Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Intersection of Immigration and Civil Rights

Originally posted at Immigration Impact

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Intersection of Immigration and Civil Rights

By Seth Hoy

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose dream of equality and human rights changed the course of history. His legacy will be remembered this week by people of all colors and creeds who still believe in the American dream and who continue to fight for equality, civil rights and the basic human dignity they deserve. Over the weekend, thousands of human rights activists took to the street in Phoenix, Arizona, to march for civil rights and for “long-overdue federal action on immigration.”So how is immigration a civil rights issue? In a recent editorial, Rev. Harvey Clemons Jr., the pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Houston, connects Dr. King’s fight for equality with the struggle many immigrants face today.

Immigration is about human dignity and the nobility of parents of different tribes and nations facing the risk of coming to a foreign land, a land of opportunity, to work for a better tomorrow for their children…Dr. King invoked the truth, the truth being that all humans ought to be treated with a certain dignity. It would be natural for us to look to him as an example for fighting for a just cause.

Gerald Lenoir, director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, also draws parallels between the struggles of African Americans and the struggles of recent immigrants:

Even some of the migration experiences of African-Americans, coming from the South, leaving conditions of economic injustice and terrorism from both legal authorities and groups like the Ku Klux Klan, we see that same kind of movement in people across borders.

Leaders within the civil rights movement have long been outspoken supporters of immigration reform—especially when it comes to speaking out against broken immigration enforcement policies and racial profiling. Last March, House Judiciary Chair John Conyers, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox as well as a bevy of civil rights leaders, presented a petition to the Department of Justice and Homeland Security signed by more than 38,000 Arizona residents calling for an investigation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio—a man whose abuse of power, racial profiling and egregious immigration enforcement tactics have earned him numerous law suits, an FBI investigation and a summons to appear before a Grand Jury. At a press conference introducing the petition, Congressman Conyers called for unity in the fight to end racial profiling.

We think, in a lot of ways, our Hispanics brothers and sisters are becoming the new targets of discrimination and profiling that used to occur to African Americans. We’re saying it together—African Americans, Hispanic Americans and everyone else—no more racial profiling.

Similarly, Rev. Al Sharpton, also an outspoken advocate in the fight to end racial profiling, noted that defending civil rights should be an “everybody issue”:

We need to stop comparing disparities and start finding solutions. It is imperative for the African American community to stand together with the Latino community and for the Latino community to stand with the Asian community. You cannot have human rights for some—we need it for all. We must stand together with all our brothers and sisters against this national outrage.

A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that one year after the election of President Barack Obama, “black optimism about America has surged, while Hispanics have become more skeptical about race relation.” According to the poll, Hispanics are now seen as the ethnic group facing the most discrimination—which is not surprising, as America’s Voice blogger Jackie Mahendra says, given the “racially-charged immigration rhetoric that flows from talk radio to nightly news to the halls of Congress.”

Now, more than ever, it’s important to remember Dr. King’s message that all men are created equal—not just for Hispanics and African Americans, but for all people who come to this country in search of the American Dream.

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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."

# # #

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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Night of 1,000 Conversations in Tacoma

From our partners at FIRM:

Join thousands of people across America for the Night of 1,000 Conversations. They are going to talk with friends, family, neighbors, and community members about how the government is moving away from American ideals of upholding human rights and civil liberties. They are going to talk about how Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policies impact their communities and what their communities can do to protect the people they care most about. Then, they are going to do something about it.

In our area, One America will be meeting at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma Washington. More details below.

September 20, 2008
11:00 am to 3:30 pm
Northwest Detention Center * 1623 East J Street

Hosted by One America, demonstrators will be standing in solidarity with detainees and families and friends of those impacted by inhumane conditions in the local immigration detention center. The goal is to provide both logistical support to loved ones about the detention process and finding an attorney to represent them as well as moral support for the plight faced by these families. For more information, contact Shana Roth-Gormley at (206) 723-2203 x 205 or shana@WeAreOneAmerica.org.

For info on events in your area, visit FIRM.

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PCUN president fights for fairness

Yesterday, the Salem Stateman Journal interviewed Ramon Ramirez, President of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United). PCUN is Oregon’s union of farmworkers, nursery, and reforestation workers, and Oregon’s largest Latino organization.

PCUN president fights for fairness

He is motivated by discrimination he saw against parents
By Thelma Guerrero-Huston • Statesman Journal
August 25, 2008

By the time Ramon Ramirez took over the helm at PCUN in 1995, he already had achieved an unprecedented success: In 1991, he led the first-ever union-organized strike in Oregon agriculture.

