policies against profiling and had warned deputies, but anecdotal evidence charges that deputies do it nonetheless. Also many in the community charge that the sweeps only feed Sheriff Joe's appetite for publicity and are needlessly expensive. Other programs are more effective and less costly in identifing and detaining the undocumented. still, even if Sheriff Joe drops his cooperation with ICE because of the new restrictions, newly enacted state laws give him ample opportunity to pursue the undocumented and headlines. (See New Republic article.)

Obama Disappoints on Immigration

2009-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The many Hispanics that voted for Barack Obama anticipated as president he would move quickly to propose an immigration overhaul that would provide a legalization process. They have been disappointed that the economy, global warming and health care reform pushed immigration back in his agenda. But the administrative moves he has made are also disappointing. His stress has been as much on enforcement as the Bush administration in an attempt to convince the American public that he will not condone violations of the law. While he has cut down on ICE plant raids, Obama in other way has not only continues, but actually accelerated nefarious Bush policies. In April of this year, for example, the number of federal criminal prosecutions has increased by a third. Homeland Security has continued to favor the flawed E-verify system -- checking of employees' Social Security numbers in which "no-matches" will lead to dismissal. The administration has asked for more money to "perfect the system" and now requires it of all private contractors doing business with the government. Rather than wrapping up its 287(g) program that promotes collaboration between ICE and local police -- which Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano knows first-hand is much abused by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- it is expanding. ICE still gets reports from local jails on the immigration status of all prisoners -- even those brought in solely for DUI. Napolitano justifies "expanding enforcement" because now it's being done "in the right way".

President Obama himself is not taking the heat from immigration activists. They do recognize that other issues take priority on his legislative agenda and seem satisfied that he will take up immigration before the new year. Much of their disappointment has transferred to Janet Napolitano. Apparently, the adminstratioin has convinced itself that it can't look soft on illegal immigration. Senator Chrles Schumer (D, NY)' who will lead writing the new bill, approves of the direction of enforcement and would extend E-verification to an universal ID card for all workers. Even he counsels his Democratic colleagues to drop the euphemism "undocumented" for "illegal". As for the GOP, it does seem impressed by Obama's recent moves. Senator John McCain (R, AZ) threatens to sit out the debate unless the administration pursues this strong enforcement policy. So the fight for comprehensive reform may split much as the health care reform has shaped up -- nay-saying from most Republicans and timidity from many Democrats. The Blue Dogs in the House have as many problems with the national party on immigration as it does on health care. (See New York Times article.)

HELD HOSTAGE IN COMPTON, CA
An immigrant's trip to the U.S. from Mexico or Guatemala without papers has always been perolous. Now that drug related gangs are pushing into the turf of the coyotes and supplementing lost drug income with people trafficking, the trip is becoming even more dangerous. Often a successful crossing ends in being held hostage in Phoenix, or LA, or Compton. (see Los Angeles Times article.)

"Toxic Remnant" of the Bush Administration's Immigration Raids

2009-08-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

The system of detention for the undocumented created by George Bush's get-tough immigration enforcement is still with us. The Rube Goldberg network of federal, local and private detention centers has long been faulted for abuses of the rights of detainees. Yet under the Obama administration the American gulag still holds as many as 30,000 any given day. The New York Times editorially denounced the system as a "toxic remnant" of Bush's "war" on the immigrant. When the National Immigration Law Center released a summation of the complaints against the detention centers -- A Broken System -- Homeland Security the next day refused to upgrade its rules for inspection to rid the system of abuses. The Times urges the Obama administration to get moving on the issue. Still the only final solution is to dismantle the American gulag through comprehensive reform, But a lot can be done administratively to relieve the hardships of detainees -- who after all are not criminals.

Immigrant Advocates Sharpen New Stradegies to Push Reform

2009-07-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

A sense of frustration that President Barack Obama is moving too slowly and too hesitantly on comprehensive immigration reform has moved immigrant advocates to rethink some of their tactics and ideas and to rev up the machine that succeeded last year in voter registration and citizenship campaign to lobby legislators. Much of this came out during a workshop at the convention of the National Council of La Raza last week in Chicago. Mostly the stress was put on mobilizing the troops for the lobbying, but there were other ideas. One was a tour of the country, already organized by Rep Luis Gutierrez and others, to demonstrate the hardships of deportation on families and to an end to factory raids. Another, especially in view of a legalization process that would include onerous fines, is to pay them off by community service. (See Associated Press report.)

New Study on the Decline of Undocumented Population

2009-07-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports restrictions on all immigration, claims that the undocumented population has declines 14% over the last two year -- in Arizona even more dramatically by a third. Most immigration study groups generally agree that the undocumented population is stabilizing because of enhanced enforcement and the down-turn in the economy. But there is wide disagreement on how much a decline, why and the make of the decline. CIS claims a "significant number" is due to the undocumented returning home. The Pew Hispanic Center does disagree that some are going back, but attributes most of the decline to new immigrants not coming .There is a suspicion that the differences are ideological. CIS supports the argument that tough enforcement will entice, if not push, the undocumented out of the country. Whereas Pew argues that most undocumented don't have much to go back to in Mexico and will sit out the recession. Not all see the decline of the undocumented population, especially in Arizona where it has been most severe, as a good thing. Even the undocumented are consumers, and the loss of that many consumers in the Phoenix area will impact adversely on business. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Obama Administration Stonewalls on New Rules at Detention Centers

2009-07-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Immigration advocates had already demonstrated that the treatment of detainees have often not met standards that the U.S. prides itself on affording to criminals in jails and prisons. Legal rights, the separation of parents from children, the detaining of children, the neglect of sick detainees, even the death of detainees have been documented. Tours of facilities have sporadically uncovered enough of these abuses that the federal courts are beginning to take notice. A report by the National Immigration Law Center draws evidence from Homeland Security's own documentation. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Homeland Security has been pressed by immigrant advocates to publish new rules for inspection of detention centers that would correct the abuses. When the Bush and then the Obama administrations failed to move on the issue, a federal judge intervened and ordered Homeland Security to respond. They did, and they refused to publish new rules. This has disappointed immigration advocates who expected better of the Obama administration. Homeland Security seems to be stonewalling. They argue that news rules would be laborious and time-consuming and reform can be done administratively by providing decent and human treatment. But immigrant advocates argue that the system has a culture of abuse that needs to be strictly watched and regulated. Many centers, for example, are run by private contracts. There was a much publicized case in Conneticut, last year, in which a man complaining of a back pains was given a pain killer when his problem was cancer. The scandal was part of the complaint that led to demanding new inspection rules. (See New York Times article.)

Obama Administration Moving Ahead on Immigration

2009-07-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

While Congress has staled immigration reform until after health care and climate control legislation is finished, the Obama administration has moved ahead in changing policies that have won some praise, however faint, from immigration advocates and lots of damnation from the nativists. The Los Angeles Times attributes this to Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security. Her policy changes have been mostly on the cooperation with local police, on the E-verify requirement for governments contractors and upgrading government databases. On all of these there is still plenty of criticism from immigrant advocates. On the positive side,the new restriction on local police has turn Sheriff Joe Arpaio to rethinking his cooperation, and the E-verify requirement has turn enforcement from plant raids to employer accounting. The database upgrade is more frightening, but more from a civil liberties point of view. Also deportations are now expected to stress rounding up criminals -- the so-called "Secure Communities" program. But the New York Times review of it in Houston indicates serious flaws in the Obama approach.

New ICE Regs Rein in Sheriff Joe

2009-07-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Maricopa County (Phoenix) Sheriff's Office was ordered by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release nine undocumented taken into custody in one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's high-profile "crime sweeps." Sheriff Joe is perfectly free to conduct his sweeps under Arizona law, but ICE is under no obligation to accept everyone he rounds up. The nine released had no other criminal charges outstanding against them, other than being in the country illegally. Over the two years the sheriff's office has cooperated with ICE, it had handed over 110 undocumented under similar circumstances (119 with attached criminal charges). Now Sheriff Joe is considering not renewing his agreement with ICE which is up for renewal in a few months. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Police Chiefs Push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform -- "soon than later"

2009-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

About a 100 chiefs of police gather in Phoenix at a "national summit" on local immigration policies. The tone was similar to a letter from chiefs of some of America's largest cities (see blog for July 2, 2009) asking for comprehensive immigration reform. There was a certain urgency to their request -- "soon than later," said Chief Jack Harris of Phoenix. The chiefs support a legalization process, an effective temporary worker program, and enforcement stressing employer sanctions. Officials were present from Homeland Security and the Obama administration, and they welcomed the chiefs support. A study of local police policies by Arizona State University indicated that a fifth of departments had police non-cooperation with immigration enforcement, 28% cooperated to some extent, and 46% had no policy. (See Arizona Republic article.).

Pew Hispanic Center Finds Fewer Immigrants from Mexico and Fewer Returning Home

2009-07-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Pew Hispanic Center released a study on the migrant flow across the U.S.-Mexican border. As expected fewer are coming -- a trend that began in mid-decade. This is generally attributed to the beginning and development of the recession. But this year fewer seem to be going back. The Mexican-born population of the U.S. is estimated at 11.5 million in 2009, only 100,000 less than last year.

Deportees Fill up Mexicsn Border Towns

2009-07-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

The American tourists are gone from the restaurants and souvenir shops of Mexican border towns -- driven off by recession, drug violence and new passport regulations. Taking their place are deportees left off on the U.S. side and then marched across the border. They are no substitute for the Yankee dollar. They come already impoverished and in need of assistance from the Mexican government.

