Author: Julissa Trevino

Phoenix radio station KFYI tweets that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has signed the controversial immigration bill, Senate bill 1070, into law. The state now has some of the toughest laws in the country that will, among other things, make it a state crime to be in the country illegally and require law enforcement officers to ask people they suspect of being in the country illegally about their legal status.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has announced that he will travel to Phoenix to oppose Arizona Senate bill 1070 at a rally at the State Capitol this Sunday.

From a statement he released today:

I am going there to let the people of Arizona know that they are not alone in fighting against bigotry and hatred and thousands will join me this weekend at the State Capitol. […]

I call on all justice loving Americans to join us in Phoenix. Join us in denouncing this law, join us in calling for its veto, and join us in standing up against hatred when people paint all immigrants and all Latinos as criminals. In so doing, we will be living by a fundamental truth articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We need to take a stand.

While many immigration activists are applauding his stand on Arizona’s bill, critics are saying he should mind his own business. From a Medill Reports article:

Closer to home, Gutierrez’s critics say it’s not his place to intervene in Arizona lawmaking.

“He should mind his own business,” said Rick Biesada, director of the Chicago Minutemen Project. “He should take care of his own constituents in Illinois. Why would he be concerned with Arizona?”

Others have gone further, claiming that the immigration policy Gutierrez advocates undermines U.S. sovereignty and amounts to thinly-veiled amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

“Luis Gutierrez is the poster boy for illegal immigration,” said Dave Gorak, executive director of Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration. “Gutierrez represents the interests of those who stop at nothing to prevent our government from enforcing its own immigration laws.”

Republican Governor Jan Brewer has to decide to sign or veto the bill by tomorrow afternoon — if she does neither, it will become law.

Update: Brewer just signed the bill into law.

In short: no, it wouldn’t, according to Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, and Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning research foundation.

No one is going to be excited by a proposal that involves “finger printing the entire U.S. working population,” said Calabrese at a Cato Institute Capitol Hill briefing today. The proposed regulations are “costly, they’re ineffective, they’re bureaucratic. They’ll start with immigrants, but they’re a tool for social control.”

What Calabrese is referring to is a proposal for a national biometric ID card, laid out by Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in a Washington Post op-ed in mid-March as part of the comprehensive immigration reform bill they’re drafting. The two senators essentially plan on requiring “all U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want jobs to obtain a high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security card,” they wrote.

But according to Calabrese and Harper, the nationally uniform ID would create a long list of problems — and it wouldn’t help solve the problem of illegal immigration.

Perhaps the most significant issue Calabrese addressed is that the problem targeted by the proposal won’t be affected at all. The card would require all U.S. citizens and permanent residents to get a card, but illegal immigrants who already ignore current laws can still just ignore the national ID. “You’re saying, ‘Let’s pass a law to target people who are already ignoring the existing law,’” Calabrese said. Employers could still hire people who do not have a card or have a falsified card, or they could simply pay their workers under the table.

This isn’t just an immigration issue, Harper noted. “We’re talking about native-born Americans” who would be affected by this.

Harper and Calabrese addressed some of issues with the national ID:

– Anyone could still present false documents, either by creating a manufactured identity or stealing an identity, to obtain a national ID.

– The actual ID could also be illegally reproduced.

– Biometrics are untested. There is no good standard for biometrics. Harper pointed out that, for example, some people who work in manual labor don’t have easily distinguishable fingerprints.

– The ID system could cost at least $100 billion, based on cost figures for a similar identification program, “the Real ID,” a voluntary state-issued national ID program implemented in 2005.

– The system would create privacy issues, including a possible government database of information that could be easily corrupted.

– It eliminates the choice of documents someone can use when applying for a job or for government benefits.

– A nationwide system could create long delays for correcting errors.

– It could encourage discrimination in the workforce, because employers might not want to deal with longer delays for immigrants (legal residents or naturalized citizens) who have more documents that need to be added into the system.

“These problems have never been addressed,” said Calabrese, “and the problems are going to fall on the backs of workers.” He said it would invert the relationship between citizens and the state and it would mean certain rights are conditional upon approval by the government. A national ID would be “sort of like the note you needed to get to go to the bathroom in school.” Calabrese said the Arizona immigration bill is a step in that direction.

The ACLU and more than 40 other organizations have publicly opposed the national ID proposal within Schumer and Graham’s immigration reform plan. But the entire proposal is still cloudy — the Post op-ed is the only concrete “plan” the senators have so far, and until the bill is actually introduced, no one really knows what to expect. It’s also unclear whether a national ID could face opposition from right-leaning anti-immigration groups.

All eyes are on Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) as she decides to sign or veto Senate bill 1070. Her position on this bill could determine her re-election this year as she takes on three serious primary challengers from the right in a race that appears likely to focus on the immigration issue.

The Arizona Republic reports:

The governor has been mum on whether she will sign the measure. Her advisers say she worries about the impact of this action, and she generally seeks counsel from her close circle of friends and advisers when faced with significant decisions. At day’s end, they say, she’s not afraid to make an unpopular choice in an important matter.

