Customs and Border Protection
House Inaction Escalates Community’s Demands for Immigration Reform
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) reassured a few die-hard anti-immigration reform activists when he said he would never agree to a conference to reach agreement on a House immigration bill and the Senate’s bipartisan immigration that passed in June. But his comments fired up those who want to see Congress improve the nation’s broken immigration system. Despite some in the House dragging their feet on considering immigration reform legislation—House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy told advocates last week there weren’t enough days for them to act on it this year—immigration advocates in Washington, D.C., and across the country continued to push for the House to act on immigration reform. Read More
Colorado Emergency Relief Efforts Impeded by Immigrants’ Mistrust of Law Enforcement
The recent flooding in Colorado, in which eight people died and property losses are likely to reach $2 billion, offers another reminder that local law enforcement efforts are often hindered by our broken immigration system. The Denver Post reported that some unauthorized immigrants risk injury or miss out on assistance because they are afraid to interact with police. For example, Augustina Tema’s husband, who is an unauthorized immigrant, was afraid to come outside when police officers went door-to-door to warn residents of the pending flood. Augustina, a legal resident, expressed fear of applying for assistance because of her husband’s status, a fear other undocumented families echoed. For the undocumented families, the tragedy of losing their homes to flooding is compounded by the loss of their “paper trail”—materials that would be needed to prove residency for any future legalization programs. Disaster-related documentation problems extend to those legally residing in the United States if the papers that prove an immigrant may legally live and work in the United States are lost as well, further hindering emergency assistance. Read More
Customs and Border Protection’s New “Use of Force” Initiatives Are Welcome First Steps
The endemic use of force within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made national headlines in 2010 when Anastacio Hernandez Rojas, a 42-year old Mexican national living in San Diego, was killed by a Border Patrol Officer while in CBP custody. Since then, at least 18 other people have have died as the result of alleged excessive use of force by CBP officials, including six U.S. citizens and seven minors under 21. These incidents prompted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review the use of force at CBP. A report issued earlier this month by DHS’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) exposes the inadequacies of the “use of force training” for Border Patrol agents and a series of operational flaws in the agency’s monitoring of employee misconduct. Read More
Silicon Valley execs share personal immigration woes at virtual #iMarch
Peninsula Press May 24, 2013 By Anna Li Silicon Valley is famous for drawing talented engineers and highly skilled workers to technology corporations and startups. A large number of these workers are foreigners who find well-paid jobs but face immigration barriers to staying in the United States. And, this week, those… Read More
Immigrants can help revive weak economy
The Tennessean April 4, 2013 Returning to the annual Legislative Summit of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington, it was gratifying to see leaders on both sides of the aisle coming together to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. From the White House to Capitol Hill, there… Read More
In quest for skilled workers, U.S. looks to Canada as an example
The Globe and Mail March 17, 2013 Ask nearly any U.S. business executive about the country’s immigration system and the response is often a personal experience that demonstrates their dissatisfaction with a process they consider either creaky or broken. Now, for the first time in decades, there is a… Read More
Lindsey Graham Defended By Conservative Pro-Immigration Reform Groups
Huffington Post March 13, 2013 Two conservative pro-immigration reform groups are stepping in to support Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the members of the Senate “gang of eight,” as he comes under fire in his state from an organization that seeks to reduce immigration. … There are other… Read More
Immigrant entrepreneurs’ hard path to a living
The Washington Post March 9, 2013 John and Caroline Schneider operated a German lager beer saloon in the basement of New York’s 97 Orchard St. in the 1870s. John dealt with patrons in the front, while Caroline prepared customer meals in a tiny back apartment, where the couple also… Read More
Shoddy Court Process Behind the Record Number of Deportations
The Obama Administration is on record for pursuing the toughest immigration enforcement policies in U.S. history, mostly evidenced by its record numbers of deportations. These numbers speak volumes: last year, nearly 400,000 people were deported from the United States. While these numbers are shockingly high and there has been much discussion about how these actions tear families and communities apart, there has also been an under-reporting of the unfair and often expedited process that leads to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of people each year. In fact, two-thirds of the individuals removed are done so without ever seeing the inside of an immigration courtroom and are not accorded many other basic due process protections. Read More
U.S. needs 21st century immigration plan
CNN.com January 29, 2013 The prospects for immigration reform just got a lot brighter. Eight leading senators, four Republicans and four Democrats, came together to announce on Monday their agreement on broad principles to modernize our immigration laws, which have been largely unchanged since 1965. Since then, the world… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
