Join the Vigil for Justice and the American Dream

Posted: April 9, 2012 at 1:01 pm By Donna

The tradition of holding candlelight vigils is close to our community: we gather together and light candles to remember, to protest, and to inspire. The light represents our faith and our dreams overcoming the darkness.

Today, we are launching the Vigil for Justice and the American Dream, a virtual vigil to stand for equality under the law. While the Supreme Court hears the case against Arizona’s SB 1070, we will light our candles in solidarity with immigrant families across the US.

When you light your candle, you can see it appear on an interactive map with those joining our vigil around the country. While we wait for a decision from the court, our vigil will light up the darkness with hope and strength. 

The Supreme Court needs to know that it doesn’t matter where these anti-immigrant laws are passed — state-sponsored discrimination hurts us all.

Help light up entire nation for justice for every family. Click here to light candle and join the vigil.

Joe Arpaio by the Numbers

Posted: May 14, 2012 at 3:55 pm By Michael

Last week, the Department of Justice sued Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio—self-styled as “America’s Toughest Sheriff”—for civil rights abuses and obstruction of justice. The policies Arpaio has adopted to justify that moniker are well documented. Here are some of the highlights of two decades of Sheriff Joe:

[Click image to enlarge]

A year after being elected sheriff, Arpaio set up “Tent City,” an outdoor jail camp where more than 427,000 people have been housed. Besides touting the camp as one of his “proudest innovations,” Arpaio has also jokingly described Tent City as his very own concentration camp. Tent City, exposed to Arizona’s tough elements, has experienced temperatures as high as 140°F. Inmates are made to wear pink underwear as some sort of statement on the “loss of the prisoners’ masculinity.”

What’s more, Tent City has been a lucrative experiment for Arpaio, who has made about $3 million annually by charging inmates high premiums for phone calls and other commissary goods, and by keeping the costs of feeding prisoners well under a dollar a day per person. Tent City aside, there is also the near $100 million dollars of taxpayers’ money misspent by Arpaio’s staff over the last 8 years.

Perhaps worst of all are the hundreds of cases of sex crimes that were reported to the sheriff’s office—including child molestations—that were found to be inadequately investigated or not investigated at all. Arpaio’s office has “virtually no policies or procedures” in place to safeguard against discriminatory policing or misconduct on the part of police officers.

Urgent: Immigrant women need our support

Posted: May 4, 2012 at 3:15 pm By Donna

Last week, the Senate reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The bill, originally enacted in 1994, provides federal funding toward the prosecution of violent crimes against women and includes provisions for undocumented immigrant women.

Now the reauthorization bill is before the House. But those vital protections for immigrant women are gone. In fact, the Adams-Foxx-Cantor proposal (H.R. 4970) gives abusers more power, not less, over their victims.

• H.R. 4970 would require survivors of domestic violence and other crimes to be interviewed by local immigration offices, not specifically trained in victim issues.
• H.R. 4970 requires women to report abuses within 60 days, placing further restrictions on women who have limited access to services, fear law enforcement, or may have language barriers to report the crimes committed against them.
• H.R. 4970 would allow abusers to participate in the self-petition process — a process that allows women married to citizens or Legal Permanent Residents to apply for legal status without their spouse using their immigration status as a tool of abuse.

There is another option.

Rep. Gwen Moore has introduced her version of VAWA (H.R. 4271). Moore’s bill protects critical resources for immigrant women seeking help. Her bill makes sure that every single woman in this country can fully access the protection granted under a true Violence Against Women Act.

Tell your representative: Support all women. Support H.R. 4271 and oppose H.R. 4970.

Moore’s bill ensures the protections all women – including immigrant women – have received for 18 years under VAWA remain intact.

With your help, we can stop the Adams-Foxx-Cantor bill and support a bill that would keep immigrant women safe. Tell your representative now to support H.R. 4271 and oppose H.R. 4970.

