NBA Team shows opposition to Arizona's Racial Profiling Law

This release comes from our partners at the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM).  FIRM is a national coalition of community organizations fighting for the fair treatment of immigrants and for just and humane immigration reform on the local, state and federal level.

NBA Team Shows Courage in Standing up to Arizona's SB1070

FIRM applauds Phoenix Suns symbolic gesture and strong words against law that would subject Latinos to racial profiling

WASHINGTON - Today, the Phoenix Suns will wear jerseys identifying them as "Los Suns." The move, according to the team owner, is to show solidarity with Phoenix's Latino community and condemn SB1070, which will require police to verify the legal status of anyone who arouses a "reasonable suspicion" of being undocumented. The following is a statement from Gabe Gonzalez, political strategist for the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM):

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White House Contradicts Senator Reid on Immigration Reform

It is being reported that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that immigration reform in 2009 is “unlikely”.

Our partners at Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) are reporting that Roll Call broke the story yesterday after Press Secretary Gibbs contradicted a statement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In an interview with Efe earlier this month, Reid said that Comprehensive Immigration Reform was "likely in 2009".

FIRM says Senator Reid knows that the votes are gettable—but that “we have to push”. They also point out that The Reform Immigration For America campaign has been building tremendous momentum, so there is "little reason to doubt that we will have the votes necessary when legislation hits Congress".

Link here for the full story.

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Napolitano to Investigate Bellingham ICE Raid

According to the Associated Press, the raid that took place in Bellingham Washington on Tuesday came as a surprise to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Napolitano told lawmakers that she was unaware of the raid and was only briefed about it on Wednesday morning.

By Wednesday afternoon, Napolitano was calling for an investigation into the raid and how it was conducted.

"I want to get to the bottom of this as well," she said. She said work-site enforcement needs to be focused on the employers.

The backlash from around the country over the raid was very large and came from civil rights, faith and immigrant advocacy organizations. The collective message was that inhumane raids must be stopped, and comprehensive immigration reform passed.

The AP spoke with Marissa Graciosa of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

She said “it is disappointing that ICE has executed a raid since Obama took office saying the raids were destructive and ineffective.”

"We urge President Obama to deliver on his promise of change by stopping the raids, and signing just and humane immigration reform into law," Graciosa said.

The response from the Whitehouse with Napalitano calling for an investigation is a great victory for pro-immigrant organizations and advocates and the first step first step to passing just and humane Immigration Reform.

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President Obama signs SCHIP into Law

This photo comes from our partners at Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM). SCHIP, or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program being passed by congress and signed into law by President Obama ensures that healthcare will be accessible to all children in the United States. Included in the law was also a provision providing health care for children of immigrant families and pregnant women. Read more at FIRM's blog, Standing FIRM.

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Pro-Immigrant Advocates Call for a Moratorium on Raids and Deportations

On Wednesday, over 300 immigrant supporters and religious leaders from across the country marched on the headquarters of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in Washington D.C. Participants called on the Obama Adminsitration to declare an immediate moratorium on deportations and immigration raids. read more

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Immigrant Rights Organizations Announce Mass Mobilization and Renewed Call for Just, Humane Reform

This release is from our allies at National Capital Immigrant Coalition (NCIC) and Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM). NCIC is a coalition of more than 30 organizations that advocates, educates and mobilizes the immigrant community in the Washington metro area. FIRM is a national coalition of community organizations fighting for the fair treatment of immigrants and for just and humane immigration reform on the local, state and federal level.

Immigrant Rights Organizations Announce Mass Mobilization and Renewed Call for Just, Humane Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, 17 November 2008

Contact:
Mary Moreno (202) 339-9316, mmoreno@communitychange.org
Mario Quiroz (240) 353-2288, mquiroz@casamd.org
Lucero Beebe-Giudice (703) 684-5697 Ext. 313, lbeebe-giudice@tenantsandworkers.org

Washington D.C. - Under a theme that declared, “A New Day for America, A New Hope for Our Communities,” leaders from grassroots immigrant rights organizations from across the nation stood together with renewed hope and sense of opportunity for just and humane immigration reform. The National Capital Immigrant Coalition and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement announced a mass mobilization planned for January 21, 2009 in Washington DC, to welcome the newly inaugurated President Obama.

“The immigrant community has fully embraced the spirit of hope and democracy surrounding this historic election,” said Jessica Alvarez, NCIC president, “We will remain active long after the election. Together, NCIC and FIRM, represent millions of Americans that are committed to doing whatever it takes to help the new administration institute immigration reform.”

Immigrants were heard loud and clear in this election. The Latino vote alone went up 30% from 2004. Immigrant rights groups will use this political muscle to push for renewed commitment to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system and put an immediate stop to the raids that have terrorized immigrant families.

“From New York to California and from Washington to Florida, the immigrant community is becoming more aware of its economic and political power,” said Angelica Salas, member of FIRM and executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. “Today, we celebrate a new day for politics in America that honors the sanctity of family and hard work by instituting practices of reform, not raids; of hope, not fear; and a better America for everyone who lives here.”

In the months leading up to the mobilization, both coalitions will conduct a series of events designed to open the dialogue between policy makers and the community. Immediately, FIRM groups will convene a forum in Washington, DC with the Campaign for Community Values, key policy makers, union leaders and members of the presidential transition team to help shape a progressive agenda that includes immigration reform in the first year.

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Man Threatens to Blow Up Immigrant Advocacy Building

Last week, a man was arrested after threatening to blow up a Maryland based Immigrant Advocacy Group’s facility. Wesley James Queen II is reported to have used his cell phone to leave two messages for Casa de Maryland telling them to “not be surprised when your place blows up in pieces”.

In the other call, Queen threatened the President of Casa de Maryland saying, "Do not be surprised if one of these days that you find yourself with a bullet in the back of your brain".

About the increased threats towards immigrants, Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), the national coalition of grassroots organizations fighting for immigrant rights at the local, state and federal level posted had this to say:

“This violence has permeated the anti-migrant message and made hate the driving force behind the movement. It is time to end the hate speech and end the immigrant bashing. No more violence. What we need is a sensible discussion about immigration, not death threats.”

To read more about this story and the disturbing pattern of threats of violence towards immigrants and immigrant advocacy groups, please visit FIRM’s website.

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