Latino News » Politics

Only Immigration Reform will End SB1070

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:29:09 +0000

One day before Arizona's new tough immigration law was supposed to go into effect, a federal judge temporarily blocked some of its controversial provisions.

Republicans Block Small Business Bill

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:25:34 +0000

Efforts to provide relief to the nation's struggling small businesses stalled in the Senate Thursday, prompting a bitter round of finger-pointing on a measure that once had broad bipartisan support. The bill, which would create a $30 billion Treasury-backed loan facility and provide tax cuts for small businesses worth $12 billion over 10 years, failed to break a GOP-led filibuster on a 58-42 vote. For weeks, Republicans have pressed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to open the door for a series of amendments. But Democrats have balked, saying the amendments in question are not germane to the issue on the floor.

Opinion: Victory in Arizona Immigration Lawsuit is Good for Democrats

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:23:04 +0000

Ever since the Court handed President Obama's Justice Department a big victory by enjoining the enforcement of major provisions of the onerous Arizona "papers please" immigration law, there has been pundit commentary the decision will be bad for swing Democrats. Of course, that analysis ignores that the ruling came from a judge who — though appointed by President Clinton — was originally nominated by Arizona's Republican Senator Kyl who has praised her as a fair jurist. And the decision will also likely cause a number of moderate supporters of the bill around the country to rethink their positions.

Opinion: Arizona Casts Obama as ‘Frenemy’ of SB-1070

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:21:01 +0000

History teaches that victory has been achieved when the letter and spirit of a conflict are united in the resolution of that conflict. In the case of yesterday's injunction against SB-1070, Arizona's highly conflictive racial profiling law, the letter of the law was, at best, partially and temporarily halted, not defeated. Its spirit lives on in Arizona and throughout the country. Judge Bolton brought no resolution to the discrimination unleashed by the parts of still-discriminatory law that will take effect today. Far from celebrating the "victory" touted by some, today's marches and protests throughout the country are unified in delivering another message: that the work of defeating the spirit and letter of SB-1070 must and will continue in Arizona, in Washington and throughout the country.

The ‘Dangerous’ Border: Actually One of America’s Safest Places

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:15:34 +0000

When U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled on Wednesday that key provisions of Arizona's new anti-immigration law were unconstitutional, she could have also declared them unnecessary. That is, if the main impetus behind the controversial legislation was, as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said when she signed it in April, "border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration." The fact is, despite the murderous mayhem raging across the border in Mexico, the U.S. side, from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, is one of the nation's safest corridors. According to the FBI, the four large U.S. cities (with populations of at least 500,000) with the lowest violent crime rates — San Diego, Phoenix and the Texas cities of El Paso and Austin — are all in border states.

Obama Administration Considers Bypassing Congress on Immigration Reform

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:13:05 +0000

The Obama administration, anticipating that Congress might not pass comprehensive immigration reform this year, is considering ways it could act without congressional approval to achieve many of the objectives of the initiative, including giving permanent resident status, or green cards, to large numbers of people in the country illegally. The ideas were outlined in an unusually frank draft memo prepared for Alejandro N. Mayorkas, director of the federal agency that handles immigration benefits, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). The memo lists ways the government could grant permanent resident status to tens of thousands of people and delay the deportation of others, potentially indefinitely.

121 groups ask feds to denounce, discard ‘Utah list’

oscar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:10:41 +0000

More than 100 civil-rights groups and leaders nationwide are demanding that federal immigration officials throw away the "Utah list" and vow publicly never to use anything like it for immigration enforcement. The groups — ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to Human Rights Watch — wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano complaining that the response to the list from Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been too tepid so far. They asked her to forcefully denounce the list of 1,300 illegal immigrants that was anonymously sent to law enforcement and the news media demanding that those listed be deported.

Do not show-me your papers

oscar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:26:04 +0000

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday that halts major components of the Arizona SB1070 from taking effect Thursday — 90 days after Gov. Jan Brewer signed it into law.

SB1070 events, protests to go on as planned after judge’s ruling

oscar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:20:43 +0000

Despite key components of Arizona's immigration law being struck down Wednesday, there are plenty of events and protests still going on as planned around the Valley on Thursday. Protesters said the point they're trying to make is that SB1070 is only a part of the problem. "SB1070 is not the only thing that we're working against here. It's a much deeper and more historically rooted environment of racism," Florida resident Anna Rodriguez said. Though some major provisions of the controversial law were postponed, protesters from around the country are pouring in to say there is still much to be done.

Opinion: Sen. Cornyn would rather play vindictive politics than help students’ DREAM come true

oscar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:17:28 +0000

By the year 2020, the likelihood that Latinos will be the majority in Texas is pretty much a certainty, if it doesn't happen sooner. In the 2000 Census, 52 percent of Texans were Anglo, and 32 percent identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino (of any race). By 2008, according to the Census Bureau, Texas' Hispanic proportion had grown to 37 percent, and its Anglo proportion had shrunk to 47 percent. Demographers say that the trend going forward, with migration, fertility and fatalities holding steady, can only mean that the time when Latinos outnumber Anglos in Texas isn't that far off.