These are "voluntary deportees. Rather than challenge the deportation order and risk losing any future hope of return to the States, they agree to go quietly. Some are recent border-jumpers -- picked up by the border patrol in the desert, often arriving only with the ragged clothing on their backs, sometimes victims of violence and theft in their journey north. Others arrive well dressed and with a little money that doesn't last long. These latter are those who had been in the country some time -- often decades -- but picked up on the streets of Chicago or Los Angeles. Some come not knowing much Spanish, totally unfamiliar with the country. They were brought to the U.S. as children and have never been in Mexico. Some, usually women, arrive with children who have a right to stay as U.S. citizens.

The hard pressed border towns try to provide some help and the federal government provides some. But most of the caring for the deportees, feeding and sheltering them is left to the churches and caring citizens -- sometimes even former deportees. The Arizona Republic has a touching article on the impact of deportees on Nogales, Mexico.

MORE THAN 'LEGALIZATION ONLY'
Some advocates of immigration reform are arguing to separate the "legalization process" from the future "flow of workers". Their reasoning is that, while we can't really deport 12 million, we can reduce the flow of temporary workers till the economy improves. That way we can take away an argument being used effectively by nativists -- "the illegals are taking jobs away from Americans'. Also it would cement the support of the labor unions. Later the country can fashion a workers' program that responds to real needs.

Two prominent immigrant advocates, Carlos G. Castaneda and Tamar Jacoby, argue in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post, it won't work. The two elements must hang together, otherwise important Republican and Democratic support will slip away. Sen. John McCain (R. AZ) had warned as much last month.

There are more issues to immigration reform, but a separation of legalization and temp workers will surely kill the bill. The authors do not address, however, the grievance of the labor unions to the abuses of the temp worker program in the Bush administration. Nor do they address the argument that the nativists have been exploiting with the country's rising unemployment. If the two elements are held together, the temp working program has to be reformed as well.

The Legal Mind behind Anti-immigrant Laws

2009-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

The legal mind thinking up and promoting -- sometimes successfully, sometimes not -- all those nuisance ordinances restricting renting of apartments to the undocumented or imposing sanctions on local businessmen for hiring them or charging them with trespass is Kris W. Kobach. No red-neck nativist, he is a Harvard-Oxford-Yale lawyer. He claims his anti-immigration legal crusade was spurred by his shock to have learned that the 9/11 hijackers had entered the country illegally and were even stopped by police for traffic violations. Many of his legal tricks he learned from MALDEF -- often his opponent. The ACLU warns he's no push-over and a real challenge in court. He is active in many cases -- denying auto licenses or in-state tuition. He was at Hazelton, in Missouri, Texas and Arizona defending employer sanctions. While he claims not to be a nativist, he is closely linked to the leading national anti-immigration group -- Federal for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). For a profile of Kobach is the New York Times.

Drugs Cartels Prey off of Undocumented

2009-07-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

The clamp down on the drug cartels' smuggling along the Mexican border has driven smugglers into the same desert corridors that migrants choose to cross illegally into the U.S.. This had created new hardships for the migrants. Moving along the same paths as the "bureros" -- smigglers who carry marijuana or cocaine into the country -- subjects them to the dangers of assault and robbery. The Cartel have begun to tax the coyotes and even engage in human trafficking -- often tied to smuggling drugs. Some analysts see in this one factor in the decline of undocumented crossing of the border, (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Fiscal Crisis in State Budget Impearls the Immigrant

2009-07-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

States are reeling from deficits in their budgets, which by law must be balanced. Most are loath to raise taxes -- but some are doing so. The chosen way is to cut spending. This is beginning to impact the immigrant -- legal as well as undocumented. Massachusetts is proposing to exclude legal residents from its historic health insurance program -- despite the fact they are usually tax-payers. (See New York Times article.)

In California, land of the referendum, Nativists plan to introduce a measure that would end public benefits to the undocumented, challenge the citizenship of their U.S.born chikdren, cut welfare payments to them and impose new birth-cerificate requirements -- e.g., a note their parents are undocumented. A similar proposition won public support in 1996, but was struck down by the federal courts as against the 14th amendment. The fiscal crisis in California -- with a $26 billion short-fall, a squabbling state legislature, an increasingly unpopular governor, and a real unemployment rate of nearly 25% -- seems to create a favorable atmosphere for another try at passing a punitive anti-immigration measure. However successful itmay be in the voting booth, it still faces a stiff challenge in federal court. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

New York Times Editorial on the 287(g) Program

2009-07-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has editorially asked that the 287(g) program that authorizes local police agencies to cooperate with Immigration and Custom Enforcement be jettisoned. Rather Homeland Security has extended the program with promises to supervise the program more closely. The Times observes that the police chiefs of major cities oppose the program and is dubious whether Homeland Security can ride herd on overzealous patriot small town cops. The Arizona Republic agrees and feels the new rules should be called the "Arpaio Rules", since they'll only encourage more of the sheriffs "sweeps."

Immigfration Judges Under Stress

2009-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Georgetown University Law Journal puiblished a study of stress on immigration judges. The amount of work falling to them and the lack of support staff has contributed to this situation. Immigrations judges report being depressed and of low morale because of the work load. (see New York Times article.)

The New Undocumented -- The Irish

2009-07-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

There have always been undocumented Irish workers. In the 80s and 90s many young Irish came to work temporarily -- legally or illegally -- and always a few remained. The lure of the U.S. job market faded as the Celtic Tiger emerged. Now many Irish returned home as the economy boomed with membership in the European Union. Now the Irish economy has gone bust and the Irish are following familiar paths to New York, Boston and Chicago in search of jobs. (See New York Times article.) This new illegal migration begins with a tourist visa and a warm welcome in generally prosperous Irish neighborhoods. Family ties and ethnic bounds are expected to generate jobs. But in this tight economy these are hard to come by. Still many of the new immigrants find it better than back home.

The new Irish immigrants, unlike the Mexican newcomers who are fleeing grinding poverty, are refugees from a boom. Well educated and use to better, they did well in Ireland. If they were in America previously, it was just for a couple of months to make a little bundle of cash -- and back to steady jobs in Ireland. Now there is little hope there and their intended here stay is indefinite. Still, like the Mexican experience (see Arizona Republic article on the impact of remittances on Mexico), most immigrants have close ties and obligations back home. Community advocates have commented that much of the new migration is of men who have left wives and children to keep heavily mortgaged, unsaleable home occupied.

The experience of the Irish has not been reflected yet with other old immigrant groups. There always has been an undocumented issue among the Poles. Every other new immigrant groups -- Asians, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Haitians -- have their own particular issues. True comprehensive reform must respond to all their needs and concern. So reform must be a coalition
effort.

New Push for E-Verify

2009-07-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Bush administration had proposed a E-Verify requirement of all federal contractor to check immigrant status of workers. The Obama administration suspended it and had Homeland Security investigated it over the last months. Now E-Verify gets a green light and will go ahead as of September. All employers who receive federal contracts will have to submit the names of all employees for verification of status. These names will be matched to Social Security numbers and other documents. If the search indicates a worker is undocumented, he must be fired.

At the same time, Homeland Security dropped its no-match" requirement. If a worker's Social Security number did not match the agency's records -- usually a worker using a false number -- the employer was expected to fire him. But Social Security's records are replete with error. Immigrant advocates and business groups had challenged the program in federal court. Though the system had previously been been voluntary, it will now be mandatory for federal contractors and will include current employees as well as new hires. Some form of E-Verify is expected to be in any comprehensive immigration legislation. (See New York Times article.)

SENATE IMMGRATION REFORM BILL BY LABOR DAY
Senator Charles Schumer (D, NY), chair of the Senate immigration committee, promised a bill by Labor Day. The Arizona Republic reports, however, the issue of a guest worker program may foul up the timing.

The Undocumented and Health Care Reform

2009-07-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

The unresolved immigration issue is complicating the move for health care reform. Theoretically, the undocumented ought not to have a right to health insurance, since they have not rights to work in this country But in reality about half are covered through employers. Insurance companies do not ask about status. Still 6.1 million of undocumented are without insurance and the number is growing quickly. That's one in five of the uninsured. Now the undocumented can get emergency treatment, which makes up 1 to 2 % of demand. Only in the borderland Southwest has this become a problem for hospitals. Most observers believe the undocumented do not generally cause an economic problem; rather it's more a political issue. (See National Public Radio report.)

SHERIFF JOE WON'T CO-OPERATE WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is under investigation by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department. This isn't the first time. He was investigated in the '90s for his treatment of inmates of the county jail. Those complaints he had denounced as politically motivated, as he does with this investigation. Now he refuses to co-operate, which includes his staff. The Justice Department will continue to talk to complainants, some of whom are Hispanic who object to his street weeps as racial profiling. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Tale of Two Borders

2009-07-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

This summer a passport or a passport card is necessary to cross our northern border -- at least coming in from Canada. This is more a reaction to 9/11 than a question for stemming undocumented immigration. The statistics on apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants last year clearly demonstrate this -- 662,000 from Mexico, 610 from Canada. The idea that fences -- virtual or real -- be set up along the 4,000 mile Canada border is easily dismissed as unworkable. But trouble does come across the northern border and that upsets many in the Southwest. The two borders are treated differently. The Arizona Republic reports that the issue is now being raised in the fashioning of new immigration law.

Obama's Alternative to Factory Raids -- A Letter

2009-07-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration signaled in April that it would be shifting immigration enforcement from factory raids, which created much havoc for the immigrants' families, to auditing employers and penalizing them with fines and civil sanctions. ICE has begun sending out letters notifying companies of such audits. Immigration advocates welcomed the end to "the showboat enforcement raids", but anti-immigration activists hope the fines are more than a slap on the wrist. The auditing will target companies with large workforces, especially those that "serially" and knowingly employ those unauthorized to work here or that have taken advantage of the undocumented to cheat on wages and labor standards. While the shift is welcomed by immigration advocates, it still presents the undocumented worker with the prospects of job loss and deportation. The New York Times profiles the new policy in the case of Los Angeles' American Apparel which had been a sympathetic employers.

