Congressman Bob Filner has introduced the Pay for All Your Undocumented Procedures (PAY UP!) Act, H.R. 4021. Filner said the act would require the Department of Homeland Security to reimburse medical providers for uncompensated care for undocumented persons detained by the border patrol and federal immigration officials.
Filner said the act would help hospitals, doctors and ambulance providers while Congress continues to debate immigration policy reform.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Mexican network adds English lessons
Both President Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger have said immigrants should learn English if they want to gain citizenship, and several states have made the language official.
Now TV Azteca, a network in Mexico City with Spanish-language affiliates in the United States, is adding English lessons to its schedule to help immigrants assimilate to the U.S., according to Copley News Service. The lessons wll air in many southern cities including San Diego on Sunday mornings.
The network told Copley News the purpose of the lessons is to provide instruction in basic English to prepare immigrants for typical situations like shopping or going to the doctor. It also said these skills are necessary to get better jobs.
Some have criticized TV Azteca's perceived agenda. One told Copley News the lessons only aim to help immigrants earn more money to funnel out of the U.S. economy to Mexico, not to help them assimilate to U.S. culture.
According to the Census Bureau, about 34 million people speak Spanish at home nationwide.
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Now TV Azteca, a network in Mexico City with Spanish-language affiliates in the United States, is adding English lessons to its schedule to help immigrants assimilate to the U.S., according to Copley News Service. The lessons wll air in many southern cities including San Diego on Sunday mornings.
The network told Copley News the purpose of the lessons is to provide instruction in basic English to prepare immigrants for typical situations like shopping or going to the doctor. It also said these skills are necessary to get better jobs.
Some have criticized TV Azteca's perceived agenda. One told Copley News the lessons only aim to help immigrants earn more money to funnel out of the U.S. economy to Mexico, not to help them assimilate to U.S. culture.
According to the Census Bureau, about 34 million people speak Spanish at home nationwide.
Read More
Campaign urges thousands of immigrants to register in time for elections
The National Council of La Raza has launched ya es hora CiudadanÃa!, Now is the time--Citizenship!. The campaign is an effort to inform, educate and motivate 200,000 legal residents in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. to register for citizenship in time for the 2008 presidential elections.
According to NCLR, the movement is spreading across the nation and is now active in 23 cities. NCLR said it expects the number of applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reach one million by the end of the year.
Nonprofit organizations and immigration attorneys affiliated with the campaign will address barriers to citizenship including lack of information, lack of exam and language preparation and cost.
Citizenship fees increased 69 percent in July, according to the council.
According to NCLR, the movement is spreading across the nation and is now active in 23 cities. NCLR said it expects the number of applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reach one million by the end of the year.
Nonprofit organizations and immigration attorneys affiliated with the campaign will address barriers to citizenship including lack of information, lack of exam and language preparation and cost.
Citizenship fees increased 69 percent in July, according to the council.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tancredo ad scares immigration to the center of presidential debate
In an advertisement aired this week, Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo said there is a bigger consequence of unsecured borders than "20 million who've come to take our jobs": terrorism.
While the scare tactic is nothing new, the ad seems to have reinvigorated the case for increased border security amidst more popular arguments related to jobs and the economy.
The ad features images of destruction that appear to be the results of terrorist attacks. The ad has been pulled from YouTube because it was deemed inappropriate for some viewers.
In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Tancredo countered accusations that the ad is an outrageous attempt to make gains in the polls; Blitzer said Tancredo's approval ratings hover around 1 percent. Tancredo said in the interview the ad was meant to force other candidates to address immigration as a national security issue in their campaigns.
Tancredo is a congressman from Des Moines, Iowa.
While the scare tactic is nothing new, the ad seems to have reinvigorated the case for increased border security amidst more popular arguments related to jobs and the economy.
The ad features images of destruction that appear to be the results of terrorist attacks. The ad has been pulled from YouTube because it was deemed inappropriate for some viewers.
In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Tancredo countered accusations that the ad is an outrageous attempt to make gains in the polls; Blitzer said Tancredo's approval ratings hover around 1 percent. Tancredo said in the interview the ad was meant to force other candidates to address immigration as a national security issue in their campaigns.
Tancredo is a congressman from Des Moines, Iowa.
Learning from Katrina: Civil rights in disaster relief
While reports of discrimination against Latinos and other minorities at relief sites for last month's fires made the news, the National Council of La Raza applauded steps taken by the American Red Cross to better serve minorities and immigrants.
NCLR, a national Latino civil rights organization, said in an email to its affiliated groups that the Red Cross showed significant progress during the wildfires in serving Latinos since Hurricane Katrina. According to program manager Eduardo Cusicanqui, NCLR and the Red Cross have had an ongoing dialogue since Katrina, in which NCLR has urged the relief organization to train volunteers in serving diverse populations, including speaking second languages.
