Oregon to Join Nationwide Day of Action in Support of Workers and Just and Humane Immigration Reform

MEDIA ADVISORY
April 30, 2009

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263

CAUSA to Join Thousands Nationwide in Day of Action on May 1st in Support of Workers and Just and Humane Immigration Reform

Immigration, labor and religious groups across the country gather to demand reform this year
WHAT: MAY DAY UNITY MARCH & RALLY

WHEN: 11:00a.m. Friday, May 1, 2009

WHERE: OREGON STATE CAPITOL, 900 COURT ST. NE, SALEM, OREGON

WHO: CAUSA, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Service Employees International Union, Rural Organizing Project, Voz Hispana Causa Chavista, and others

The momentum for immigration reform this year is growing. President Obama has expressed his support for immigration reform. The Senate Judiciary Committee is hosting a hearing at 2 p.m. today to discuss a common sense approach to immigration reform featuring economist Alan Greenspan. On Friday, the grassroots community is demonstrating its support for reform this year by taking to the streets.

From New York City to Los Angeles and every major city in between, immigrant rights grassroots groups will join forces with labor and religious groups to show that Americans want immigration reform this year. We are asking for a common sense approach that gives the hard working men and women already here an earned path to citizenship, keeps families together and provides legal avenues for future workers to seek out opportunities here and join our struggle to strengthen our economy.

Our broken immigration system and broken economy are linked. In order to get the economy going again, we need a common sense solution to immigration. Economists know it. Businesses know it. Labor leaders know it. And the American people demand action. They don't want more excuses from Washington. That's what today's hearing is about, and that is what the May 1st marches are about.

CAUSA is Oregon's statewide, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies.

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For a detailed and up-to-the-minute listing of May 1st events, please visit http://www.anewdayforimmigration.org/

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President Obama Responds to Question About Immigration Reform

Yesterday during President Obama’s 100 Day Press Conference, reporter Lori Montenegro with Telemundo Hispanic National News Network asked about Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Here is the transcript from that exchange:

REPORTER LORI MONTENEGRO: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, when you met with the Hispanic Caucus a few weeks ago, reports came out that the White House was planning to have a forum to talk about immigration and bring it to the forefront.

Going forward, my question is, what is your strategy to try to have immigration reform? And are you still on the same timetable to have it accomplished in the first year of your presidency?

And, also, I'd like to know if you're going to reach out to Senator John McCain , who is Republican and in the past has favored immigration reform?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, we reach out to -- to Senator McCain on a whole host of issues. He has been a leader on immigration reform. I think he has had the right position on immigration reform. And I would love to partner with him and others on what is going to be a critical issue. We've also worked with Senator McCain on what I think is a terrific piece of legislation that he and Carl Levin have put together around procurement reform. We want that moved, and we're going to be working hard with them to get that accomplished.

What I told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is exactly what I said the very next day in a town hall meeting and what I will continue to say publicly, and that is we want to move this process.

We can't continue with a broken immigration system. It's not good for anybody. It's not good for American workers. It's dangerous for Mexican would-be workers who are trying to cross a dangerous border.

It is putting a strain on border communities, who oftentimes have to deal with a host of undocumented workers. And it keeps those undocumented workers in the shadows, which means they can be exploited at the same time as they're depressing U.S. wages.

So, what I hope to happen is that we're able to convene a working group, working with key legislators like Luis Gutierrez and Nydia Velazquez and others to start looking at a framework of how this legislation might be shaped.

In the meantime, what we're trying to do is take some core -- some key administrative steps to move the process along to lay the groundwork for legislation. Because the American people need some confidence that if we actually put a package together, we can execute.

So Janet Napolitano , who has great knowledge of this because of having been a border governor, she's already in the process of reviewing and figuring out how can we strengthen our border security in a much more significant way than we're doing.

If the American people don't feel like you can secure the borders, then it's hard to strike a deal that would get people out of the shadows and on a pathway to citizenship who are already here, because the attitude of the average American is going to be, well, you're just going to have hundreds of thousands of more coming in each year.