“She agonizes over these things,” said Doug Cole, Brewer’s campaign spokesman.

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said she would consider legalities, residents’ sentiment and the impacts on the state, law enforcement and businesses, among other things, in making her decision.

As of Monday, the Governor’s Office had received 1,356 calls, e-mails and faxes in favor of SB 1070 and 11,931 against the bill….

Somos Republicans, a grass-roots group working to register more Latino Republicans, sent an e-mail to Brewer on Monday, telling her that if she supports the bill, they will request that she “leave the Republican Party.”

But despite passionate opposition on the left and among civil rights groups, there’s a huge push on the right asking the governor to sign the bill. In March, a poll showed that 60 percent of Arizona voters were “very concerned” about drug-related violence in Mexico spilling over into the United States. Voters seemed split about what the greater concern was: 45 percent of voters said illegal immigration and 43 percent said drug violence. Of the poll respondents, only seven percent of Arizona voters viewed Brewer very “favorably,” while 24 percent viewed the governor “very unfavorably.” Only 41 percent approved of the Brewer’s performance as governor.

Brewer was leading the primary with 26 percent in a mid-April poll, according to Politics Daily. She was followed by businessman Owen “Buz” Mills (18 percent), former state GOP chairman John Munger (14 percent) and State Treasurer Dean Martin (12 percent). But since much of the rhetoric on the Senate floor yesterday was about the negative effects of illegal immigration, including crime and drug violence, if Brewer decided to veto the bill, she could see those numbers turn against her.

According to a new poll, Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard is trailing behind all leading Republicans. But he’s received support from Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and several Latino organizations, and he’s come out against SB 1070 — despite the fact that he’s also expressed interest in strengthening federal immigration laws. Goddard said the bill “does nothing to improve border security or address the core issues of illegal immigration” and that it would “take law enforcement resources away from stopping more serious crimes.” That might help with the Latino vote, but 70 percent of Arizona voters still say they favor legislation that authorizes local law enforcement to ask anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant about their legal status.

Signing Senate bill 1070 could help Brewer best her Republican opponents –  two of whom explicitly support the bill — in August during the Arizona primary. After all, Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said calls, emails and letters were running 3-1 in favor of the bill. Brewer has until Saturday to sign or veto the bill, which was passed by the state Senate Monday.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) sent a letter asking Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to stop the deportation of young immigrants who would be eligible for legal residence under the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, a bill that would give a pathway to undocumented students to become permanent residents and possibly citizens and facilitate their access to college, provided they meet a list of criteria.

Here’s a portion of the letter, attached to a press release sent out by Durbin:

We respectfully request that you grant deferred action to individuals who would be eligible for cancellation of removal or a stay of removal under S. 729, the DREAM Act, bipartisan immigration reform legislation that we have introduced…

Though they are technically out of status, DREAM Act students should not be removed from the United States. The DREAM Act is narrowly tailored to assist only a select group of young people, many of whom came here with their parents at an age when they were too young to understand the consequences of their actions.

Deferred action for DREAM Act students would conserve limited enforcement resources. DREAM Act students are not, and should not be, an enforcement priority for DHS…

What Durbin and Lugar are pushing for is a bill they re-introduced in 2009; the House version of the bill is called the “American Dream Act.” Similar legislation to the DREAM Act was first introduced in Congress in 2001 under the name “Student Adjustment Act.” In 2007, the legislation failed along with comprehensive immigration reform. Some civil rights groups are already applauding the senators’ leadership on this bill.

Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) denounced Arizona’s Senate bill 1070 during a press conference on Capitol Hill and urged Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) to veto the legislation. The bill, passed by the state Senate yesterday, would — if signed by Brewer in the next five days — make it a state crime to be in the country illegally, require local law enforcement to ask people about their legal status if officers “suspect” someone of being illegal and require immigrants to carry documentation at all times.

CNN reports:

“When you institutionalize a law like this one, you are targeting and discriminating at a wholesale level against a group of people,” Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, told reporters…

Grijalva, whose district runs from the Mexican border to the outskirts of Phoenix, said the legislation “is not just mean-spirited, it is directed at a specific population.” And Gutierrez, D-Illinois, said the measure infringes on the federal government’s authority over immigration laws.

Gutierrez added in a statement (via a press release) after the conference: “The Governor should veto the bill and if she doesn’t, the President should assert the federal governments’ preeminent role in regulating and enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. … The lunacy of rounding up people because they look a certain way or are suspected of being in violation of immigration statutes can only lead to one thing: profiling. I am Puerto Rican, I was born in Chicago, and my family has been U.S. citizens for generations, but look at my face, listen to my voice: I could get picked up. Is this what we want in America?”

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who campaigned for Barack Obama during his election, is becoming increasingly displeased with the president’s stance on immigration. Gutierrez said Latinos could stay home in November if Congress and the administration fail to act on immigration reform, The Hill reported this morning. Gutierrez has been one of the most outspoken advocates for reform, and he says the Latino community has lost patience with an administration that focuses on enforcement-only policies.

