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.
Some States “Just Say No” to Harmful Immigration Enforcement Laws
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Seth Hoy: Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arizona are still pursing harmful enforcement legislation, but they do so in full light of the social and economic consequences—consequences for which Arizona and other states are still paying.
Arizona Considering Requiring Hospitals to Verify Immigration Status
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Andrea Nill: SB-1405 would require hospitals to conduct an immigration status check before admitting a patient for non-emergency care. If the person is in the country illegally, hospitals will be forced to report the patient to federal authorities.
Brewer Countersues Feds
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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.”
What’s in Your Wallet? Fiscal Notes Give States Pause Over Enforcement Laws
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Seth Hoy: As many states face budget deficits in 2011, lawmakers might be asking their constituents the same question as those Capitol One commercials, “What’s in your wallet?”
Bush Concerned Nation ‘Going Through Period’ of Nativism
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Andrea Nill: The Bush brothers don’t appear ready to fully acknowledge the role their party has played in stoking nativism and killing the chances for sensible immigration reform in the near future.
States Contemplating Enforcement Legislation Continue to Walk the Line
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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.
Anti-Immigrant Leader Spearheading Effort to Oust Sheriff Dupnik
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Andrea Nill: The focus of Dupnik’s controversial statements was not immigration. However, it is no coincidence that Americans Against Immigration Amnesty is going after one of the most vocal critics of Arizona’s immigration law.
Will “Stepping on the Gas” of Immigration Enforcement Drive Us into a Brick Wall?
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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
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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.
White Power, White Terrorism, White Mainstream
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Jessie Daniels: The white mainstream is already framing this shooting as the act of a crazed, lone gunman, rather than part of a consistent pattern of right-wing violence perpetrated almost exclusively by white men who are responding to a political climate that is increasingly stoked by vitriolic rhetoric.
Legislators Intend to Burden States with Costly Immigration Litigation
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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
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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.
Will Local Lawmakers Take the Immigration Enforcement Bait?
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Seth Hoy: As local lawmakers begin to lay the groundwork for next year’s legislative agenda, some conservative legislators are attempting to prioritize immigration enforcement ahead of efforts to jump-start flagging economies.
The Tragedy of Under-Reaching
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Norman Solomon: We need to build a grassroots progressive movement — wide, deep and strong enough to fight the right and challenge the corporate center of the Democratic Party.
A Look Into Lamar Smith’s Anti-Immigrant Agenda
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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.
Top “Tossup” House Race for Progressives: Raul Grijalva
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Norman Solomon: Demagogues in the Republican Party, and their Democratic allies, will say this is about amnesty and open borders. No matter how many times they repeat it, it won’t be true.
While Defending Meg Whitman, Megyn Kelly Contradicts Fox News Reporting On No-Match Letters
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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.
Senators Menendez and Leahy Introduce the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010
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While this bill provides a strong starting point for Congress to honestly debate meaningful immigration reforms, many wonder whether obstructionists in Congress will continue to use immigration as a political piñata in the name of election politics or put partisanship aside and fix our broken immigration system.
Balancing Family Immigration with Our Economic Needs
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Michele Waslin: Portraying immigration reform as a choice between employment-based and family-based immigration is, in fact, a false choice.
States Pushing Anti-Immigration Legislation Forced to Run Costly Damage Control
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Seth Hoy: As politicians continue to take a “get tough on immigration” stance in the run up to midterm elections, voters may decide that their pocketbooks trump their politics when it comes to immigration.
New Study Shows Immigrants Boost Wages And Productivity
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Andrea Nill: The study conclusively states, “there is no evidence that these effects take place at the expense of jobs for workers born in the United States.”
How Immigration Reform Could’ve Helped Prevent The ‘Massacre’ Of 72 Migrants
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Andrea Nill: Fixing the broken immigration system by creating a flexible number of opportunities for economic migrants to work in the U.S. without sacrificing border security is a much more practical and realistic solution.
Florida Legislators Oppose Proposed Anti-Immigration Legislation
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Seth Hoy: Bipartisan opposition to Florida’s proposed anti-immigrant legislation is a rare example of those who actually prioritize policy over politics.
SB1070-Inspired Activity Continues in the States
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Michele Waslin: Even though a judge ruled that it could not be implemented, Arizona’s immigration law, SB1070, has sparked a great deal of activity across the U.S. Unfortunately, it’s not the type of activity that’s going to result in meaningful solutions.
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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.