On the other hand, showing that there is a more thoughtful approach than just raids of a handful of workers as opposed to, for example, taking seriously the violation of companies that sometimes are actively recruiting these workers to come in. That's again something we can start doing administratively.

So what we want to do is to show that we are competent and getting results around immigration, even on the structures that we already have in place, the laws that we already have in place, so that we're building confidence among the American people that we can actually follow through on whatever legislative approach emerges. OK?

I see the process moving this first year. And I'm going to be moving it as quickly as I can. I've been accused of doing too much. We are moving full steam ahead on all fronts.

Ultimately, I don't have control of the legislative calendar, and so we're going to work with legislative leaders to see what we can do.

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Immigration Restrictionists Attempt to Spread Swine Flu Hysteria

According to a recent article from Imagine 2050, anti-immigration groups are using the Swine Flu scare to promote their own hateful messages about immigrants.

Over the weekend, William Gheen, President of ALIPAC blamed President Obama for Americans getting sick because he "failed to secure the border". Author Jill Garvey said in Immigrant Haters Promote Flu Hysteria that,

"Gheen seems to have forgotten what century it is! While ALI-PAC is busy berating the government for not erecting a barbed-wire fence against those pesky desert crossers, wealthy tourists are carrying the flu into the US fresh off their Cancun vacations." [via airplane]

Like all of the rhetoric coming from folks like Gheen, there is always an attempt to use unsupported claims against immigrants and/or immigration to sway the public to their way of thinking. The fact is, news reports all week have been highlighting that those in the U.S. who have contracted the Swine flu have either recently traveled to Mexico or have been in contact with someone who traveled there.

An article appearing in the New York Times reported on 12 teenagers from St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens that visited Mexico for Spring Break. Of the 45 cases reported yesterday in the United States, 28 of those are students from St. Francis. (Teenagers From Queens in Swine Flu Spotlight, New York Times, April 27, 2009)

Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security and the World Health Organization said that shutting down the U.S. border to Mexico would do nothing to stop the the spread of Swine Flu into the United States. Napalitano had this to say,"You would close the border if you thought you could contain disease - the spread of the disease, but the disease already is in a number of states within the United States so the containment issue doesn't really play out.

With over a 1/2 million people traveling between the two countries each day, the only thing "sealing" the border would do at this point is stop commerce, further damaging the economy of the United States.

The article points out that the real tragedy in the situation is in Mexico, saying that,

"The U.S. could have strengthened the Mexican economy and in turn promoted development of a sustainable food and health system. Instead the U.S. decimated the infrastructure of Mexico with economy-destroying trade agreements, a nation of willing drug customers, and a free flow of firearms.

It finishes by refuting those that seek to spread Swine Flu hysteria as an anti-immigration tool that, "This is a global health crisis, not an immigration issue and not a U.S. security issue. If we want to protect ourselves, we should start protecting our neighbors."

Read the full article by linking here or visiting http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2009/04/28/immigrant-haters-promote-flu-hysteria

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PSA Advertising May Day Unity March and Rally in Salem Released

Watch our new PSA for our May Day 2009 Unity March & Rally in Salem!

In commemoration of International Workers' Day, on Friday May 1st, Immigrant and Labor Rights advocates will march and rally at the Oregon State Capitol to call on elected leaders to:

Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform NOW

Stop ICE raids and End the Detentions

Restore Drivers' License access to All Oregon Residents

Protect and Support Workers' Rights & Just Wages

Signs are on the horizon that millions of undocumented immigrants will finally have a path to legal status and citizenship.

Join us on the Capitol Steps on May 1st at 11:00am to help send a message to Congress and our President that Fair and Just Comprehensive Immigration Reform needs to be passed this year.With your help we can make it happen! Yes We Can! Si Se Puede!

MAY DAY UNITY RALLY & MARCH IN SALEM
Date: Friday, May 1, 2009

Location:
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97309

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Sponsors: CAUSA, PCUN, SEIU, Rural Organizing Project, Voz Hispana Causa Chavista, and others

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Sheriff puts community first and rejects ICE detention proposal

Salem, Ore--CAUSA was pleased to learn today that the Marion County Sheriff refused a proposal from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use the county jail as an undocumented immigrant hold center.