Big City Police Chiefs Want to Bring the Undocumented out of the Shadows

2009-07-02T09:01:00.001-07:00

Fifty chiefs of large urban police departments that have long experience dealing with immigrant communities asked Congress to support public safety measures to bring the undocumented out of the shadows. Their concern, of course, is for the public safety of citizens. To do that they need the trust of population. As long as workplace raids terrorize immigrant communities, victims of crimes or witnesses to crimes are reluctant to step forward, They also criticized the 287(g) program that gives the police a role in immigration enforcement. The police have neither time nor money for the job, especially with looming budget cuts. It is usually smaller police jurisdictions, new to large populations of immigrants, that are drawn to the program. Anti-immigrant groups, like the Center of Immigration Studies, dismissed the chiefs as "misguided" (See New York Times article.)

Arizona Anti-undocumented Trespass Law Defeated

2009-07-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Arizona House of Representatives failed to pass a law that would criminalize the presence of the undocumented in the state through the trespass laws. The bill also would have allowed police to cooperate with federal agents in enforcing immigration laws and would monitor the presence of undocumented children in the schools. A majority of votes were in favor of the bill, but no enough for passage. Significant absentees killed it. But the fight is not over. The Senate had passed the bill. So the idea is very popular. Now its architects are planning a campaign to place the measure on the ballot. (See Arizona Republic article.)

BANK OF AMERICAN AND THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is in the midst of an organizing campaign at Bank of America (BoA). Like other organizing campaigns -- e.g., to organize hospitals -- the union features claims as to unfair treatment of poor customers. In this case, former branch employees, some let go because of union activity, described how BoA pressured them into aggressively recruiting new customers in Hispanic neighborhoods and among the newly arrived. And the product lines they were pushing were no simple saving and checking accounts, but confusing high interest accounts. BoA strongly denies the SEIU claims and trumpets products that help the unemployed and working class customers. But California consumer advocates agree with SEIU's claims and have already caught BoA out in unfair practices. (See Los Angeles Times article.) SEIU is taking its complaints to congress.

Arizona Readies a New Batch of Anti-immigration Laws

2009-06-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

The Arizona legislature ends its session on Tuesday, June 30, and is expected to send the governor a batch of anti-immigration bills -- e.g., charging the undocumented in the state with trespass, requiring local and state police to enforce federal law and instituting a check on undocumented children in schools. On this latter, the state has to provide education at the primary and secondary levels by the federal courts, but now their presence and progress will be noted by the school districts. Immigration advocates deplore the new assault on the undocumented, arguing it would lead to racial profiling. Even conservative municipal mayors and business leaders argue the new laws are too vague and impose too heavy burdens on local government. (See Arizona Republic article.)

NY Times Upbeat on Immigrtion Reform

2009-06-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

The New York Times was upbeat on the recent meeting on immigration reform at the White House. The president expressed a firm desire for action this year and he brought Sen. John Mc Cain back to life on the issue. The paper even saw the caution on the guest worker program by McCain as itself an opportunity for real debate on comprehensive reform. The issue to be resolve now clearly is "future immigration flows". How are they to be managed? (See New York Times editorial.)

MINUTEMEN OFF-SHOT KILLS FATHER AND DAUGHTER
Recently, on the border in Arivaca, AZ, a group of maverick Minutemen -- Minutemen American Defense -- invaded a home looking, according to police, for drugs and money. They killed a man and his ten-year old daughter. They had devised a crazy scheme to protect the border by robbing drug dealers and using the money to watch the borders. (See New York Times article.)

Obama Wants Immigration Reform Debated in Congress before the End of the Year

2009-06-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama, meeting with congressional leaders at the White House, asked for action on immigration reform before the end of the year -- at the latest, early next year. He has still set broad goals, but the most controversial is still "the path the citizenship". Rahm Emanuel, his Chief-of-Staff, feels the votes are not there yet. About forty Democrats from conservative districts -- :the blue dogs" -- are at best lukewarm, if not hostile. Republican votes will be needed. So the president announced a White House team, led by Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, to work with Congress.

The president sat next to Sen. John McCain (R, AZ) and praised him for bucking his party on immigration. But the senator raised another divisive issue -- the guest-work program. After a legalization and stronger enforcement that will be written in a bill as a kind of trade-off, there still will be the issue of a continuing demand for foreign workers. Business would be happy to expand the current program. But the unions want to restrict the use of the program in hard times and only allow it under strict restrictions in good times.They would change the program so that the worker would not be tied to one employer, would be allowed to bring his family, and after a time would be able to file for permanent residency. At no times would foreign workers be competitors to Americans. But McCain, after the meeting to reporters, insisted a generous guest-worker program was a deal-breaker. The onus of convincing the unions, he said, was on the president. (See New York Times article.)

Obama Meets with Immigration Reform Advocates

2009-06-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama meets today with immigration reform advocates at the White House. The meeting is meant to give some push for legislation urgently demanded by Hispanic leaders. But some of the message is mixed. The Senate immigration subcommittee is wrapping up a bill that includes some features sure to rankle some reformers -- "a national system to verify work documents", with fingerprint of eyescan ID, to upset liberal Democrats; and a lukewarm attitude toward guest workers, a "non-negotiable" demand of business supporters . (See Wahington Post article.)

The White House is expected to stick to its promise of finding the elusive "pathway to citizenship" so it doesn't look like "amnesty". And the president is likely to push a more "compassionate" plan for security on the border and an e-verify upgrade that will capture more employers than desperate workers. Some of these things he's trying administratively already. Nor has he given up hope of recruiting some Republican support of a "bipartisan bill". Now the target is no so much John McCain (R, AZ), whose previous support did not impress his own party, but John Cornyn (R, TX) with a growing Hispanic constituency. Some Republicans do read the election results. Still important Democrats believe there is not likely to be an immigration reform passed this year. In part because of the crowded and already controversial issues before Congress, and in part because there doesn't seem to be the votes. (See comments of Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Luis Gutierrez in Washington Post.)

D.C. GRADUATION
For the last few years hundreds of high school graduates visited the nation's Capitol for a graduation ceremony. Not uncommon, since thousands of high school seniors parade through the city each spring. This gathering was different -- made up of hundreds of undocumented students just graduated from American high schools. Since they are undocumented, their prospects for higher education and jobs afterwards are limited. The students came to demonstrate the unfairness and waste of talent in current law and to show support for the Dream Act. They held a mock graduation ceremony. (See Wahington Post article.)

Arizona Proposes "No Trespass" Sign for Undocumented

2009-06-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Once before Arizona tried to combat undocumented immigration by hanging a "no trespass" sign for the undocumented immigrant. But then-Gov. Janel Napolitano vetoed it. The Arizona Senate resurrected the bill, which is now being considered by the state House. The new governor will sign a bill if it comes through. The new proposal would authorize police in the state to inquire about immigration status if they have any suspicion someone is undocumented. Immigration advocates protest this is an invitation to "profiling" all Latinos and to police harassment. In effect, the bill makes every undocumented immigrant in Arizona liable to prosecution for trespass -- "criminalizing" them according to immigration advocates. Whether the law will stand up to court scrutiny is doubtful. But while it wends its way through the courts, Latinos in Arizona will be subject to endless Sheriff Joe's "sweeps". (See Arizona Republic article.)

Immigration Advocates To Meet with Obama as Reform Seems to Recede

2009-06-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

At Friday's Hispanic prayer breakfast President Barack Obama re-pledged himself to comprehensive immigration reform that provides "a pathway to citizenship" for the 12 million undocumented in the country. He also said he would meet with congressional leaders and immigration advocates at the White House next Thursday, but hope for action seems to be receding. The president's plate is already full with health care reform and climate control legislation tying up Congress through the summer, not to mention Guantanamo and the Middle East. The Los Angeles Times reports that nothing may be done till after the 2010 elections. Even now, notwithstanding the majorities of Democrats in both houses, there seems to be little appetite to move quickly. The Senate leadership on the issue is absent -- Sen. Edward Kennedy because of health and Sen. John McCain who is AWOL. In the House the weak link are the "blue dog" Democrats -- about 40 members from conservative districts who were either silent on, or hostile to, legalization. But advocates of reform are not without powerful support. The Democrats still strongly favor comprehensive reform and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants action this year. If the issue hangs on into next year, the legislators will then become reluctant to face the electorate having favored "a path to citizenship" -- especially for the "blue dogs". That could be obviated by taking a harder line on border security and workplace enforcement -- no one welcomes that direction. Still there is no prospect that things will be better after 2010, since traditionally the party in power suffers in off-year elections. A delay might give Obama an opportunity to solidify his gains among Hispanic voters and his chances for reelection in states like Florida, Colorado and New Mexico -- perhaps even in GOP bastions like Texas and Arizona -- by thumping the issue. But the fate of 12 million undocumented should not be held in the balance for electoral politics.

Obama Dragging His Feet On Immigration

2009-06-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama has twice canceled meetings with congressional leaders and immigration advocates on immigration reform. At the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast he renewed his commitment to seek comprehensive immigration reform, but in rather general terms.(See Associated Press article.) He also promised to sit down for a Whitre House conference on reform this Thursday-- including even opponents to his views. The New York Times editorially chides the president for his "inaction" and complained he's taking too long. The paper also thinks congress, especially the House, should get cracking and calls for Sen John McCain to step forward to extract the GOP from the grasp of the nativists. Still it urges the president and Home Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to move now to curb the "corrupt policing" of immigration as represent by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

SHENANDOAH AFTERMATH
Two youths -- the case of a third is still pending -- tried in the beating death of a an undocumented immigrant during a drunken brawl were left off with simple assault rather than more serious charges like third-degree murder. They will spend six-months behind bars. (See New York Times article.)

