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Daily news updates from CIS
May 21, 2010
Domestic News
Support the Center for Immigration Studies by donating on line here: http://cis.org/donate
[For CISNEWS subscribers --
1. Feds may not process illegals caught in AZ
2. Feds to expand Secure Communities in IL
3. National poll finds overwhelming support for AZ law
4. Calderon assails Arizona law before Congress (story, 2 links)
5. Dems seek to bypass Rahm Emanuel on immigration
6. Sen. Kyl: Dems holding border security hostage
7. Sen. Hatch blasts Calderon's speech
8. Rep. Gutierrez wants same-sex marriage provisions in amnesty bill
9. Growing number of homosexuals seeks asylum
10. AZ senate candidate challenges McCain over issue
11. Arizona law splits GOP
12. Cuba criticizes Arizona law
13. States lining up to follow Arizona's lead
14. RI enforcement bill sparks protest
15. CA city declares a 'Rule of Law' policy
16. AZ city mayor decries state law
17. Judge blocks NY city day labor restrictions
18. Palin encourages other states to emulate Arizona
19. Forum debates costs of immigration in Nevada
20. MD girl revives debate over mixed-status families (story, link)
21. Activists resort to cartoon to decry AZ law
22. Protestors disrupt downtown Seattle
23. Activists rally in Arizona for DREAM Act
Subscribe to CIS e-mail services here: http://cis.org/immigrationnews.html
-- Mark Krikorian]
1.
Top Official Says Feds May Not Process Illegals Referred From Arizona
The Fox News, May 21, 2010
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/21/official-says-feds-process-illegals-referred-arizona/
A top Department of Homeland Security official reportedly said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.
John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, made the comment during a meeting on Wednesday with the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, the newspaper reports.
'I don't think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution,' Morton told the newspaper.
The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, he said, and not a patchwork of state laws.
The law, which criminalizes being in the state illegally and requires authorities to check suspects for immigration status, is not 'good government,' Morton said.
In response to Morton's comments, DHS officials said President Obama has ordered the Department of Justice to examine the civil rights and other implications of the law.
'That review will inform the government's actions going forward,' DHS spokesman Matt Chandler told Fox News on Friday.
Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said ICE is not obligated to process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.
'ICE has the legal discretion to accept or not to accept persons delivered to it by non-federal personnel,' Napolitano said. 'It also has the discretion to deport or not to deport persons delivered to it by any government agents, even its own.'
Morton, according to a biography posted on ICE's website, began his federal service in 1994 and has held numerous positions at the Department of Justice, including as a trial attorney and special assistant to the general counsel in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and as counsel to the deputy attorney general.
Border apprehensions in Arizona, where roughly 500,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to be living, are up 6 percent since October, according to federal statistics. Roughly 6.5 million residents live in Arizona.
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2.
Immigration crackdown for Illinois
Feds to step up enforcement
By Oscar Avila
The Chicago Tribune, May 19, 2010
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-19/news/ct-met-immigration-laws-chicago-20100519_1_illegal-immigration-immigration-paperwork-homeland-security
In the midst of an outcry over illegal immigration and Arizona's new crackdown, a top Department of Homeland Security official visiting Chicago on Wednesday said his agency intended to step up enforcement in places such as Illinois.
John Morton, who heads U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said his agency intends to expand the Secure Communities initiative, which gives police and sheriff's departments access to a Homeland Security database that includes fingerprints. The initiative recently grew to include most of Chicago's suburbs.
Morton, a former prosecutor, also said the agency intends to increase scrutiny of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
'If we're going to bring about meaningful changes in behavior, you have to do that by focusing on the employer,' he said during a meeting with the Tribune editorial board.
Morton said the government's stepped-up enforcement would result in a 'sharp increase' in deportations this year. Last year's 400,000 overall deportations were a record, but this year there has already been a 40 percent jump in deportations of criminals, he said.
Echoing comments by President Barack Obama and others in the administration, Morton said that Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigration is not 'good government.' The law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally and requires police to check suspects for immigration paperwork.
Morton said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona officials. The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, not a patchwork of state laws, he said.
'I don't think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution,' Morton said.
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3.
Only 14% in US back resolutions against Arizona
Poll: 68% object to boycotts
By Howard Fischer
The Capitol Media Services, May 21, 2010
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_c40a8e38-c7b1-5fbd-bb2b-1eaaaea8ef10.html
Phoenix -- A new nationwide survey suggests most Americans do not agree with calls to boycott Arizona over its new immigration law.
The telephone poll of 1,000 adults conducted Monday and Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports found that 14 percent of those questioned said it is a good idea for cities and other states to curtail their business contacts with Arizona because of the law. Another 68 percent said boycotts are a bad idea, with the remainder having no opinion or not sure.
Los Angeles became the largest city to join the list last week from conducting business with Arizona unless and until the law is repealed. Several other major cities have passed similar resolutions, including Boston.
But the Rasmussen survey suggested these communities run a risk for doing that.
Of those responding, 40 percent said they would avoid doing business with any nearby city or state that boycotts Arizona. But 43 percent said the boycott vote by any community would not affect their own shopping decisions, with the balance unsure.
The new law set to take effect July 29 requires police, when practicable, to question those they have stopped for some other reason about their immigration status if there is 'reasonable suspicion'' that person is an illegal immigrant.
Another provision essentially makes being in this country illegally a violation of state law. And those who harbor, conceal or transport those they know are illegal immigrants would face new penalties.
The law has provoked criticism, much of it elsewhere, including comments both by President Obama, who said the law could lead to racial profiling. And Mexican President Felipe Calderón weighed in Thursday with his own objections during his visit to Washington.
But public sympathy may lie with Arizona lawmakers, who approved the measure, and Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed it.
The survey shows that 26 percent of those asked say the views of political leaders in Washington more closely represent their own ideas on immigration - and 55 percent say their views are closer to those of Arizona politicians.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Two Rasmussen polls demonstrate overwhelming support for the Arizona bill. The boycott poll is available online at: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/68_oppose_boycotts_of_arizona_over_new_immigration_law
While a poll suggesting support for the law amongst Arizonans has reached 71% is available online at: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/arizona/71_in_arizona_now_support_state_s_new_immigration_law
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4.
Calderón Again Assails Arizona Law on Detention
By Brian Knowlton
The New York Times, May 20, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/world/americas/21calderon.html
Washington, DC -- President Felipe Calderón of Mexico escalated his assault Thursday on the Arizona law that allows law enforcement officials to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, calling it a 'terrible idea.' He offered the criticism in a particularly privileged forum: before a joint meeting of Congress.
Mr. Calderón dedicated much of his 35-minute speech to underscoring the centrality of the relationship between Mexico and the United States, and he drew warm and frequent applause.
But he did not shy from the thorniest common issues, including illegal immigration and the tough law that is part of Arizona’s response, and the deadly surge in drug-related violence that has spilled at times across the border. To address the latter, Mr. Calderón argued that Congress should reinstate its ban on the sort of assault weapons often used by drug traffickers.
Briefly taking up the Arizona law, he said that it 'introduces a terrible idea: using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement.' He had made a similar point on Wednesday, when he spent much of the day with President Obama, who himself called the law 'misdirected.'
Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said afterward that it was 'inappropriate for President Calderón to lecture Americans on our own state and federal laws.'
Mr. Calderón also said that despite immense challenges — the recent recession, a severe drought and a deadly flu outbreak — Mexico was doing all it could to keep its people at home. It has managed to create hundreds of thousands of jobs this year, he said, growing more rapidly than its northern neighbor.
