Nationwide vigils tell immigration agencies that they are "completely out of control"

by: Restore Fairness

Fri Apr 09, 2010 at 15:18:43 PM EST

From the Restore Fairness blog.

Between the discovery of Haitian earthquake survivors in immigration detention (later released), an agency memo showing support for larger amounts of immigrant deportations, and the agency’s own admission of mismanagement, an embarrassed Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs to be held accountable for its actions.

While civil rights groups have continued to be critical of ICE over the past year, the first protests against their recent misadventures has been spearheaded by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Starting yesterday, the SEIU mobilized their members to participate in vigils outside ICE offices across the country to call on the agency to bring itself back to the enforcement goals it had set at the beginning of the Obama administration last year, goals that it seems to have lost sight of.

One of the country’s largest labor unions, the SEIU held prayer vigils outside USCIS offices in Oakland and Sacramento yesterday and outside ICE headquarters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston and Minneapolis today. Speaking on behalf of thousands of workers and human rights advocates across the country, Executive Vice-President of SEIU, Eliseo Medina said-

When DHS first announced its enforcement goals – including its increased focus on worksite I9 audits – SEIU was optimistic that the Obama Administration would clean up past wrongdoings…Instead, the agency has added flames to the fire by replacing worksite raids with electronic raids. Field officers are acting like cowboys, more interested in adding scalps to their belts than targeting criminals and abusive employers, which would actually help solve our immigration problems. As a result, communities lose, businesses lose, families lose, America loses.

President Obama has expressed his commitment to the need for immigration reform saying that tearing apart families, terrorizing communities through raids, and denying due process to those detained, were all indications of a broken immigration system that needed to be fixed. With the expansion of an unsuccessful 287(g) program and an increase in deportations in the past year, it is clear the the system is failing. SEIU activists are demanding-

Rather than wasting limited funds to chase hard-working, tax-paying cleaners, home-care providers and nannies, the activists will call on President Obama and Secretary Janet Napolitano to re-focus ICE enforcement on its original goals of targeting crooked employers and criminals.

The human repercussions of political decisions made behind closed doors cannot be under estimated. If the promises that the administration made are not upheld, retaliatory actions will continue to take place across the nation.

Watch the latest video from America’s Voice, telling us how the current state of immigration is “More Rouge Than Right.”

 Learn. Share. Act. Go to restorefairness.org

Delaying immigration reform gets expensive

by: Restore Fairness

Mon Mar 29, 2010 at 16:46:14 PM EST

From the Restore Fairness blog.

Sirens, helicopters, immigration agents with guns  swarming into    factories and homes, this was standard game for  immigration raids during    the Bush administration. But all that was  supposed to change during    President Obama’s tenure. In a disturbing  turn of events, documents    procured by the Washington Post have exposed a senior-ranking     Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official explicitly  stating     that even while deportation of those with  criminal charges has  risen,    the overall number of deportations is “well  below the  agency’s goal”    and what is needed is a reversal of the   downward   trend of    deportations.

Rather than reflect the plans of the  Obama  administration that is   committed to an enforcement agenda  focused on  immigrants that commit   serious crimes, the exposed ICE  memo has laid  out a plan that will -

pump up  the numbers by  increasing  detention space to hold more  illegal  immigrants while they  await  deportation proceedings; sweep  prisons and  jails to find more   candidates for deportation and offering  early release  to those  willing  to go quickly; and, most  controversially, include a  “surge”  in efforts  to catch illegal  immigrants whose only violation was  lying  on  immigration or visa  applications or reentering the United  States  after  being deported.

In keeping with this plan, ICE field  offices in  Dallas, Chicago and   Northern California have set their  agents an  incentive system that  calls  for them to process 40-60 cases  in a month  in order to earn  “excellent”  ratings. Such a policy  encourages agents  to target “easy”  cases rather  than focus on high  risk, criminal cases  that take longer  to process.

ICE  immediately distanced themselves from Chaparro’s memo.

Our    longstanding focus remains on smart, effective immigration     enforcement  that places priority first on those dangerous criminal     aliens who  present risk to the security of our communities. This focus    has yielded  real results – between FY2008 and FY2009,  criminal    deportations  increased by 19%… Significant portions of the memo cited    in The  Washington Post did not reflect our policies, was sent without    my   authorization, and has since been withdrawn and corrected.