Some Democrats have felt little urgency in pursuing the controversial issue, partly because they see no risk that Hispanic voters will bolt the party for the GOP. But Gutierrez says they are missing the real political consequence of inaction.

“We can stay home,” Gutierrez said in an interview with The Hill. “We can say, ‘You know what? There is a third option: We can refuse to participate.’ ”…

When Gutierrez talks about his old Chicago neighbor, he speaks of “anger, disillusionment, dissatisfaction” and “betrayal.” He says Obama has failed to keep his campaign commitment to immigration reform, and he decries what he calls an “enforcement-only” policy in which the administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than in the final year of the George W. Bush administration.

Gutierrez says Latinos have lost patience with Obama, and he predicts an “escalation” of activism aimed at forcing immigration reform to the fore of the party agenda.

“We’re going to make it uncomfortable for the Democratic Party,” Gutierrez said, adding that immigration advocates would step up the pressure by drawing lessons from the movements for civil rights and women’s suffrage. “There’ll probably be civil disobedience. There will probably be a number of different actions. What we have to do is we have to break through this wall of silence, because we’re invisible.”

Gutierrez, who doesn’t mention Arizona’s immigration bill in the article, is holding a press conference with other lawmakers today to denounce that bill. He does, however, praise Obama’s nomination of a Latina to the Supreme Court.

The Arizona Senate just passed the controversial Senate bill 1070 (“Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act”), one of the toughest immigration bills in the country, by a vote of 17-11. All Republicans voted for passage, while all Democrats present were opposed.

Several senators spoke out against the bill, arguing that Arizona could become the Alabama of the new century, that the bill may be unconstitutional and that it could turn family members of illegal immigrants into criminals. One senator called the bill “un-American,” and another expressed concern over how Arizona might be viewed if the legislation were passed and whether tourism would suffer as a result.

But supporters of the bill pointed out the problems caused by illegal immigration. Republican Senator John Huppenthal, a sponsor of the bill, says he’s seen evidence of neighborhoods that have been “nuclear-bombed by the effects of illegal immigration.” Republican Senator Al Melvin pointed to the murder of an Arizona rancher last month, possibly at the hands of an illegal immigrant, and the federal government’s failure to act on illegal immigration as the reasons for his vote; and another senator cited 40 murders committed by illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration was called an “invasion” several times on the Senate floor.

The bill will now go to Republican Governor Jan Brewer’s desk, where she will have five days to sign or veto the bill. Although Brewer said this morning that she had some concerns over the legislation, she has not commented on whether she would sign or veto the bill, reported the Arizona Republic.

“I am always concerned about all of those things,” Brewer said when asked about several specific provisions of the bill, including one that would require police to ask anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally to produce an “alien registration document” such as a green card…

Still, Brewer declined to give any indication as to whether she would sign or veto the legislation, which has gotten national attention.

“I’ll look at it, go over it and review it completely when it hits my desk,” she said.

Previously, Brewer’s camp has said only that the Governor has “a strong and consistent track record of supporting responsible immigration-enforcement measures.”

About 30 people participated in a candlelight vigil outside Brewer’s home Sunday night, and this morning at 7 a.m., a 24-hour vigil began at the state capitol. Participants are protesting Senate bill 1070 and asking Brewer to veto it. It is widely opposed by civil rights groups and immigrant advocates, and even Mexican Embassy officials have voiced concerns over the possible civil rights violations of Mexican nationals because of racial profiling. It also has some New Mexico lawmakers concerned over a potential increase in illegal immigration through Arizona.

Today, after Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, both Republicans of Arizona, announced their plan for border security along the U.S.-Arizona border, McCain endorsed Senate bill 1070, and many are wondering how someone who once supported immigration reform is now supporting one of the toughest immigration bills in the country. Hours later, civil rights groups began denouncing his endorsement. “It’s sad to see a man who once stood up to the extremist elements of his own party and once was a great champion for practical action to fix America’s broken immigration system, succumb to the instinct to scapegoat minorities for America’s problems,” said Gabe Gonzalez, director of the Campaign for Community Values and adviser to the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), in a press release. McCain’s Senate challenger, Tea Party favorite J.D. Hayworth, who has called McCain too soft on border security and immigration, also supports the bill.

But the fight over this bill isn’t over yet. Several civil rights groups, including the ACLU of Arizona, have vowed to challenge the law in court if it is passed by the governor. Tomorrow, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform who wrote a Huffington Post editorial denouncing the bill over the weekend, and other members of Congress and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will hold a press conference to ask Brewer to veto the legislation.

During a press conference this morning, Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both Republicans from Arizona, announced a 10-point border security plan for Arizona they say will fight illegal immigration, drug and immigrant smuggling and violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Their plan, which comes on the same day that the Arizona Senate will decide on a controversial immigration bill, calls for the deploying 3,000 National Guard troops to the southern Arizona border, the implementation of Operation Streamline, a program that has created a backlog of immigration cases and a rising number of immigrant detainees, and the completion of an unpopular border fence, among other measures.

