Saturday, September 21, 2013
What About Immigration Reform, Senator McCain? McCain Criticizes LA Dodgers for Using Arizona Pool
"Poolgate" reached Washington D.C. yesterday when U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) voiced strong displeasure with the Los Angeles Dodgers' celebration of their MLB National League West title.
After the Dodgers clinched the division with Thursday's 7-6 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, roughly half the team celebrated by jumping into the pool behind the right-center field wall at Chase Field.
Here is what John McCain tweeted:
John McCain ✔ @SenJohnMcCainNo-class act by a bunch of overpaid, immature, arrogant, spoiled brats! "The #Dodgers are idiots"
There is no word about what Senator McCain's 2008 Vice Presidential running-mate Sarah Palin had to say about the Dodgers' exploits. Rumor has it that Palin is a fan of the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska Baseball League.
The "Celebration"
KJ
September 21, 2013 in Current Affairs, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Friday, September 20, 2013
Is There a Viable Stragegy in the House for CIR?
The End of the Group of 7 Shakes Up the Dynamics and Frees Up Our Champions
America's Voice | Released on 09/20/2013 at 2:39pm
Greg Sargent at the Washington Post’s Plum Line broke the story this morning that one bipartisan attempt to craft comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the House is dead. Here are excerpts from Sargent’s post:
“It doesn’t appear that we’re going to move forward with the group of seven,” Dem Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a key player on immigration as a member of the gang, said in an interview with me. “The process is stalled. I don’t believe we’re going to produce a bill anytime soon.”
But Gutierrez tells me that House Republicans on the gang of seven — who have been trying to negotiate comprehensive reform that members of both parties can support for a long time — are just not prepared to embrace a final plan. He says he believes this is because House GOP leaders are not providing Republicans on the gang with support.
“The bipartisan group just wasn’t getting support from Republican House leadership,” Gutierrez says. “It’s just not gonna happen now.” Gutierrez continues to believe there is substantial tacit support for immigration reform even among Republicans, but that the GOP leadership refuses to acknowledge this or try to make something happen. “We need the GOP leadership to acknowledge the votes exist for reform,” he said.
Not long after, two Republicans from the Group of 7 (G7) issued a press release announcing they were also done with the working group. They cited a lack of trust in President Obama. But it’s clear to us that their departure was really prompted by a lack of Republican leadership’s trust in them.
What does this mean? It may mean the G7 bipartisan process is dead, but we believe it will shake up the dynamics of the debate in a way that keeps reform very much alive. Some will agree with Sargent that it’s a big blow. For us, it opens new possibilities:
It means Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and John Yarmuth (D-KY) are freed from the cul de sac they’ve been stuck in and can use their formidable influence to directly pressure House leadership to take action.
It means that House Democrats no longer have to hold back in deference to the G7 process and can bring their pressure to bear on House Republican leadership.
It frees up our champions to be ready to re-engage on a bipartisan basis when Republicans get serious about passing immigration reform measures.
Take the role of Rep. Luis Gutierrez. He is the immigration reform movement’s champion, and he’s trusted by House Republicans who want to enact immigration reform with a path to citizenship. No longer bound by a working group that lost momentum, he can now bring enormous pressure on House Speaker Boehner (R-OH), Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and be one of the go-to Democrats when they realize the only way they can pass immigration legislation is with the support of Democrats. Obviously, if the House Republican leadership does not want to pass reform, they can kill it. If they do want reform, they will need to create a bipartisan moment and reach out to Democrats willing to work with them. The G7 Democrats are the leading contenders.
But what if the House leadership continues to stall? We suspect that Rep. Gutierrez and his Democratic colleagues will pressure vulnerable Republicans to press their leadership to act – with the implication being that they will face a withering 2014 election season if they don’t. All the while, Rep. Gutierrez will continue to work with the movement for reform to pressure President Obama to take bold executive action and stop the deportations of those who would be eligible for legal status and citizenship under pending proposals.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
When one door closes, other doors open. We are glad that a moribund process has been put to rest and that our leading champions for reform are freed up to bring the full weight of their power to pressure Republicans to take action. We remain optimistic that immigration reform with a path to citizenship has a chance be enacted into law this year, and that legislation is the best solution to the challenges facing 11 million undocumented immigrants. Republicans who want reform will either find a way to work with Reps. Gutierrez, Becerra, Lofgren and Yarmuth or will find themselves being punished for not doing so.