Mixed   signals from an agency known for its harsh implementation of    detention  and deportation policies. A report published by the Center for      American Progress weighs the fiscal damage that would result from     mass deportation of all immigrants, the alternative to     comprehensive reform that is championed by immigration hardliners, and     the results should worry us all.

Based on federal spending on   border enforcement and deportation for   2008, the report estimates the   cost of detention and deportation for   10.8 million undocumented   immigrants present in the U.S. at around 200   billion dollars.  Referring  to the option of mass deportation as the   “status-quo on   steriods”, it  points to this option as a highly   irresponsible one  that would require  “$922 in new taxes for every man,   woman, and child  in this country.”  The bad news, the National   Immigration Forum puts this number on the lower side.

The good news. Americans aren’t  buying  this option and are demanding   immigration reform in record  numbers.  The Public    Religion  Research Institute asked American voters (predominantly    white  Evangelicals, Catholics and Mainline Protestants) what they think     about immigration reform, and found-

Two-thirds  of Americans believe in a   comprehensive approach that  offers illegal  immigrants an earned path   to citizenship. Overwhelming  majorities of  those asked believed that   immigration reform should be  guided by values  of fairness, security,   dignity and keeping families  together.

On the other side is Public Agenda,    a non partisan group that decided  to find out what immigrants think about their lives     in the United States. What did they find?

The    overwhelming  majority of immigrants say they’re happy in the  United    States, and  would  do it all over again if they could.  Immigrants “buy   in” to  American  society, for themselves and their  children. They  rate  the  United States  as an  improvement over their  birthplace in  almost  all  dimensions, and most  say they expect their  children to  remain in  this  country. A  solid majority says that  illegal  immigrants become   productive citizens and an overwhelming 84   percent  support a “guest   worker” program

So what’s next? We’ve marched. We’ve rallied. We’ve practically     shouted from  rooftops demanding immigration reform. And now it’s time     to make sure  that we get some concrete action. With the current system     broken, expensive and inefficient, and with 10.8 million people eager to     contribute to the nation’s economy and society, everyone should be  on    board for finding a sustainable, just, and humane solution to the     current immigration system. We rest our case.

Photo courtesy  of  americanprogress.org

Coming up to March 21st, raids undermine White House talk of immigration reform

by: Restore Fairness

Mon Mar 15, 2010 at 16:23:16 PM EST

From the Restore Fairness blog.

With less than a week to go, advocates across the  country are gearing  up to “March for America,” the massive mobilization for   immigration reform where 100,000 supporters are expected to descend on   the nation’s capital on March 21st. In anticipation of the march,   members of the National  Day Labor  Organizing Network (NDLON) have set off from  different  parts of the country to Washington D.C., with the aim of  building  support amongst local communities on the way and calling  attention to  the desperate need for reform of immigration laws that  tear families  apart and repress the immigrant community.

The Puente   Movement, and their “Human  Rights Caravan” of day laborers, advocates  and community members  left Phoenix on March 6th for a three-week,  awareness-raising journey  through Arizona that will culminate in  Washington D.C. on March 21st.  As part of their efforts, they have been  organizing events in small  towns and big cities to highlight the civil  and human rights crisis in  Arizona and other places where large  communities are impacted by  increased enforcement policies. On March  13th, the caravan was joined  by Rep. Luis   Gutierrez in Houston for a large rally that  called for immigration reform. On  the East Coast, several day laborers  from New York and New Jersey began a  300-mile “Walk for Human  Dignity” on Saturday, March 13th.  Inspired by the courageous “Trail of Dreams” walkers, they will be stopping at   various day labor corners, churches and worker centers on their way to   Washington D.C.

So is all this buzz around the “march” reaching  Washington D.C.? When  President Obama announced three meetings on the issue of   immigration reform last Thursday (March 11th), it seemed like the message that immigrant rights advocates across the   country were sending out was finally hitting home. After the President   had a “feisty” meeting with representatives from   immigrant rights groups on Thursday morning, Sen. Schumer and Sen. Graham  presented their legislative plans for the bill on comprehensive   immigration reform in the Oval office. The Senators requested the   President for his support in ensuring  bipartisan support for the bill,   and while the President committed his “unwavering support” to reforming   immigration laws, he gave no concrete plan of action or time-line for   moving forward. However, as summed up in a New York Times editorial about the meetings that President Obama had with immigrant    rights advocates, with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and with Sen.    Charles Schumer and Sen. Lindsey Graham, “What we’d rather know is  when   the bill is coming, what it will look like and what he is going  to do  to  get it passed. Enough with the talk.”

