While most Americans who pay attention to politics were focused on the Iowa caucuses for the past few months, immigration activists, including DREAMers, have been actively engaged on the front lines in the state for the past several years. The results have been two-pronged: 1) Defining candidates on the... Continue »
Earlier this week, the Obama Administration deported a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, despite the government earlier having approved her DACA application and granted her “advanced parole” request to travel to and from Mexico.  The case of Lesly Sophia Cortez-Martinez is a troubling example of the... Continue »
In the aftermath of the Iowa caucus, here’s our assessment of the state of play for immigration politics. For Republicans:  The Entire GOP Field Has Lurched Hard Right on Immigration and Sunk the GOP Brand to the Bottom with Latino and Immigrant Voters: The entire Republican presidential field pledges... Continue »
Last week, the Lorain Ohio Immigrants’ Rights Association (LOIRA), Ohio’s Voice, and Cleveland Jobs with Justice invited the three candidates for U.S. Senate: former Governor Ted Strickland (D), Cincinnati City Council Member PG Sittenfeld(D), and Senator Rob Portman (R) to sit down with DAPA-eligible families as part of the ongoing “DAPA Dinners” campaign. “DAPA Dinners” is an initiative that invites all... Continue »
In a new piece on Univision.com, Matt Hildreth, the Iowa based Director of Online Programs for America’s Voice and Director of Iowa’s Voice, offers a fresh take on the role of immigration in this year’s caucus and the implications this role will have for candidates of both parties in the... Continue »
Brian Beutler in The New Republic and Peter Beinart in The Atlantic Assess Republicans and Immigration Ahead of tonight’s Iowa caucuses, recent analyses from Brian Beutler of The New Republic and Peter Beinart of The Atlantic assess the roots and consequences of the Republican lurch to the right on immigration.  We excerpt the pieces below: ... Continue »
Last night, we learned that the Obama administration has ramped up efforts targeting young people who fled violence, for deportation. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a high school student who left Honduras in 2014 was arrested on his parents’ front steps and faces deportation to that crime-ravaged nation.  In Charlotte, young men who... Continue »
Yesterday, U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack introduced legislation aimed at uniting deported Iowa City Pastor Max Villatoro with his family. Pastor Max’s case generated widespread local and national attention last year when—despite being a prime candidate for prosecutorial discretion under the Obama administration’s new guidelines—Max was separated from his family and deported to Honduras. Congressman Loebsack’s... Continue »