bh
September 20, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
From the Bookshelves: Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight against Muslim Fundamentalism by Karima Bennoune
Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight against Muslim Fundamentalism by Karima Bennoune
In Lahore, Pakistan, Faizan Peerzada resisted being relegated to a “dark corner” by staging a performing arts festival despite bomb attacks. In Algeria, publisher Omar Belhouchet and his fellow journalists struggled to put out their papers the same night that a 1996 jihadist bombing devastated their offices, killing eighteen of their colleagues and neighbors. In Afghanistan, Young Women for Change took to the streets of Kabul to denounce sexual harassment, undeterred by threats. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Abdirizak Bihi organized a Ramadan basketball tournament among Somali refugees to counter recruitment efforts by Al Shabaab. In Egypt, female demonstrators tried to reclaim Tahrir Square on international women’s day despite Salafist harassment. In neighboring Sudan, women activists were dragged away from a Khartoum protest against the flogging of women for wearing trousers, but vowed to return “again and again.” From Karachi to Tunis, Kabul to Tehran, across the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and beyond, these trailblazers sometimes risked death to combat the rising tide of fundamentalism within their own countries and communities. Despite their courage and creativity, and the urgency of their efforts, this global community of writers, artists, doctors, musicians, museum curators, lawyers, activists, and educators of Muslim heritage remains largely invisible at the international level, lost amid the heated coverage of Islamist terror attacks on one side and abuses perpetrated against suspected terrorists on the other.
Increasingly frustrated with the stagnant, politicized public dialogue about the “clash of civilizations,” Karima Bennoune, an international human-rights lawyer, professor and activist, set out on an epic journey to change the conversation. She interviewed nearly 300 people from almost 30 countries, from Afghanistan to Mali and beyond. A veteran of twenty years of human rights research and activism, Bennoune draws on this extensive fieldwork and interviews to illuminate the inspiring stories of those who represent one of the best hopes for ending fundamentalist oppression worldwide.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Books, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
232 million international migrants living abroad worldwide–new UN global migration statistics reveal
There are as many international migrants born in the South living in other countries in the South as in countries in the North, reflecting changing patterns of Asian migration, but globally the United States remains the most popular destination, according to new data presented by the United Nations today. More people than ever are living abroad. In 2013, 232 million people, or 3.2 per cent of the world’s population, were international migrants, compared with 175 million in 2000 and 154 million in 1990. The new estimates include breakdowns by region and country of destination and origin, and by sex and age. The North, or developed countries, is home to 136 million international migrants, compared to 96 million in the South, or developing countries. Most international migrants are of working age (20 to 64 years) and account for 74 per cent of the total. Globally, women account for 48 per cent of all international migrants.
The data were released in advance of the upcoming High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, which will take place 3-4 October 2013 at UN Headquarters. The purpose of the High-level Dialogue is to identify concrete measures to strengthen coherence and cooperation at all levels, with a view to enhancing the benefits of international migration for migrants and countries alike and its important links to development, while reducing its negative implications. “Migration, when governed fairly, can make a very important contribution to social and economic development both in the countries of origin and in the countries of destination,” said Mr. Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “Migration broadens the opportunities available to individuals and is a crucial means of broadening access to resources and reducing poverty.”
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
International Migration Outlook 2013
Abstract: This publication analyses recent development in migration movements and policies in OECD countries and some non member countries including migration of highly qualified and low qualified workers, temporary and permanent, as well as students. This edition also contains two special chapters on topical issues: fiscal impact of migration and discrimination.
For the Executive Summary, click here.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Contemporary Immigrant Gateways in Historical Perspective
Contemporary Immigrant Gateways in Historical Perspective
This article focuses on settlement trends of immigrants during the periods that bookend the twentieth century, both eras of mass migration. It compares settlement patterns in both periods, describing old and new gateways, the growth of the immigrant population, and geographic concentration and dispersion.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
No Driver's Licenses in Arizona for DACA Recipients, Undocumented Immigrants
While California and other states is expanding driver's eligibility to undocumented immigrants to further public safety concerns, Arizona continues to move in the opposite direction. Read this article on the damage done by Arizona to deny licenses to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and victims of human trafficking.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
At the Movies: Brooklyn Castle
Katie Dellamaggiore’s Brooklyn Castle has its national broadcast premiere on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) on the award-winning PBS documentary series POV (Point of View). The film will stream on POV’s website from Oct. 8- Nov. 6, 2013. The film is part of the new PBS INDIES SHOWCASE, a four-week series of independent documentaries airing on Monday nights from Sept. 30-Oct. 21.