The Rally Against SB 1070

Posted: April 26, 2012 at 2:43 pm By Michael

 

On the biggest day of our national week of action for immigrant families, the US Supreme Court heard the oral arguments against Arizona’s infamous anti-immigration law, SB 1070. While the constitutionality of the bill was being discussed inside the Court’s white marble walls, faith leaders, labor unions, DREAMers, politicians, activists for immigrant and civil rights, undocumented and documented immigrants, and many others—nearly 1000 in all—stood in solidarity before the steps of the Supreme Court against SB 1070 and other hateful anti-immigration laws.

Making up the coalition in attendance at the rally was RI4A and the Center for Community Change, Promise Arizona, NCLR, LULAC, SEIU, Casa De Maryland, United We Dream, Make the Road NY, the New York Immigration Coalition, HIAS, NAKASEC, and a collection of churches, faith communities and local activists. The rally swelled with people a little before eleven in the morning, when participants from Maryland, New York, and other parts of the country arrived to join the action.

Representatives Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois came out in support of the rally, as did Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders and his wife Sister Rose, who kept the energy of the crowd up with cheers like “The worst immigration law in the land? Must be banned! Must be banned!” Grijalva, Gutiérrez and Sanders all spoke about the terrible injustice of the law, placing the damage that SB 1070 has done in the greater context of the civil rights movement.

Framing the rally was a Jericho Walk—a symbolic protest of injustice—around the Supreme Court building performed by members of the New York Sanctuary Movement and other representatives of the faith community. Participants in the walk blew a shofar; a traditional Hebrew trumpet made of a ram’s horn, and walked seven times around the building, stopping at the end of each lap to blow the shofar. Upon completion of the seventh lap, the shofar was blown a final time, and all present yelled a sustained cry to end SB 1070 and racial injustice.

The pro-SB 1070 crowd made an appearance as well. About 15 people set up a small stage on the north end of the block where they swung American and Arizona state flags, held up signs that read “God so Loves us He gave us Arizona SB1070” and sang songs that insisted that the “race” rhetoric needs to stop, because, according to the song, they are not racist.

It was a truly important day for the immigrant rights struggle, and the culmination of several weeks of work by RI4A and its partners. The contingent from Promise Arizona drove 42 hours straight to participate in the rally—driving through the night and stopping only to fill their van with gas. Their commitment  is emblematic of the gravity of the situation, and the degree that people are willing to go in the struggle for against discrimination.

Call 866-794-6052 to hear more about the struggle for immigrant rights from Promise Arizona’s Petra Falcón.

 

SB 1070 Senate Hearing Recap

Posted: April 24, 2012 at 5:13 pm By Michael

Surely when Russell Pearce woke up this morning, he knew he was going to have a rough day. At a Senate hearing organized by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, Pearce was the lone defender of SB 1070, Arizona’s extreme anti-immigration law. Wearing a dark suit adorned with several yellow brass pins displaying his so-called patriotism and loyalty to law enforcement, Pearce attempted to make a case for the necessity and the constitutionality of his law, yet failed at both.

Pearce is a nefarious character in the ongoing drama of American immigration reform. As author of SB 1070, Pearce is often viewed as the face of the wave of anti-immigrant, racist hysteria gripping Arizona alongside Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who signed the bill into law. And that is why it was with particular relish that we here at Reform Immigration FOR America enjoyed watching him get grilled by not only Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois (the only two subcommittee members attending the hearing) but the other three witnesses there to testify on the law as well

Senator Schumer, chairman of the subcommittee, highlighted the unintended economic consequences of the law and similar legislation, with millions of tourist dollars being lost each year in Arizona, and $3.2 billion lost annually in Alabama due to a lack of agricultural labor. Senator Durbin, also a member of the subcommittee, presented the cases of a handful of DREAM Act eligible youths from Arizona, all of which are model students with top grades and a high level of community involvement—all of which are “targets of Arizona’s immigration law.”