Report Finds Immigration Courts Overwhelmed

2009-06-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Three years ago the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a private service to lawyers on court records, warned that the immigration courts were seriously overburdened. Congress responded by increasing the number of judges by 40, but the Bush administration only added four. There are now 234 judges. A new report by TRAC finds the situation even worse today. In 2008 the courts heard 351,477 cases, with almost half still pending at the end of the year. It also found that the judges had to make do with little staff assistance -- one lawyer clerk to three judges. This overcrowding leads to delays for those challenging deportation or seeking asylum. Often the immigrants are held in detention. (See New York Times article.)

ICE GETS NEW POWERS ON DRUG CASES
One reason for ineffective action against drug smuggling has been a turf war between the Drug Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security. Now the Obama administration is extending enforcement powers over drug smuggling to ICE. (See New Yoek Times article.)

New Immigration Scam: Storefront Churches

2009-06-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

New York State has aggressively gone after immigration scams and has come up with a source of deceit -- the storefront church. The reverends, usually self-ordained and leading minuscule congregations, offer their services to obtain green cards for congregants -- of course, with cash in the amount of $6,000 to $10,000 to cover costs. The immigrants usually see neither a green card nor their cash back. Since they're here illegally, they have been too afraid to go to authorities. The scam artists even threatens to turn them in if they complain. The New York Times tells of a case in Queens, NY, and how the state is responding. The victims were too believe the word-of-mouth news of a quick fix to their immigration woes and never thought a man of the cloth would lie and cheat them.

KIDS SUE PRESIDENT TO STOP DEPORTATION OF PARENTS
A suit has been entered in federal court to stop deportations of the plaintiffs' parents until there is comprehensive immigration reform. The kids argue that, if the parents are deported, they twould have to go with them. As U.S. citizens, that's depriving them of their constitutional rights. (See Washington Post article.)

New Hitch in Immigration Reform -- Worker ID Cards

2009-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

An old idea has perked up its head again in the immigration reform debate -- universal worker ID cards. By "universal" is meant that all workers -- native and immigrant that are in the job market -- will have to carry them. Since the idea smacks of an internal passport -- and the idea was first floated when Americans roundly condemned the "pass-books" black had to carry in apartheid South Africa -- it was very unpopular and easily dismissed. But since 9/11 Americans have accepted many requirements to show identity -- at airports, at the Canadian border -- unheard of in quieter times.

This is the idea of Sen. Charles Schumer (D, NY), chair of the Senate immigration subcommittee and expected to be principal author of new immigration legislation. The card would afford, so the theory goes, a surer way for employers to check on the status of their workers. To avoid discrimination it would be universal. It would also give the government a better fix on who is cheating. So far most employers don't like. They argue it would be cumbersome and costly. Civil libertarians argue it could lead to "big brother" intrusiveness, and labor unions fear it as a vindictive tool that can be exploited by unfriendly employers. Immigration activists have been divided on ID card before and are likely to be divided again. (See LA Times article.)

Jobs and Immigration Reform

2009-06-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

With the jobless rate at a 25 years high, the debate on immigration reform will turn much on the issue of jobs. Do the undocumented take jobs away from American workers? Especially in these hard times? Immigration advocates argue "not really" because the undocumented and American workers are not competing for the same jobs. There has been not stampede in these hard times of out-of-work Americans to chicken plucking jobs or busing tables. Perhaps on construction sites. Still opponents of reform use the stark total -- over 9% official unemployment -- to shore up an exclusionary argument. But the job market is more nuanced than aggregate numbers. There some jobs that are unattractive to even the jobless. A more credible argument the opponent of reform use is that the very presence of the undocumented in the workforce brings down all workers wages. But advocates argue more persuasively that going after greedy employers looking for cheap labor or bring the undocumented out of shadows to demand fair treatment would be more effective and lasting. Still there is conflicting evidence on the impact of the undocumented on employment. (See Chicago Tribune article.)

Arizona Proposal to Criminalize the Undocumented

2009-06-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Republicans in the Arizona Senate have resurrected a proposal to make undocumented aliens in the state liable to arrest for "trespass". There would be criminal penalties attached. Also the proposal would prohibit any interference with the transfer of immigration information from local jurisdictions to federal. Finally, it would allow citizens to sue local jurisdictions for not cooperating in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. A similar bill had previously been vetoed by Janet Napolitano as governor. The proposal was also opposed by many local enforcement agencies because it would take away from real law enforcement. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Senate Majority Leader Sees Comprehensive Immigration Reform "This Year"

2009-06-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nev) has promised comprehensive immigration reform will pass the Senate this year. Since he and Senator Charles Schumer (D, NY), chair of the Senate immigration sub-committee, are strong advocates of legalization and family reunification, it is expected the bill coming onto the Senate floor will be very favorable to undocumented immigrants. Action in the House will only follow a Senate vote. Whether Sen. Reid is being overly optimistic is a legitimate question. The legislative calendar is already crowded. Priority goes to health care and climate control. In addition there are the nomination of a supreme court justice, appropriation bills, a massive transportation bill, closing Quantanamo and other security issues. But Reid insists that immigration comes right after health care and energy. President Barack Obama meets with congressional leaders and advocacy groups June 17th. Whether this is merely a gesture to quiet immigration reformists or a real step toward action remains to be seen. (See Washington Post article.)

Immigrants Restore Right to Appeal becuse of Ineffective Representation

2009-06-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

One of the last hour executive orders sign by President George Bush was to deny the constitutional right of immigrants facing deportation to appeal because of bad legal representation. The immigration courts, which are administrative and under the US Justice Department's management, had allowed such appeals. Immigrants also have the right to appeal to federal courts. The Justice Department rescinded the order, returning practice to the previous status, and initiated a review of the issue. In federal courts, however, immigrants will not enjoy a right to appeal because of poor representation. The argument often delays deportation, even if it does not eventually succeed. (See New York Times article.)

ID Cases against Undocumented Tax-payers Appealed

2009-06-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

The prosecutor of Weld County, Colorado, had pursued undocumented immigrants in Greeley by checking through income-tax preparation papers for identity theft. At least seventy have been charged and about 1,400 could face the same fate. Two state judges rejected the prosecutor's argument because federal taxes are a matter for the fed. But he insists the evidence came from tax preparers, not IRS records. So he is appealing. (See Washington Post article.)

REMITTANCES TO MEXICO DROP AT RECORD PACE
Monies sent back home by Mexican immigrants have dropped sharply in April compared to the same month a year ago -- by 18%. For the first months of 200o they have drop 8%. No mystery why this is. Mexicans, immigrants and non-immigrants, are hurting because of the recession. The rate of remittance is also used by experts, friendly and hostile, to estimate the level of undocumented migration into the U.S. (See Washington Post article.)

The 2010 Census: New Battle Ground on Immigration

2009-05-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

The census has caused some fear among undocumented immigrants in he past. They ask: How's the information to be used? There have been urban legends circulating in the last few counts of la migra following the census takers to the front door. Yet the Latino community has been served well by including the undocumented in the count. The census is used first for apportionment of electoral votes, congressional seats and state or local distracting. The count has led to greater Latino representation in congress, state legislatures and city councils, and the electoral votes of some heavily Hispanic populated states contributed significantly to the victory of President Barack Obama. Since the 2000 census, for example, California gained an additional three congressional seats, reputedly because of the "inflated" Latino count; some other states lost seats. Another important aspect of the census is that federal and state money are distributed according to its figures -- that's money for school, mass transit, health and welfare, and the like. As a consequence civil groups in Latino communities have supported the census in the past, even for the undocumented, and this year are gearing up for a push similar to last year for voter registration. A good count means representation and need funds.

Churches have been part of the coalition urging participation in the census by the undocumented. But this year the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, a grouping of conservative evangelical and pentecostal ministers, is urging at least a million undocumented not to participate as to send the country a message -- that they are being treated unfairly with the delay of comprehensive immigration reform. This idea strikes more established Latino organizations as self-defeating. To many it like "stamping your foot" because your mad or shouting to the wind "I'm not going to take it anymore." It might make one feel good for the moment, but the consequence will show up later when the voice of the community is weakened in the halls of power or when the federal dollar does not come for early child education or a local development project.

Some look on the motives of the ministers as more sinister. The group is politically conservative and like many Evangelicals supported Bush and McCain in presidential elections. Some suspect their intent is to join with nativist to shore up the GOP. But it is gratuitous to question their sincereity. Nativists agree with them on principle that the undocumented should not be counted becuase they don't belong here. They tried in the past to exclude the undocumented, but were rejected by the Supreme Court. The constitution provides that everyone is to be counted and the result reported to the Congress. So far there has been little support for a boycott, since Latinos are beginning to appreciate their political clout and want to build on it for the benefit of the community. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

"Chubbing" to Death Voter ID

2009-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

A spate over voter fraud between Democrats and Republicans before and after last year's election led to numerous state legislative proposals to require identification at the polls -- even at times photo ID. Those proposals, usually advanced by Republicans, are still kicking around state legislatures. Democrats, since they did pretty well last year, have been able to prevent voter id proposals to get very far. The Oklahoma legislature, controlled by the GOP, sent a bill to the governor, but the Democrat governor vetoed it. In Texas, where Republicans alsorule but noe with a governor, the Democrats reverted to an old state tradition -- "chubbing". This is merely talking something to death. The way the tactic works is to prolong debate on minor bills so that the body -- this time the House -- cannot get to serious debate and vote on crucial issues. The Texas Legislature meets for only 140 days and the delaying tactic has pushed the House up to adjournment. Important issues suc as home insurance for the hurricane prone Gulf coast and child health insurance might have to be put off. The Democrats hope this will result in the withdrawl of the voter ID measure. (See New York Times article.)