During the conference, McCain said immigration reform is a top priority, but border security should come first. The Hill reports:

‘The lesson is clear: First we have to secure the border,’ McCain said in a press conference. ‘If you want to enact some other reforms, how can that be effective when you have a porous border?…So we have to secure the border first,’ he added.

Here’s the entire plan, from a press release:

1. Immediately deploy 3,000 National Guard Troops along the Arizona/Mexico border, along with appropriate surveillance platforms, which shall remain in place until the Governor of Arizona certifies, after consulting with state, local and tribal law enforcement, that the Federal Government has achieved operational control of the border. Permanently add 3,000 Custom and Border Protection Agents to the Arizona/Mexico border by 2015.

2. Fully fund and support Operation Streamline in Arizona’s two Border Patrol Sectors to, at a minimum, ensure that repeat illegal border crossers go to jail for 15 to 60 days. Where Operation Streamline has been implemented, the number of illegal crossings has decreased significantly. Require the Obama Administration to complete a required report detailing the justice and enforcement resources needed to fully fund this program. Fully reimburse localities for any related detention costs.

3. Provide $100M, an increase of $40M, for Operation Stonegarden, a program that provides grants and reimbursement to Arizona’s border law enforcement for additional personnel, overtime, travel and other related costs related to illegal immigration and drug smuggling along the border.

4. Offer Hardship Duty Pay to Border Patrol Agents assigned to rural, high-trafficked areas, such as the CBP Willcox and Douglas Stations in the Tucson Sector.

5. Complete the 700 miles of fencing along the border with Mexico and construct double- and triple- layer fencing at appropriate locations along the Arizona-Mexico border.

6. Substantially increase the 25 mobile surveillance systems and three Predator B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in place today along the Arizona/Mexico border and ensure the border patrol has the resources necessary to operate the UAVs 24 hours a day seven days a week. Send additional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to the Arizona-Mexico Border.

7. Increase funding for vital radio communications and interoperability between CBP and state, local, and tribal law enforcement to assist in apprehensions along the border.

8. Provide funding for additional Border Patrol stations in the Tucson Sector and explore the possibility of an additional Border Patrol sector for Arizona. Create six additional permanent Border Patrol Forward Operating Bases, and provide funding to upgrade the existing bases to include modular buildings, electricity and potable water. Complete construction of the planned permanent checkpoint in Arizona. Deploy additional temporary roving checkpoints and increase horse patrols throughout the Tucson Sector.

9. Require the Federal government to fully reimburse state and local governments for the costs of incarcerating criminal aliens. Start by at least funding the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) at its authorized level of $950 million.

10. Place one full-time Federal Magistrate in Cochise County and provide full funding for and authorization of the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative to reimburse state, county, tribal, and municipal governments for costs associated with the prosecution and pre-trial detention of federally-initiated criminal cases declined by local offices of the United States Attorneys.

Several pro-immigrant grassroots organizations today announced plans for major demonstrations across the country on May 1 that will focus on immigrant workers’ rights and comprehensive immigration reform. Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Milwaukee are among the cities that expect large rallies.

May 1 has long been a day for immigration protests, starting in Los Angeles more than 10 years ago, according to Maria Elena Durazo of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Organizations participating in the rallies, including Service Employees International Union (the largest union for immigrant workers), Mexican-American Coalition for Immigration Reform and Center for Community Change, expect this year’s demonstrations to bring together thousands of protesters like in previous years, especially when the stakes are so high.

During a conference call this morning, organizers pointed out that Arizona’s Senate bill 1070, recent immigration raids in Phoenix and Tucson and the 287 (g) program are just some examples of what’s heating up the immigration debate.

From a Center for Community Change press release today:

The grassroots organizations are escalating because President Obama has yet to deliver on his promise to move immigration reform, the Senate has yet to deliver on its promise to produce a bill, and DHS has yet to deliver on its promise to focus on arresting bad actors instead of terrorizing ordinary immigrants. The time for making promises has run out.  The time for concrete action has arrived.  We demand action from the President, Congress and DHS by May 1:

• Sens. Schumer and Graham must introduce a bill
• Congress and the President must pass comprehensive immigration in 2010
• The President must end rogue enforcement at ICE and enact policies that keep families united

Mexican President Felipe Calderon will address Congress on May 19, making this the first appearance of a Mexican president in the Capitol in almost 10 years (former president Vicente Fox visited in 2001). Calderon will discuss drug violence and immigration reform. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced his visit late Wednesday.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a warm welcome to “our neighbor and friend,” looking forward to hearing his views on border towns and organized crime.

“Our countries may be separated by a border, but we share much in common — our values of faith, family, and love of our respective countries,” Pelosi said in a statement, noting that more than 12 percent of Americans are of Mexican ancestry. “Relations with Mexico are of utmost importance to the United States. President Calderon’s address to Congress will provide us with a renewed opportunity to strengthen our bonds of friendship, discuss our shared challenges, and embrace common opportunities.”

Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill, one of the toughest in the nation, has everyone talking. Following news of its approval by the state’s House yesterday, civil rights groups began condemning the law; anti-immigration groups began applauding it; and enforcement officers have mixed opinions — and most of this has to do with the law’s effects on illegal immigrants and non-white communities alike.

