My name is Wooten and I went to a very small high school that was split down the middle with white and Latino students. Since the school was so small, all of the Latino students were my friends (and still are). I found out, though, that some of them were undocumented and I really did not know what that meant. Basically they told me they could not go to college and I felt conflicted with a lot of emotions because one friend in particular, Oscar, took the same classes as me, the same tests, and had the same homework and always did as good as I did and sometimes better. But because of his status, he could not continue his education. Oscar is now in Mexico working in a hotel, though he had wanted to be a doctor. Now when I am sitting in college and I look around the room and see all these empty chairs, I get infuriated because why are they empty when my friend Oscar wanted to be here! Education is a basic, fundamental right!

At the last training I facilitated, my friend told me, “This movement attracts beautiful people.” This is so true. It feels like a huge family and I love everyone and I think we should all live together in the same house.

I want the people out there who have been living in fear for so long to be afraid of nothing. I want all kids to know that they can reach whatever goal they have! I want hope to be restored into all communities. No matter where we all come from, we will end up in DC on March the 21st and together we shall overcome.

I’ll be ready to document the march experience using my skills from the Movement Building training workshop. I am recruiting people for a bus going to the march and encouraging friends, family, and colleagues to sign up — online or through text message. I’m also using Facebook and Twitter to spread the word, and I am emailing my friends asking them to join the march.

We, united, are an unstoppable force and impossible to ignore! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

How can you help make this march a huge success? Become a fan on Facebook, then invite your friends on Facebook to march (go to the Events page, click March For America, and then “Invite People to Come”), and most importantly … sign up to march either on the website or on Facebook.

I was born in Mexico, and came to the United States when I was 12 because of the economic situation.

As an immigrant child, you find out what being undocumented is like. I found out in the 11th grade. I was applying for college. They told me that I couldn’t go to university. So at that point I was really disappointed. I stopped searching for help. I wasn’t thinking about going to college any more. My grades fell.

Later I got help from an organization called WeCount!, a community worker center that gave me moral support and advised me to ask about studying by going to a college in person. There I found out I could go to college but would have to pay out-of-state tuition. That’s what I’m doing now. I’ve been active in the cause and in the organization WeCount! since then.

During this last semester at college, most of the essays I wrote were about immigration and human rights. Sharing my writing helped students understand what’s really going on. The best essay I wrote was one the professor liked so much that it was shared with all classes. People started understanding the issue and the next week people wanted to volunteer at my organization and for the cause.

I’ve had the experience that many citizens don’t realize there are a lot of undocumented people amongst us because immigrants don’t go around saying, “I can’t go to school,” or “I can’t travel.” For WeCount’s outreach, I talk frequently with a wide range of people, and it’s surprising what people think. Because regular people that you wouldn’t imagine are undocumented actually are.

I like to talk with people, and listen. I don’t have a lot of free time, so talking and listening is what I do the most. I listen to other people’s stories.

With WeCount, we’ve been recruiting for the March. We have 2 buses and so far we have 30 people signed up. We talked about the March at a recent membership meeting to ask people to go and we’re sending emails to businesses to see if they will donate money. We’re also sending emails to our allies to see if they’ll send people to the March.

And personally, I have about 100 friends on Facebook and I’m going to invite them to March with me in DC.

We encourage you to become a fan of Reform Immigration FOR America and then invite your friends to march by going to the March For America Event page. Or you can sign up for the March For America on our website.

Please share this story with your friends to help spread word about the march!

In the past few days, there have been a lot of rumors circulating about Walmart. Text messages, emails and other sources have been claiming that Walmart is abandoning the immigrant community and planning raids. These false rumors have created a lot of fear and distrust.

Luckily, Walmart is helping to put an end to these rumors and affirming their commitment to immigration reform:

The rumors circulating via text message, and other means, about Walmart coordinating or supporting immigration raids in our stores are not true. These rumors are baseless and inaccurate. We think it’s unfortunate that such unsubstantiated rumors are spread.

On immigration reform, our position is clear. We believe reform is needed. We are committed to working with all interested parties – lawmakers, employers, and consumers – to make comprehensive reform a reality.

Read the full statement in English here and in Spanish here.

These rumors are trying to sow discord and distrust when it’s more important than ever for us to stand together. Don’t let the fear tactics win, we must stand strong and keep up the fight.

Today Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and Chair of the Reform Immigration for America Campaign met with President Obama and was joined by other immigrant rights leaders from grassroots, labor, and faith organizations for a meeting at the White House on next steps for comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Statement from Ali Noorani:

We had a lively and straightforward meeting with the President and his staff. We made clear that we expect him to keep his promise to overhaul our broken immigration system. We need a system that is fair, just, humane, and that serves our nation’s interests.