While the issue has many political overtones, it's not just politics as usual. True, the Democrats are protecting their voter base -- minorities, immigrants and the poor -- and Republicans are shocked by political shenanigans of their opponents. But those most likely not to have proper ID, especially photo ID, are minorities, the poor and the elderly. To get the type of ID the legislatures are asking -- driver's licenses or special photo ID voter cards -- are usually too bureaucratically burdensome for them. You don't have to go back to the disputed Florida elections of 2000, there were plenty of people turned back from the polls in 2008. There were few provable episodes of fraud, and mostly bureaucratic foul-ups. The question is more the rights of poor people.

MEXICAN DRUG WARS SEEP INTO THE US HEARTLAND
The New York Times tells the story of the overdose death of a young Ohio man that traces all the ways back to Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. The drug cartels may be shooting each other up in Mexico, but in Ohio it's business as usual. And business is good. In the process the cartels are recruiting out-of-work undocumented immigrants and even sending naive camposinos to the country via coyotes. Two such were charge with manslaughter and sentenced by Ohio courts in the killing of a Columbus man to whom they sold heroin. After sentancing, the man's mother recognized that all were victims of the cartel -- the man who overdosed, the grieving mother and the two undocumented immigrants.

Survival Tool for Immigrants in a Recession -- La Cudina

2009-05-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Poverty and hard times have always been a fertile time for innovation among immigrants, especially during hard times. The burial and benevolences of the 19th century occasionally evolved into banks, credit unions and insurance companies in the 29th century. The poor are not totally helpless in providing for their needs, as the success of mini-credit groups like the Grameen Bank attest. Mexicans have long had their own vehicle of self-help -- in good times perhaps to open a small business and in hard merely to survive and pay pressing bills. The idea behind the "cudina" is to help oneanther by pooling a small amount of money -- usually on average about $1,000 --
amon a few friends and family as a rotating credit. Each member pays in a small amount, takes a sum out -- often by turns -- to meet a pressing need and pays back when he/she can. It's founded on trust and so restricted to family and close friends. Often it's a family secret. Cudinas are not without dangers -- for example, members pulling out, not keeping up with contributions or repayments, or simply fraud. However small the amounts are in terms of the larger economy, they are big to the participants and work for them. Cudinas are widespread in Mexico and came into the US in the Southwest. Not everyone trusts them and many think they are risky. Stll, as the recession brings on more unemployment or reduced income, Mexican immigrants are turning to them around the country. (See Arizona Republic article.)

The Haitian Undocumented

2009-05-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Haiti is the poorest country of the Americas and has suffered the most grief over its history than any other country of the Americas. Their suffering continues to this day as the recent capsizing of boatload of undocumented refugees and the death of nine illustrates. Fear of deportation keeps many Haitians in the same shadows as other undocumented immigrants. But in a sense their plight is even more desperate. Deportation to Haiti is to return to the extreme poverty, threats of natural disasters, and high levels of violence. Many immigrant advocates are urging the US to extend to Haitians "temporary protected status" that had been given in the past to refugees of civil war and natural disasters who could not return safely to their countries. The Obama administration has reiterate US policy to deport the undocumented and 30,000 cases are at that stage. But the recent re-evaluation of ICE raids has turned the focus on searching out "the criminal element". Critics of temporary protected status object that it would only encourage more reckless attempts to enter the country. But these groups speak less out of compassion and more out of their cross-the-board hostility to all increse in immigration. (See New York Times article.)

MORE HISPANIC DEMOGRAPHICS
One in five children in the US is Hispanic and by 2025 it will be one in three. Already most of those children are born in the USA. A few trace their heritage all the way back to the Hispanos of New Mexico and Colorado, the Californios and the Tejanos that were here before the Americanos. But most are children of 20th and 21st century immigrants. There are about 11% born outside the country and brought here as children, and a goodly number were born to the children of early 20th century immigrants. But now a majority, according to a Pew Hispanic Center study of census data, are second generation born to immigrants since the 1980s. Of these 40% have at least one undocumented parent. This is quite a change from 1980 when six of every ten Hispanic children was from a third or higher generation. Projecting into the future, as the second generation has its own children, the 2025 estimate will reflect more third or higher generation children. While currently the rate of second and third generation children in poverty is about the same, the second generation is more vulnerable. They have less command of English and do poorly at school and tend to be caught up more in the gang culture. But they also are more likely to live with both parents in the household. (See Washington Post or Pew Hisanic Center article.)

Can Sheriff Joe Get Prisoners to Court on Time?

2009-05-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

Justices in the Maricopa County Courts complain that Sheriff Joe Arpaio's officers are not getting prisoners on time for court appearances -- or at all. The country's toughest sheriff pleads a shortage of personnel, but county bean-counters says he has more than enough deputies. Justices are speculating, quitre publicly, that Sheriff Joe's "crime sweeps" -- round-ups of undocumented -- is distracting his department from its constitutional duties. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Putting Together the Pieces for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

2009-05-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

The basic mantra of the Obama administration on immigration reform has been "secure borders and a pathway to citizenship" -- or sometimes "to legalization". That leaves a lot of details in-between and it's precisely the spelling out of those details that could cause a repeat of the failures of 2006 and 2007. The Arizona Republic, generally favorable to comprehensive reform, highlighted in an editorial what will be the crucial issue -- the issue of labor after an amnesty. The Republic argues that just technically improved enforcement at the border will never be enough. Eventually the job market for cheap labor will revive and the attraction to cross the border will follow as well. There always will be enough employers looking for a bargain.

So the issue will seem be: How does the demand for the cheap labor get met after legalization? The wages are not cheap in the eyes of desperate Mexican campesinos, but after an amnesty the foot-loose undocumented, now out of the shadows, won't even thinks of taking those jobs. Next month a serious discussion will begin in the Senate on how to structure a comprehensive reform that will address the need for future workers. Any proposal of creating special visas for temporary workers must include a couple of important provisions. Visas for temporary labor must not tied the guest worker to one employer. He/she should have some freedom of movement or right to change employers without penalty. Second, US labor, safety and health laws must strictly be enforced. Workers should be allowed to bring their immediate families with them. And finally workers who abide by the laws should have at the end of the visa (usually proposed as six years) the option to get permanent residency. Such a flexible system of work visas -- already proposed in the AgJobs Bill -- would provide a workable reform.

Not Much Diference Between Bush and Obama on Immigration

2009-05-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama had campaigned promising to move away from George W. Bush's tightened immigration enforcement. But in the first months of his administration, the president has done little. In April Homeland Security did modify the raids policy, shifting the enforcement more toward employers than workers. But the administration has allotted more money for the deficient E-Verify program. Obama has stressed border enforcement and continued the "fence" -- even though now it's more virtual than real. Much of the policy drift is understandable in view of the state of the economy and the fact his appointment to run ICE has only recently been confirmed by the Senate. The judgment of immigration advocates is at best on hold, but street activists are restless and losing hope in any positive action soon. (See Washington Post analysis.)

Janet Napolitano Considered for the Supreme Court

2009-05-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Some speculate that Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is in the running for President Barack Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of retiring Justice David Souter. She's a long-shot -- in part because she has never expressed an interest in being on the court and in part because she has never been a judge. Most observers see her as an executive type, better suited to remain in the cabinet. But other are nervous about what she stands for and how she comes to decisions as reflected in her political career in Arizona. She has not been a liberal and certainly not a conservative. Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorsed her for her first elective job, yet she had veto some punitive state immigration legislation. She favors the death penalty and has been protective of abortion rights. She has prized her independent stances on many issues as evidence that she can get things done and bring competing interests to compromise. Still to immigration advocates she is still something of a cypher. That's why they seek more leadership and action from Obama on immigration They're not sure what they would get from Napolitano. (See New York Times profile.)

Anti-Latino Feelings Rise in PA. Town

2009-05-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

A young undocumented worker, escorting a 15 year old woman, was accosted by four white youths in Shenandoah, PA. The youths were under the influence of alcohol and words soon led to blows and kicks. Luis Ramirez died a few days later. The youths were arrested and charged. One pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violation and testify at the trial of two others. Those two charged as adults were let free by an all-white jury; a third is still to be tried as a minor. The incident and the acquittal created a national stir and has civil rights and immigration advocates calling for federal trials and stronger hate-crime legislation from Congress.In Shenandoah the community seems divided and Latinos complain of a atmosphere of racism. Taunting and fights have irrupted at the local high school. Shouts and slurs from passing cars have greeted Latino pedestrians. There has been some vandalism against Latino businesses. Latinos avoid some neighborhoods. Community leaders seem at a loss on how to restore calm, with whites resistant to change and getting ugly and Latinos fearful. (See New York Times article.)

Immigrants Down on the Farm

2009-05-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last year many fruit farms in the west and nurseries in the midwest experienced a shortage of workers. They had depended on legal H2-B and undocumented workers. There were fewnof each. Provisions in the failed comprehensive reform bill had addressed farm needs. Growers and immigrant/labor activists had compromised on immigration and labor issues in what came to be called AgJobs. In exchange for more legal foreign workers growers would support new protections of all farm workers and a path to legal status for the foreign workers. When the comprehensive packaged failed, there was hope that some features would pass as separate bills. Only more sanction and more wall seemed to survive. Both the Dream Act and AgJobs, which has wide support, just couldn't make it out of committee. A bipartisan group of representatives and senators have re-introduced the AgJobs Bill. Whether pieces of immigration reform like the Dream Act or AgJobs should go ahead separately is much debated among comprehensive reform advocates. Nonetheless the AgJobs Bill must certainly be part of reform. (See New York Times editorial.)