He followed that up in 1998 when he signed three collective-bargaining contracts with separate Oregon growers, a first in the state's agricultural history.

Ramirez's drive for fair wages and decent working conditions for some of the state's most marginalized workers is fueled by the discrimination that he witnessed against his U.S.-born mother and immigrant father and their workplace exploitation in his home state of California.

Ramirez recently met with the Statesman Journal at his office in Woodburn to talk about PCUN — the Spanish acronym for Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United — and other topics. >>continue

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Immigration Detention in 2008

This video link is from our partners at FIRM and was released on YouTube on Monday by a writer from California. Check out her other videos by linking here.

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Don't Deport Me, Scotty

Today, Breakthrough released a new video called "Don't Deport Me, Scotty". Breakthrough is an international human rights organization that uses media, education and pop culture to promote values of dignity, equality and justice.

"Don't Deport Me, Scotty" takes a look at what happens when a permanent member of a popular space crew finds his status is in question. In any galaxy, when we deny due process and human rights to some, we put all of our freedoms at risk.


To learn more about Breakthrough and their mission of promoting values of dignity, equality and justice, please visit their website at www.breakthrough.tv

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Republican Approach to Immigration Policy: Treat Immigrants Like Cattle

Tactics Hurt Party’s Image, Make Problem Worse, and Terrorize Immigrant Families

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security descended upon the community of Postville, Iowa to arrest hundreds of immigrants working at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant. Agents rounded up hundreds of immigrants like livestock and bused them to the National Cattle Congress grounds for “processing.” America’s Voice, the newly-founded communications and rapid response arm of a reinvigorated campaign to advance immigration reform, said it was appalled but not surprised at the Department of Homeland Security’s actions. In 2006, Iowa Congressman Steve King (R-5) equated undocumented immigrants to cattle and advocated the use of electrical wire to keep them from entering the United States: “We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that wouldn’t kill somebody but would simply be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do this with livestock all the time” (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F0la3Js9Mg).

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “The Bush Administration has given up on real immigration reform to join Congressman Steve King and other Republicans who advocate mass round-ups of immigrant workers. The latest immigration raid in Iowa is an ugly example of the Republican thrust on the complex issue of illegal immigration: scare the public into thinking that immigrant workers are the enemy, round them up like cattle, terrorize immigrant communities in hopes they will leave the country, and pray it helps Republicans win elections this fall.

“After eight years in the White House and more than a decade running Congress, the Republican Party owns the immigration issue, and this raid is but another example of how their policies are a disaster for America – they trample our values, undermine our security, and damage our economy,” Sharry continued. “The GOP plan of terrorizing Latino immigrants in hopes they will self-deport amounts to a non-violent strategy of ethnic cleansing. Forcing them further into the shadows does nothing to regain control of our chaotic immigration system. And making workers afraid while coddling employers who take advantage of them ends up hurting immigrant and American workers alike.”

Sharry noted that Republicans are politicizing immigration in hopes of gaining political traction in the November elections. Unfortunately for them, voters are more interested in practical solutions than empty rhetoric. Illegal immigration as a wedge issue in elections failed for Republicans in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Just recently, anti-immigrant Republicans lost Dennis Hastert’s seat in Illinois-14 and the Louisiana-6 special election to Democrats.

Added Sharry, “When will Republicans get it? Every serious public opinion poll shows that the American people want the problem solved, not turned into a political football. They want solutions that restore the rule of law, not showy raids that make a bad situation worse. Republicans are not only out of step with the general electorate, but are losing altitude with Latino and new immigrant voters in a way that could doom the Party for years to come.”

For more information, visit: www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org

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League of Woman Voters Takes Position on Immigration

Last week the League of Women Voters of the United States issued a statement in supportive of citizenship for unauthorized immigrants and in opposition to deportations.

“After a lengthy and comprehensive study of this complex issue by our grassroots members,” said national League president Mary G. Wilson, “the League’s position calls for a path to citizenship for current unauthorized immigrants.”

“As part of overall immigration reform, the League supports a system for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status, including citizenship, by paying taxes, learning English, studying civics and meeting other relevant criteria,” Wilson stated. “We oppose deportations of current unauthorized immigrants who have no history of serious criminal activity,” she said.

In addition, the LWVUS came out in support of increased enforcement personnel at borders, more effective tracking of individuals who enter the U.S., and significant fines and penalties for employers who hire unauthorized workers.

Finally, they said they would "champion due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal and right to humane treatment".

A copy of their full report can be found below, or here.