According to the Salem Statesman Journal, Sheriff Russ Isham’s refusal to use the county jail for ICE holds was due to concerns he had “about how the partnership with ICE would affect the relationships his office has worked so hard to develop with minority groups in Marion County”.

Barbara Ghio, an Immigration Attorney in Marion County, said in response to the decision, “Had the sheriff approved the deal, it would have driven people in the immigrant community, perhaps even legal immigrants, further into the shadows”.

Ghio added that such cooperation “would have caused immigrants to not visit their loved ones in jail, not show up to testify in court for fear of being taken into custody by ICE and not report when they've been victimized”.

“The decision by Sheriff Isham is one that puts the public safety and needs of the Immigrant community first”, said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. “It is one that fosters trust and that is a good thing for everybody."

Although Sheriff Isham has drawn criticism from some, his decision gives insight to where his priorities are—to have a working relationship with the minority and immigrant communities built on trust and cooperation. His decision should serve as an example to Sheriffs around the nation faced with the same question.

The reality is, the “enforcement only” policy of arrest, detain and deport have done little to nothing to curb undocumented immigration. In fact, the obsolete policy has only succeeded in separating families and dividing communities. And, until Congress passes fair and just Immigration Reform, the destructive pattern of dividing families and communities will continue.

We commend Sheriff Isham and his office for having the courage to do the right thing.

Resources:
Sheriff rejects foreign-born criminal holding plan Salem Statesman Journal, April 23, 2009

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Join Us in Salem and Portland on May Day!

This May 1st, join Immigrant and Worker Rights Advocates at the Oregon State Capitol for a May Day Unity March and Rally at 11am-3pm. Then head on up to Downtown Portland to the South Park Blocks for a March and Rally for Immigrant and Worker Rights at 4:00pm.

For more information on these events visit www.causaoregon.org/events

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Report Shows Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants Would Benefit U.S. Economy

That is what a new report out from the Immigration Policy Center says.

According to their report titled, The Economics of Immigration Reform: What Legalizing Undocumented Immigrants Would Mean for the U.S. Economy, without Comprehensive Immigration Reform the United States cannot experience full economic recovery.

Research included in the report found that:

Legalization increases government revenues by bringing more workers into the tax system.

Workers with legal status earn and spend more.

“Enforcement-only” policies are expensive and ineffective.

Legalization increases immigration’s economic benefits.

Among other things, the report shows that legalization would increase tax revenue; whereas "enforcement only" policies have served to force undocumented labor underground causing a a decrease in revenue.

What about those that already pay taxes into the system? The report states that "between one-half and three-quarters of undocumented immigrants now work “on the books” and pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes", however are ineligible to receive the benefits they are paying for.

This is report is just another piece of evidence why Congress needs to be swift in passing Fair and Just Immigration Reform this year.

To read the full report, please link here, or visit the Immigration Policy Center at www.immigrationpolicy.org

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Anti-immigrant Groups Attempt to Steal Earth Day

According to a recent article appearing in The Progressive, anti-immigrant groups are trying to infiltrate the environmental movement and coopt its message.

"Under innocuous sounding names such as the America’s Leadership Team for Long Range Population-Immigration-Resource Planning, anti-immigrant organizations, many with ties to political extremists, are running full-page ads in progressive magazines such as The Nation, Mother Jones and Harper’s and in newspapers such as the New York Times".

Read the full article here.

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Maria's Story and the DREAM Act

In the video below, Maria shares her experience as a young immigrant caught between the country of her birth (Mexico) and the country she has grown up (the U.S.) and how the DREAM Act would enable her to achieve a long-term goal: completing college.


This video is from a digital storytelling workshop organized by Progressive Communicators Network, NW Chapter, in August 2008. The workshop was led by Amy Hill of the Center for Digital Storytelling, in a partnership with Portland Community. For more stories, visit Progressive Communicators Newtork NW's BlipTV page at www.pcn-nw.blip.tv

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Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality 10th Year-Anniversary Celebration Today

Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality 10th Year-Anniversary Celebration & Fundraising!