He also told Congress that Mexico was making extraordinary efforts to confront a wave of drug-fueled crime. 'We have not hesitated to use all the power of the state, including the federal police and the armed forces,' he said. 'We are hitting them, and we are hitting them hard.'
'Restoring public security will not be easy and will not be quick,' Mr. Calderón said, adding that it would take time, money 'and, unfortunately to our deep sorrow, it will take human life.'
But he said that of 75,000 guns and assault weapons seized in Mexico in the past three years, 'more than 80 percent of those we have been able to trace came from the United States.'
Violence in Mexico began to increase in 2006, he said, just two years after the American assault-weapons ban expired. Drug-related killings are estimated to have approached 23,000 since that year. Mr. Calderón’s call for a new weapons ban drew some applause, but many lawmakers remained seated. Indeed, in the largely pro-gun Congress, there seemed to be little chance of passing a fresh ban, and the notion raised some Republican ire.
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Calderon tells Hill Arizona law ‘introduces a terrible idea’
By Russell Berman and Michael O’Brien
The Hill (Washington, DC), May 20, 2010
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/99073-calderon-says-arizona-law-introduces-a-terrible-idea
Mexico’s Calderon: Ariz. illegal immigration 'cannot be erased by decree'
By Jim Abrams
The Associated Press, May 20, 2010
http://azstarnet.com/news/national/article_6eb5be3e-6435-11df-addb-001cc4c002e0.html
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5.
As immigration fades, Emanuel role under scrutiny
By Peter Nicholas
The Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-immigration-emanuel-20100520,0,7018096.story
Washington, DC -- Prospects for an immigration overhaul are fizzling this year and some Democratic lawmakers are focusing blame on the pugnacious Democratic operative who works just down the hall from President Obama.
Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff and longtime party strategist, has argued privately that it's a bad time for Democrats to push an immigration bill, a potential landmine in the midst of a crucial mid-term election.
Emanuel's stance, coupled with his long-held wariness about the politics of immigration, is emboldening key Democrats to come forward and ask that he step aside from the issue.
'There's always a sense that no matter how hard we work, to get through the White House, we have to get through Rahm,'' said U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.). 'I would like immigration not to be part of the chief of staff's portfolio. It would make our ability to convince and access decision-makers in the White House a lot easier.''
Emanuel has a complicated history with the immigration question, dating back to the 1990s. As a top aide to former President Bill Clinton, he stressed the message that Clinton was hardnosed about policing illegal immigration.
Later, as a Chicago congressman who took on the assignment of installing more Democrats in the House, Emanuel cautioned that immigration was the 'third rail of American politics,'' dangerous to those who touch it.
Now, as Obama's top aide, Emanuel has argued much the same thing in private meetings. He has warned that pressing ahead with an immigration bill could jeopardize the chances of moderate and conservative Democratic candidates in the run-up to the midterms, according to people familiar with the matter.
A practiced nose-counter, Emanuel has also questioned whether there are enough Republican votes to help pass a bill that, among other things, would provide a path to legal status for the 11 million living here illegally.
Democratic lawmakers and advocates who have clashed with Emanuel over the years fear that immigration is destined to be a second-tier priority so long as he is in his current role.
'It's going to be much easier for this issue to move after Rahm Emanuel leaves the White House,'' said Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democratic Network, a think tank. 'Rahm has a long history of a lack of sympathy for the importance of the immigration issue.''
A White House spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
With time running out, the chances of an immigration overhaul this year are receding. No bill has yet been introduced in the Senate. Come June, the Senate will be enmeshed in the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
Certainly, Obama has shown he is in no rush. At a Mexican heritage event earlier this month, Obama said he merely wanted to 'begin work'' on the issue this year – not complete a bill in that time frame. Yet, as a candidate in 2008, Obama promised to address immigration in his first year in office.
Emanuel is part of a cluster of Democratic political operatives and pollsters who have seen immigration as treacherous terrain.
U.S . Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said that when Emanuel chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 2006 election cycle, 'he believed the question of immigration is a political liability to a series of members. And I don't know anything that has changed his mind on that.''
In Washington, Emanuel once lived in the basement of the house of Stan Greenberg, a former Clinton pollster.
Greenberg and others wrote a memo in 2007 warning that many Democratic voters take a hard line position on immigration, which they called a 'real wedge issue.'
Around the same time, Emanuel described immigration as a political 'third rail,'' proponents of reform. 'Rahm Emanuel threw immigrants under the bus,'' advocate Frank Sharry said at the time.
By that point, a bitter rift had developed between Emanuel, then a House member, and some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, or CHC.
In 2005, some in the caucus withheld their Democratic dues out of frustration with party leaders, including Emanuel. They objected that dues money was going to vulnerable Democrats who, for re-election purposes, were taking a strict stance on illegal immigration.
Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) said in an interview: 'Every member of the CHC was very concerned with Rahm Emanuel. I know Rahm had a duty to protect the marginal members, but that was also going against some of our principles in what we stood for in trying to deal with comprehensive immigration.''
Immigration was part of Emanuel's portfolio when he worked for Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Part of Emanuel's job was making sure that Clinton's enforcement efforts were publicized. The idea was to portray Clinton as a different kind of Democrat who made law-and-order a focus.
Doris Meissner, a former head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, said she spoke to Emanuel in those years: 'Immigration was one of the things he (Emanuel) monitored, and he had a very strong sense that enforcement … needed to be visible.''
Emanuel's history makes immigration advocates uneasy.
Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, said: 'At the end of the day, if the president doesn't come out swinging aggressively (on immigration), rightly or wrongly, a lot of fingers will be pointed at Rahm.''
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6.
Kyl presses border security
By Andy Barr
The Politico (Washington, DC), May 20, 2010
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37559.html
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) accused President Barack Obama and Congress of using border security as a 'hostage' to secure passage of comprehensive immigration legislation.
Speaking prior to a panel discussion with immigration advocates at Georgetown Law School, Kyl said that the failed 2006 bipartisan attempt at comprehensive immigration reform was the country’s 'best chance' at true reform and that if the president wants to take on immigration, he must first address securing the border.
'What has happened in the meantime is because that legislation failed,' Kyl said, referring to increasing incidents of violence along the border.
Congress has been politically unable to line up sufficient support to enact major border security legislation without coupling it with 'amnesty' measures to account for the millions of illegal immigrants living in the country.
But Kyl said, 'it is not necessary to pass comprehensive immigration reform to secure the border… But it is necessary to secure the border to pass comprehensive immigration reform.'
'Can we secure the border? The answer is yes,' he said. 'It is wrong for the president to hold hostage securing the border for comprehensive immigration reform.'
Also commenting at the discussion was Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu, who pleaded for federal help. 'As sheriffs and police chiefs, we can’t handle this anymore,' said Babeu, whose jurisdiction covers much of the southern part of the state.
Democratic state Rep. Krysten Sinema, a vocal opponent of Arizona's controversial new immigration law, said the 'federal government has left Arizona out in the cold. ... When the federal government has failed us, we attempt to take action on our own.'
But the law, Sinema said, goes beyond the state’s 'constitutional authority' and 'doesn’t provide the tools and resources to law enforcement for the crackdown of those crimes.'
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7.
GOP lawmaker blasts Mexican pres. comments as inappropriate
By Jordy Yager
The Hill (Washington, DC), May 20, 2010
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/98977-gop-lawmaker-blasts-mexican-pres-comments-as-inappropriate-
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) blasted Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday, calling the visiting dignitary’s remarks on Arizona’s recently implemented immigration law 'inappropriate.'