Mexican Census Data Conirm Decline in Migration

2009-05-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mexican census data confirms U.S. data from the border and the U.S. Census Bureau that border crossing have declined drastically.. More Mexicans are returning home than are leaving. The most obvious analysis is that the dismal U.S. job market is responsible. But nativits are quick to give credit as well to toughened border enforcement and factory raids for the decline. No doubt border enforcement has made crossing more precarious and more expensive, still immigrants continue to come and most here are staying put. An upswing of the U.S. economy and job market will probably be accompanied by an upswing in migrants. (See New York Times article.)

Hispanic Population Slows

2009-05-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Census bureau released a report stating that the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations that have been growing dramatically has slowed because of declining immigration. But both population still are growing because of lots of babies. Nearly half of all children in the U.S. under five years is Hispanic. The slow down is obviously due to the decline in the economy. Still minorities (Latino, Asian and black) are still moving inexorably toward becoming the country's majority. A couple of state and large counties in some states are already near that point. The recent slowdown only means that date for the nation is put off a couple of years. (See New York Times article.)

E-VERIFY USE GROWING RAPIDLY WITH EMPLOYERS
With the Obama administration shifting immigration enforcement more to charging employers for hiring undocumented workers, the employers are signing up by droves to use the E-Verify check. E-verify basically is matching Social Security numbers to pay checks. If they don't match, then the employer is expected to terminate the worker. Federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to use the system by the end of June. Critics fault the program as unreliable because of numerous errors. The government claims it is 96% accurate, but 4% error rate represents millions of workers who might be mistakenly terminated. Still employers are signing up, if only to get the government off their backs. (See Los Angeles Times article.) More than 124,000 employers have used the system and a thousand are signing up each week. Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the system before Congress and the administration is budgeting more money to bring the cost of the program up to $112 million. Employers report being generally satisfied, though agribusiness still seems reluctant to use it.

Immigrants Hold Their Own in Housing Crisis

2009-05-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Pew Hispanic Center studied how well minorities fared in the recent housing boom and bust. As expected, home-ownership increased for minorities 1995-2004 and plunged as the bubble burst. Foreclosures multiplied for blacks and US born Latinos -- all except for immigrants. They suffered slightly and held their own for thw most part.

Postville Anniversary -- Two Towns in Decline

2009-05-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

The year since ICE raided the kosher meatpacking plant, Agriprocessors Inc, has not been good to Postville, Iowa. The population has declined by almost half, Agriprocessors is in chapter 11 bankruptcy, and many Guatemala women picked up last year are moving about town with court-ordered ankle bracelets. Many of the old packinghouse workers -- and some of the new -- line up for food hand-outs. Many businesses have closed up, the kosher butchers have moved on, and the new workers -- Somalis, Palauans and some Americans -- don't much like the work and the low pay even more. The plant is in danger of closing. (See Los Angeles Times article.)

Still the misery has not been restricted to Postville. Now there is a nation-wide shortage of kosher meats with the fall-off of production. Nearby farmers who prospered by providing meat for the plant or grain to fatten the livestock are hurting. But suffering perhaps the most is the little Guatemalan village of San Jose Calderas from whence the detained workers mostly hailed. Now workers have returned home to idleness, and the remittances that once fueled local prosperity has dried up.(See Chicago Tribune article.)

Demonstrations are taking place in Postville commemorating last year's ICE raid. Church have rung their bells 389 times to protest the detention of the Agriprocessor workers. (See Associate Press article.)

New Citizens to Impact Politics and Public Policy

2009-05-11T09:41:00.001-07:00

Last year more than a million immigrants became U.S. citizens. The largest group, of course, were Mexicans, but the next four large groups were Latino or Asian. The greatest numbers were predictably in California, Florida, New York and Texas. There were 300,000 newly sworn-in citizens in California. And since that states seems to lead the nation in every trend from fashion to auto emission curbs, many are looking to see what impact the new voters will have on politics and public policy in that state. Immigrant participation in last year's election was larger than in the past, and those votes favored the Democratic candidates substantially. Much of that is considered an "identity vote" -- a reaction to Republican opposition to immigration reform and the stereotyping of the Latino community that accompanied the campaign. Asian new voters, generally considered a more conservative lot, also went for Obama and the Democrats. But on public policy issues, they have generally supported an increased role of government in health care and education. The impact of the new immigrant vote is still speculative, especially as the Latino vote turns from "image" to "issues".

Still that impact will be great. The Los Angeles Times speculated on what that might be. Already the number of Latino office holders is growing, and after 2026 the current minority of the state's population will have passed to be the majority. There will be an expected fragmentation of the vote along income and ethnic lines. While the growth of the Latino or Asian vote can be impressive, it's still speculative as to what it will mean in terms of public policy. To take advantage the Republicans will have to move away from "nay-saying" on immigration and to issues that really concern the immigration -- jobs, small business, education and health. Democrats have repeated the benefits in the last election, so that young. ambitious Larino politicians pursue their futures in that party. But the Latino voter may not stay with the Democrats for long. There are conflicts on family and cultural issues. George W. Bush was intially successful in cutting into the Latino vote in running for governor of Texas and later for president. More than 8 million eligible citizens are still outside the electoral process, so that it much too early to concede the immigrant vote -- Latino or Asian -- to one party or even to one set of issues. Then, that's pretty much what happened to the European immigrants. Actually, comprehensive immigration reform could be used by Republican as the "wedge issue" to seperate the immigrant vote from the Democrats.

California Nativists Target the Children Born to the Undocumented

2009-05-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Nativist activists are now collecting signatures for an initiative to the June, 2010, ballot that would require all parents of the newly born in California to provide proof of citizenship or legal residency in order to receive the child's birth certificate. The undocumented parent could still receive a certificate, but it would indicate the child's "Birth to a Foreign Parent" -- which the Los Angeles Times depicts as "a scarlet letter". The information will then be passed on to the Department of Homeland Security. The initiative also will deny health services to the undocumented, even though these are mandated by federal law. The Times believes the real intent of the initiative, especially with raised anti-immigrant feeling because of economic hard times, is to deny citizenship to children born here to undocumented parents.

VIRTUAL FENCE PROGRESSES
A virtual fence made up of towers, cameras and sensors is progressing in the busy crossing point just south of Tucson, AZ. The $6.7 billion project -- often delayed because of technical difficulties -- is now moving toward a completion date around 2014 and will cover all but 200 miles of the southern border, (See New York Times article.)

Immigration Reform Prospects -- A Business View

2009-05-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Tamar Jacoby had been every active in the last immigration reform effort, representing mostly a business constutuency. Now as president of ImmigrationWorks USA, which favors a way to legalization but also a more open policy toward visas for temporary workers, reflects on the current atmosphere for comprehensive reform in a Los Angeles Times op ed piece. She argues that. despite the recession, competition for jobs doesn't seem to be a big issue against. The obvious fact is that most undocumented workers hold jobs unattractive to most American workers, and many of these are disappearing anyway. Her other evidence is that employment has not been this year a big issue in state legislatures or with unions. She feels the political climate has changed with the election of Obama, especially since Hispanic electoral participation had grown and is likely to grow even more. All that is favorable for a new try at comprehensive reform. But her fear seems to be that the coalition of 2006-7 may pull apart. Latino leaders got out the vote because immigration for their constituencies -- even Puerto Rican and Cuban that had few immigration issues -- was an "image issue". Now the newly generated political participation may turn on "wedge issues" -- discrimination, jobs, education, health -- that could split the vote and pull them away from other coalition members. Also while unions have united in support of comprehensive reform, they are asking that any temporary worker program in a comprehensive reform be more tightly written and more fairly administered. That runs square against the hopes of friendly employers who want their "reliable" workers to come cheap. Still Jacoby seems optimistic that the reform coalition will hold.

BORDER SECURITY LOOMS LARGER IN OBAMA REFORM
The budget request of President Barack Obama sent Congress is asking $27 billion for border security. This reflects recently announced poliy changes and his view that a tighter border has to be part of immigration reform if voters are to buy it. (See Arizona Republic article. See Also Associated Press analysis piece.)

Supreme Court Decision May Overturn Postville, IA, Convictions

2009-05-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Immigrant activists and lawyers have asked the Justice Department to throw out the guilty pleas of 300 undocumented workers to identity theft, made last year after the Postville, IA, raid. That plea carried a two-year mandatory prison term, followed by deportation. Federal prosecutors have already dropped a charge of identity theft against a management official, and so immigration activists want Justice to do a case-by-case review. The key to the Supreme Court decision was the understanding of "knowingly", which seems to exclude most undocumented workers from criminal intent. They, for the most part, did not know the false identity documents -- usually a Social Security number -- belong to some real person. Further they used the identity, not to hurt that other person, but to get a job. (See New York Times article. See also Times editorial.)

Supreme Court Curbs ID Theft Charges Vs Undocumented Workers

2009-05-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court unanimously overturned a lower court decision that convicted an undocumented steelworker of "knowingly" using a Social Security number that belonged to someone else. The decision does not help the worker as to deportation, but he is free of the criminal charge of identity theft. "Knowingly" means "knowingly" according to the court. Prosecutors can not argue on the assumption the user knew the card belong to another person. This will have implications for the Postville, IA, raids, since over 400 workers were charged or threatened with identity theft which carries a prison term. (See New York Times article.)

A Smarter Version of a Bad Idea

2009-05-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

The recent changes in enforcement by Homeland Security to go more aggressively after the employers of undocumented workers won faint approval from the New York Times. It's better than the "cruel idiocy" of raids that only rounded up the workers and led to the separation of parents from children -- often U. S. citizens. It made for good theater, but bad public policy. Rounding up 6,000 workers out of a 12 million population made for good headlines to assuage nervous voters. It also had the effect of greater creating fear among the 12 million and driving them deeper into the shadows and arms of exploitative employers. The new guidelines, however, are only "a smarter version of a bad idea." For one thing, the raids will not stop and so it will make employers nervous about federal scrutiny so that may "purge" their workforces of those with dubious documentation. Unscrupulous bosses will go the "Home Depot" way -- hiring in parking lots or at street corners, with cash and no questions asked. That would be inviting greater exploitation. The Times argues that only a comprehensive reform that affords legalization, family reunification and protections of workers from workplace abuse can only resolve the issue.