Doors will open at 11am for attendees to enjoy the incredible work of our new up and coming Latino Artist Gonzalo Marin. Gonzalo will be available to talk about his work with attendees.

Date: April 20, 2009
Time: 11:00 am to 01:00 pm
Location:
Mission Mill Museum (The Dye House)
1313 Mill Street SE
Salem, Oregon

11:30: Gathering of supporters
11:45: Start serving lunch
12:05: Start of Program
12:55: End of Program

Come and see why we all do have lots of reasons to celebrate!

And please bring a friend!

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Death by Detention video addresses unjust immigration system

VOTE for Breakthrough's immigration video "death by Detention," selected as a finalist for the 2009 DoGooderTV Nonprofit Awards. Go to Staff Long-Form Finalists, choose "death by Detention," and help change an unjust immigration system!



Major press outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post have reported on a dangerous “system of neglect” in immigration detention centers across the United States. Told from the point of view of her sister June Everett, this tragic video unravels the story of Sandra Kenley, a 52-year-old grandmother, who, after living in the U.S. legally for 33 years, was subjected to inhumane conditions that caused her death in detention.

To have these stories heard, be sure to VOTE by midnight April 25th!

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May Day Unity March and Rally in Salem

In commemoration of May Day or International Workers' Day, thousands of Latinas and Latinos and our allies will march and rally at the Oregon State Capitol to call attention to our plight for a just immigration reform that will bring millions of immigrants out of the shadows.

We will call on our elected leaders to:

-Pass Comprehensive Immigration reform NOW!
-Stop ICE raids, end the detentions and stop separating families!
-Restore Drivers' License access to All Oregon Residents!
-Protect and Support Workers' Rights & Just Wages

May 1st May Day Unity March
Date: Friday, MAY 1st , 2009
Time: 11AM-3PM
Location:
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97309

For more information call: (503) 984-6816

To contribute $5 dollars to support our efforts for just comprehensive immigration reform, please link here or visit CAUSA's website at http://www.causaoregon.org/

Yes We Can! Si Se Puede!

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White Nationalists Tied to Tea Parties

The article below is from the blog Imagine 2050. Contributors to the blog include activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.

White Nationalists Tied to Tea Parties
April 14, 2009
By Jill Garvey

It’s no secret that conservatives have a hard time keeping racism out of their ranks (airwaves), and now it seems it has surfaced in even their grassroots (astro turf) movements. The whole tea party thing (except with representation and a high income bracket this time) is being organized by conservative corporate lobbyists, Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity, who are no doubt milking this all the way to their billion dollar bank accounts.

If that wasn’t hard enough for real [sic] conservative activists to swallow, they are really going to hate showing up at rallies only to rub elbows with white nationalists. Kris Kobach got the party started in Kansas on April 4th when he hosted a joint tea party/anti-immigrant rally with Billy Gilchrist, Topeka chapter leader for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. In 2004 Kansas Republican leader Timothy Burger wrote in response to Kobach’s failed congressional run, “It doesn’t help matters that Kobach was hired by FAIR, widely perceived as a racist anti-immigrant group during the campaign.” But that stinging accusation hasn’t stopped Kobach from working for the John Tanton network ever since, or from dipping his tainted toes into anything that smells ripe for manipulation and publicity.

Continue article at http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2009/04/14/white-nationalists-tied-to-tea-parties/

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Nation's Largest Labor Federations Announce Support for Immigration Reform

The nation’s two largest organized labor federations, AFL-CIO and Change To Win (UFCW, SEIU, UNITE HERE, UFW, LIUNA, Teamsters and Carpenters unions), have come out together in support of passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

This announcement follows last week's statement from the White House that the President would push for passage of immigration reform this year.

The AFL-CIO’s and Change to Win's accord endorses legalizing undocumented immigrants that already work and live in the United States.

John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO told the New York Times that, "The labor movement will work together to make sure that the White House as well as Congress understand that we speak about immigration reform with one voice."