The late I.S. principal Fred Rubino pointed out that extracurricular activities are not really “extra,” because they teach “the whole child.” Beginning in 2000, under the tutelage of chess teacher and coach Elizabeth Spiegel and assistant principal John Galvin, the school expanded its small chess program and began competing in national tournaments. The results have been stunning: more than 30 national chess titles, including the 2012 U.S. High School National Championship, a first for a junior high.
Meet the students:
Twelve-year-old Alexis Paredes’ approach to chess is like his play—meditative and thoughtful. The second-ranked player at I.S. 318, he sees chess as a way to an education and a lucrative career that will allow him to support his Paraguayan immigrant family.
Justus Williams, 11 years old, is a prodigy, already one of America’s highest-ranked young chess players. Yet he is plagued by a tendency to freeze, stymied by the expectations created by his success.
Thirteen-year-old Rochelle Ballantyne, who broke the gender line of what had been an all-boys chess club, has the potential to become the first African-American female master in the history of chess. She is the first-ranked player in the school.
Pobo Efekoro, 12, is the big, boisterous, warm-hearted leader of the team. When the school’s budget for afterschool programs is cut, he runs for school president with the goal of mobilizing a student protest to get the cuts restored.
Patrick Johnston, 11, is a sensitive beginner who wants to raise his ranking to middle level. He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has taken to chess to develop concentration and patience.
For these kids, chess is more than a game, and winning is more than a matter of trophies. Brooklyn Castle is a clear-eyed look at a school program that has made a huge difference to students. It is equally a celebration of youth’s determination to dream, if given the chance.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs, Film & Television | Permalink | Comments (0)
Report Finds Successes and Challenges in the First Year of DACA
A new report released today by the Center for American Progress offers a nationwide analysis of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, finding that a year after its implementation, close to 600,000 people have applied, and more than 430,000 people have received the status—a monumental feat.
Nevertheless, the program is not reaching all states and all immigrant groups equally, with Mexican immigrants overrepresented in applications and acceptances, and other groups, particularly Asian immigrants, underrepresented. In an effort to answer critical questions about the success and implementation of DACA—which is seen by many as a trial run for a wider legalization program within immigration reform—the report evaluated the program’s implementation at the national and state levels, providing a wealth of information to understand where DACA applicants come from and where they live in the United States, as well as other information such as the gender and age breakdown of the population. Most crucially, these data open a window to assess just how well the DACA program has been functioning, and where it can be improved.
Some key findings of the report include:
National and state demographics
The rate of implementation varies widely by state, from a low of 22 percent of eligible applicants in Florida to a high of 48.6 percent in Indiana. (Because a portion of the DACA population will not be immediately eligible to apply, individual state implementation rates should not necessarily be viewed as low. Nationally, 53.1 percent of the DACA population is immediately eligible.)
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia—including California and Texas—have implementation rates that are lower than expected.
Applications by country of origin DACA applicants were born in 205 different countries, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Luxembourg and Norway to North Korea. Mexicans are overrepresented in the sample of applicants, while North and Central Americans (excluding Mexico), Europeans, and Asians are underrepresented.
Gender and age
Men are 1.4 times more likely than women to have their applications denied.
The average age of DACA applicants is 20 years old, and older applicants are significantly more likely to be denied than younger applicants.
Denials
Mexican applicants are half as likely to be denied DACA as other groups. All other applicants are 1.8 times more likely to be denied than applicants born in Mexico.
The role of immigrant-serving organizations
For every additional immigrant-serving organization, there is an increase of 70 DACA applications. But more organizations does not mean that more people in a given state have applied or been accepted than would be expected.
Explaining the differences in DACA rates
While it is too early to tell why discrepancies in denials exist, factors such as the active role of the Mexican consulate and broader exposure among Spanish-language press than Asian media play a role in the differences among national origins groups and their ultimate application and denial rates.
The high cost of applications may also hinder applicants, particularly those in families with multiple DACA-eligible youth. Both new and traditional media have played a significant role, though the paucity of information about DACA among some ethnic media sources—particularly those targeting Asian immigrants—could play a role in lower rates of applications.
Finally, while “self-deportation” laws like Arizona’s S.B. 1070 seek to make life as difficult as possible for unauthorized immigrants, they have had no impact to dampen enthusiasm among DACA-seekers.