Both men cited the blatant unconstitutionality of the SB 1070. States do not have the constitutional authority to dictate their own foreign policies. As Schumer put it, “you can’t have fifty states with fifty different immigration policies.” More importantly, both men condemned the law for infringing the civil liberties of citizens and immigrants alike by encouraging and sanctioning racial profiling on behalf of law enforcement against anyone who looks “illegal.”

Arizona State Senator Steve Gallardo, Former US Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, and Todd Landfield, the Executive Director of Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform, rounded out the witness table. Along with the Subcommittee members, they too took turns deconstructing SB 1070’s provisions analyzing the adverse effects of both its intended and unintended consequences. Aside from the previously mentioned examples, these were some of the most tragic:

• The needless break-up of immigrant families
• The disempowerment of undocumented women, who are unable to report crimes or domestic abuse to police because they fear deportation
• The wedge that has been driven between law enforcement and the Latino community, which does not believe it can trust the police
• Detention and deportation of DREAMers
• The limiting of federal power (Though the Department of Homeland Security recognizes 53 valid forms of identification, Arizona police are only trained to recognize 9)
• The requirement that law enforcement check children for government identification, despite the fact that children do not carry IDs

Pearce, for his part, stood his ground. He asserted—albeit erroneous—that the law maintains popular support across the country. He lauded the enthusiastic efforts of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (currently being investigated by the Department of Justice for over 300 cases of obstruction of justice), claimed that “illegal immigrants” are as big a threat to the United States as terrorists. He even had the gall to say that the 9/11 attacks happened  due to a lack of strong immigration enforcement.

Schumer used the occasion of the hearing to point out that no GOP committee members were in attendance, and that that kind of partisan breakdown is the reason why immigration reform has failed in the past. While the federal government has done much to “secure the borders,” it is not the place of the states to create their own solutions to national problems. If the US Supreme Court rules in favor of SB 1070, Schumer said that he personally would introduce legislation to ensure that laws like Arizona’s SB 1070 and Alabama’s HB 56 are counteracted. Hopefully it won’t come to that.

Join us in the National Day of Online Action

Posted: April 24, 2012 at 11:36 am By Nicole

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear Arizona’s SB 1070 – the extreme anti-immigrant bill that was signed into law just two years ago.

Before the Supreme Court hears the case, we’re taking to Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness of this historic moment for our movement.

How can you get involved?

1. Use #justice4AZ in your tweets.
2. Share the image to the right on Facebook.
3. Participate in the Center for American Progress’s Twitter Town Hall with Jose Antonio Vargas and staff from Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s office from 3 to 4pm Eastern by tweeting with #CAP1070.

Here are some sample updates to get you started:

Tell us: How will the Supreme Court’s ruling on #SB1070 impact your family? Tweet with #justice4AZ to join in.

American values = equality & justice, not fear & racism. Light a candle to join the #vigil4justice against #SB1070 http://bit.ly/vigil4justice

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Two years later, the fight continues

Posted: April 23, 2012 at 11:16 am By Allie

April 23 marks the two year anniversary since Arizona’s SB 1070 was signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer. For all those in Arizona and around the nation who have fought back against this law and others like it, it has been a long struggle, often with no end in sight. As we approach the day of the US Supreme Court’s hearing on SB 1070, and the moment of decision on the law, we wanted to review everything that has happened since the initial vigils against the bill, to the national repercussions that have resulted from its passing, and how our communities are keeping the spirit against the law alive.

Guest blogger Susie Haslett, who was a part of the original group that started the 24 hour vigil outside of the Arizona capitol days before SB 1070 was signed into law, wrote about her experience and reflections immediately after the law was passed:

Days and weeks after, people continue to come out and support. With a cross made out of candles, it is a symbolic beacon of hope in the midst of darkness. With our Virgin Mary present, it is a reminder of the protection our community has. However, what we face is people getting more and more restless, wanting to do more than just pray. This is a great problem to have as an organizer, but perhaps not in terms of spiritual preparation for the fight ahead. We must remember prayer, not as simply as a political strategy, but as something sacred we engage our souls in, to tune into ourselves and into something greater than ourselves for renewed strength. There comes various moments in our lives where we must draw upon a strength greater than our own. Now is one of those moments.