The Los Angeles Times reported last night:

For years Arizona’s government has tried to deter unlawful immigration with a consistent approach — make life for illegal immigrants so uncomfortable and uncertain that they will leave, or never come in the first place.

So this week, when the House of Representatives passed what’s viewed as the toughest state law against illegal immigration in the nation, it was the continuation of a pattern that has been widely popular in the state.

“When you make life difficult,” said state Sen. Russell Pearce, author of the current bill and earlier hard-line measures, “most will leave on their own.”

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a non-profit organization that advocates stronger border security and and end to illegal immigration, rejoiced over Arizona’s bill in a press release yesterday, citing “self-deportation” as an effective means of reducing the number of immigrants in the country:

“SB1070 embodies the concept of ‘attrition through enforcement,’” continued Stein, “Making it tough for illegal aliens to live and work in Arizona means that those illegal aliens already living in the state are more likely to self-deport, and it certainly reduces the incentive to come. Arizona will soon have a law that both represents the interests of legal Arizonians and serves as model legislation for other states.”

Civil rights groups have already brought up the possibility of challenging the law’s constitutionality, even if it’s passed (The Washington Times reported that the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona has vowed to challenge it in court). What seems to concern groups the most is the portion of the bill that allows officers to ask about a person’s immigration status and authorizes them to act on this if they have “reasonable suspicion” that someone is illegal — many critics say this is racial profiling.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant advocacy organization, released this statement in a press release today:

If the bill survives substantial legal challenges, it will invite the racial profiling of Arizona residents who give police “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country illegally. Pressure to engage in racial profiling will be even more intense because police will be operating under the threat of law suits from citizens who feel they are not sufficiently enforcing the law.

If it is enacted, it will be bad news for Arizona. Under this law, Police will not be able to count on Arizona’s large Latino and immigrant community to report crimes or serve as witnesses to crimes…

Activist groups aren’t the only ones worried about profiling and alienation of non-white populations. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said on Wednesday’s Doug Wright Show (via ksl.com) that the legislation allows for racial profiling and has raised concerns over the effect on legal immigrants and foreign-born citizens. “Because in order to get to those people, you have to ask anybody of color who looks like they might not be from this country,” he explained. “This sets law enforcement back 30 to 40 years.”

Vocal immigration opponent Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona probably doesn’t agree. He tweeted yesterday that his office will be ready to enforce new immigration laws, referring to a new program that provides nearly 900 deputies with training in detection and arrest of illegal immigrants. If and when the bill becomes law, no doubt Maricopa County will continue to arrest increasingly high numbers of immigrants.

The Tea Party movement is slowly starting to shift its focus to illegal immigration, an issue that’s beginning to see a lot of attention, with rallies during the next few days aimed at stopping amnesty. As New American Media reported in February, some Tea Partiers are quick to point out that immigration isn’t on the party’s platform. But the immigration issue is increasingly being picked up by individual activists in the group, and it’s becoming another aspect of the movement.

Tea Parties Against Amnesty announced in March that they would organize rallies across the country, April 15-17, to show their opposition to any proposed legislation for comprehensive immigration reform.

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), an anti-illegal immigration group, today made an announcement to supporters defending the Tea Party against accusations of racism and applauding the upcoming rallies.

A massive amount of new support is rushing into our operations. We have never seen this many new people sign up in our five year history. We want to give a special welcome to all of the new folks who have joined our email alert lists and taken interest of our Tea Party Against Amnesty events April 15-17…

Some of our diverse ALIPAC supporters are not fans of the Tea Party movement, however, they understand that 90% of Tea Party supporters oppose illegal immigration and amnesty with us. Most understand that we need broad coalitions to stop amnesty and reverse illegal immigration.

Some, unfortunately, are buying into the massive negative propaganda assault on the Tea Party movement. All we will say about that right now is that the Tea Party folks are not violent and not racist. They are being attacked in the same way our Border Security Movement has been attacked. They are being attacked because the powers that favor elite rule in America want to stop and divert the political revolution that is growing in America today.

If anyone reading this has any doubts about the Tea Party movement, you should stop listening to CNN and MSNBC and actually go to one of these events and talk with the people there to understand the realities vs. the propaganda.

ALIPAC is proud to stand with other Americans who share our cause of border security and enforcement of our immigration laws, and we will stand up against those who want to assault free speech and freedom of assembly for Americans.

There are currently 52 protest events posted on AgainstAmnesty.com, with 9,482 protest supporters signed up. The rallies will include some well-known Tea Party and anti-immigration speakers, including former Rep. Tom Tancredo, the outspoken founder and co-chairman of border security, anti-immigration PAC Team America; J.D. Hayworth, John McCain’s Republican opponent for U.S. senate; Arizona’s controversial sheriff, Joe Arpaio; and ALIPAC President William Gheen.

The Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that puts the state within reach of having some of the toughest immigration laws in the country.

FOX News provides an explainer on select provisions of Arizona Senate bill 1070:

It would:

– Create a new state misdemeanor crime of willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document.