Fewer Pro-Immigration Demonstrators Because of Swine Flu Scare

2009-05-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

The number of demonstrators at pro-immigration demonstrations on May Day were drastically down, apparently because of the swine flu scare. But the New York Times speculated that the numbers were held down also because of discouragement on the economy or the lack of progress in the Obama administration toward immigration reform. The Los Angeles Times reports differently. In Southern California the tone was upbeat and hopeful. There were no reports of disturbances. Still in Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is to face the demonstrators today, is taking extra precautions to protect his jail and his tent city. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Senate Begins Immigration Hearings

2009-05-01T10:15:00.001-07:00

The immigration subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings yesterday on reform with general agreement across party lines that something has to be done. But the conversation is just beginning and still rather general. The details to come later will be more problematic and contensious. Yet there were some new ideas. Doris Meissner, commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization Services under Clinton, suggested establishing a "commission" to advise the president and/or Congress on immigration policy in changing circumstances. Yet others had grave warnings if immigration policy is loosened. The Department of Homeland Security does not have the resources or track record of administering well an expansion of visas. If one considers the debacle of its Citizenship and Immigration Services last summer, there may be some truth to the warning. (See Arizona Republic article.)

ICE to Go After Employers

2009-04-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Department of Homeland Security is to release today new guidelines that may reduce factory raids to round up the undocumented and focus more on criminal investigations and prosecution of employers. That does not mean ICE will be giving up on raids, but now they'll be part of an effort to build a case against employers. This sets tougher standards for raids. Immigrant advocacy groups had complained that raids under the Bush administration was "picking low hanging fruit" or merely increasing the number of detainees. There was little guidance on building a case against employers. The new guidelines might reduce the frequency of raids, but not eliminate them. They also will make greater provision for humanitarian considerations. (See New York Times article.)

IMMIGRANTS HURT MORE BY RECESSION THAN NATIVE-BORN WORKERS
From an unlikely source -- the Center for Immigration Studies which has a goal of restricting even legal immigration -- comes something of a quantifying of the impact of the recession on immigrants -- legal and undocumented. As expected they are hurting more than native-born American workers. The Los Angeles Times , following up with sources more sympathetic to immigrants, confirms the impression. The hurt is not just with the obvious sectors -- e.g., the hard hit construction and home-building industries -- but with higher tech and more educated workers.

McCAIN TO BE CHALLENGED BY NATIVIST
Senator John McCain who attached his name to the failed immigration reform bill in the last congress and who generally anticipated to be an important actor in future efforts is to be challenged in the Republican primary next year by Chris Simcox, the founder of the self-appointed guardians of the borders, the Minutemen. (See Arizona Republic article.)

Temporary Foreign Workers Programs to be Scrutinized by Congress

2009-04-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (April 30, 2009) a senate subcommittee will hold hearings on immigration and specifically on the temporary worker programs. Revision of these programs was part of the comprehensive reform proposals in the previous congress. Labor was ultimately split over the specific reforms. Change to Win which represents many immigrants in the service industries and light manufacturing was especially attracted to the legalization provisions. The more traditional AFL-CIO, while supporting legalization, objected that the temporary worker provisions did not protect American workers -- nor the temps for that matter. Now both union organizations are agreed in supporting a new comprehensive reform that will contain legalization and meet the AFL-CIO's objections on temporary workers. The business groups that were allied in the fight for the Kennedy-McCain Bill are outraged. The key to unions reform is establishing a commission that would determine when and how many temporary workers are needed. Business is used to the lax administration of the program under the Bush administration and to the control it afforded over workers -- e.g., temporary workers could not change employers. The unions want a program that gives more freedom for the workers to change jobs and tougher enforcement of safety, housing and wage regulations. With the shift of Arlen Specter to the Democrats and a united union support, prospects for comprehensive reform seem to have improved. But the unions might have a hard time convincing their own membership to support the reform and business may drop out of a pro-reform coalition. Most Republicans are already opposed. That will make the task to passing reform in late summer or fall even more difficult. The devils in the details, as they say in Washington. (See Arizona Republic article.)

"Mixed-status Families" -- A House Divided

2009-04-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are an estimated 400,000 households in which some persons are undocumented and others are here legally. These are called "mix-status families" and have their own sets of problems. Often these have to deal with the diverging paths siblings take in adjusting to American society. The undocumented off-springs are denied the full opportunities of education and employment and live in fear of being caught and returned to a country totally unfamiliar to them. Their legal brothers and sisters, by contrast, have all the benefits of citizenship and are unmotivated to take them.. Ironically, however, the undocumented children often are more appreciative of what the sacrifices parents made in bringing them to this country and so work harder to assimilated. The New York Times' Remade in America series tells one such story of an Ecudorean family in Queens, NY.

Detained Immigrants in Danger of Losing Custody of Their Children

2009-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

The step-up factory raids during the last months of the Bush administration created an outcry over separating detained mothers from their children. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement had to respond by releasing such mothers to care of their children. Now the full consequences of the separation is beginning to show up in local courts. Because child welfare laws differ from state to state, parents could be losing custody of their children. The New York Times reports on one case in Missouri. A Guatemala woman got caught up in a raid, used a false identity and as a consequence is serving a jail sentence and faces deportation on release. Her son of 6 months was placed with relatives, but because they were poor and undocumented they gave him to the care of others. That family began procedure to adopt. The Guatemalan woman did not want to give her child up, but because she could not easily follow the court process and had no Spanish-speaking representation the Missouri Court declared she had abandoned the child and gave him over to adoption. She is appealing. Homeland Security is now investigating the problem.

Colleges Support Passage of the Dream Act

2009-04-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

The College Board, which is made up of 5,000 institutions of higher learning, has come out for federal legislation similar to the Dream Act. Known more for its administration of the SAT college admission test, the Board urged a policy of affording undocumented college students in-state tuition, educational aid and legal status. (See Los Angeles Times article. See also the debate of pros and cons of the Dream Act in the New York Times' "Room for Debate" column.)

SUPREME COURT OPENS UP DEPORTATION CHALLENGES
The AP reported on the case of an African under a deportation order. He had applied for asylum, married a U.S. citizen, and had a U.S.-born child. He had petitioned for a stay of deportation so that his case might be reviewed. Immigration court and appeals court had both denied his petition. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the appeals court for reconsideration.

Unions and Immigration

2009-04-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

The major alliances of labor unions, the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win, have agreed on a broad outline and strategy for promoting comprehensive reform. (See posting for April 14, 2009.) Implied in their agreement is the belief that undocumented immigrants do not harm the position of American workers, rather it is employers who exploit the fear of those who work in the shadows. Legalization would more likely, in their view, benefit all workers. So unions are agreed on a comprehensive reform that would provide a path to citizenship for the undocumented. But they also insist that the programs for temporary workers must be reformed. This may cause a problem, since such business groups as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Associate of manufactures had joined in the alliance to pass the Kennedy-McCain Bill. Their goal was to lift the burden on employers who were hiring the undocumented, but also to support or even extend the temporary guest worker programs. Labor's objection is that the determination of the need for temporary workers has been so laxly supervised in the Bush administration that the temps were indeed undercutting available American workers. Also the current programs tie the guest worker to a single sponsoring employers, providing no opportunity to legally change work. This opened the temp to threats by employers to rescind permission to work in this country and fear of being sent home. The Bush Labor department, at least in the eyes of the unions, was equally lax in enforcing wage and hourly standards and fulfilling other obligations under law for housing and safe work conditions. The New York Times editorially praised and supported the unions' position, but also warned them they have some convincing to do among their own membership. Even union workers it easily succumb the nativist logic that in a recession it's the foreigner who threatens their jobs. It worked in the past. Let's hope it doesn't work now.

Sheriff Joe's Nemesis Win Pulitzer Prize

2009-04-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

Reporters Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Gillin of the East Valley Tribune (suburban Phoenix) wan the journalistic Pulitizer Prize for local reporting by exposing Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration round-ups for the fraud they are. (See Immigration Policy Center release.)

THE UNDOCUMENTED AND THE ECONOMY
The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) reviewed academic and government studies on the impact of undocumented immigrants on the economy. Its conclusion is that their contribution, rather than costing American workers their jobs or raising citizens' taxes as nativists generally claim, has been generally positive. It would be even better, for the immigrant and all workers and tax-payers, if there were comprehensive immigration reform.

Just some of IPC's conclusions:

an "enforcement only" immigration policy is costly (not only for wallsm and increased enforcement personnel), but also is ineffective;
more than half the undocument workers pay taxes and shore up Social Security with payments while not eligible for benefits;
workers "in the shadows" are often "paid off the books" and so cost federal and local government lost income;
with legalization workers would be free to demand better wages anupdate their skills, thus raising their own income -- workers legalized in 1986 have increased their standard of living by 15% -- and provided better for their families;
Hispanics and Asians, many of them immigrants, are entrepreneurtial and so with their small businesses have create millions of jobs and earned billions of dollars.

These are just some of the conclusions of the IPC report. It can be found at it website -- immigrationpolicy.org.

Rainbow Assimilation -- Children of Latino Immigrants

2009-04-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

One is four American youth is either an immigrant or child of an immigrant. While most of these youth are progressing well enough that they are creating well adjusted lives in the broad American culture, the number who will not is about one in five (20%) according to some scholar. The new immigration is not unlike the old European immigration before World War I. And many of the same issues seems to confront the new immigrant from Latin America, Asia and Africa.