In a statement released by the White House after the   meetings-

Today I met with Senators Schumer and  Graham and was pleased to  learn of their progress in forging a proposal  to fix our broken  immigration system. I look forward to reviewing their  promising  framework, and every American should applaud their efforts to  reach  across party lines…I also heard from a diverse group of grassroots   leaders from around the country about the growing coalition that is   working to build momentum for this critical issue. I am optimistic that   their efforts will contribute to a favorable climate for moving  forward.  I told both the Senators and the community leaders that my  commitment  to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering, and that I  will  continue to be their partner in this important effort.

As indicated  by White House press secretary Robert   Gibbs, it seems that while  immigration remains an important issue for   President Obama, it is not a  priority in this election year, thereby   making the concrete action that  the Obama administration had promised   within the first year of office,  seem like a distant dream. It is clear   that the meetings were a result of the mounting pressure for action on   immigration reform from the grassroots and community level. In spite  of  the build-up towards the nation-wide mobilization on March 21st, the   outcome of the meetings, beyond a reiteration of the promise of  support,  remains unclear.

As if to highlight just how pressing  the need for reform of the  broken immigration system is, while Obama  was meeting with advocates who were frustrated with increased enforcement and   deportations under the Obama administration and anxious to enlist his   support for moving reform forward, a series of raids in Maryland led to the arrest and   detention of 29 workers. Not far from D.C. on Thursday morning,   Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted simultaneous raids in Anne Arundel and   Baltimore counties at two restaurants, several residences and an office.   On Friday, advocates from the immigrant rights organization Casa de Maryland were back outside the White House,   but rather than meeting with the President, they had gathered to protest the raids and splitting of families as a   result of enforcement policies. Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of   Casa de Maryland denounced the raids-

Everyday,  tens of thousands of  hardworking immigrants in Maryland leave their  families to go to work,  and tonight twenty-nine of our brothers are  detained as their families  are left to grieve…This is not an acceptable  way to treat members of our  community who work hard every day to make  Maryland strong for us all.

In the face of the push for the  nation-wide push for reform, the  efforts of mobilization towards the  March for America, and the  Presidential meetings, it is not difficult  to wonder about the timing of  the ICE raids in Maryland. Either way,  the continuation of such unjust  and inhumane enforcement policies is  unacceptable. We can only hope that  the final push for support over the  next week bears fruit and the  impact of the march in Washington D.C.  is felt by everyone.

A New York Times op-ed states that the “March for America” could be the “game changer” in   the equation, so come to Washington D.C. and make it count! Like we said before, this is your march, so see   you at the National Mall in Washington D.C.!

Photo courtesy of  flickr.com/photos/americasvoice

Bellingham Raid Focus Results in Drastically Different Outcome

by: nezua

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 14:47:45 PM EST

Shortly after, Janet Napolitano confessed that the raid had taken even her by surprise, that she was not consulted, and that she would order a review. Speaker Pelosi was soon quoted speaking out against the devastating effects our "enforcement" tactics have been having on communities.

Did the focus have an effect on how this raid played out in the aftermath?

Weekly Immigration Wire: 'Systematic Failures' in U.S. Detention Healthcare

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 12:19:11 PM EST

by Nezua TMC MediaWire Blogger

This week, two comprehensive reports on the health of immigrant detainees were released by Human Rights Watch and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. As Public News Service reports, "Immigrants are, literally, dying for decent care."

Weekly Immigration Wire: Obama Administration Absent on Immigration

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Mar 05, 2009 at 12:36:16 PM EST

President Obama is shaking up the established political and corporate order with a bold economic agenda. Sadly, immigration reform remains untouched by Obama’s energizing blueprint for Change. Immigration policy and programs are still tied to President George W. Bush and former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff: Paramilitary-style raids, detention centers, and the deputizing of otherwise-engaged local police forces continue to stand strong.

Weekly Immigration Wire: Policy Must Inspire Allegiance, Not Anger

by: The Media Consortium

Thu Feb 12, 2009 at 13:46:36 PM EST

by Nezua Media Consortium Blogger

George W. Bush told the world that the US was targeted for 9/11 because "we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world." And as President Obama said in his inaugural address:

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Target of Immigrant Raids Shifted from Criminals to 'Easy Targets'

by: MATTorg

Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 11:39:09 AM EST

According to the article, while ICE said that Operation: Return to Sender and other such programs were directed at undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds, "the agency changed the rules, and the program increasingly went after easier targets. A vast majority of those arrested had no criminal record, and many had no deportation orders against them, either."