LWVUS Immigration Position

The League of Women Voters believes that immigration policies should promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business and employment needs of the United States; and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises. Provision should also be made for qualified persons to enter the U.S. on student visas. All persons should receive fair treatment under the law.

The League supports federal immigration law that provides an efficient, expeditious system (with minimal or no backlogs) for legal entry of immigrants into the U.S.

To complement these goals the League supports federal policies to improve economies, education, job opportunities, and living conditions in nations with large emigrating populations.

In transition to a reformed system, the League supports provisions for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status.

The League supports federal payments to impacted communities to address the financial costs borne by states and local governments with large immigrant populations.

Criteria for Legal Admission to the U.S.

The League supports the following criteria for legal admission of persons into the United States:

* Family reunification of spouses or minor children with authorized immigrants or citizens;
* Flight from persecution or response to humanitarian crises in home countries;
* Economic, business and employment needs in the U.S.;
* Education and training needs of the U.S.;
* Educational program opportunities; and
* Lack of a history of serious criminal activity.

Administration and Enforcement

The League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal and right to humane treatment.

The League supports:

* Improved technology to facilitate employer verification of employee status;
* Verification documents, such as status cards and work permits, with secure identifiers;
* Significant fines and penalties for employers who hire unauthorized workers;
* Improved technology for sharing information among federal agencies;
* More effective tracking of individuals who enter the United States; and
* Increased personnel at borders.

The League also supports programs allowing foreign workers to enter and leave the U.S. to meet seasonal or sporadic labor needs.

Unauthorized Immigrants Already in the U.S.

In achieving overall policy goals, the League supports a system for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status, including citizenship, by paying taxes, learning English, studying civics and meeting other relevant criteria. While policy reforms, including a path to legal status, remain unachieved, the League does not support deporting unauthorized immigrants who have no history of criminal activity.

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Breaking Laws to Build a Border Fence

This one from KJ over at ImmigrationProf Blog about breaking laws to build a border fence. In a post today, KJ asks a great question, "Is it worth bending the rule of law for a fence of no value to effectively address immigrataion control concerns AND results in deaths?"

In response, he highlights an article, "Power to Build Border Fence Is Above U.S. Law", that appeared in the New York Times today.

Securing the nation’s borders is so important, Congress says, that Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, must have the power to ignore any laws that stand in the way of building a border fence. Any laws at all. >>read on

KJ also offers an op/ed on "how the border fence is indicative of American insecurity" by Gregory Rodriguez. You can get that link here

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United Nations Scrutinizes U.S. Treatment of Migrants

U.N. report criticizes U.S. treatment of migrants
America does not adequately protect the human rights of noncitizens, says an investigator. He takes aim at increased detentions, saying they are overused.

March 8, 2008

The United States has failed to uphold its international obligations to protect the human rights of migrants, subjecting too many to prolonged detention in substandard facilities while depriving them of an adequate appeals process and labor protections, a United Nations investigator said Friday.

In the international body's first scrutiny of U.S. treatment of its 37.5 million noncitizen migrants, U.N. investigator Jorge Bustamante took particular aim at what he criticized as the "overuse" of detention for immigrants. Noting that the annual detainee population has tripled in nine years to 230,000, he called on the United States to eliminate mandatory detention for certain migrants and instead expand the use of alternatives, such as electronic ankle bracelets. Read on>>

Get the full U.N. Report here

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Simulator Tackles Complexities of Being an Immigrant

Organization seeks to create awareness of unfair U.S. immigration policies with new simulator

Yesterday, Breakthrough, an international human rights organization launched “ICED -- I Can End Deportation” an education tool to be used by students to help them understand the difficult challenges immigrants face under unfair immigration policies. The program was created in partnership with various community-based organizations, high school teachers and students from high schools and after-school programs across New York City.

Under current immigration laws in the United States, many immigrants are often denied due process and basic human rights, which even judges are prevented from affecting. In addition, harsh punishments may also be levied for minor offenses including indefinite detention. Responding to this fact, Breakthrough says, “when we let the government deny due process and human rights for some people, we put all of our freedoms at risk.

Users of ICED will come to realize it isn’t only undocumented immigrants that suffer under the U.S.’s immigration policy. One character users can choose to inhabit—a Japanese student on a visa-- demonstrates the challenges even documented immigrants face navigating the U.S..

Although “ICED” has been billed to the media as a “video game”, Breakthrough makes it clear that the situation many immigrants find themselves in on a daily basis is anything but a game.

“ICED -- I Can End Deportation” can be downloaded from Breakthrough’s Website by linking to www.icedgame.com

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