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Lawyer Suspended from Practice of Law for "Illegal Alien" Reference in Letter to Opposing Counsel and Judge
The ABA Journal reports that an Indiana lawyer has been suspended for 30 days for a comment about the immigration status of his divorce client’s spouse in a letter sent to opposing counsel and the judge in the case. The lawyer, Joseph B. Barker, wrote the letter in 2009 to protest his client’s lack of access to his child, according to the Indiana Supreme Court's Sept. 6 opinion. Barker’s client “told me this week that he has only seen his baby … one day all year,” Barker wrote. “Your client doesn't understand what laws and court orders mean I guess. Probably because she's an illegal alien to begin with. I want you to repeat to her in whatever language she understands that we'll be demanding she be put in JAIL for contempt of court. I'm filing a copy of this letter with the court to document the seriousness of this problem.” (emphasis added).
The Indiana Supreme Court said Barker’s letter violated ethics rules regarding conduct showing bias or prejudice, and conduct with no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, burden or delay a third person. The court noted that "While it is a mitigating fact that Respondent has no disciplinary history, the Respondent's misconduct is aggravated by the fact that he has no insight into his misconduct, he has not apologized to Mother, and he has substantial experience in the practice of law. Under these circumstances, the Court concludes that a period of suspension is required." (emphasis added).
KJ
September 20, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (1)
Thursday, September 19, 2013
UC Davis Conference: Immigration Reform: What Next?
Immigration Reform: What Next?
Friday, October 11
UC Davis School of Law, Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom
8:30 AM – 6:30 PM
The US has over 40 million foreign-born residents, almost 20 percent of the world’s migrant stock. Over a quarter of these migrants, some 11 million, are irregular, and three-fourths of these irregular migrants are in the labor force.
The Senate approved a comprehensive reform bill in June 2013 on a 68-32 vote. The House Judiciary Committee approved four bills in June 2013 that would increase enforcement and expedite the entry of guest workers for agriculture and STEM occupations.
Recent changes in immigration laws and flows are reshaping immigration to this country. This conference summarizes the current status of immigration reform in the United States and the impact of these changes on our society, economy and political system. This conference is organized by the Immigration Law Association of UC Davis with the generous support of the Giannini Foundation, the Gifford Center, and the IFHA Temporary Migration project.
Kindly RSVP HERE.
For more information, please contact Jake Leraul at [email protected]
Speakers include:
Ana Avendaño (AFL-CIO)
Sofia Campos (United We Dream) (TBC)
Richard Boswell (UC Hastings)
Marcine Seid (Seid Law/AILA Director of Board of Governors)
Rose Cuison-Villazor (UC Davis School of Law) (moderator)
Magnus Lofstrom (PPIC)
David Hardtke (Chief Scientist at Bright)
Giovanni Peri (UC Davis) (moderator)
Francisco Ugarte (Dolores Street Community Services)
Gabriel Chin (UC Davis School of Law) (TBC)
Leticia Saucedo (UC Davis School of Law) (moderator)
Ed Taylor (UC Davis)
Phillip Martin (UC Davis)
Kevin Johnson (UC Davis School of Law)
Bill Hing ( UC Davis School of Law/University of San Francisco)
bh
September 19, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
At the Movies: Some Restaurant Owners Thought They Could Pull A Fast One On Their Workers. Wrong Move, Dudes.
This trailer for "The Hand That Feeds" gives us a taste of what promises to be a compelling movie about undocumented workers joining together to create real power on the job in New York. After 2+ years of struggle, they were victorious, getting a union and unprecedented bargaining power against all odds. Look for the full movie in 2014!
KJ
September 19, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Immigration Article of the Day: The Right to Say I Don’t: Forced Marriage as Persecution in Asylum Law in the United Kingdom, Spain, and France by Alicia Lobeiras
The Right to Say I Don’t: Forced Marriage as Persecution in Asylum Law in the United Kingdom, Spain, and France by Alicia Lobeiras Independent August 30, 2013 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 52, 2014
Abstract: This Note aims to compare the way that forced marriage is, or is not, viewed as persecution under the domestic asylum laws and regulations of the United Kingdom and two other European nations — Spain and France. First, this Note will provide a background on the law of asylum, its international origins and its domestic implementation in the legal systems of the United Kingdom, Spain and France. Additionally, this Note will compare how these three States address the practice of forced marriage. Whether forced marriage is considered persecution under their respective domestic systems of asylum law differs between the States and in varying degrees, often diverges from, and fails to comply with, international standards. These differences in how forced marriage in substantively treated by these three European countries is especially problematic given the growing procedural harmonization among the countries, leaving victims of forced marriage with fewer options and opportunities for asylum protection. Finally, this Note will argue that there should be domestic, regional and international solutions implemented to ensure the protection of victims of forced marriage.