More, from the story-

Internal directives by immigration officials in 2006 raised arrest quotas for each team in the National Fugitive Operations Program, eliminated a requirement that 75 percent of those arrested be criminals, and then allowed the teams to include nonfugitives in their count.

In the next year, fugitives with criminal records dropped to 9 percent of those arrested, and nonfugitives picked up by chance - without a deportation order - rose to 40 percent. Many were sent to detention centers far from their homes, and deported.

The impact of the internal directives, obtained by a professor and students at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law through a Freedom of Information lawsuit and shared with The New York Times, shows the power of administrative memos to significantly alter immigration enforcement policy without any legislative change.

The memos also help explain the pattern of arrests documented in a report, criticizing the fugitive operations program, to be released on Wednesday by the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.

Analyzing more than five years of arrest data supplied to the institute last year by Julie Myers, who was then chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the report found that over all, as the program spent a total of $625 million, nearly three-quarters of the 96,000 people it apprehended had no criminal convictions.

Without consulting Congress, the report concluded, the program shifted to picking up "the easiest targets, not the most dangerous fugitives."

http://www.matt.org/english/bl...

Chertoff Raids own House

by: jackie @ americasvoice

Thu Dec 11, 2008 at 21:29:26 PM EST

Cross-posted at America's Voice.

No not really, but the Washington Post is reporting that Department of Homeland Security Head Michael Chertoff has had undocumented workers cleaning his home for over four years:

Every few weeks for nearly four years, the Secret Service screened the IDs of employees for a Maryland cleaning company before they entered the house of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation's top immigration official.

The company's owner says the workers sailed through the checks -- although some of them turned out to be illegal immigrants. 

Coupled with last week's announcement that a high-ranking New England Border Patrol official had undocumented workers cleaning her home, hypocrisy at DHS now seems to be the rule, rather than the exception. In "Chertoff hired company that used illegal workers," the Associated Press points out just how hypocritical the situation is:

Speaking Oct. 23 on the state of immigration, Chertoff boasted about his department's record year for worksite enforcement cases - which led to more than 6,000 arrests.

He also said, "We need to make sure our own house is in order," referring not to his own home, but to the federal government, which now is required to use a federal online database to check whether the workers are in the country legally.

This stunning piece of news is yet another piece of evidence pointing to our need for a change of direction at DHS and the passage of real, comprehensive immigration reform.

ICE and the Stargazers

by: marsguero

Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 00:08:12 AM EST

http://lawprofessors.typepad.c...

While I don't know Julie Myers personally, nor could I say that I am familiar with the inner workings of her bureaucratic lever pulling at the department, I can't help but comment that it puzzles me how anyone could view ICE as emblematic of a "21st Century" law enforcement operation.  Of course it's axiomatic that the 21st Century serves as an adjective to the subject because after all this is the year 2008, and the department under which ICE is organized was not formed until the beginning of our present century.  I will infer that what Mr. Chertoff means to say when he uses the term 21st century is that ICE is a state of the art, or cutting edge, or forward thinking kind of bureaucracy.  It is none of these.  It is a bloated gestapo.  

Not only are its tactics brutal and inhuman strikes that result in the separation of innocent families, and the dehumanization of our immigrant neighbors, it is also an enormously expensive, wasteful welfare program for the military and security lobby.  It combines the worst elements of cruelty and indifference of despotic tyrants together with the wasteful stupidity-cronyism of the most corrupted oligarchies.  

Its statistics are meaningless.  It is pointless to count the number of fugitive arrests and felony prosecutions.  Everybody knows that they are arresting and locking up Guatemalan peasants on trumped up federal charges solely for the purpose of making the figures of criminal "alien" captures appear significant.  Those are not aliens.  Only fools think that aliens walk among us.  There is not one shred of evidence that aliens have ever touched our soil, and the government that perpetuates the funding and expansion of quasi-military operations in our towns and cities to deal with imaginary beings is a danger to the liberty of every man, woman and child among us.  

Many will argue that the aliens do exist, that it is legal term of art, of course, and that "we have to do something about them otherwise..." and then on, and on, and on into an infinite regression of mindless imperatives and stupid policies.  There are a very large number of people who live here currently who did not have the U.S. Government's permission before they decided to join us.  All of them are here for a reason.  All of them have reason - that human ability to make calculated choices with the assistance of abstract conceptions.  We are not objects.  