Earlier Thursday, Calderon condemned Arizona’s new immigration law during a speech to a joint session of Congress, saying it amounts to little more than racial profiling and that the United States is in need of comprehensive immigration reform.
'It’s inappropriate for a head of state to question our laws, especially when the state of Arizona only acted in the best interest of its citizens and with the support of seventy percent of its people,' said Hatch in a statement.
Hatch said Arizona was forced to pass the immigration law — which compels state law enforcement officials to require proper legal residency papers from people they suspect may be in the U.S. illegally — because of the federal government’s failure to stop drug and human smugglers, as well as illegal immigrants, from coming across the U.S.-Mexico border.
'The state of Arizona is stepping in where the federal government has failed,' said Hatch. 'It is trying to stop waves of illegal immigrants, many of whom are dangerous gang members and drug and human traffickers, from crossing into its communities.'
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8.
Gutierrez wants same-sex partner rights in immigration reform bill
Foreign-born partners would be able to stay in U.S.
By Rex W. Huppke
The Chicago Tribune, May 21, 2010
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-20/news/ct-met-binational-gay-couples-20100520_1_immigration-reform-comprehensive-immigration-same-sex-couples/2
Hopes that foreign-born partners of gay and lesbian Americans could follow the same path to citizenship as heterosexual spouses got a boost Thursday when U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago said he would fight to include such a proposal in the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform.
Six months ago, when Gutierrez first laid out plans to introduce an immigration reform bill in the U.S. House, the inclusion of same-sex partner rights seemed too politically risky. But the Democrat now says he believes the coalition in favor of immigration reform is strong enough to make the bill 'truly inclusive.'
'The underlying part of any comprehensive immigration bill is family unity,' Gutierrez said in an interview with the Tribune. 'We need to speak more clearly and more articulately and more frequently that the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, and same-sex couples and their binational relationships, are part of families.'
The 2000 U.S. census estimated that there were more than 35,000 binational same-sex couples in the country. At this point, same-sex binational couples who want to remain together in the United States have to rely on work or student visas, or seek other legal loopholes.
'This has a terrible impact on couples,' said Eric Berndt, supervising attorney for the National Asylum Partnership on Sexual Minorities at the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago. 'It can tear apart their lives, it can tear apart their relationships and it can force them to choose between their countries and the person they love.'
Kevin Goodman and Anton Pulung met more than a decade ago in a coffee shop in Orlando, Fla.
They hit it off and have been together ever since. Without the immigration benefit of marriage, Goodman and Pulung have relied on student visas and now a petition for asylum to stay together.
'You can't imagine the stress we live under daily,' said Goodman, an Episcopal priest and associate dean of St. James Cathedral in Chicago. 'To wake up every morning and think this could be the day that we no longer have the resources or support to be together.'
Advocates have sought immigration rights for same-sex partners through legislation separate from Gutierrez's — the Uniting American Families Act, which has more than 100 sponsors in the U.S. House and more than 20 in the U.S. Senate. The congressman is now proposing that the language of that act be woven into the comprehensive immigration reform bill he and other lawmakers introduced in December.
'We need to build bridges between the LGBT community and the larger immigrant community,' Gutierrez said. 'In the end, the bigger the tent we build, the more successful we'll be.'
The prospects for immigration reform passing Congress this year are uncertain. The Obama administration has expressed support, but many believe that Congress lacks the appetite to tackle such a controversial issue in an election year.
The Gutierrez bill, which has 97 co-sponsors, is the only comprehensive reform legislation currently on the table in Congress.
The congressman has planned a meeting with immigrant and LGBT community leaders at noon Monday at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. He will be joined by U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley of Chicago and Jared Polis of Colorado, both Democrats.
Invariably the addition of language to benefit same-sex couples will rile some who oppose extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians. But advocates say the immigration rights in question have nothing to do with marriage.
'It isn't predicated on recognition of a marriage and it doesn't give any benefits besides allowing couples to stay together,' said Berndt, of the National Immigrant Justice Center.
For Josh Lampinen, a 30-year-old Chicago Web designer, a change in the law couldn't come soon enough. His fiance, Jerome Lienard, lives in France, and the couple are struggling to find a way to be together.
Lampinen and Lienard are weighing a variety of options: Lampinen could move to France with a visa that might last up to three years; they could both move to Canada or Belgium, countries same-sex couples can immigrate to; Lienard could receive a U.S. green card through the federal government's yearly 'diversity lottery,' an unlikely possibility.
Lampinen said the distance between them is always a strain, particularly in times of crisis. A year and a half ago, Lampinen's grandmother died, and Lienard couldn't be by his side.
'That's when you want your partner there,' Lampinen said. 'And he wasn't. It just wasn't possible. It's instances like that that just make it evident how unfair this situation is.'
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9.
Gay immigrants savor freedom
Growing number win asylum in U.S. based on sexual orientation
By Georgia Garvey
The Chicago Tribune, May 17, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-red-lgbt-asylum-20100517,0,487502.story
John Ademola knows there is no asylum from hatred, no refuge from ignorance.
But after decades of battling his own identity as a gay man in Nigeria, afraid for his life and safety, the former Catholic priest who now lives in the Chicago area knows a new reality.
'If any crazy person decides to kill me simply because I'm gay, here (in the U.S.), the community will still ask, 'Why did you do it?'' he said. In America, 'there's not a government after me.'
Ademola applied for — and was granted — asylum in the U.S. in 2009 based on his homosexuality and fear of what he might face if he returned to Nigeria. He now holds a green card that puts him on the track to U.S. citizenship.
The Riverdale resident, 50, is one in a seemingly growing but hard-to-track group of Chicago-based immigrants who've successfully applied for asylum based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Such asylum applications have been possible for 16 years, after then-Attorney General Janet Reno declared an LGBT asylum case precedent.
Experts say there are likely many more immigrants who could apply for asylum based on their LGBT status. But many don't know they can or fear the repercussions of doing so.
Those who find their way to attorneys or learn about LGBT asylum generally are clued in by word of mouth, experts say, or they are looking into other kinds of asylum or immigration options. Applying for asylum — which can include judges, affidavits and administrative appearances — can be complicated.
Those applying for asylum have one year from their arrival in the U.S. to do so — unless they can prove in court that they've been in extraordinary or changed circumstances. Even then, they have to apply within six months of those circumstances. Many LGBT asylees struggle with coming out of the closet, experts say.
'If you're not openly gay, unfortunately, the system doesn't wait for you to come out,' said Uzoamaka Nzelibe, a clinical assistant professor of law at Northwestern University and staff attorney at Bluhm Legal Clinic who deals with asylum and refugee cases.
One recent asylee, who asked that his name not be used, came to the U.S. five years ago with family members. In his African home nation, he had suffered abuse for being perceived as effeminate — even though he was not out.
RedEye is withholding information about the man because he fears how family members will react should they find out he's gay. He has come out to some friends but remains in the closet to many people. The Chicago resident, now in his 20s, initially met with a staff member from the human rights advocacy group Heartland Alliance to explore his options for immigration. When the staff member mentioned applying based on LGBT status, he said he delayed even though he knew that was the basis he should use.
'I was not sure who I am as a person. I was living with my sister. I was 17. I was scared that she would find out I'm gay,' he said. 'I assumed they would be sending mail to my house.'