The President indicated that his administration is committed to driving a bill forward in the spring of 2010. Based on our conversation, we are optimistic and expecting aggressive and urgent action from the White House on comprehensive immigration reform before March 21^st.  That day, tens of thousands of Americans are prepared to take an unprecedented action carrying forward the President’s commitment to comprehensive immigration reform in Congress and finally fixing our broken immigration system.

It’s time for Congress to get moving. Immigration reform for America is long overdue, and it’s past time for the Republican Leadership to stop playing games and get on board with immigration legislation that is good for the economy, good for workers, and good for American families. Senator Graham (R-SC) has shown great courage by joining with Senator Schumer (D-NY) to sponsor comprehensive immigration reform legislation. That isn’t enough, however. This issue is an opportunity for the parties to work together and prove they can deliver for the American people. Senator Graham’s bipartisan leadership should be an example to others and more Republicans should get on board.

This is the fourth post in a series of weekly guest posts from the Imagine 2050 blog.

Imagine 2050 includes activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embraces multiculturalism and tolerance.

By Stephen Piggott, originally posted at Imagine 2050.

NumbersUSA, the grassroots mobilizing arm of the John Tanton Network, has had a long history of lies and deceit. Executive director Roy Beck has long denied his connections to white nationalists. Beck spoke at the 1997 Council of Conservative Citizens National Conference, a fact he denied on numerous occasions until recently. At a recent event in Glenarden, Maryland, Beck told the crowd that he hadn’t been invited back since, in reference to the 1997 Conference.

NumbersUSA’s financial information is as murky and misleading as its leader. The group itself is split into three arms: NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation, NumbersUSA Action, Inc., and Americans for Better Immigration. According to financial documents, all three share offices and personnel with one other. NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which means its lobby for legislation powers are limited. NumbersUSA Action, Inc. and Americans for Better Immigration are 501(c)(4) organizations meaning they have unlimited lobbying ability.

First let’s compare the income of NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation and NumbersUSA Action, Inc. According to its 2008 financial documents, NumbersUSA Action, Inc. received over $1.5 million in direct public support, NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation received over 8 million.

According to Open Secrets, NumbersUSA.com spent a whopping $630,000 on lobbying in 2008. NumbersUSA.com is the website listed on both NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation and NumbersUSA Action, Inc.’s 2008 financial documents.

Recently, Roy Beck wrote to NumbersUSA supporters asking them to donate money to help them pay the $90,000 a month they spend on “faxing, internet activism and grassroots mobilization programs.” Beck went on to say that NumbersUSA “doesn’t get a penny from any foundation or the government.”

This is yet another example of Beck possibly stretching the truth. According to its 2008 financial documents, the Sarah Scaife Foundation paid NumbersUSA Research and Education $50,000, but because it shares office space, personnel and a website with NumbersUSA Action, Beck’s statements are suspicious.

According to the Colcom Foundation’s 2007 financial documents, they gave NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation over $2 million. According to its 2008 financial documents, the Weeden Foundation gave NumbersUSA $25,000.

Roy Beck and NumbersUSA have a history of distorting the facts. There is a clear lack of transparency in this organization.

Though NumbersUSA’s financial information is very murky, its connections to the John Tanton Network are as clear as day.

Today, the White House will meet with key grassroots leaders, legislators and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss immigration reform. With the massive March For America only a handful of days away, it’s clear that lawmakers are feeling the increased pressure to show concrete action towards comprehensive immigration reform.

From Clarissa Martínez De Castro, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns at NCLR:

“For the president, the pressure is on and the need is great. Latino voters are demanding accountability. We want to see concrete action and a commitment to moving forward on legislation before the November elections—and not just another meeting to discuss the issue or check the box saying that the president is serious about immigration reform.”

As frustrations have mounted with inaction on the issue in Obama’s first year in office, recently grassroots leaders have decided that enough is enough.

What advocates are asking is whether these meetings will lead to concrete action– in advance of the culmination of these grassroots efforts in the March 21st “March for America.” On March 21st, tens of thousands of Americans will stand up to demand prompt action on comprehensive immigration reform and a fairer economy for all workers. It seems this increased activity and frustration is being heard. (via America’s Voice)

From Frank Sharry, the Executive Director of America’s Voice:

“Politicians in Washington seem to be afraid of the immigration issue, but what they don’t get is that the American people are fed up with politicians who fail to deliver real results.  Voters want Congress to pass an immigration reform law that requires immigrants in the U.S. illegally to register and pay taxes on their way to becoming full citizens, which is a fairer and more practical solution than pretending we can actually deport 11 million undocumented immigrants.  It’s time for politicians in Washington to wake up.  The immigration issue is not going to resolve itself, it will take leadership, and the time for action is now.”

We are ready for concrete actions towards passing immigration reform before the 2010 midterm elections. Change takes courage: Congress should have the courage to overcome bipartisan politics and do what is right for families, for workers and for our economy.

The Muñoz family, with Lucia second from the right.

I’m actually doing this for my mom. In 1989, border-crossing coyotes took my older sister, then age three, away from my mom, and drugged her with something that looked like Nyquil. My mom then walked for 12 hours with my older brother who was only eight months at the time.

The immigration lady at the crossing told them to go into a puddle to be able get to the other side. It was black up to her neck, and she held her son high so he wouldn’t drown, and stood in there four or five hours. Patrol officers said, “We don’t have to get our hands dirty for you guys, we can just go get some more and come get you guys later.”

Then the coyote lady told them they have less than 30 minutes to cover six miles. My mom did it somehow. On this side, when she got to Los Angeles, they told her to meet her at a restaurant in two days. She was scared because she didn’t know if she’d get her daughter back. But the people who crossed over did show up with her daughter, and then disappeared as if to nowhere — when my mom looked up after getting her daughter back, they were gone.

I told mom, “I’m doing this because of you. You suffered so much to give me a better life. It’s only fair for us to work hard to show you how much we appreciate it.”

My passion is helping people in any way I can. We started out as 41 volunteers for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Now we’re also practicing a dance for Cinco de Mayo. My mom kind of gets mad at me because she says I need to make money, but there are other ways — when people need translations, I do it. I babysit too sometimes, by donation.

My family has always done everything together. We’re five children. My older sister is 25 and my youngest sister is four. We’re a big family that does everything together. People are amazed that I still live with my family. My dad’s family has never approved of my mom, but they’re still together 25 years later – love means everything.

We all wanted to go to the march but we couldn’t because of economics. So we’re doing a rally in Reno, Nevada on March 21st, the same day. We’ll read blogs and tweets throughout the day to know what’s happening at the march in Washington, DC.

We encourage you to become a fan on the March For America Facebook page and then invite your friends to march. Or you can sign up for the March For America on our website.

Please share this story with your friends to help spread word about the march!

Senator Harry Reid held a Latino Summit at University of Nevada, standing here with members of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform group.

Originally posted at Immigration Impact, by Walter Ewing.

In a new report, Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR)—a front group for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)—regurgitates an argument as tired as it is flawed: that immigration hastens the destruction of the environment in the United States. Specifically, the report claims that immigration-driven population growth is increasing the nation’s “ecological footprint” and exceeding the country’s “carrying capacity.” This is a faulty line of reasoning that overlooks the degree to which destruction of the environment is a function not of population size, but of how a society utilizes its resources, produces its goods and services, and deals with its waste.
(more…)

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Last night immigration was front-and-center on the Rachel Maddow show.

Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of the Center for Community Change,  joined guest host Chris Hayes on last night’s show to make the case for immigration reform. Not only did he make the case well, but Hayes mentioned the March For America on air and helped to expose our opposition for what it really is: a political minority.

The truth is, the majority of Americans support immigration reform. And while the small but noisy anti-immigrant lobby, including leaders like Tom Tancredo, have tried to latch onto the Tea Party movement to push their xenophobic agenda,  immigration is an issue that divides the far right. As Andrea Nill from the Wonk Room at Think Progress has recently shown, the Tea Party movement does not fully embrace the anti-immigrant agenda.

Check out the video at the top of the post!

Originally posted on Standing FIRM.

Today, in Chicago, hundreds of immigrant youth will meet in Union Park to for a National “Coming Out” Day (part of National Coming out week led by the United We Dream Coalition). Led by the Immigrant Youth Justice League, in partnership with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, today’’s action is aimed at pressuring Senator Dick Durbin to show active leadership in passing comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act.

From the IYJL site:

This action is a call for leadership from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who has worked for and promised the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform for years. Now, as the Senate’s second-ranking leader, he is in a position to deliver. As our senator, and a long-time supporter of immigrant youth, we need him to lead on the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform this year.

“We cannot wait any more. Not while our parents are getting deported and our youth’s dreams fall apart due to an obsolete immigration system that has failed us and the country. I have supported Senator Durbin and President Obama, and now we need them to act. This country cannot wait anymore, we will not wait any longer,” said Ireri, IYJL member.

While the White House has delayed yet another meeting on immigration reform, the grassroots movement for immigrant rights is growing restless and impatient. On Monday, this was tweeted from the IYJL twitter account:

When u are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness” then u will understand why we find it difficult 2 wait.

For lawmakers, and even for some advocates, this issue is simply political: the “right” time, the “right” climate, the number of votes, the mid-term elections. But for youth who are stuck in the shadows of a country that is failing to recognize them as full people, there is no right time and there is no right climate: it’s now or nothing.

So, Senator Durbin, the immigrant youth of this movement understand that change takes courage. They are risking everything to come out and stand up for justice. Will you show this same courage and lead?

Tell Senator Durbin that change takes courage>>