Another U.S. Citizen Treated Like an 'Illegal Immigrant'

by: DreamActivist

Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 16:27:30 PM EST

How many is too many? 

 Parrish discovered he had an outstanding arrest warrant for a bad check and came to the jail to pay a small "no arrest" bond. But the 50-year-old father of five from Brooklyn said he was finger printed, strip searched, and sent to the inmate intake area because a deputy thought he was an illegal immigrant.

Full story is here  This is by no means and isolated incident.

Nezua's DNC08 Documentary

by: kyledeb

Fri Sep 26, 2008 at 13:29:47 PM EST

Which America Do You Want To Live In?: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

by: symsess

Mon Sep 08, 2008 at 07:13:18 AM EST

The GOP actually needs an army now, to make itself evident and dare celebrate anything in public. They have lied, killed, they laugh while we suffer with health problems or bemoan the loss of life and humanity. They bring their army to protect them from the voice of the People they supposedly serve.

Another raid!

by: MaryRW

Tue Aug 26, 2008 at 01:19:03 AM EST

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08...

As in Postville, Iowa, many families and a small community have been terrorized. Essentially the same tactics as were used in Postville, but as of late Monday, no criminal charges had been filed.

The National Endowment For Migrant Justice

by: kyledeb

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 07:06:25 AM EST

The National Immigrant Bond Fund seeks to reaffirm the values of dignity and due process by assisting immigrants swept up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions to post bond quickly in order to secure a fair hearing in America's courts.

National Immigrant Bond Fund Website (12 August 2007)

A small victory in Postville - owners to be charged with child labor violations

by: Duke Reed

Tue Aug 05, 2008 at 18:45:53 PM EST

DES MOINES, Iowa - State officials say they're shocked by the sheer number of child labor violations uncovered at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, where nearly 400 workers were arrested during an Immigration raid in May.

... The state's investigation found dozens of violations from "virtually every aspect of Iowa's child labor laws," said Dave Neil the Iowa Labor Commissioner. Officials also said the scope of the case -- with 57 children involved -- makes it unusually large.

"Typically, when we have child labor issues it's an issue of one or two individuals," said Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development, which oversees the labor commissioner's office. "From our point of view, with this investigation, it's a large-scale violation of the law."

Labor officials said their investigation spanned several months and began before a May 12 federal Immigration raid at Agriprocessors. The raid resulted in 389 arrests and was the largest in U.S. history.

... Labor officials said the violations included minors working in prohibited occupations, exceeding allowable hours for youth to work, failure to obtain work permits, exposure to hazardous chemicals and working with prohibited tools. Under Iowa law, it is illegal for children under the age of 18 to work in a meatpacking plant.

Neil said he was recommending "that the attorney general's office prosecute these violations to the fullest extent of the law."

Officials say they are still investigating possible wage violations at the plant.

Juda Engelmayer, an Agriprocessors spokesman, declined immediate comment on the labor officials' announcement.

Chicago Tribune

While the announcement of these charges will provide little solace to those illegally charged with criminal activity and held in prison, the hundreds of children left behind to a life of uncertainty, or those at the forefront of the humanitarian effort to care for a community ravaged by the overzealous overreach of the Department of Homeland Security and a corrupted justice system, at least those who are the only true criminals in this sad case will finally be held accountable for some of their despicable actions.    

More evidence about injustice of Postville surfaces.

by: Duke Reed

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 23:57:19 PM EST

Additionally, The ACLU has acquired a copy of a Government "manual" distributed to defense lawyers assigned to represent the immigrant workers arrested in the meat packing raids. The manual contians prepackaged scripts for plea and sentencing hearings as well as documents providing for guilty pleas and waivers of rights to be used by both the judges and attorneys in expediting procedures as quickly as possible with little regard for due process.

"This document provides further evidence of the government's disturbing pressure cooker tactics for mass guilty pleas that assumed guilt instead of protecting the constitutional presumption of innocence," said ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project Director Lucas Guttentag. "Along with the workers, fairness and due process were the victims of the Postville prosecutions."

The government "manual" provided for the workers to waive all their legal rights and in the overwhelming majority of cases, to plead guilty to charges of falsely using identity documents for employment. It was an important tool used to rush defendants through the criminal justice and immigration systems without a criminal trial or immigration proceedings. The plea forms in the "manual" included a requirement barring immigrants from pursuing any legal claims or procedures under the immigration laws.