KJ
September 19, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
H4 visa, a curse - by Rashi Bhatnagar
H4 visa, a curse - by Rashi Bhatnagar Writer hails from India.
She has been residing in the US legally for the last four years on H4 visa. She has a support group on Facebook ‘H4 visa, a curse’ which has members from all over the US and who come from countries all around the globe.
Come October every year, many companies open their gates for newly hired H1B workers, but no attention is given to their families in the US especially the spouses. Majority of them are women folk who follow their highly skilled husbands – doctors, engineers, researchers, scientists. Most of these women are young, well educated, English speaking, full of innovative ideas, ambitious but they are denied right to work, SSN and a long wait (10 – 20 years due to the current retrogression on the visa dates). They can be an asset to the US economy by establishing their own businesses, creating jobs, reducing out sourcing and filling up the demand of high skilled workers. It will give all of us a high purchasing power as well.
US is considered as a land of innovation and opportunities. In order to curb the shortage of high skilled workers in the US, H1B visas are granted to the citizens of other countries for the same. Though H4 visa holders can convert their dependent visas to H1B visas but it has become impossible these days. Five years back, Nikki T, a member of ‘H4 visa, a curse’ group on Facebook, used to work in India with a reputed US based company as a software professional. She got married to a person who was already working in US on H1B Visa. She arrived in US on a dependent visa. Her previous employer in India (US based) was based out of the same city in US where she arrived. She was excited to know that she falls under highly skilled force. In spite of getting lot of job offers from other companies, trying out for a job in the same company, she was disappointed to know that nobody is ready to sponsor a work visa for her. She didn’t lose hope. In spite of having Engineering and a Master’s degree in Management and ample work experience, she enrolled in a reputed state university for a Master’s program. After two years with a successful on job training she could not find an employer who could sponsor her H1B visa. It has only added an unnecessary debt, frustration and disappointment. Her co- workers back home are still working and growing with the same company.
H4 visa dependent kids who are brought as babies legally to the US are forced to go back to their origin countries after attaining 21 years of age because due to the long wait Green Card wait. At the same time passing of the DACA rule has given work permits to the eligible kids of illegal workers in the US.
This problem is not limited to women and kids. Many legal, dependent males are also getting affected by this as well.
Nikki’s husband supports her financially well, but not many of the H4 spouses get lucky with supportive spouses like Nikki. Due to financial dependence, no identity, little awareness, and no support, these women become victims of severe domestic violence and abuse. There is no specific information about H4 visa protection laws, conditions, and work permit problems on any official US immigration websites. Sometimes it becomes very easy for the masses to comment “You know about this visa before coming to the US”.
A person on L1 Visa comes to US and performs similar job duties as an H1B worker performs. But the dependents of L1 Visa holders are immediately eligible for a work permit (EAD), but not the dependents of H1B workers. This difference of treatment does not find any justification in any of the available rules and documents.
Though nobody can give back our lost time, aspirations and dreams, we hope that Immigration Reform will amend the age old laws so that the new aspirants will not suffer like many H4 visa dependents.
(Group member name has been changed due to privacy concern)
September 18, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (17)
Demography and Migration: An Outlook for the 21st Century
Economic and demographic disparities will shape the mobility of labor and skills during the 21st century. The populations of richer societies in Europe, North America, and East Asia are aging rapidly, and some are already shrinking in absolute terms. At the same time, working-age populations will continue to grow in some emerging economies and in most low-income countries. In a new policy brief, Demography and Migration: An Outlook for the 21st Century, MPI Nonresident Scholar Rainer Münz, who served as a member of the European Union’s high-level Reflection Group “Horizon 2020-2030,” notes that despite these trends, many highly developed countries and emerging economies continue to assume that today’s demographic realities will persist — and are thus unprepared for the future. International migration and internal mobility represent one way of addressing the growing demographic, and persisting economic, disparities. People will continue to move from youthful to aging societies, and from poorer to richer regions. The current geography of migration will, however, change. On the one hand, emerging markets with higher economic growth will provide domestic alternatives to international migration. Some of today’s major sources of migrants may begin to absorb most of their new labor-force entrants into their own economies. A few — including China and Korea — will themselves enter the global race for talent, and may become more attractive destinations for migrant workers than some traditional immigrant-receiving countries still enduring low (or no) economic growth and high unemployment rates. These realities have important implications for policymakers with respect to migration, integration, development, and other policies. This policy brief is the fourth in a series being published by the Migration Policy Institute in advance of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, which will take place Oct. 3 – 4. Earlier briefs question the assumption of “brain drain” when skilled migrants emigrate, examine what is known about environmental change-induced displacement, and assess whether respect for migrants’ rights brings economic benefits.
