The Public Religion Research Institute conducted a national poll of 1,201 American voters from March 5 to 11, 2010. The margin of error for the national sample is +/- 3%. The current system is widely understood to be broken. Nationally, 56% of Americans of faith say that the immigration... Continue »
Fed up with Congress and frustrated with President Barack Obama's brief mention of immigration reform in the State of the Union address, immigrant rights supporters are now organizing around the clock to push legislators to move on reform in 2010. It will not be an easy feat. Continue »
Professional pundits and Democratic politicians are in a frenzy over what Martha Coakley's senate seat loss to Republican Scott Brown might mean for American politics. Immigration reform in jeopardy As Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect reports, the loss of one seat probably won't derail heath care reform, but it does... Continue »
"Is it ever 'the right time' to pass immigration reform and a path to legalization?" asks Maribel Hastings at New America Media. The short answer? Yes. Our national economic situation dictates that we are smart about the resources available to us all. It's also a moral imperative to adjust... Continue »
As we usher the last decade into the realm of memory, it's time to stop viewing immigration reform as an Us vs. Them issue. The metaphors and language we use are key to framing a debate because they can communicate broader truths via association. For example, a scientist might... Continue »
On Tuesday, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR-ASAP). Rep. Gutierrez said that the bill represents "the final push for comprehensive immigration reform," as Khalil Abdullah reports for New America Media. Seth Hoy at AlterNet breaks down some... Continue »
The nation's 10% unemployment rate is feeding anti-immigrant sentiment, as Marcelo Ballvé reports for New America Media. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) critiqued President Barack Obama's recent jobs summit as "fatally flawed" because President Obama did not discuss wresting millions of jobs away from undocumented families. Smith's argument is flawed. Continue »
The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is shifting its focus to silent or "quiet" raids, as Erin Rosa reports for Campus Progress. In quiet raids, ICE conducts "audits" of staff at pre-selected organizations and gives employers a chance to fire all workers who cannot produce... Continue »
This post is a weekly feature by Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger: While many pundits and political analysts are musing about what Tuesday's mixed bag election results mean for Obama administration, New America Media reports that "there's another trend to watch; the surprising prominence of immigration politics." Continue »
Anti-immigration groups and pundits cling to phrases like "Illegal Alien" because they only focus on foreignness and danger. These extreme factions are all about casting immigrants as what ails our society, conjuring up demons upon which to focus national ire, and perpetuating a subhuman category of being. It's a... Continue »