For more on the story, visit the New York Times at this link

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Judge Overturns Anti-Immigrant Measure in Columbia County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2009

Contacts:
Marcy Westerling, Director, Rural Organizing Project, (503)369-3565
David Fidanque, Executive Director, ACLU of Oregon, (541)954-7731
D. Michael Dale, Executive Director, Northwest Workers' Justice Project, (503)357-8290
Judge Overturns Anti-Immigrant Measure
Measure 5-190 Exceeded Columbia County Jurisdiction and Violates Federal Law
ST. HELENS, Ore. - A Columbia County judge today overturned an anti-immigrant ballot measure approved last fall because it conflicts with federal immigration law and would have required the county to take enforcement actions beyond its authority.

The ruling on Ballot Measure 5-190 came in two cases that were filed in Columbia County Circuit Court last fall. County Commissioners had requested a ruling on the measure's validity and a separate challenge was filed by a coalition of Columbia County business owners and voters who have been represented by attorneys for the ACLU of Oregon and the Northwest Workers' Justice Project.

Columbia County Commissioners approved amendments to the initiative in December which were also at issue in the court challenge. Judge Ted Grove had heard oral arguments in the consolidated cases in January and had approved a preliminary injunction at that time to prevent the measure from taking effect.

The coalition challenging the measure includes Rural Organizing Project, Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity, 28 individual residents of Columbia County, CAUSA Immigrant Rights Coalition and others.

"Columbia County has a lot of challenges ahead and Measure 5-190 wasn't going to help," said Columbia County business owner Gary Liao, one of the plaintiffs in the challenge. "The measure and ordinance were deeply flawed and confusing. At a time when our economy is reeling, it would have imposed additional burdens on both the county and on employers who have been following the law."

Other members of the coalition said they hope the court decision will allow communities that have been deeply divided over the immigration issue to find common ground and work together.

"It's time to direct our frustrations about the immigration issue where it belongs: on the federal government's responsibility to carry out meaningful immigration reform," said Marcy Westerling, Director of the Rural Organizing Project in Scappoose. "Having a patchwork of local laws seeking to usurp federal authority on this issue would only create more frustration with federal policy."

In his opinion, Judge Grove addressed many portions of Measure 5-190 and held that all of them were either preempted by federal law or went beyond the authority of Columbia County under state laws. Among his findings were:

The measure's $10,000 mandatory fine "clearly violates" the preemption of immigration enforcement by federal law;

The measure's provision that violations would be reviewed according to state law but would be appealed to Justice Court, violated state law that requires that such appeals be heard by the Oregon Court of Appeals;

The measure's requirement that violations result in suspension of all licenses and permits were beyond the authority of both the Justice Court and the County Commissioners because many of the relevant licenses and permits are not issued by the county; and

The many enforcement provisions of the measure rose to the level of criminal or civil sanctions which are also preempted by federal law.

Finally, Judge Grove wrote that while he "recognizes the serious issue the initiative was seeking to address, existing Federal preemption and statutory provisions cannot be ignored."

Similar measures in Hazelton, Pa.; Farmers Branch, Texas; Escondido, Calif; and other jurisdictions had previously been struck down.

Attorneys handling the case for the coalition have been: D. Michael Dale, Steven Goldberg and Meg Heaton for Northwest Workers' Justice Project; ACLU Cooperating Attorneys Bruce L. Campbell and Elisa J. Dozono, both of Miller Nash LLP; Stephen W. Manning of the Immigrant Law Group; and Chin See Ming, Legal Director for the ACLU of Oregon.

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Nativists Use Brutal Crime for Fear-Based Agenda

The article below is from the blog Imagine 2050. Contributors to the blog include activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.

