Gatherings to Raise Awareness about Abuse, Discrimination and Injustice against Immigrants

December 16, 2011

Gatherings to Raise Awareness about Abuse and Injustice against Immigrants

Portland, Ore--Starting this Sunday, members of immigrant communities, their supporters and those from diverse faiths will participate in a series of Posadas or “welcoming”gatherings in support of immigrant rights. The event is being hosted by Vecinos en Alerta (Neighbors in Alert) and the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement (ONSM)
This is third year that ONSM has organized a posada to draw public attention to the need for immigrant justice and an end to the abuse, discrimination and exploitation of immigrants in the United States.

“We are doing this to build community, solidarity and relationships of mutual welcome and hospitality between immigrants and people of faith and conscience”, said Beth Poteet of the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement. “As immigrants and allies, we want to draw public attention to the need for immigrant justice and an end to the abuse, discrimination and exploitation of immigrants in the United States.

Welcoming the Stranger: Portland Posada 2011
Date: December 19th and 20th
Time: 7pm - 8:30pm.
Location: 6840 NE Killingsworth, Portland, Oregon

Go to the Hacienda office and look for signs to direct you to the Posada.

Each evening there will be a celebration with food, fellowship, art and action.

For more information, please visit www.oregonsanctuary.org or link to their flyer here: http://www.oregonsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/posadasonsm-1.pdf

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Enough is Enough: Time for real immigration reform

Imagine waking up to pounding on your front door, you and your kids forced to the floor in your pajamas, heavily armed agents rifling their way through your home as the kids scream out in terror.

Now, imagine armed federal agents barging into your home without legal consent.

Last week, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law called the government's pre-dawn immigration raids on family homes "unconstitutional" and said that a "cowboy mentality" over at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been doing serious harm.

So far, DHS has refused to investigate or acknowledge these and other serious charges.


Watch this latest video from America's Voice and sign the petition to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano saying, "Enough is enough!"

It's time for real immigration reform, not more "cowboy" enforcement tactics.

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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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White House Border Violence Proposal A Step in the Right Direction

This release comes from the U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force. The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force is made up of state and local law-enforcement, elected officials, faith leaders, and community-based organizations along the border from Brownsville in the East to San Diego in the West. For more information, visit their website at www.bordertaskforce.org

White House Border Violence Proposal A Step in the Right Direction

Border Communities Point to Necessary Improvements

Washington, DC - The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force responded positively to announcements made yesterday by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on new border security and law-enforcement measures the Administration is taking in response to U.S.-Mexico border violence and drug trafficking. Today, Secretary Napolitano and senior Homeland Security staff testified at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee entitled "Southern Border Violence: Homeland Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responsibilities." The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force is made up of state and local law-enforcement, elected officials, faith leaders, and community-based organizations along the border from Brownsville in the East to San Diego in the West.

"It is clear that the President understands the complexity and challenges of border security," said Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, which is a co-convener of the Task Force. "This plan amounts to a 'comprehensive bi-national border strategy' that is the right approach and we applaud the White House for not succumbing to the temptation to over-simplify national security strategies."

"The proposal aptly relies on and supports local law-enforcement to curtail border violence," said Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of the Border Action Network in Tucson, another Task Force co-convener. "Local agencies are often called on, but rarely have sufficient resources, staffing, support, and communication and Washington appears to be addressing this."

"The response from Washington is measured and sensible and consistent with what we are hearing is needed from the groups and leaders we work with on the border," said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, another Task Force co-convener organization. "This is not militarizing the border willy-nilly, but a balanced plan of action."

The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force (background and list of members here), issued a series of recommendations for successful border policy in a report, "Effective Border Policy: Security, Responsibility And Human Rights at the U.S.-Mexico Border," released in Washington in November (Report here, Executive Summary here, and photos available on request).

Task Force Members pointed to two specific considerations that could improve the President's initiative: paying close attention to ports of entry and providing the kind of law-enforcement and judicial support envisioned by the President for the Mexican side of the border on the U.S. side, too.

"Most drugs are intercepted at ports of entry on the US-Mexico border, yet ports continue to be understaffed, under-supported and plagued by long lines that deter cross-border commerce," Allen said. "The President's proposal should include substantial infrastructure, staffing and technology expansions and improvements at the ports of entry."

"The proposal creates additional community liaisons to work with Mexican officials and agencies on their side of the border, but we need those here too," said Garcia. "The on-the-ground success of any border security strategy will be greatly improved if local communities have a means to share their information, experiences, and frustrations related to security issues faced at the U.S.-Mexico border."

Task Force members stressed that the mission to go after violent criminals and smuggling cartels must be clear and that training, accountability and oversight for new personnel and resources was critical to success.

"The President's plan should clearly define the role of local law-enforcement in border security activities and inter-agency collaboration," Garcia said. "We do not want our local law enforcement enlisted in the role of the Border Patrol, which would drive a wedge between border communities and their own police forces and erode trust and cooperation."

"We cannot afford having a strategy with multiple programs, massive enforcement, and lots of resources interacting with border communities without clear oversight mechanisms," Allen said. "Any border security strategy ought to be accountable and balanced and personnel must receive adequate training to deal with our communities on the border where many people look and sound like they may have come from Mexico."

Finally, the Task Force stressed the need for long-term solutions for the Borderland region, including comprehensive immigration reform.

"Immigration reform is needed to reduce the black market for immigration that the smuggling cartels exploit," Noorani stated. "Reform must create a legal immigration framework people will choose to go through rather than around, allowing our Homeland Security personnel to focus on actual threats."

"Security must be paramount," Allen said, "but cross-border commerce is the lifeblood of the local economy. In the long-run we need to strike the right balance so that there is as little interference as possible with the legitimate economy of the region."

"Border communities have been encouraged by recent comments by President Obama regarding his commitment to seeking comprehensive immigration reform this year," Garcia said. "A broad overhaul of our immigration system is essential to alleviating much of the stress and strain on the U.S.-Mexico border by enabling immigrants to enter the country in a legal, orderly, and safe manner rather than risking their lives with smuggling networks."

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For information or further comment in English or Spanish, contact:

Jennifer Allen
Border Action Network
(520) 623-4944 or (520) 820-0360 (mobile)

Fernando Garcia
Border Network for Human Rights
(915) 577-0724 or (915) 204-0337 (mobile)

Katherine Vargas, Press Secretary
National Immigration Forum
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-5198 (mobile)

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Breakthrough Releases Two New Immigration Videos

Breakthrough (www.breakthrough.tv) has just released two powerful new immigration videos:

Juana Villegas: A Pregnant Woman Detained Watch Juana relate the trauma of being shackled and detained while giving birth. She was nine months pregnant when stopped for "careless driving”, but instead of receiving a customary citation, she was shackled and detained, and remained shackled while giving birth. All this because of agreement 287(g) between local police and federal immigration authorities.

Ali: An HIV+ Man Suffers in Detention Ali has been living in New York city for 30 years with a green card. Life changed when he spent more than a year in immigrant detention where he witnessed the worst kind of physical abuse and medical mistreatment, including constantly fighting to get his HIV medication. Despite all this, Ali reaffirms that “life is beautiful”!

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