Georgia lawyers claim section 287(g) agreement causing unequal enforcement of laws
From April 30, 2008 Lawyers in Gainesville, Georgia, claim that they are seeing Hispanics being jailed for crimes for which other persons would get a warning or a citation. Unfortunately, since November 1, 2007, when House Bill 1804 took effect, we’ve seen the same thing happen in Oklahoma where persons with a certain skin color […]
10 ugly truths about the immigration debate
From April 28, 2008 CNN published a list today listing some ugly truths about our national immigration debate. Some of my faves: No. 3. The opportunism. Too many politicians are trying too hard to portray themselves as tough on illegal immigration. No. 8. The amnesia. Americans think grandpa was welcomed with open arms and that […]
Don’t forget the employer’s responsibility when you hear about an ICE raid
From April 28, 2008 The Kansas City Star editorial board also issued another opinion piece today questioning how the President continues to waste opportunities to enact immigration reform. The thing that caught my eye, though, was the part about Pilgrim’s Pride offering up undocumented workers for arrest so as to escape being fined by Immigration […]
Anti-immigrant activist legislation diverting attention from real problem
From April 28, 2008 The Kansas City Star’s editorial board published an opinion piece today making the obvious but overlooked observation that the recent trend of state and local governments passing anti-immigrant measures takes the pressure off of federal politicians to do their duty to pass legislative reforms to address national problems. The editorial board […]
Arizona governor vetoes immigration enforcement measure
From April 28, 2008 Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a measure today that would have required local law enforcement to work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. I agree with the Arizona governor. She’s right. State and local law enforcement should stay out of immigration as your state and local tax revenues are being used […]
The problem with marching for immigrant rights
From April 27, 2008 A Chicago Tribune news story talks about how interest among the various immigrant communities for marches for reasonable immigration reform has waned. The huge marches of recent years were a short term success but a long term failure. They were a success in that they put a lot of bodies on […]
Immigration detainers
From March 23, 2008 One area that I’ve found few attorneys understand is the process (and legality) of when law enforcement holds an undocumented foreign national for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local and state law enforcement officials generally cannot arrest foreign nationals for immigration violations absent a memorandum of understanding being in place between […]
From March 23, 2008 One area that I’ve found few attorneys understand is the process (and legality) of when law enforcement holds an undocumented foreign national for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local and state law enforcement officials generally cannot arrest foreign nationals for immigration violations absent a memorandum of understanding being in place between […]
House Bill 1804 similar to 1930s ‘Anti-Okie Law’
From October 30, 2007 I participated in a press conference yesterday regarding House Bill 1804, which even though it is ethnicity neutral on its face is understood by almost everyone to be anti Mexican as some Oklahomans do not like the influx of persons of Mexican heritage (legal or otherwise). According to Wikipedia: In 1937, […]
LA Times story says ramping up enforcement will hurt economy
From August 11, 2007 A story in the Los Angeles Times says that the ramping up of immigration enforcement will damage the economy. WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff predicted painful economic fallout from the array of immigration enforcement measures the administration unveiled Friday in an attempt to choke off the jobs “magnet” that […]