Nativist Groups Use Brutal Crime for Their Own Purposes
April 11, 2009
Ken Brown

As a part of their Machiavellian attempt at poisoning the conversation in this country on immigration, nativist groups are twisting an awful crime for their own purposes. The Community Watchdog Project and Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform, nativist groups responsible for fostering ill will toward immigrant communities and pro-immigrant policies in New Haven, CT, are exploiting a brutal beating and rape of a female worker for their own divisive purposes. Such behavior on these groups’ part is hateful and destructive to the well-being of the greater New Haven community. continue reading>>

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Community Organizations Energized by President Obama's Call for Immigration Reform this Year

For Immediate Release
April 9, 2009

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, 503.984.6816
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, 503.488.0263

Community Organizations Energized by President Obama's Call for Immigration Reform this Year
Statement by Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition
Salem, Ore.-Today's news on the front page of the New York Times that President Obama will move on immigration reform this year has community organizations across the country ramping up to achieve a just and humane immigration solution. Story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09immig.html?ref=global-home

"We endorse President Obama's call for immigration reform and admire his courage to fight for something we all know must get done. This is the kind of bold and visionary action we expect from our political leaders. Climbing our way out of this economic crisis means forward thinking policies that include fixing a broken immigration system that has created a servant class in our midst. America's economy cannot recover if we allow 12 million immigrants to continue to live and work in the margins of our society.

Obstructionist will throw everything at this Administration's attempts to create a society which recognizes the inherent value and worth in us all. For too long we have shrunk in the face of key decisions that must be made to get our country back on track. We will not allow this to happen.

We've seen first hand the pain of immigrant families ripped apart by unjust raids. Our communities and our nation have suffered long enough."

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CAUSA is Oregon's statewide, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies.

CAUSA is a member of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a coalition of grassroots community organizations nationwide, including statewide immigrant rights coalitions, organizing networks, faith-based groups, and low-income and other networks organized around ethnicity or national origin, working on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform and immigrant rights. FIRM is convened by the Center for Community Change.

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President Obama to Push for Passage of Immigration Bill

President Obama today has announced that he will begin addressing the country’s immigration system this year which includes a path for undocumented immigrants to become legal citizens.

A report appearing in the New York Times said the President’s would recognize millions of undocumented immigrants who have already been working here. According to independent studies of census data, there is no evidence of any wholesale exodus of illegal immigrant workers given the current economic recession in the U.S.

Currently two-thirds of all Americans consistently support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Americans of every political stripe recognize that fixing our broken system is in the country’s interest, and that these immigrants are already our co-workers, our neighbors, and frequently our family members.

For more on this report, please link here.

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Anti-Immigrant Message Not Welcome at Tea Parties

Today, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) sent out an email to members telling them that they are lending their support to the Tax Day Tea Party efforts nationally on April 15, 2009. They had this to say:

"We are notifying our supporters of the plan for pro immigration enforcement groups to lend our support to the Tax Day Tea Party efforts nationally on April 15, 2009."

There are currently two separate groups organizing their own nationwide tea parties: The Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party (www.taxdayteaparty.com) and the American Family Association's (AFA) Official Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party www.teapartyday.com. We attempted to contact them both for comment.

Speaking by phone with Julia Nelson, spokesperson for the Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party, she explained that her organization was not aware of ALIPAC’s announcement. She also explained that although her group could not deny ALIPAC supporters the right to attend their event, ALIPAC’s message against undocumented immigrants is not welcome and will not be a part of the Tax Day Tea Party message.

According to the Anti-defamation League, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), led by William Gheen, is the “largest anti-immigrant group in the country”. The ADL says that ALIPAC led by Gheen is “a xenophobic anti-immigrant group…publicly branding undocumented immigrants as murderous criminals and disease carriers".

In a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, William Gheen makes a habit of using “nativist aphorisms” like “Call me old fashioned, but people should be able to shop at Wal-Mart without worrying about catching [t]uberculosis.”

The first of the “Tea Parties” were organized in February after CNBC reporter Rick Santelli called for "tea party"-style protests over the Federal stimulus package and government bailout programs. Since then, right-wing activists have been mobilizing for April 15th to protest any plan of President Obama and the Congress to save the country’s ailing economy.

We attempted several times to get in touch with the American Family Association, however were unable to get a comment from them on ALIPAC’s announcement at the time of publication.

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Stand Up for Immigrant Families this Easter

While families spend time with loved ones over Easter Recess, there is a deep concern that our nation's moral compass is askew when it comes to immigration.

America's Voice, a communications campaign working to win common-sense immigration reform, has launched a video and campaign calling for individuals to write a letter to their Representatives telling them you want to see humane, just, and comprehensive immigration reform.