Across the country, organizations of all kinds condemned the state of Arizona for passing SB 1070. Musicians including Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth, Kanye West, Conor Oberst, and Los Tigres del Norte launched a campaign called The Sound Strike to protest SB 1070 and stand with Arizona families. “Fans of our music, our stories, our films and our words can be pulled over and harassed every day because they are brown or black, or for the way they speak, or for the music they listen to,” said de la Rocha in an open letter. “Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law takes it to a whole new low.” And the US Conference of Mayors, which includes an estimated 200 US mayors, passed two resolutions on both the law, as well as the desperate need for national immigration reform:

The first resolution opposing the Arizona law was sponsored by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who received a standing ovation when he spoke to the group Sunday. The resolution also opposes the enactment of similar laws in other states, supports court challenges to the Arizona measure and calls on Congress to approve comprehensive immigration reform.

The second resolution, introduced by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa both condemned our current immigration system and called for comprehensive immigration reform. “The current lack of a comprehensive immigration policy has resulted in the breaking up of families, the exploitation of undocumented workers by employers (and) the deportation of workers who provide needed goods and services to their communities,” Villaraigosa’s resolution said.

In the wake of its passage, SB 1070 sent immigrant families into crisis: the law bred fear and mistrust against law enforcement, and sowed hate between neighbors and communities. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network compiled this detailed timeline of the violence in Arizona since the passing of SB 1070:

 

 

Marking last year’s anniversary of SB 1070, RI4A members across the country took part in a vigil outside the White House. We lit candles for the activists on the ground in Arizona, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and everywhere else across the country, and we lit candles for the 27,000 of you who stood with us by texting LIGHT to 69866.

Since SB 1070 has taken effect, communities across the US have taken sides for and against the law. There have been over 60 measures proposed or adopted in opposition to the law. Meanwhile, other states have attempted to pass their own “copycat” versions of the law — and in the case of Alabama, have succeeded in launching an attack on their immigrant communities. Despite the struggle, groups in Arizona like Promise Arizona continue to organize and push back against the law and the politicians that created it, including their victory in unseating Arizona Senator Russell Pearce.

One of our guest bloggers from a May 1 rally in Arizona makes our feelings today very clear:

The other special joy of the day was to listen to the cheers of religious excitement when this great congregation heard that they were not just twenty-five thousand Arizonans gathered today. Over half a million people throughout the nation and around the world were in the streets with one single message, “Today, we are all Arizona.”

On this anniversary — and every day since SB 1070 was passed — we are united with Arizona families. As we reflected last year, until we pass real and just comprehensive immigration reform, we risk continuing this fight state-by-state, an Arizona-style domino effect that will do nothing to solve the civil rights crisis currently facing our communities. We will not forget the devastation that SB 1070 has inflicted, and as the Supreme Court decides the fate of the law, thousands are keeping vigil at VigilforJustice.org to show their solidarity and declare in one voice: We are all Arizona.

Become a citizen! Vote in November!

Posted: April 21, 2012 at 1:30 pm By Michael

This Wednesday, the Supreme Court will begin its review of SB 1070, Arizona’s extreme anti-immigrant law that became a model for states like Alabama and Georgia to launch an attack on immigrant communities. However, immigrant families are not powerless against this wave of racist legislation. You have the power to stop these hateful laws!

The most effective way to influence our government is at the ballot box, and there are over 8 million eligible immigrants who have not only an opportunity, but an obligation to the greater immigrant community to do what’s necessary to become a citizen, register, and vote.

Before we know it, the 2012 elections will be upon us, and so, RI4A and its partners have declared that today, Saturday, April 21, 2012, is National Naturalization Day. We have developed a bilingual site that contains links to all the necessary information and resources to begin the process of naturalization.