Though his assumptions were incorrect — organizations don't have to mail to applicants homes — he encountered some of the common barriers for LGBT people applying for asylum, said Eric Berndt, an attorney at the Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center, which provides legal help to low-income immigrants seeking asylum or refuge in the U.S. 'I can't tell you how many clients I've had where it's a 19-year-old kid living with a family and he doesn't have his own phone, there's no way to (easily) communicate with him, he can't tell his parents why he's applying for asylum,' Berndt said. 'A lot of times, it's only once they've become dislocated that they come forward.'
There were about 27,000 new applications for asylum last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security, but the federal government doesn't track the reason for asylum or the area in which the person applies.
Berndt deals with about 20 cases annually of people seeking asylum based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and he says the numbers of those looking to apply for LGBT asylum seem to be increasing.
Those who work with LGBT asylees and refugees say increasing numbers reflect both changing attitudes in the U.S. and the traumatic persecution that gay and lesbian asylees and refugees have suffered in home countries.
Neil Grungras, executive director of the Organization for Refugee, Asylum and Migration, based in San Francisco, said 85 countries criminalize homosexuality, and seven apply the death penalty to those caught having homosexual sex. Those that treat it as a capital crime are Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In Nigeria, the death penalty applies only in portions of the country.
For the fortunate like Ademola, life in the U.S. can be lifesaving. He performs in the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus and carries a combination U.S. and gay pride flag in the annual Chicago parade.
'If God gives you freedom,' he said, one should sing about it. Since receiving asylum, he has 'been singing my freedom since.'
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10.
J.D. Hayworth hopes his immigration stance will help defeat McCain in Arizona
By Peter Slevin
The Washington Post, May 21, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/21/AR2010052102162_pf.html
Sierra Vista, AZ -- J.D. Hayworth is a voluble man who wants people to know where he stands. One recent day, he was standing a dozen miles from the porous Mexican border -- the problem he hopes will catapult him past Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) into the U.S. Senate.
'If you enforce the law, people will obey the law,' Hayworth told the Thunder Mountain Republican Women, praising a strict new statute designed to curb illegal immigration. In a closely watched campaign increasingly defined by who can take the hardest line, Hayworth is a border hawk who called his book about immigration policy, 'Whatever It Takes.'
But McCain, seeking his fifth term, is not about to be out-toughed this year. Once seen as more moderate on immigration, McCain also has endorsed the statute, which makes illegal immigration a state crime and requires police enforcing another law to question people they 'reasonably suspect' are here illegally. And he wants to send thousands of National Guard soldiers to the border.
McCain's advertisements boast that he is 'Arizona's last line of defense.' In his newest spot, he walks the border with a county sheriff who turns to McCain and declares, 'You're one of us.' For good measure, the senator who built a national brand by styling himself a maverick recently declared that he never considered himself one.
McCain's repositioning has fueled Hayworth's claim to be the 'consistent conservative' while the incumbent is at best unpredictable. He mocked McCain's maverick comment, given that McCain named his 1999 campaign jet 'Maverick 1' and subtitled his 2003 memoir 'The Education of an American Maverick.'
Although McCain won the Republican nomination for president just two years ago, Hayworth pays little homage to his pedigree. He foresees an upset, thanks to the country's anti-incumbent mood and the candidacy of a 73-year-old politician who ran an uneven presidential campaign and is distrusted by many conservatives.
Yet McCain remains the favorite with the Aug. 24 primary still three months away. He has money in the bank -- $4.6 million to Hayworth's $861,000 at the end of March -- and a lead in the polls. Public Policy Polling showed McCain 11 points ahead in mid-April, while the Rocky Mountain Poll showed him leading by 26 points. No top-tier Democrat has entered the race, which makes the winner of the GOP primary the favorite to win in November.
Hayworth, a tart-tongued talk radio host and former congressman 22 years younger than McCain, is trying to close the gap with raw energy and a sharp line of attack.
'It's going to be competitive,' predicted Jennifer Duffy, senior editor of the Cook Political Report. 'McCain is fortunate in that he recognized his own problems early. He's really been focused on shoring himself up where he needs to be.'
McCain strategists saw a danger signal in the undoing of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), who expected an easy Senate victory, only to abandon the GOP for an independent bid when he found himself far behind state Rep. Marco Rubio (R), a candidate backed by tea party followers.
'We've recognized correctly that we need to be aggressive,' said Brian Rogers, McCain's campaign spokesman. 'Immigration is the dominant issue. It's that and the economy and they're connected in people's minds.'
McCain is likely to benefit from the party's decision to hold an open primary, allowing independents, who typically favor the senator, to cast ballots. He also won the endorsement of former running mate Sarah Palin and got a boost when Arizona's four largest tea party groups decided not to endorse a candidate.
'The Tea Party is a non-partisan, grassroots movement that stands for limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility,' Robert Mayer, co-founder of the Tucson Tea Party explained in a written statement. 'Both McCain and Hayworth's records during their many years in Washington leave much to be desired on these issues.'
But Hayworth has his supporters. McCain 'has been in the soup so long, he doesn't even know he's in it. My experience of John is he says whatever he says at the moment. I wouldn't bet against J.D.,' Chuck Fitzgerald, a state employee, said at a Hayworth event in Sun City.
'I like the idea of limited government. I don't see that in John,' Fitzgerald went on, adding that McCain's last-minute endorsement of the immigration bill seemed calculated. 'Where's he been the last two years?'
Hayworth, too, was once more moderate on immigration, and he faces his own challenges, including ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. As a six-term congressman, he used sports skyboxes that Abramoff billed to clients, but did not report that fact to the Federal Election Commission until Abramoff's criminal troubles became public. His campaign committee later repaid the Choctaw and Chitimacha tribes $12,800 for using the suites. He lost the 2006 race in his Phoenix-area district when moderate Republicans abandoned him.
Hayworth, 51, also has a propensity for headline-grabbing remarks, as when he said recently that a court ruling in favor of gay marriage could, in a 'point of absurdity,' be taken to permit the marriage of man and horse.
In Sun City, where more than 100 people gathered under a golf course gazebo to hear Hayworth, he said to applause that when he served as a congressman, he took an oath 'to the Constitution of the United States and not the charter of the United Nations.' Welcoming the endorsement of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, famous for erecting spartan tent jails in the desert, Hayworth said Washington politicians fail to see the Mexican border as 'a national security threat and an invasion to be stopped.' He also chastised McCain for offering little during a September 2008 White House meeting on the teetering financial markets and said it is time for voters to end McCain's 28-year political career.
'It's not about service, it's about consistency,' he said of McCain the next day in Sierra Vista. He scolded McCain for not backing a Capitol Hill effort to repeal health reform and he called President Obama's deal with Russia to reduce nuclear arsenals by 30 percent a 'stupid treaty.' 'My first term,' said Hayworth, who wore a Ronald Reagan campaign ribbon, 'will be all about the restoration of our constitutional republic.'
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11.
Immigration Law in Arizona Reveals G.O.P. Divisions
By Jennifer Steinhauer
The New York Times, May 21, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/us/politics/22immig.html
Los Angeles -- Republican lawmakers and candidates are increasingly divided over illegal immigration — torn between the need to attract Latino support, especially at the ballot box, and rallying party members who support tougher action.
Arizona’s new measure allowing the police to detain anyone suspected of being in the country without papers has forced politicians far and wide to take a stance. But unlike in Washington, where a general consensus exists among establishment Republicans, the fault lines in the states — where the issue is even more visceral and immediate — are not predictable.
Conservative Republican governors like Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia and Rick Perry of Texas have all criticized the Arizona law. But some more moderate Republicans, like Tom Campbell, who is running in the party’s Senate primary in California, have supported it.
The decision on whether to support or oppose the law can have almost immediate political consequences. The latest evidence may be Meg Whitman’s declining fortunes.
For months, Ms. Whitman, the former chief executive of eBay, enjoyed a massive lead over her principal rival for the Republican nomination for governor of California, Steve Poizner. But in recent weeks, she has seen her advantage slip significantly, in no small part because Mr. Poizner has hammered her on her opposition to the Arizona law.
Finding herself increasingly on the defensive on the issue, Ms Whitman even proclaims in a new advertisement: 'I’m 100 percent against amnesty for illegal immigrants. Period.'
Nonetheless, a poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California showed her advantage cratering 23 percentage points since March, down to 38 versus 29 percent for Mr. Poizner.
In states with hotly contested elections, several Republican candidates are finding their positions mobile, reflecting the sensitivity of the issue and a growing body of polls that suggest many voters support the Arizona law.
In Florida, for instance, State Attorney General Bill McCollum, who is running for governor, now says he approves of the law, though he called it 'far out' two weeks ago; Marco Rubio, the state’s Republican Senate nominee, has also shifted his stance.
State Republicans now find themselves in a careful balancing act, trying to seize a moment of Congressional stalemate to demonstrate leadership while not repelling voters on either side of the debate, a challenge that is particularly daunting for those in a primary fight.
'I think we need to be very careful about immigration,' said Karl Rove, the former adviser to President George W. Bush. 'I applaud Arizona for taking action, but I think the rhetoric on all sides ought to be lowered.'
Mr. Rove and other strategists who worked for Mr. Bush were proponents of an immigration overhaul that included a path to legal status.
At the same time, state legislatures are racing to create their own laws, making it more likely than ever that the nation will end up with a complex patchwork of state legislation instead of a comprehensive national approach in the next year or two.
In the first three months of this year, legislators in 45 states introduced 1,180 bills and resolutions relating to immigration; 107 laws have passed, compared with 222 in all of 2009, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
'The kindling has been lit in the states,' said Matthew Dowd, a political consultant from Texas who was the chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.
'With immigration, the choices you have to make are hard, and most people in Washington don’t really like to make hard choices,' he added. 'Hard choices are much more often made in the states.'
Democrats have their own problems with the issue. Some more left-leaning factions of the party prefer an amnesty approach to an overhaul.
But the divisions appear more acute among Republicans, some of whom fear that the party will become identified with punitive immigration laws at a time when Hispanics are an increasingly large part of the electorate — particularly in emergent battleground states like Colorado and Nevada.
'I am a grandson of an Irish immigrant,' Mr. McDonnell of Virginia said in an e-mail message. 'The Hispanic population in this country contributes to our culture, economic prosperity and quality of life.'
Republicans who are not facing primary challenges are far more likely to take a more moderate view of immigration, and many, particularly in border states, are aware that business groups that depend on illegal immigrants for labor support a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
'If I am running in a primary without opposition, I have the luxury of not having to worry about what I say on this issue,' said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.
The dynamics of immigration politics vary vastly by state, even among those with heavy immigrant populations, and can reflect local concerns. In Texas, for instance, Latinos have a lot of political influence and have elected candidates for many years. The population there is often closely aligned with the political leadership of some cities and even with state government.
In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer, who faces a Republican primary challenge, was under extreme pressure from her own party for advocating a tax increase, something now seen as largely mitigated by her signing of the immigration bill.
But it is also true that a spate of new polls show support, although tempered, for the state’s tough new immigration law, which is clearly weighing on the minds of candidates.
In a recent New York Times/CBS poll, 57 percent of the 1,079 adults queried said the federal government should determine the laws on illegal immigration, and 51 percent said the Arizona law was 'about right' in its approach to the problem.
In a poll released by the Pew Research Center this month, 59 percent of 994 respondents said they approved of the Arizona law, while 32 percent disapproved. An Associated Press/Univision poll found that 42 percent of those asked favored the Arizona law and 24 percent opposed it.
'It is really how you ask the question,' said Sarah Taylor, who was Mr. Bush’s political affairs director. 'And it is tied up in people’s feelings about their own family’s immigration experience, and then you have elements of race.'
While the federal government ponders, numerous states have already moved to emulate Arizona’s law, while others have moved forward with other measures, from laws that prohibit driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants to those that improve classes for immigrant children in public schools.
The issue is likely to daunt both parties throughout this election year.
'People like Perry and McDonnell and others realize this is a very divisive issue for our party,' said Linda Chavez, the Republican chairwoman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative research organization, referring to the governors of Texas and Virginia. 'The fact is, you can’t secure the borders if you don’t fix immigration, because the two go hand in hand.'
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12.
Cuba calls Arizona immigration law 'racist and xenophobic,' recalls old US-Mexico dispute
By Paul Haven
The Associated Press, May 20, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-cb-cuba-arizona-immigration,0,3518707.story
Havana (AP) -- Cuban lawmakers have passed a resolution denouncing Arizona's new immigration law as 'racist and xenophobic,' recalling an old dispute in the process: the argument that the United States' purchase of Arizona from Mexico in the 19th century was tantamount to theft.
The Arizona law has caused controversy since it was signed by Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23. It requires police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.
Several U.S. cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego and Austin, Texas, have passed resolutions against the law or urged outright boycotts, and President Barack Obama has denounced it as 'a misdirected expression of frustration.'
But the denunciation of the law by Cuban lawmakers, who called it a 'brutal violation of human rights,' is sure to raise anger among U.S. backers of the law.
The tightly controlled, communist-run island has long been criticized for its human rights record, which includes the jailing of 200 political prisoners, the banning of a free press and the outlawing of opposition political parties.
Cuban citizens are required to carry identification with them wherever they go, and can be stopped by police and sent home if they are found in a part of the island where they don't belong.
Havana bristles at criticism of its human rights record, saying its system provides deep food and housing subsidies, as well as free health care and education to all citizens, while capitalist countries are in the thrall of powerful corporations. It considers the dissidents to be paid mercenaries of Washington.
The lawmakers' resolution, dated Wednesday and reprinted in the Communist Party daily Granma on Thursday, says the Arizona law 'has a profound racist and xenophobic character, and permits police to use racial profiling.'
The Cuban parliamentarians note that many American leaders oppose the law, but said they feared similar measures would be adopted elsewhere, 'spreading like a plague across North American territory.'
The lawmakers said the Arizona measure 'aims to close the doors on immigrants to territories that were stolen by force from the noble Mexican people.'
Mexico was forced to sell most of the territory that is now Arizona to the United States in 1848 following its defeat in the Mexican-American war. Arizona became the 48th state admitted to the union in 1912, the final area of the continental United States to attain statehood. Only Alaska and Hawaii became states more recently.
Cuba and the United States have been at odds since shortly after Castro's rebel forces ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista on New Year's Day 1959, and the United States has maintained a trade embargo on the island for 48 years.
Cuban citizens are treated differently from other immigrants seeking a new home in the United States. Under America's 'wet foot, dry foot' policy, any Cuban who reaches U.S. soil is automatically granted asylum. Those interdicted at sea are sent home.
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13.
States Gearing Up to Follow Arizona's Lead on Immigration
The Fox News, May 21, 2010
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/21/state-lawmakers-looking-follow-arizonas-lead-immigration/
While Arizona faces the scorn of the White House and local governments across the country for its immigration law, lawmakers in several states are looking to follow the Grand Canyon State's lead.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks during a news conference after signing her state's immigration bill April 23 in Phoenix. (AP Photo)
While Arizona faces the scorn of the White House and local governments across the country for its immigration law, lawmakers in several states are looking to follow the Grand Canyon State's lead.
Lawmakers and politicians in Texas, Rhode Island, Utah and Georgia are among those who, in the month since Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law, have announced plans to introduce similar legislation.
The officials say states need to take matters into their own hands to tackle illegal immigration and in turn reduce the taxpayer cost associated with large undocumented populations in their hospitals, schools and prisons. They draw inspiration directly from the Arizona law, bucking the trend of local and state officials who have protested Arizona and called for boycotts against the state.
Rhode Island state Rep. Peter Palumbo has filed a bill that looks nearly identical to Arizona's. It requires law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally -- provided they don't stop someone on that basis alone. The proposal empowers police to turn over illegal immigrants to federal custody and also bars local jurisdictions from limiting immigration enforcement. Several other provisions in the bill are based on Arizona's law.
Palumbo, a Democrat, told Fox News that Arizona residents were 'merely trying to protect themselves' and that the Rhode Island bill could help the state save millions every year.
'You don't need to be a ... border state to have problems with illegals,' he said, estimating the number of undocumented residents in Rhode Island at 40,000.
Palumbo acknowledged that his state might not be as receptive as Arizona to such a bill. He said he's got about a half-dozen co-sponsors but hopes media coverage can build support.
'It's difficult. We have a lot of progressives in Rhode Island,' he said.
The copycat bills and proposals are generating the same kind of opposition in other states as they did in Arizona. The Providence Journal reported that about 100 protesters demonstrated against the bill inside the Rhode Island House chamber Thursday.
Arizona's neighbor to the west, California, has taken a lead role in slamming the state for its immigration policy. Los Angeles is among the California cities that have instituted a ban on Arizona travel and businesses. But Arizona's neighbor to the north could take a different approach.
Utah Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, a Republican, told the Deseret News, after the Arizona law was signed, that he's already drafting a bill based on the Arizona law for next year's session. He said Arizona's action makes similar action in Utah all the more necessary, because, 'when we've seen tougher legislation in Arizona a lot of illegal immigrants just move here.'
A Texas representative is looking to do the same in her state. And in Georgia, a Republican candidate for governor is pledging to work toward signing 'similar legislation' if he's elected.
'I agree with the Arizona governor and Legislature that the federal government has failed miserably at protecting our borders and enacting sensible solutions that would protect our states, counties and cities from bearing the enormous costs associated with illegal immigration, from emergency room visits to public schools to the criminal justice system,' said Nathan Deal.
The White House warned last month that one of the side effects of the Arizona law could be that other states try to fashion their own separate immigration policies, arguing that a comprehensive federal overhaul is the better, more sensible route.
President Obama, who joined Mexican President Felipe Calderon this week in condemning the Arizona policy, said Wednesday that Congress must commit to passing a national bill.
'Comprehensive reform means accountability for everybody -- a government that is accountable for securing the border, businesses being held accountable when they exploit workers, people who break the law by breaching our borders being held accountable by paying taxes and a penalty and getting right with the law before they can earn their citizenship,' Obama said.
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14.
RI lawmaker’s Arizona-style immigration bill sparks protest
The Associated Press, May 21, 2010
http://azstarnet.com/news/national/article_9a69d8bc-64f8-11df-93d3-001cc4c03286.html
Providence (AP) -- A Rhode Island lawmaker's proposal to bring an Arizona-style immigration bill to the state sparked a protest inside the Statehouse.
About 100 people representing a variety of community organizations carried banners that said 'Do I Look Illegal?' gathered on the House floor Thursday, and chanted as police escorted them outside.
Protester Barbara Gionola called state Rep. Peter Palumbo's proposal 'cruel and counterproductive.'
The Cranston Democrat's bill is modeled nearly word for word after the Arizona law requiring police to question people about their immigration status during a stop or arrest if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.
Palumbo says although some people have told him they support his measure, he knows it has no chance of passing. It was also introduced after the deadline for new legislation.
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15.
Costa Mesa declares itself a 'rule of law' community
The City Council resolution states that the central Orange County town 'is not a sanctuary city' and will uphold immigration laws.
By Mona Shadia
The Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2010
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/20/local/la-me-0520-costa-mesa-immigration-20100520
The Costa Mesa City Council has voted unanimously to declare itself a 'rule of law' community, further widening the divide over illegal immigration in the central Orange County city.
This week's resolution follows an April news conference in which Mayor Allan Mansoor called for stricter regulations to catch illegal immigrants living, working and driving in the city.
Costa Mesa has sought for several years to reduce the number of illegal immigrants within its borders by regulating day laborers, asking police to check the immigration status of people they stop and limiting the number of soccer fields in parks.
Mansoor said before Tuesday's meeting that the resolution 'states that Costa Mesa is not a sanctuary city' and will uphold immigration laws.
The resolution passed despite pleas from community members. No one in the audience spoke in favor of it.
'Immigrants are part of America,' Silvia Hernandez told the council. 'We work, pay taxes, go to church and participate in our communities. We need a solution that brings people out of the shadows.'
'Americans across the political spectrum agree that our immigration system needs fixing,' said Keturah Kennedy. 'It is unrealistic to deport the 12 million undocumented residents of our country. Workable solutions must include a realistic pathway to citizenship for those who are currently working, paying taxes and learning English. We need all the residents of Costa Mesa to have full economic and civic participation to help our city thrive.'
Mansoor dismissed residents' comments as reckless, adding that they do not reflect 'what's being introduced tonight.' He said the resolution was aimed at setting the tone for a strong anti-illegal immigration policy both now and in the future.
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16.
Mesa mayor calls immigration law 'unfunded mandate'
By Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix), May 20, 2010
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/05/20/20100520mesa-mayor-immigration.html
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith criticized the Legislature on Thursday for saddling cities and towns with the full cost of implementing Arizona's tough new immigration law.
His comments came as the City Council weighed the impact of the 2010 legislative session on Mesa's quality of life and bottom line. The verdict: some wins, some losses.
But regarding Senate Bill 1070, Smith said Mesa's taxpayers are likely to lose big.
'We're not making a political statement on immigration per se,' Smith said. 'But I think we need to understand that this is a bill the Legislature passed that will have a potentially huge impact on cities.'
The law, he said, is an unfunded mandate on cities and towns that must carry almost the full cost of enforcement, which is why he knows of very few cities that support it.
'We don't know yet what that impact will be,' he said, 'but this is not a cost-free endeavor. And depending on how it plays out, it could create significant financial costs to the city.'
One possible way the bill could slam Mesa's budget is that some violations of SB 1070 are misdemeanors. Cities and towns are required to pay all booking and jail fees for misdemeanor suspects and convicts, and Mesa's budget already has been strained in that department by tougher penalties imposed on DUI offenders.
Smith tried to draw a line between his criticism of the bill's fiscal impact and the debate over illegal immigration itself, but he said it's difficult for anyone to offer a nuanced opinion on anything related to the topic.
'It's almost impossible to have a discussion without being either a complete, total racist or a complete, total open-border (advocate),' he said. His comments, he said, 'have nothing to do with that. This has to do with the impact on our citizens at the city and town level.'
Immigration was hardly the only legislative topic that Mesa monitored this year, however.
Scott Butler, Mesa's chief lobbyist at the Capitol, said of the 1,233 bills introduced, the city tracked more than 400 closely.
One of Mesa's biggest losses in the Legislature this year was the failure of a bill to fund Cactus League stadiums and, most specifically, help the city's efforts to keep the Chicago Cubs from moving their training operations to Florida.
That bill drew fierce opposition from Major League Baseball, other Cactus League teams and cities, and other interests. It passed the House but died when Senate President Bob Burns refused to bring it up for debate.
The Cubs effort is still alive, however; the council had an executive session Thursday morning to discuss new proposals aimed at keeping the team in town.
Mesa did dodge one bullet when the Legislature changed a law that allows cities to hold property and lease it to private interests for less money than those entities normally would have to pay in property taxes.
That mechanism, a Government Property Lease Excise Tax, or GPLET, was used to attract Gaylord Entertainment Co. to southeast Mesa, where it hopes to build a huge resort and conference center.
Legislation proposed last year would have killed the Gaylord project, Butler said. The bill that passed this year 'grandfathered' in the Gaylord.
Smith said the GPLET bill was one example of why Mesa needs lobbyists to fight for its interests at the Capitol.
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17.
Law Aimed at Day Laborers Is Blocked
The New York Times, May 20, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/nyregion/21oyster.html
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday forbidding enforcement of a law in the Long Island community of Oyster Bay that made it a crime to solicit employment by shouting at cars and waving arms or signs.
The law, approved by the town in September, was billed by supporters as an effort to control immigrant day laborers, but it also caused a rift between those who backed the law and advocates for immigrants.
Justice Denis R. Hurley of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued the restraining order and set a May 28 hearing to determine whether to issue a preliminary injunction to bar enforcement of the law.
The order came two days after advocates for immigrants filed a lawsuit seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional on free speech and other grounds.
Advocates for day laborers have said the law criminalizes acts like trying to attract cars for high school fund-raising carwashes.
They also said the law invited intimidation of day laborers under the guise of traffic and pedestrian safety.
The ordinance was drafted after town officials said day laborers clogged an intersection in Locust Valley each morning, soliciting employment. Local residents complained, and officials grew concerned about confrontations between residents and immigrant laborers, as well as about traffic problems.
The law criminalized and provided a $250 fine for soliciting work on public streets.
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18.
Palin: 'Emulate' Arizona
By Andy Barr
The Politico (Washington, DC), May 20, 2010
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37544.html
Sarah Palin is urging each state bordering Mexico to follow Arizona’s lead in passing tough new immigration enforcement laws.
'Every other state on the border should emulate what Arizona has done. Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona, has taken it upon herself and the state government to do what the feds should have been doing all along,' Palin said during an interview Wednesday night with Fox Business Network.
'Yes, other states should do what Arizona is doing,' she said.
The law grants Arizona police officers the ability to ask for documentation proving the citizenship of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally.
On Saturday, Palin stumped for Brewer in Phoenix, declaring, 'We’re all Arizonans now.'
Palin also took exception to the way President Barack Obama has framed the Arizona law, saying he has chosen to 'twist' the law.
Obama joked during the White House Correspondents' Dinner that if someone is caught without their papers in Arizona, it’s 'adios amigos.'
During a town hall event in Iowa, the president added that 'if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona, your great-grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state, but now suddenly if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed. That’s something that could potentially happen; that’s not the right way to go.'
Though the former Alaska governor was not totally clear on what aspect of the president’s characterization of the law she thinks is untrue, she said on Wednesday that Obama’s statements are 'pretty pathetic.'
'He’s choosing to twist it to divide this country, which is not fair to legal immigrants and certainly not fair to illegal immigrants, either,' she said. 'A lot of people are going to listen to what the president has said and say, ‘Really? Is he telling us about border security and immigration reform?’'
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19.
Immigration forum debates costs to Nevada economy
By Frank X. Mullen
The Reno Gazette Journal, May 21, 2010
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100521/NEWS/5210402/1321
Oscar Peralta, who was born in Costa Rica, graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno this month and will be attending law school in the fall, said the immigration system is broken.
'But deporting everyone who is here illegally or passing laws like the one in Arizona that depend on racial profiling are not the answers,' he said. 'A lot of my fellow students who were brought here as little children do not have the opportunities that I have had. There needs to be a pathway to becoming legal, a way to citizenship. Fine them, make them wait, but give them an opportunity.'
Peralta was among about 85 people who attended a town meeting on immigration Thursday at the McKinley Arts and Culture Center in Reno. Panelists and audience members who spoke agreed that the immigration system needs reform, but differed on what the solutions should be.
The forum was organized by Pat Hickey, Republican candidate for Assembly District 25. Hickey is running against Bernie Carter, Jason Dias, Orrin Johnson and Dan Meyer in the GOP primary June 8.
Some audience members called for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Others said the borders should be tightened and illegal immigrants deported.
One speaker who didn't give his name said new laws aren't the answer.
'Enforce the laws we have, and we won't have this problem,' he said.
Panelist Stephen Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., told the crowd that immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, are a burden on the economy. He said unskilled workers cost taxpayers more than they produce.
'The costs stem from (the immigrants') educational levels, not their legal status or unwillingness to work,' he said. ''» It's not some sort of moral defect.'
Although undocumented immigrants are not eligible for most social programs, such as Medicaid, their American-born children are citizens under the Constitution. Camarota said households that include those children drain social services.
Bob Fulkerson, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance, said Camarota's group is a faction of the anti-immigrant movement pretending to be a neutral think tank, and its statistics are skewed to blame immigrants for the nation's woes.
He said studies commissioned by PLAN show when all factors are considered, immigrants, both legal and illegal, have a major positive impact on the economy.
He said the amount Hispanic immigrants earn and spend in Nevada account for 25 percent of the state's gross product.
Camarota denied that the Center for Immigration Studies is pushing a political position.
However, the Southern Poverty Law Center contends that the think tank is an offshoot of the anti-immigration movement and is designed to bring credibility to statistics cited by anti-immigrant groups.
Gilbert Cortez, a Reno activist who has organized immigration reform marches, said the battle of statistics and politics isn't relevant. Immigrants, he said, 'just came here to work,' and they wouldn't be here if they weren't needed.
'Instead of fighting among ourselves, why can't we just sit down and solve this problem?' he asked.
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Maryland girl's comments to Michelle Obama revive debate over mixed-status families
By Tara Bahrampour
The Washington Post, May 21, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052005262.html
Even as immigration authorities promised they would not try to deport the mother of a Silver Spring second-grader, the girl's conversation with Michelle Obama reverberated through the family's community and the country Thursday, reviving a debate about mixed-status families.
As of 2008, 4 million U.S.-born Hispanic children had at least one parent who was an illegal immigrant, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. The number is growing, with 300,000 to 400,000 children born to illegal immigrants each year, said Jeffrey S. Passel, a senior demographer at the center, who said that families are often neglected in the immigration debate.
Almost half of the households of undocumented immigrants include couples with children, a much larger percentage than households of those born in the United States.
At her school Wednesday, the second-grader told the first lady, 'My mom doesn't have any papers,' and she asked why the president was 'taking away everybody that doesn't have papers.'
The remarks, broadcast on TV and the Internet, drew empathy from the girl's community, where people picking up students Thursday at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School said she gave voice to familiar anxieties.
'The children have seen with their own eyes the deportation of parents,' said Julia Aparicia, a native of El Salvador, who said she is a legal resident. She was picking up a 4-year-old girl she cares for. 'That's the fear of the children. It's the fear of all of us.'
New Hampshire Estates has a diverse population of 410 students from prekindergarten and Head Start through second grade. Two-thirds of the students are Hispanic, and about two-thirds of all students are learning English as a second language. Eighty-one percent of all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The girl's remarks provided fodder for both sides of the immigration reform debate.
'I think it helps us immensely,' said U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who has pushed for more protections for families of mixed status. 'It really synthesizes in 20 words or less the need for comprehensive immigration reform.'
Gutierrez, who has called for a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, said he would like to see a moratorium on deportation of parents of U.S. citizens. 'Little girls in second grade should be worried about how many dolls they have or what song they're going to sing, not whether the government is going to deport their mom.'
But Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for stricter immigration controls, said the girl's questions highlight the need for immigration reform that would reduce the number of mixed-status families by making it more difficult for the parents to live in the United States.
'If the parents had been unable to illegally settle here, then you wouldn't have this situation,' he said, adding that the girl's exchange with Obama shows that undocumented immigrants live in the United States more openly than many people think.
But the high-profile context of the girl's comments will make her family too well known to deport, Krikorian said. 'This kid has basically guaranteed that her mother is not going to be deported under any circumstances.'
Children born to illegal immigrants in the United States automatically are granted citizenship. Some critics have called for a constitutional amendment that would end that practice.
Although U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not keep track of children left behind by those deported, about 100,000 children in the United States saw a parent deported between 1997 and 2007, said Laura Vazquez with the National Council of La Raza. Often, when one parent is deported, the other stays in the country to raise the children. Still, she said, 'there is a strong economic impact on the family when one is deported.'
There is also a psychological impact, according to studies that found children of deportees are more emotionally unstable and less likely to be financially or academically successful.
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Md. girl who told first lady her mom 'doesn't have papers' wants to visit White House
By Kathleen Miller
The Associated Press, May 20, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-first-ladies-immigration,0,4459167.story
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21.
Dora the Explorer's immigration status comes under question in Arizona law's aftermath
By Sophia Tareen
The Associated Press, May 21, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-immigration-dora-the-citizen,0,1862770,full.story
Chicago (AP) -- In her police mug shot, the doe-eyed cartoon heroine with the bowl haircut has a black eye, battered lip and bloody nose.
Dora the Explorer's alleged crime? 'Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest.'
The doctored picture, one of several circulating widely in the aftermath of Arizona's controversial new immigration law, may seem harmless, ridiculous or even tasteless.
But experts say the pictures and the rhetoric surrounding them online, in newspapers and at public rallies, reveal some Americans' attitudes about race, immigrants and where the immigration reform debate may be headed.
'Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos,' said Erynn Masi de Casanova, a sociology professor at the University of Cincinnati. 'They feel like they can say negative things because she's only a cartoon character.'
It's not the first time a children's character has been dragged into a serious debate.
In the late 1990s, Tinky Winky the Teletubby, a purple children's TV character with a triangle antenna — was called out by Christian leaders for being gay. Sesame Street roommates Bert and Ernie are often involved in statements on same-sex marriage.
Both shows' producers say the characters aren't gay.
In Dora's case, she's an easy target as discussion ramps up on how lawmakers should address the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.
For about a decade, the pint-sized Latina character has taught millions of children the English alphabet, colors and Spanish phrases on a Nickelodeon TV show and through a global empire. Her smiling cherub face is plastered on everything from backpacks to T-shirts to fruit snacks.
But since the passage of the Arizona law — which requires authorities to question people about their immigration status if there's reason to suspect they're in the country illegally — Dora's life and immigration status have been scrutinized and mocked.
Several websites, including The Huffington Post, have narrated Dora's mock capture by immigration authorities. One picture circulating on Facebook shows an ad for a TV show called 'Dora the Illegal Immigrant.' On the Facebook page 'Dora the Explorer is soo an Illegal Immigrant,' there are several images showing her sailing through the air over the U.S.-Mexican border.
Many of the Dora images assume the Latina character is an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
But that's where it gets complicated.
Representatives from Nickelodeon declined to comment on Dora's background, and her place of birth or citizenship have never been clear.' She has brown skin, dark hair and speaks Spanish with an American accent.
'She's always been ambiguously constructed,' said Angharad Valdivia, who teaches media studies at the University of Illinois and has explored the issue. 'In the U.S. the way we understand race is about putting people in categories and we're uncomfortable with people we can't put into categories.'
Dora lives in an unidentified location with pyramids that suggest Mexico, but also tropical elements such as palm trees and her friends, Isa the iguana and Boots the monkey. Does that mean she's from South America or Florida?
Then there's oak trees and her fox nemesis Swiper, which are more common to the American Midwest.
The show often plays Salsa-like music, which has some roots in Cuba and is popular across Latin America.
Even the voice actresses behind Dora don't provide insight.
The original Dora voice belonged to Kathleen Herles, whose parents are from Peru. Dora is currently voiced by actress Caitlin Sanchez, a New Jersey-born teen who calls herself Cuban American; her grandparents are Cuban.
As for the mug shot, it's been around since late last year, when Debbie Groben of Sarasota, Fla. created it and entered it in a contest for the fake news site FreakingNews.com.
Since debate over the Arizona law heated up the nation's immigration debate, it's been e-mailed and texted widely and used on signs at rallies.
'My intentions were to do something funny, something and irreverent,' said Groben, who said she opposes Arizona's law. 'I actually like the little kid.'
The issue appears to have resonated little with Dora's biggest fans, the millions of parents and their children who seem mostly unaware of the discussion encircling their beloved cartoon.
Altamise Leach, who has three children, said Dora's ethnicity and citizenship are irrelevant.
The stay-at-home mom credits the cartoon with helping teach her children team work. She even threw her 3-year-old daughter a Dora birthday party, complete with a Dora-like adventure, Dora cake and a woman who dressed up as Dora.
'We have so many diverse cultures, let's try to embrace everybody,' Leach said. 'She puts a smile on my daughter's face, that's all I want.'
Erick Wyatt said he never thought about Dora's origins and his three children never asked.
'I just thought she was a cartoon character that spoke Spanish,' the Flint, Mich., man said.
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22.
Immigration rally disrupts intersection in downtown Seattle, protests in front of ICE court
The Associated Press, May 20, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-immigration-rally-washington,0,3766902.story
Seattle (AP) -- An immigration reform rally with more than 100 protesters has blocked a major intersection in downtown Seattle.
The rally began outside the Federal Building, then moved to a nearby building that houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and court, where a group locked arms Thursday afternoon and blocked elevators.
The group, which included city councilman Larry Gossett, chanted 'Obama, you promised; you've got to keep your promise!' They later moved outside and blocked the busy street intersection at Second Avenue and Madison Street.
Supporters carried signs that say 'Immigration Reform Now' and 'America Show Your Morals.'
The rally was organized by the OneAmerica organization. It is calling for pressure on the Obama administration to pass an immigration reform bill this year.
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23.
Arizona students rally at state Capitol for Dream Act
By Allison Hurtado
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix), May 20, 2010
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/05/20/20100520Dream-act-collision-abrk.html
Hundreds of people gathered at the state Capitol on Thursday to advocate for Congress' passing the Dream Act.
A band played to a group of students and teachers as they painted signs and spoke to passers- by about the measure.
The Dream Act, introduced to Congress in 2001, would create an opportunity for undocumented high school students who have been raised in the United States to become citizens.
Such students would have to complete high school and at least two years of post-secondary education or serve in the armed forces. The students would be allowed to apply for grants and scholarships and would be granted citizenship only if they demonstrated good moral character.
Students believe the passing of the act is the first step toward immigration reform and the best way to allow college-bound undocumented students to achieve their dreams.
They hope the Dream Act will pass in mid-June before SB 1070 goes into effect.
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