– Allow officers to arrest immigrants unable to show documents proving they’re legally in the country.

– Ban so-called soft immigration policies at local police agencies and allow people to sue if they feel a government agency has adopted a policy that hinders the enforcement of illegal immigration laws.

– Prohibit people from blocking traffic when they seek or offer day-labor services on street corners.

– Make it illegal for people to transport illegal immigrants if the drivers of vehicles know their passengers are in the country illegally and if the transportation furthers their illegal presence in the country.

The provision is designed to target law enforcement policies that prevent officers from asking people about their immigration status, but opponents worry it will make victims and witnesses scared to work with police and prosecutors.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Russell Pearce, would give an unprecedented amount of immigration enforcement power to local police officers — something that has divided groups in Arizona.

From the Los Angeles Times:

…police were deeply divided on the matter, with police unions backing it but the state police chief’s association opposing the bill, contending it could erode trust with immigrants who could be potential witnesses.

Immigrant rights groups were horrified, and contended that Arizona would be transformed into a police state.

“It’s beyond the pale,” said Chris Newman, legal director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It appears to mandate racial profiling.”

During the debate, the bill managed to win support from some state senators who expressed misgivings about the legislation.

One of the bill’s provisions is to prevent “sanctuary cities” from not enforcing immigration laws, and Republican state Rep. Russ Jones said he couldn’t think of one sanctuary city in the state. “I don’t see this as a problem, and I wonder what we’re fixing,” he said. Nonetheless, he voted for it.

A similar supportive vote came from Republican Rep. Lucy Mason, who said the bill doesn’t focus on where it needs to: the border.

This bill could represent a reaction by Republicans to border violence, in the wake of the recent death of an Arizona rancher who is believed to have been killed by an illegal immigrant or a drug smuggler. His death has gotten attention from both the media and lawmakers looking ahead to the November elections with promises of stronger border security.

And given recent comments from Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) about the rancher’s death, this bill looks likely to become law.

The text of the House version is nearly identical to a Senate bill approved in February, but changes were made to create a prosecution exemption for people who drive illegal immigrants to church or who provide emergency services, according to a Phoenix Business Journal article.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) restated his commitment to immigration reform during a Las Vegas immigration rally that attracted about 6,000 people this Saturday. “We’re going to come back, we’re going to have comprehensive immigration reform now,” Reid said, according to a Reform Immigration for America press release. “We need to do this this year. We cannot wait. I’ve got 59 Democratic senators, all but three would support this, I want a handful of Republicans, a few Republicans, let them step forward.”

Feet in Two Worlds, an immigration blog, posted a wrap-up today of Reid’s speech at the rally. (And here’s a video of Reid during the rally.)

At the rally, Reid tried to find middle ground, simultaneously outlining a path to citizenship and talking about protecting American borders. Under his proposed legislation, to gain legal status immigrants would pay “a penalty and a fine, people will have to work, stay out of trouble, pay taxes, learn English.” In his prepared remarks, Reid also tied immigration reform to the economic recovery, saying,

“It is about jobs.  It is about getting people back to work, getting our economy back on track and helping it grow.”

Some analysts questioned if Reid’s speech was primarily directed at strengthening his Hispanic constituent base, as he faces a difficult election fight this fall. Hispanics helped put Nevada in the Democratic column in the last election, though that could change if Democrats fail to make immigration reform a priority.

Reid seems to be stepping up as another leader in the push for comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate. “Immigration reform has the same features of justice health care did,” Reid said in a interview with Las Vegas TV station.

Reid’s speech has garnered the most media attention so far, but the Las Vegas rally is just one of six other Rally for America immigration protests that took place around the country that same day, also featuring senators and House members.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) assured rally participants of his commitment to reform when he spoke during Saturday’s Chicago rally. “It is time to say to our government — stop dividing our families,” Durbin said. “It is time to say to the voices of hate — stop dividing America.”

The political reasons for Reid’s stand on immigration are clear, according to Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly:

Reid’s motivations are hardly a secret. The senate leader not only has a genuine interest in the issue, but he’ll also need considerable support from fast-growing Latino communities in Nevada if he has any chance of keeping his job…

If Dems are looking for wedge issues that might improve their midterm prospects, [immigration] might do the trick.

None of this has been ignored by the right. Just like the Washington Monthly, the Right Side News reports on Democrats’ use of immigration as a political strategy.

Those wonderful Democrats, now scared witless they are going to be mauled politically at the polls this coming November, have to move as quickly as possible to get those millions of illegal aliens citizenship and, even more important, get them registered to vote so they can vote for the dems who secured their citizenship while overlooking the fact that they are criminals. Remember, Latino voters were crucial to President Obama’s win in 2008.

Whether or not Democrats support immigration reform because of November elections, the reassurance from Reid and Durbin comes at a good time — but activists are going to expect more than words. “The commitment we received from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was unequivocal,” said Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, in a press release today. “While the words spoken by Sens. Durbin and Reid are welcomed, they must now be backed by actions.”