If you are eligible to apply for citizenship and want to use your voice to vote for immigrant rights, now is the time to begin the process of naturalization! Applications that are started before the end of April 2012 will be full-fledged citizens in time for the election in November. Please do not miss this opportunity!

Visit my www.mycitizenshipmyvote.org to begin the process today!

MyCitizenshipMyVote.org is a product of Reform Immigration FOR America, the Center for Community Change, the National Immigration Forum, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s Immigration and Citizenship Project, Project Arizona, and The National Council of La Raza.

Kicking off the National Week of Action!

Posted: April 20, 2012 at 10:00 am By Nicole

Next Wednesday, the Supreme Court is hearing Arizona’s SB 1070, the extreme anti-immigrant law that sent the state into crisis just two years ago. To make matters worse, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina passed similar laws of their own.

Over the next week, we’re taking part of a National Week of Action to highlight the importance of this historic case and bring the action to you!

Here’s our schedule:

• Saturday, April 21, Naturalization Day
  This year, thousands of immigrants are eligible for naturalization. Those that apply immediately will be able to become citizens and register to vote in this year’s important election. Learn more at www.mycitizenshipmyvote.org.

• Sunday, April 22

  On the eve of the 2 year anniversary of SB 1070 being signed into law, we’ll recap what’s happened in Arizona and around the country since the law was enacted.

• Monday, April 23, SB 1070′s 2 year anniversary

  Dozens of organizations across the country will host actions in their areas to protest SB 1070 and stand up for justice for all families. Los Angeles, Phoenix, and dozens of other cities will all hold actions on the 23rd.

• Tuesday, April 24, National Day of Online Action

  More than 20 national groups will be participating in an online day of action the day before the Supreme Court hears the law. Use hashtag #justice4AZ in your tweets and tag Reform Immigration FOR America in your Facebook posts.

• Wednesday, April 25, The Supreme Court hears arguments in Arizona v. United States

  Nearly 1,000 immigrant rights activists from around the country will be on the steps of the Supreme Court to stand up for justice for all families. We’ll have livetweets, Facebook updates, and photos from the rally.

• Thursday, April 26

  The day after the court hears arguments, we’ll have post-hearing analysis and a special message for you from some of our friends in the immigrant rights movement.

If you can’t join the action in DC or in your area, add your voice to the thousands who’ve lit a candle in our Vigil for Justice and the American Dream. Your voice, your candle represents your solidarity with all those who believe in equal treatment and equal opportunity for all people.

Join a vigil for immigrant justice near you

Posted: April 19, 2012 at 4:34 pm By Allie

We are compiling a list of local rallies and events happening around the Supreme Court’s hearing on SB 1070. Find an event in your area, and join us in the streets to stand with families under attack from this anti-immigrant legislation. Not seeing your event? Post the information in the comments below and we will update!

ARIZONA

Youth Rally Against SB 1070 and Vigil
Monday, April 23rd, beginning at 3:30pm
March to the AZ State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/210130982433411/

Community Town Hall on SB 1070
Tuesday, April 24th, 6-7:30pm
Carl Hayden High School, 3333 W. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix
Contact Addy Bareiss – addy @ acluaz.org

March for Justice: United Against SB 1070
Wednesday, April 25th, 3-7pm
Civic Space Park, 424 North Central
Downtown Phoenix
RSVP on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/April25UnitedAgainstSB1070

March for Justice: United Against SB 1070
Wednesday, April 25th, 4-6pm
Tucson State Building 400 W. Congress, Tuscon
Organized by Coalicion de Derechos Humanos

CALIFORNIA

Denounce SB 1070 Rally
Tuesday, April 24th at 9:30am
Federal Courthouse, 3300 N. Los Angeles Street, Downtown LA
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/352816711432593/

CONNECTICUT

Vigil Pro-Immigration Reform
Tuesday, April 24th, 7-9pm
Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd, Stamford
Organized by CT Students for a DREAM

Press Conference
Wednesday, April 25th at 1pm
Legislative Office Building, Room 1-D, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
Organized by National Day Laborer Organizing Network

FLORIDA

Press Conference
Wednesday April 25th at 11am
201 N. Krome Avenue, 2nd Floor, Homestead
Organized by WeCount!