.... The troubling system implemented by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Homeland Security appeared designed to undermine fairness and due process by criminally prosecuting the workers under circumstances that undermined their ability to understand or protect their rights.

link

View Government Manual (PDF)

When viewed together these two important pieces of evidence paint a vivid picture of the gross abuses of power and disrespect for basic constitutional protections that marked the aftermath of the Postville raid

What follows are the prepared remarks of Dr Camayd-Freixas from the congressional hearing:

The True Story Of Postville

by: Duke Reed

Fri Jul 11, 2008 at 11:30:00 AM EST

In 23 years as a certified Spanish interpreter for federal courts, Erik Camayd-Freixas has spoken up in criminal trials many times, but the words he uttered were rarely his own.

Then he was summoned here by court officials to translate in the hearings for nearly 400 illegal immigrant workers arrested in a raid on May 12 at a meatpacking plant. Since then, Mr. Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University, has taken the unusual step of breaking the code of confidentiality among legal interpreters about their work.

In a 14-page essay he circulated among two dozen other interpreters who worked here, Professor Camayd-Freixas wrote that the immigrant defendants whose words he translated, most of them villagers from Guatemala, did not fully understand the criminal charges they were facing or the rights most of them had waived.

In the essay and an interview, Professor Camayd-Freixas said he was taken aback by the rapid pace of the proceedings and the pressure prosecutors brought to bear on the defendants and their lawyers by pressing criminal charges instead of deporting the workers immediately for immigration violations.

He said defense lawyers had little time or privacy to meet with their court-assigned clients in the first hectic days after the raid. Most of the Guatemalans could not read or write, he said. Most did not understand that they were in criminal court.

"The questions they asked showed they did not understand what was going on," Professor Camayd-Freixas said in the interview. "The great majority were under the impression they were there because of being illegal in the country, not because of Social Security fraud."

NYT
(Article also contains a video interview with Dr Camayd-Freixas ..it's a must view)  

Last month I received a copy of the essay Dr Camayd-Freixas wrote detailing the raid.

It is published here in its entirety to document what went on behind closed doors at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo Iowa where 390 migrants were subjected to kangaroo court proceedings that resulted in guilty pleas and mandatory jail sentences.  

Dr Camayd-Freixas will be testifying before Congress later this month at the Immigration Sub-Committee of the House of Representatives in regards to the raid.

He has asked that anyone moved by his account help the relief effort in any way possible;

"Finally, my new friends from Postville involved in the relief effort inform me that they are still dealing with a very tough humanitarian crisis. So, please, if you have any opportunity for fundraising, this is the address where donations can be sent:

St. Bridget's Hispanic Ministry Fund
c/o Sister Mary McCauley
PO Box 369
Postville, Iowa 52162"

What follows is the complete story of what happened after the Postville raid:

Keep Up The Good Work: Pro-Migrant SanctuarySphere

by: symsess

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 08:42:36 AM EST

Congratulations to Man Eegee and Latino Politico! Happy 3rd Blogiversary to Latino Político at Latino Politico. This is a great post which speaks of the energy in yesterday's SanctuarySphere. Man Eegee notes that we must strengthen one another and remember that we share a responsibility to all of our brothers and sisters of this world. This is why we're here in this realm of thought, because we believe in the good of each other. Thanks to Man Eegee for 3 years of dedication and thanks to everyone else for their dedication as well.

Immigrant Ballot Power at Standing FIRM on our newest voters. Also check out the great series of articles at The New Bedford Times in Series Spotlight: The New Immigrants. In Op-Ed: Real Change Happens Off-Line we learn one person's belief that while the internet brings us together it is not in a "real" way. I do believe we have to be active in person as well as on-line, but they can certainly work well together. What do you think?

Supreme Court Won't Hear Kansas In-State Tuition Case at A Dream Deferred. While Kris Kobach tried to take his case to the Supreme Court that undocumented students should not receive in-state tuition they refused to listen. And Leaving the United States for Higher Education tells of one undocumented student who sought an education elsewhere because it was denied here.

Here's an article in the New York Post Kobach wrote as an adverstisement for E-Verify. It's quite disturbing.

writing letters

by: MaryRW

Sun Jun 08, 2008 at 22:02:18 PM EST

I wrote the letter, a friend made photocopies and provided stamps, another printed address labels and provided envelopes. During lunch after the service today, we laid out letters and envelopes and people signed them. We got about 30 to 35 letters just today. We are a very small Latino congregation--small, but fierce, muy fuerte.

Here's a copy of the letter we are sending: