The incredible show of support and urgency you expressed shows that the fight for justice for every immigrant continues, and while Adolfo and Julio’s case was not stopped, there are many more who can or have been kept united with their families, thanks to your dedication and activism.

From the update on their Change.org petition:

Adolfo and Julio returned to Guatemala today as mandated by ICE

We thank everyone who signed the petition, made a phone call, posted a link, or passed the word to others to join the effort to stop their deportation. The issue went to the highest level of ICE and DHS. We are grateful and proud of the support so many people from our movement and people of good will offered. We believe that DHS and ICE did not stay the removal of Adolfo and Julio because it would require them to admit or infer that ICE agents assaulted them and that there was a cover up. The first step in reforming an institution is to admit you have a problem. The leadership of ICE and DHS circled the wagons to protect the institution from any serious self-examination and doubled down on the local ICE decision to remove these young men from the country. Although these two young men were deported, AI Justice and We Count!, pledge to continue to seek the truth about the raid, and justice for its victims. We look back not to dwell in the past but to fight for a better future.

Much of the talk on Capitol Hill about immigration is centered on a yet to be revealed proposal being developed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that would impact immigrant students, and since there’s not even a bill, much less any real sense it could pass both chambers in Congress, the talk is really about its implications for how many Latino and immigrant voters might vote Republican in November. It’s an odd and out-of-touch discussion.

At a time when actions truly matter more than words, Wednesday crystalized who the Republican Party is today.

In the House, Republicans drove through a version of the Violence Against Women Act that removed protections for women without legal status who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. In an act of senseless legislative cruelty, H.R. 4970 removes critical protections currently in law. It allows abusers to be notified when a victim files a VAWA self-petition for relief, and it eliminates the path to citizenship for U visa holders – victims of serious crimes such as torture, rape, and domestic violence – who are cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of these crimes.

In Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley today told lawmakers he wanted them to revise portions of HB56, Alabama’s version of the Arizona immigration law. Bentley objected to a few new provisions in the bill but he called them “PR problems.”  One of the “PR problems” would require the Department of Homeland Security to post a quarterly list of the names of any undocumented alien who appears in court for a violation of state law, regardless of whether they were convicted. Yet the Republican-controlled Senate felt it necessary to include that provision, despite a remarkable outpouring of opposition from Alabama residents, including conservative faith leaders, law enforcement officials, and small businesses and farmers.

Republicans only paused long enough to include a sweetheart deal for large businesses in the state concerned about complying with employee verification requirements, and they changed language to try to prevent the detention of more foreign business executives. That’s small consolation to farmers desperate to find workers or businesses and residents concerned about the impact HB56 has had on the state’s reputation. These changes, if anything, only exacerbate worries over racial profiling, undermine trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, encourage vigilante harassment and send a message that immigrants, or anyone that looks like one, are unwelcome in Alabama.

I recall testimony from a Latino poultry farmer in Alabama earlier this year before a House committee on HB56. A U.S. citizen who had lived in Alabama for 18 years who graduated from Auburn University, he told legislatures he had never experienced racial profiling until after HB56 was enacted into law. In his case it wasn’t the police, it was a gas station attendant who demanded to see proof of citizenship.

Is this the Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Rubio aspire to lead? Would a Republican controlled House that would use its power to further victimize survivors of sexual violence because of their immigration status ever support a Rubio so called DREAM proposal? Are Republican leaders prepared to condemn the Alabama immigration law?

One brown-skinned Senator claiming to support undocumented students with a bill unlikely to pass muster in his own Party cannot be enough. Latino and immigrant voters aren’t that naïve.

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.