Read the briefs and other MPI research on migration and development here.
KJ
September 18, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Summary of Family-Based Immigration: Now and Under S.744
Immigration reform has only been approved by the Senate, but as the bill currently stands, S.744 changes several elements of the family-based system; it also adds merit-based tracks.
We've developed a new tool to help you distinguish these changes.This four-page document summarizes the proposed changes and additions.
Download summary
Visit our Immigration Reform web page for news and updates.
bh
September 18, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Seeks Dean
The University of Detroit Mercy invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the School of Law. As Michigan's largest, most comprehensive private University, the University of Detroit Mercy is an independent Catholic institution of higher education sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy and Society of Jesus. The University seeks qualified candidates who will contribute to the University's mission, diversity, and excellence of its academic community. The University of Detroit Mercy is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer with a diverse faculty and student body and welcomes persons of all backgrounds. Please access this link for details and application materials.
KJ
September 18, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
David Bacon: A New Bracero Program Will Hurt Farmworkers
David Bacon argues against a "new" Bracero Program" in this op/ed "A NEW BRACERO PROGRAM WILL HURT FARM WORKERS" on
New America Media.
For more articles and images by Bacon, click here.
KJ
September 18, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Immigration Article of the Day: Freedmen and Day Laborers: Why Enforcement Matters by Raja Raghunath
Freedmen and Day Laborers: Why Enforcement Matters by Raja Raghunath, University of Denver Sturm College of Law. September 3, 2013 U Denver Legal Studies Research Paper No. 13-40
Abstract: As the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Emancipation approaches, there are cautionary lessons for modern workers to be found in Reconstruction, the period that followed the abolition of chattel slavery. It was mostly due to vehement opposition that the promise of universal liberty at work was squelched after the Civil War, but the federal government also bears responsibility for not defending the rights it had granted to the freed slaves, or freedmen, when those rights were contested and eventually nullified in the working fields and cities of the South. In this sense, workers’ rights were the original civil rights, and the Freedmen’s Bureau, the original federal labor rights agency, was a founding failure of enforcement. This article argues that the lesson of this failure is that modern enforcement agencies must pay increased attention to labor standards enforcement for foreign born workers, in particular unauthorized immigrants, and that such a focus will benefit all workers in the national economy. The modern American underclass has expanded to substantially include unauthorized immigrants, and their presence in an industry or labor market, such as day labor, is a reliable marker that the most vulnerable workers may be found there. By focusing on these most vulnerable workers, enforcement efforts can help overcome the collective action problem that is created by any system of minimum labor standards. What primarily stands in the way of such an enforcement focus is the misplaced reliance on moral culpability that drives so much of the debate about unauthorized workers. This article argues that the exploitation of vulnerable workers is a behavior that has persisted through the centuries, and that this persistence matters as much as, or more than, the motivations for such behavior, like racism or hostility to foreigners. Finally, it offers some potential responses to what would be an expected backlash to this argument.
KJ
September 18, 2013 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Some Immigrant Advocates Willing to Give in on Path to Citizenship?
Say it aint' so.
From the Washington Post:
Some influential immigration advocates said Tuesday that they could live with legislation that offers legal status, but not a designated path to citizenship, for the 11 million people living in the country illegally, suggesting there may be more common ground in the immigration debate than is readily apparent.
Key Republicans have said they could support legal status for those in the country without permission. But they have balked at what they call a “special path” for them to obtain citizenship, as provided in a bill that passed the Senate this summer. That legislation allows most of this group to obtain green cards—or legal permanent residency–after a set period of time, which automatically gives someone the chance to apply for citizenship.
How to handle those in the country illegally is the most politically dicey aspect of the immigration debate. Democrats and immigration advocates have said that to offer anything short of citizenship is to create a permanent second class of residents. But many Republicans say it is wrong to reward people who broke the law.
It is unclear whether House Republican leaders will bring any legislation to the floor this year. The calendar is crowded with must-do legislation on fiscal matters, and immigration is a sensitive topic that would likely require leadership to defy the wishes of the party’s conservative wing. It would also require bipartisan cooperation in a chamber that has shown little of it.
On Tuesday, several advocates said they were open to compromise on the issue of citizenship, hoping that GOP leaders will see the policy differences between the parties as surmountable. Read more...
bh
September 17, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