The process of assimilation is complex. Some do not even like to use the term because it means "being like the whites" and depreciates the contribution of the new immigrants. But many observers still find it useful -- mutatis mutandi (changing the thing that are needing change in the comparison) -- and are adding their own wrinkles. Two scholars, Alejandro Portes of Princeton and Ruben G. Rumbaut of the University of Califonia, Irvine, have come up with a concept "rainbow assimilation".

All immigrants experience some measure of assimilation, even those who seemingly thrive in an ethnic ghetto. Most, stage by stage, adjust the dominant culture in postive and creative ways, contributing some elements of their old cutlture to the new mix -- as Mexican cuisine is now found in the super-markets and not just in the supermercado. But some some immigrant youth, Rumbaut estimate 20%, experience a "downward assimilation" reflecting the violance and gang culture. poverty and shadered dreams that had emerged in previous immingrant groups and poor black migrants from the south to northern cities.

The Remade in American series in the New York Times addresses the plight of Latino youth assimilating in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Half of Latino youth are now in the suburbs, 40% of the Latino poor as well. The alienation and problems of the inner city have followed them. Gangs flourish, school drop-outs and teen age pregnacies are as high, violence is only slightly mitigated. But the suburbs reluctantly received the immigrant and is rarely ready to assist them. Some more far-sighted communities are adopting an old formula to meet the needs of the immigrant -- community centers looking much like the settlement house of the early twentieth century. The Times story decribes the problems confronted by one such center, The Latin American Youth Center of Langley, MD. Langley is now a predominantly Latino town, mostly Salvadoreans and Mexicans, in black majority Prince George County. The article also follows the odessey of a young Salvadoran woman who seems on a downward path into long-term poverty.

Obama in Mexico City

2009-04-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama's meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon was smothered in the press with emphasis on drug and gun running. Both presidents were outspoken in the support of renewed efforts by both countries to join forces in taking on the drug cartel. On immigration -- the real issue between the two nations -- there were only bland remarks of how good immigration has been for the U.S. Undoubtedly behind closed doors there were more serious discussion. But with the U.S. deeply divided on how to move on immigration reform, many thought it politically safer to hit the hot button issues of drugs and guns. (See Chicago Tribune article.)

THE UNDOCUMENTED VS THE UNEMPLOYED IN ST. HELENS, OREGON
The pressure of growing unemployment had moved the voters of St. Helens, Ore, to pass a referendum fining employers of undocumented workers $10,000 for each hire. The law is being challenged in court. With the timber industry and the paper mills around town laying off workers since the fall, the sponsor the ordinance said it would drive the undocumented back to Mexico. It hasn't yet, but a few might be drifting to friendlier nearby towns where there still are jobs. They are not leaving to return home. (Read about the St. Helens story in Time Magazine.)

New Estimates on the Undocumented Population

2009-04-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Pew Hispanic Center has updates its previous estimates and profile of the undocumented immigrant population of the U.S. from recent census bureau information. It still estimates that 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants are in the country. That amounts to about 4 % of total population. Fifty-eight percent is from Mexico and another 22% from the rest of the Americas. The undocumented make up 5.4% of the country's workforce.

The children of all immigrants are 6.8% of elementary and secondary school students. One important aspect of the study is to underscore that the children of the undocumented are twice as likely to live in poverty than other children and to drop out before high school graduation. Also the number of children in immigrant households where at least one parent is undocumented, yet born in the U.S.A., is growing-- about 4 million of 5.5 million overall in such families. (Pew Hispanic Center's website contains the total report. See also New York Times article.))

HOUSTON: HOME DEPOT FOR MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS
The Houston, TX, area has more than 1,500 gun dealers and, because of non-restrictive laws, lax enforcement and an idolatrous gun culture, is considered the shopping mall of convenience for the Mexican drug cartels to get guns for their border wars. Often a U.S. citizen with no criminal record will be recruited to make a "straw purchase" -- even of semi-automatics -- with few questions being asked. The guns are turned over to the cartels' agents for shipment to Mexico. The issue of gun-smuggling will be high on President Barack Obama's agenda as he meets with Mexican President Felipe Calderon tommorrow. (See New York Times article.)

Unions United to Push Immigration Reform

2009-04-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) resolved differences with the break-away unions of Change to Win over immigration reform. The AFL-CIO had weakened its united support for the Kennedy-McCain Bill over the provisions on guest workers. Change to Win strongly supported reform because these unions heavily recruit Hispanic workers, many undocumented -- janitors and office cleaners, dishwashers and waitresses, homecare workers and house cleaners. The new agreement is to support Obama's expected announcement. Both groups had generally supported legalization. If undocumented workers can come out of the shadows, it is less likely their employment will drag down the wages and work conditions of all workers. Hispanics also seem more drawn to uniionization.

The dividing issue was the guest worker program. The Kennedy-McCain Bill did not change the program enough to meet AFL-CIO objections . It want better management of the program so that in reflected a real need for additional foreign workers. Also it want the program structured to give a better deal to the temporary workers, especially the chance to change employers and the hope of a green card. Business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were drawn into the coalition with immigration advocates to support comprehensive return to take pressure off employers who hired the undocumented, but also to extended the guest-worker program much as it is.

The new emphasis of the union's campaign, worked out in discussion with immigrant advocates, is to approve legalization. But the guest worker program will not be renewed without serious change. The old grievances of being tied to one employer and poor worker conditions would have to be remedied. Competition with American workers will have to be carefully monitored. There were many complaints about how the program was implemented rather laxly in the Bush years, especially the provisions on the need of foreign workers because of labor shortages. The unions are proposing a "national commission" to determine how many temporary workers would be admitted each year, The Chamber of Commerce already objects as does the pro-business ImmigrationWorks USA. Most observers think the united front of the unions have given import impetus to comprehensive reform. (See New York Times article. See also supporting The Times' editorial.)

JUDGE STOPS PROSECUTION OF IMMIGRANTS FOR IDENTITY THEFT
Last year the sheriff's office of Weld County (Greeley) in Colorado raided a travel agency seeking cases in its files of identity theft by those using other people's Social Security numbers. About 60 immigrants were arrested. The American Civil Liberty Union sued in state court that this was an invasion of privacy and an unlawful search. A state judge agreed and stop any further investigation by the Weld County district attorney. (See New York Times article.)

Threat of Census Boycott

2009-04-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for next year's count and is intent on including the undocumented immigrants. The census form does not contain a question on immigration status. In the 2000 census, nonetheless, many undocumented were often reluctant to participate for fear the information would be shared by the bureau with "la migra". This year some immigrant activists, less concerned about sharing information with ICE, are urging a boycott of the census to protest the hypocrisy of the administration in moving on comprehensive reform. Hispanics had overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in the last election. After expected reapportionment because of an increased count in the Hispanic community, Democrats expect to crease their power in Congress and in the electoral college. The critics are not trying to be subtle in their blackmail. They are telling the Democratic administration to move now on reform or face a boycott of the census -- and frustration of their hopes of increased power.

That is a controversial strategy. The census count is not only related to reapportionment -- though that's what make the Democrats salivate. Sitting governors, mayors and legislator are more concerned about federal dollars. The amount that flows from Washington to build schools, roads, mass transit and other community services depends on the census count. Consequently, local administrators are cooperating with the census bureau's campaign. So are the churches, unions and community organizations. The Arizona Republic reports on the impact of a census undercount will have on Arizona. Note that one local official will not cooperate and will ply business as usual -- law-and-order Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Tech Workers: The Burders of the H-1B Visas

2009-04-12T08:31:00.001-07:00

More than half the engineers in the U.S. are foreign born, and most of these are in here on temporary H-1B visas. That is up from less than 10% in 1970. And half of the Silicon Valley businesses had temp technical workers as founders, co-founders or sources of new ideas. The country worried about the decline in U.S.-born engineering graduates in the 1990s and so had raised the number of annual to entice workers with high technical skill. But in recent years Congress reduced the number available visas, so that last year there were 163,000 applicants for 65,000 visa slots. Most temps long for a green card to stay permanently in the U.S. And Silicon Valley has become dependent on such workers. Ten percent of Google's work force has H-1B visas, but even more have become U.S. citizens or have green cards. The New York Times "Remade in America" series tells the story of one such visa holder.

The H-1B program, however, is controversial. There are usual nativist cries and the crocodile tears from Republicans about American workers. But there are real issues. Silicon Valley has a mixed history in caring for foreign workers. In the early stages of manufacturing some companies used Vietnamese workers to replace natives, til protests drove the companies to send production off-shore. Evan H-1B have grievances, especially the dependence on a sponsor employer, but generally are dissuaded from complaining lest their chances to get a green card are blown. American engineers also have an issue about the preference Silicon Valley has for foreign workers, but the fault does not entirely belong to employers. The U.S. educational system has not been effective in encouraging science and engineering. The big bucks for college grads was in financing -- until now. H-1B visas must be a significant part of a comprehensive immigration reform, but large issues will still be the plight of low-skilled temporary labor, family unification and the 12 million undocumented in the shadows. If the country is to continue to use high tech workers, then they also should be treated fairly and American students should be encouraged by public policy to pursue careers in the sciences and engineering.

Border Arrests Drop In Arizona

2009-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Apprehensions of undocumented immigrants at the border has long been used by friend and foe alike to determine the rate of illegal crossing. This year the number of apprehensions in Arizona and across the border has dropped. The Border Patrol has been quick to crow it was because of toughened enforcement. Human rights and immigrants advocates are more skeptical, attributing the decline to the recession or to the fact crossers are trying in more remote and dangerous areas. The news is welcomed by some as a spur to comprehensive reform and to redirecting law-enforcement to stopping drug and gu)n smuggling. (See Arizona Republic article.