Comprehensive immigration reform, new technology, stronger oversight and collaboration with Mexico are among the proposals the Center for American Progress suggests for improving security along the U.S. border, according to a report released today.

Here’s the complete list of CAP’s ten reform proposals for the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a program aimed at reducing illegal immigration and major drug trafficking operations, particularly along the U.S.-Mexico border:

1. Congress should address border security through comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
2. Continue to pursue technological solutions.
3. Reach out to local communities (“Border towns need to be brought into the discussion”).
4. Collaborate with Mexico on border security.
5. Draw on the expertise of academia and industry to shape a long-term border security blueprint.
6. The federal government should maintain tight control over the performance of con- tractors and agencies, while setting schedules with the understanding that they may need to be adjusted.
7. Allow a wider variety of businesses, including small technology companies and unsuccessful SBI bidders, to join in solving border security problems.
8. Improve inter-agency communications and planning and maintain flexibility in technology design.
9. The federal government should consider a more “horizontal” approach in which a single type of technology is implemented over a broad area.
10. Improve the viability and performance of border technology programs.

During a CAP conference call today, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), chairman of the House subcommittee on border, maritime and global counter-terrorism, echoed the report’s suggestions, saying collaboration with Mexico is essential and aid to the Mexican government for controlling cartel violence needs to be expedited.

According to the CAP report, SBI is flawed because of a border fence that is too heavily relied on for border security; management and oversight issues; a Department of Homeland Security that is too slow to address mistakes; and misguided spending decisions (namely on SBInet, a technology-heavy program designed to help Border Patrol detect illegal immigrants and smugglers along the border).

Cuellar said border security should, among other things, involve detention for immigrants as a deterrent for future illegal immigration — something that he said has worked in his district. He also said there should be more funding for the use of drones as a monitoring tool along the border.

The next few weeks will be filled with discussions about the future of U.S.-Mexico relations in fighting drug cartel violence.

The Houston Chronicle reports that next week, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), chairman of the Homeland Security subcommittee on border affairs, will meet with State Department officials to discuss the expansion of the Merida Initiative, a program that helps Mexico with equipment and training. He is also planning a subcommittee hearing to decide the best way to send military equipment to Mexico, fast-track training initiatives and cooperate with the Mexican military and law enforcement to fight cartel violence.

Cuellar’s planned meetings come after lawmakers met with Mexican president Felipe Calderon earlier this week. Cuellar and Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) and Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.), who met Calderon in Mexico City, said yesterday they will attempt to expedite aid, including helicopters and other equipment, to the Mexican government to help them fight drug cartel violence. Reyes said Obama and Calderón have been working to develop a “next phase” of assistance, since the government’s Merida Initiative, a program that helps Mexico with equipment and training, is in its last year.

The kind of violence they intend to mitigate? The kind happening throughout Cuidad Juarez. Since U.S. authorities now believe Juarez’s trafficking routes are controlled by Mexico’s most powerful cartel leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman of the Sinaloa cartel, drug traffickers could become more powerful now than ever, and violence could get worse.

From Cuellar’s press release:

“The consensus between the United States and Mexico is that we need a forward-thinking strategy built on more interoperability between our law enforcement and more direct investments in stabilizing local Mexican communities,” said Congressman Cuellar. “President Calderon said we’ll begin to see a similar initiative unfold in Ciudad Juarez that is centered on strengthening rule of law and expanding investments in social and economic infrastructure”…

Moving forward, Congressmen Cuellar, Reyes and Pastor will continue to make recommendations to Congress regarding Mexico and the Mérida Initiative program, in addition to matters related to ongoing southern border security.

These border lawmakers seem intent on taking steps to mitigate Mexico’s drug war. And not a moment too soon: According to StopTheDrugWar.org, the total body count since Calderon took office in 2006 is 19,032; this year alone, 2,721 have been killed.

Starting tomorrow, members of Services Employees International Union are protesting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with a two-day prayer vigil outside local ICE offices around the country, including those in Los Angeles, Boston and Minneapolis. This vigil comes after reports of mismanagement of ICE — which SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina called “completely out of control” — published by The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Department of Homeland Security’s own Office of Inspector General.

From SEIU’s press release today:

Rather than wasting limited funds to chase hard-working, tax-paying cleaners, home-care providers and nannies, the activists will call on President Obama and Secretary Janet Napolitano to re-focus ICE enforcement on its original goals of targeting crooked employers and criminals.

Thursday and Friday’s vigils are an effort to illustrate the ongoing, human cost of this agency’s misguided, out-of-control immigration enforcement strategy—which only serves to waste taxpayer resources, hurt hardworking people, and devastate local communities.  ICE’s “strategy” of sowing misery in workplaces and communities not only fails to tackle the underlying issue of our broken immigration system—it also contradicts efforts to improve wages and working conditions of all U.S. workers.

While other civil rights groups have been vocal about their disapproval of ICE, this looks like the first national attempt to call attention to the agency’s abuses after these recent reports. It’s unlikely this will inspire a response of action from DHS, since these abuses have been documented many times before, but it could mean other groups might start joining the effort. We’ll have to wait and see what comes of this.

