Seth Hoy: Despite repeated warnings from business groups, tourism and industry boards and advocates about the hefty price tag attached to Arizona-style legislation, state lawmakers continued to push “get tough” copycat proposals.
Pawlenty Slams Obama on Immigration
By
Andrea Nill: Obama always made clear that immigration reform stood in a line with health care reform, energy legislation, and financial regulatory changes and that at least a few Republicans are needed to pass a bill.
States Toss Costly Immigration Legislation
By
Seth Hoy: Clearly, states attempting to take immigration law into their own hands will continue to face costly uphill battles. The question is not whether but when voters will notice that their leaders are putting politics before the state’s best economic interest.
Unauthorized Immigrants Pay Taxes, Too
By
Seth Hoy: One of the biggest myths perpetuated by restrictionist groups is that the roughly 12 million unauthorized immigrants currently living in the U.S. use a variety of public services yet paying nothing in taxes.
Restrictive Immigrations Measures Dying
By
Seth Hoy: The legislative graveyard got a little bit bigger this week as lawmakers in Mississippi pronounced a series of restrictive immigration measures dead.
Phoenix Police Exaggerate Kidnapping Stats
By
Andrea Nill: One city councilwoman claims that police officials have known the figures were wrong since August 2010, but continued to deny allegations that they weren’t for months.
Will State Legislators Continue to Pull the Plug on Restrictive Immigration Measures?
By
Seth Hoy: While some state lawmakers reject the enforcement-only approach to immigration, others—like state Sen. Russell Pearce, author of Arizona’s SB 1070—continued to sink their state in restrictionist quicksand.
Russell Pearce Introduces ‘SB-1070 On Steroids’
By
Andrea Nill: The bill also seeks to put companies that do not use the federal electronic employment verification system out of business and would require cities to evict anyone in public housing who cannot prove they are in the U.S. legally.
Sexual Assault Coverage by Media Shows Double Standard
By
Walter Brasch: For the news media to continue to adhere to some puritanical belief that they are protecting womanhood by not reporting names and details perpetuates the myth that rape is purely a sexual intrusion, and not the brutal attack it truly is.
Brewer Countersues Feds
By
Andrea Nill: Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) announced that she is filing a countersuit against the federal government on behalf of the state of Arizona. The countersuit names several counts, including a “failure to protect Arizona from invasion.”
States Contemplating Enforcement Legislation Continue to Walk the Line
By
Seth Hoy: Sadly, however, state legislators seem determined to act against their state’s best interests and move forward on restrictive immigration laws, which have been proven time and time again to hurt small businesses, law enforcement and the pocket books of the constituents they claim to represent.
Will “Stepping on the Gas” of Immigration Enforcement Drive Us into a Brick Wall?
By
Michele Waslin: Most importantly, worksite enforcement can only be truly effective if done in conjunction with comprehensive immigration reform—something President Obama alluded to in the State of the Union Address last night and Rep. Zoe Lofgren addressed in today’s hearing.
Dear Mr. Smith, Your Pants Are on Fire: Sincerely, the Facts
By
Michele Waslin: Until we focus on policy reforms that improve our immigration system in an honest, fair and effective way instead of disseminating myths and misinformation that divide us, we are destined to keep spinning our wheels with no real improvements to our system.
Arizona Copycat Law Could Cost Kentucky $40 Million
By
Andrea Nill: Senate Bill 6 would cost Kentucky a net $40 million a year in court, prison and foster-care costs. Yet, the Kentucky senate voted 24-14 last week to pass the bill without knowing its cost.
Steve King Bitter Over Immigration Subcommittee Snub
By
Andrea Nill: Though King is notably disappointed about the GOP leadership’s decision, anti-immigrant groups don’t seem too concerned. The designated hate group, Federation for American Immigration Reform, congratulated Gallegly “on his well-deserved appointment.”
Legislators Intend to Burden States with Costly Immigration Litigation
By
Seth Hoy: A group of state legislators, State Legislators for Legal Immigration, presented two measures intended to prevent the American-born children of undocumented immigrants from automatically becoming citizens
Inch by Inch, Hearing by Hearing: A Look Ahead at the GOP’s Immigration Agenda
By
Seth Hoy: Revitalizing the economy and growing jobs are never part of the equation when it comes to ramped-up state and federal immigration enforcement measures.
New Study Cites DREAM Act Economic Benefits
By
Andrea Nill: The report concludes, “In the No DREAMers Left Behind scenario, 2.1 million undocumented immigrants would become legalized and generate approximately $3.6 trillion” over a 40-year period.
Sanctuary Cities and the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program: Two Things that Do Not Go Together
By
Michele Waslin: Despite the clear facts, radio-show hosts, politicians, and immigration restrictionists still want you to believe that cities receiving SCAAP reimbursements are providing “sanctuary” to criminals. Maybe next they’ll try to convince you immigrants are responsible for global warming and teenage obesity—wait, been there, done that.
Missouri Supreme Court Deciding Undocumented Immigrants’ Child Custody Rights
By
Andrea Nill: Ultimately, the only thing more messed up than changing the Constitution to deny the American-born children of undocumented immigrants citizenship is deporting their parents, snagging the U.S. citizen kids, and giving them to an American couple.
Victims’ Rights in California: On Paper, in Practice
By
Diane Lefer: The restorative justice model is able to keep the compassionate focus on those who have suffered most from violent crime–the victims, while still addressing the factors that drive crime and recidivism and without denying the humanity of the imprisoned.
A Look Into Lamar Smith’s Anti-Immigrant Agenda
By
Andrea Nill: Described as a lawmaker who is “less interested in getting in the spotlight and more interested in driving immigrants out of the country,” Smith will undoubtedly use his leadership position to push through his anti-immigrant agenda.
Angle’s Latina Spokesperson Backs Away From Criticism Of Candidate’s Anti-Immigrant Ads
By
Andrea Nill: Yesterday, Ellis told progressive radio host Mario Solis Marich that the Las Vegas Sun misrepresented her remarks. In an attempt to set the record straight, Ellis began to tepidly back away from her criticisms of Angle’s ads and defend the conservative movement.
Young Immigrant Breaks Down While Sharing Her ‘Greatest Fear’ With Obama
By
Andrea Nill: The Obama administration can do something about processing backlogs, however it’s up to Congress to reform the immigration system.Currently, the visa system is currently outdated by over twenty years and does not meet the needs or demands of a 21st century globalized economy — let alone immigrant families.
While Defending Meg Whitman, Megyn Kelly Contradicts Fox News Reporting On No-Match Letters
By
Andrea Nill: In her interview Nicky Diaz Santillan’s attorney, Gloria Allred, Kelly insisted that the Whitman family had no legal obligation to do anything upon receiving the letter.
Military Experts Call for DREAM Act Passage
By
Andrea Nill: Many military experts have come out in support of the DREAM Act, which comprises the majority of undocumented immigrants.
PCL offers monthly Open House Events on the 2nd Saturday at 2pm and 3rd Thursday at 6pm. Click here to learn more.
Anti-Immigrant ALIPAC Advises Supporters To Lie About Where They Live When Calling Congress
Andrea Nill: There’s nothing wrong with grassroots advocacy that’s focused on putting pressure on key lawmakers. However, actually calling Congressional offices and pretending to be a constituent isn’t just disingenuous, it disrupts the democratic process.