"Keeping families together is not just a value for people of faith — it’s a human value."


While Americans view the family unit to be sacred, our nation's current immigration laws continue to trample the basic human dignity of families from coast to coast. Immigration raids tear mothers from daughters and endless backlogs keep families from re-uniting. Congress must enact just, humane and comprehensive immigration reform in 2009, and restore order and justice to our laws.

People of faith, from all traditions, are joining as one to bear witness to the consequences of our broken immigration system in their congregations, service programs, communities, and schools. They want to see an immediate end to the suffering caused by immigration raids and to make sure the 111th Congress enacts immigration reform based on the tenets of family unity, justice, and humane treatment of all persons.

Write a letter to your Representatives telling them you want to see humane, just, and comprehensive immigration reform—give them something to talk about when they’re back from Easter Recess.

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Report Finds Immigrant Workers Aid State Economy

This release comes from our allies at OneAmerica. OneAmerica is committed to the vision of a unified nation with justice for all. Their mission is to advance the fundamental principles of democracy, justice, and human rights at the local, state and national levels. For more information, visit their website at www.weareoneamerica.org

OneAmerica report finds immigrant workers aid state economy

'Building Washington's Future' first to examine immigrant worker role in Washington

SEATTLE - A new OneAmerica report - to be released at a news conference Wednesday - outlines demographic trends related to immigrants in Washington; immigrant contributions to the economy through consumption, taxes, and their use of public benefits; the role of immigrants in the workforce and their direct contributions to a variety of industries as "unskilled" workers, immigrant entrepreneurs, and H-1B visa holders.

Presenters at the news conference will speak to the impact of immigrant workers on their businesses and the state economy. The report is the first state-specific report to examine Washington's contributions of immigrants to the economy. Staff will be available to discuss key findings including Washington's national rank and recent demographic changes in foreign born; data on immigrants, tax revenue, and the use of public assistance; and the role of immigrants in the aging workforce.

WHAT: News conference
WHERE: OneAmerica future offices - 1225 S. Weller, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98144
WHEN: Wed., April 8, 10 a.m.
RSVP: Please RSVP here or email Naomi Ishisaka

PRESENTERS:
Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director, OneAmerica
Sarah Curry, Policy and Research Associate, OneAmerica
Luis Fraga, Associate Vice Provost, UW, Director of Diversity Research Institute
Renee Radcliffe Sinclair, Executive Director, Congressional & Public Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Sergio Salinas, Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU Local 6
Dr. Mo Kyson, Iraqi refugee, served as U.S. Army interpreter, highly skilled dentist, underemployed in construction industry

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
(contact information will be provided at event):
Jon Wyss, Governmental Affairs, Gebber Farms
Josh Koempel, Owner, Potentiality Farms

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CAUSA Joins the Nation in Mourning the Tragedy in Binghamton

Salem, Ore. -- CAUSA, Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Coalition, was deeply saddened by tragedy that took place at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and the community.

The American Civic Association provides services to immigrants and refugees seeking to become citizens and reunite with their families. Reports are indicating that the violent acts were random and that the victims were immigrants taking their citizenship exam.

The victims were, like so many of us, people striving to become citizens of the United States and pursue the American dream. We encourage the nation to reach out and support the victims, their families, and the community of Binghamton in their healing process.

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CAUSA is Oregon's statewide, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies.

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Immigrant Detainees File Lawsuit Over Serious Violations of Due Process

A lawsuit has been filed in California on behalf of immigrant detainees being held in a detention facility in downtown Los Angeles.

Accoding to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court says that, "Federal authorities are violating immigrant detainees’ constitutional rights by holding them for weeks at a detention facility in downtown Los Angeles that was designed as a short-term processing center..."

The conditions in the facility according to the lawsuit:

"The center is “regularly overcrowded, causing violence, safety hazards, and humiliation,” while detainees are denied access to attorneys and courts and are rarely provided drinking water or a change of clothing."

An attorney representing the defendents, Marisol Orihuela says "They are detaining people in inhumane conditions, grossly unsanitary and disgusting conditions. There are serious violations of due process."

The full article can be read by linking here.

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