When the Census Bureau announced it planned to spend $80 million of its $340 million ad campaign on outreach to hard-to-reach communities — including minorities and immigrants — early this year, many said that it wouldn’t be enough. Based on data tracking participation rates around the country, those critics may have been right: Areas with high percentages of minorities have much lower census participation rates thus far than predominately white areas.

In an effort to lower the number of undercounted communities, the census has targeted non-English speakers with ads in 28 languages and spent $23 million to target black populations. It also printed the first-ever bilingual questionnaire, in English and Spanish, which has been distributed to more than 13 million households, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, who is also on the Census Advisory Committee, during a press conference last month with civil rights groups. User guides are printed in 59 languages and the form itself in 6 languages. The bureau has even given some local community organizations up to $3,000 for their work to reach target communities.

But judging from the early numbers on participation rates, that may not be enough, despite a prediction that the message would reach 95% of the black population. The eight areas (of at least 50,000 people) with the highest participation rates are all predominantly white.

1. Green township, Ohio (97.52% white): 79% participation rate
2. Livonia city, Mich. (95.5% white): 78%
3. Macomb township, Mich. (96.1% white): 77%
4. St. Clair Shores city, Mich. (96.9% white): 77%
5. Dubuque city, Iowa (96.2% white): 76%
6. Orland Park village, Ill. (93.5% white): 76%
7. Orland township, Ill. (86.7% white): 76%
8. Rochester Hills city, Mich. (88.8% white): 76%

The national census participation rate is currently 60 percent.

Some of the areas with the highest black populations in the country, including Gary, Ind. (84.6 percent black) and Detroit, Mich. (81.6 percent black), have relatively low participation rates — 54 percent and 50 percent, respectively. Heavily Hispanic areas also lag far behind: El Paso, Texas (76.6 percent Hispanic) is at 57 percent and Santa Ana, Calif. (76.1 percent Hispanic) is at 54 percent participation. California and Texas — states with high numbers of Hispanics and immigrants — are among the states with the lowest participation rates.

But the census data show it’s not just blacks and Hispanics who are being undercounted. Native Americans reservations have some of the lowest participation rates in the country, with some not making it past the 10s.

Urban areas, which also tend to have high minority populations, aren’t doing very well, either. Here’s how the four largest cities in the country compare.

New York City: 45% participation rate
Los Angeles: 51%
Chicago: 49%
Houston: 48%

In addition to the ads, the census is still trying to target these communities by sending out a second questionnaire to houses that have not yet mailed the form back. In mid-April, the Bureau will be sending census workers to houses that did not turn in their forms.

“The 2010 Census, if everyone gets counted, will no doubt reflect a dramatically different future for America,” Racewire pointed out last week, “a nation that’s browner and more urban than ever.” But given these numbers, that type of America might have to wait until 2020.

Minority population data in this post come from the 2000 Census, while census participation rates come from Census Bureau figures from April 6, 2010.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General today released a report that confirms the problems surrounding the controversial 287(g) program, which gives state and local law enforcement agencies authority to enforce immigration laws.

Among its observations, the OIG found that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Local Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) had not met all of the requirements of the program, such as meeting regularly with steering committees to review the program’s assessment and adequately training its officers. Perhaps the most troubling observation of the report is that while the 287(g) program was developed to target dangerous, criminal illegal immigrants, LEAs are targeting those who have been arrested for minor offenses, if any:

With no specific target levels for arrest, detention, and removal priority levels, and with performance measures that do not account for all investigative work and criminal prosecutions, ICE cannot be assured that the 287(g) program is meeting its intended purpose, or that resources are being appropriately targeted toward aliens who pose the greatest risk to public safety and the community.

Despite these concerns, which have been previously cited by civil rights groups, the 287(g) program has recently expanded. As of June 2009, the Department of Homeland Security had 66 active 287(g) agreements with state and local LEAs in 23 states. According to ICE’s Web site, more than 70,000 individuals, mostly in jails, who were suspected of being in the country illegally were identified by the program. And the program continues to gain momentum. Funding for the program increased from $5 billion in 2006 to $68 billion in 2010.

What today’s report completely assures critics of the program, and critics of enforcement-only immigration laws, is that they were right: ICE isn’t focusing on criminals despite what DHS or ICE officials say. The National Immigration Forum, an advocacy group, released a press release today that said the program is “beyond repair and should be terminated.”

Today’s Inspector General’s report on ICE’s 287(g) program confirms our worst suspicions about this program…

The 287(g) program strikes at the heart of the ability of local police to gain the trust of immigrant populations in their communities. Law enforcement officers know that to be effective at crime control, they must have public support. Since its implementation, we have seen rogue agencies use the program to carry out an anti-immigrant agenda, terrorizing immigrant communities, resulting in dozens of allegations of racial profiling and civil rights abuses.

The Inspector General’s report shows that ICE is a very long way from being able to get this program under control. It should be abandoned.

To DHS’ credit, the OIG report does provide a long list of recommendations to improve the program, including ways to implement better oversight, training of officers and availability of 287(g) program information and records.