GEORGIA

Reaction to the US Supreme Court’s hearing on SB 1070
Wednesday, April 25th at 4:15pm
KAAGA office, 6930 Buford Highway NE, Doraville
Organized by GALEO & Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta

HAWAI’I

Vigil for Justice
Tuesday, April 24th, 11am-1pm
Prince Kuhio Federal Building, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu
Organized by FACE Hawai’i

IDAHO

Press Conference on SB 1070
Wednesday, April 25th at 10:30am
Corner of Bannock and 8th Street, Downtown Boise
Organized by Idaho CAN

KANSAS

Kansans Stand in Solidarity
Wednesday, April 25th at 4:30pm
Wells Fargo building, 300 S Main Street, Wichita
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/299734133436483/

MASSACHUSETTS

Press Conference and Rally
Wednesday April 25th at 10am
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston
Organized by Centro Presente and Just Communities Campaign

Community Literature Drop
Wednesday April 25th at 1pm
John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Boston
Organized by MIRA Coalition

TENNESSEE

Knoxville United Against Racism
Wednesday, April 25th at 7:30pm
Krutch Park, 504 Market St SW, Downtown Knoxville
Organized by Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

TEXAS

Vigil for Family Unity
Tuesday, April 24th at 7pm
City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street, Dallas
Organized by Pueblo Sin Fronteras

El Paso Vigil for Justice
Wednesday, April 25 at 5pm
Aztec Calendar Park, Downtown El Paso
Organized by The Border Network for Human Rights

OREGON

SB 1070 Forum at Portland State University
Tuesday, April 24th at 6pm
Portland State University
Organized by Oregon DREAMers

WASHINGTON DC

Jewish Community Event at the Supreme Court
Tuesday, April 24th, 6-10pm
US Supreme Court, 1 First Street, NE Washington, DC
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/371135819591461/

Rally at the US Supreme Court
Wednesday, April 25th beginning at 11am
US Supreme Court, 1 First Street, NE Washington, DC
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/436706686356271/

WISCONSIN

Press Conference
Wednesday April 25th at 11am
Voces de la Frontera office, 1027 S. 5th Street, Milwaukee
Organized by Voces de la Frontera
 

Today: Call with Congressman Grijalva on Supreme Court & AZ’s SB1070

Posted: April 13, 2012 at 9:47 am By Allie

Today, Reform Immigration FOR America coalition members are hosting an important national State of Play call with AZ Congressman Raul Grijalva, who will talk about the Supreme Court case on AZ’s SB1070 from his unique perspective, as a Representative from AZ who has consitently been a champion of immigrant, civil, and human rights.

In less than two weeks, the nation’s attention will once again turn to immigration as the Supreme Court hears arguments on the Department of Justice’s challenge to Arizona’s discriminatory anti-immigrant law, SB 1070.

The Supreme Court’s decision will impact all of us, in every state and community across the country. The decision will determine whether our 50 states can enact 50 different sets of immigration laws, and whether legislators practicing the politics of fear and hate will continue to abuse our communities or be forced to stop their legislative attacks.

Please join leaders from around the country for this important national call to discuss upcoming local and national actions, and how every individual, community, and organization can take action and help impact the national debate and the Court’s decision.

Please join us:

Today, Friday, April 13th at 1 p.m. Eastern, 12 noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, and 10 a.m. Pacific.

Please call: 1-800-895-0198. Your password for the conference call is SCOTUS.

(Please note: This call is closed to members of the press. For press inquiries, please contact Katherine Vargas at kvargas@immigrationforum.org.)

Looking forward to your participation!