Cusicanqui said the Red Cross didn't provide enough Spanish-speaking volunteers last month, but praised its effort to address immigrant and minority needs. Cusicanqui said the Red Cross immediately contacted NCLR to encourage its affiliated local organizations to attend a meeting with city leaders as representatives of the Latino and immigrant community.
NCLR did, however, back claims of discrimination at relief sites. It said the ACLU and Immigrant Rights Consortium report "Firestorm" accurately detailed accounts given by alleged victims and witnesses.
An NCLR report from the Katrina disaster accused the Red Cross of not being experienced in serving diverse populations. It also reported that FEMA shelters turned away Mexican-American evacuees because their ethnicity was associated with illegal immigration. According to the report, some families with mixed citizenship (the children are American-born but the parents are in the country illegally) did not receive government assistance they were entitled to because conditions for eligibility were unclear and unavailable.
"In the Eye of the Storm: How the Government and Private Response to Hurricane Katrina Failed Latinos"
Immigrant Eligibility for Disaster Relief
NCLR, a national Latino civil rights organization, said in an email to its affiliated groups that the Red Cross showed significant progress during the wildfires in serving Latinos since Hurricane Katrina. According to program manager Eduardo Cusicanqui, NCLR and the Red Cross have had an ongoing dialogue since Katrina, in which NCLR has urged the relief organization to train volunteers in serving diverse populations, including speaking second languages.
Cusicanqui said the Red Cross didn't provide enough Spanish-speaking volunteers last month, but praised its effort to address immigrant and minority needs. Cusicanqui said the Red Cross immediately contacted NCLR to encourage its affiliated local organizations to attend a meeting with city leaders as representatives of the Latino and immigrant community.
NCLR did, however, back claims of discrimination at relief sites. It said the ACLU and Immigrant Rights Consortium report "Firestorm" accurately detailed accounts given by alleged victims and witnesses.
An NCLR report from the Katrina disaster accused the Red Cross of not being experienced in serving diverse populations. It also reported that FEMA shelters turned away Mexican-American evacuees because their ethnicity was associated with illegal immigration. According to the report, some families with mixed citizenship (the children are American-born but the parents are in the country illegally) did not receive government assistance they were entitled to because conditions for eligibility were unclear and unavailable.
"In the Eye of the Storm: How the Government and Private Response to Hurricane Katrina Failed Latinos"
Immigrant Eligibility for Disaster Relief
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
New report details discrimination during fires
The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties and San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium are calling for the formation of a task force to set policies and standards that ensure humanitarian principles are upheld in disaster relief efforts. The groups released a report today reviewing the "treatment of vulnerable populations during the San Diego fires."
The report was largely a response to alleged discrimination and intimidation directed toward immigrants at the Qualcomm evacuation site. The report also details similar cases at other evacuation sites, discrimination against other ethnicities at evacuation sites, and alleged wrongdoings of law-enforcement officials when dealing with the media and residents returning home.
The report also called for more trained Spanish speakers to assist in emergency relief and an end to identification checks at evacuation sites.
The report was largely a response to alleged discrimination and intimidation directed toward immigrants at the Qualcomm evacuation site. The report also details similar cases at other evacuation sites, discrimination against other ethnicities at evacuation sites, and alleged wrongdoings of law-enforcement officials when dealing with the media and residents returning home.
The report also called for more trained Spanish speakers to assist in emergency relief and an end to identification checks at evacuation sites.
Sheriff uses pink cuffs to tackle red-hot issue
Mariposa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been dubbed "America's toughest sheriff" by Arizona residents. In an ABC Nightline package that aired this week, Arpaio seemed to tout his prisons as the model for tough punishment: outdoor tents erected in the desert sun because his cells are overflowing, inmates wearing prison stripes and humiliating pink underwear and suspects apprehended with pink handcuffs.
Arpaio told Nightline he's an "equal-opportunity enforcement and incarcerator." He said he locks up everyone.
But the "Do not enter illegally" signs on his sheriff vans and the hotline he created specifically for tips related to illegal immigration have lead some to believe he's only looking to lock up illegal immigrants.
According to ABC, Arpaio has taken it upon himslef to apply federal laws regarding immigration to a recent Arizona mandate that says it's a criminal offense to bring illegal foreign nationals into the state. Arpaio said migrants are accessories to the crime and encourages his deputies to use minor traffic violations as impetus to arrest them.
According to ABC, deputies set up traps near locations where employers are known to pick up migrant workers to catch illegals in "routine" traffic stops.
The report bordered on charging Arpaio with racial profiling. He countered, saying illegals commit more crimes.
Police in Pheonix and Mesa, Ariz., told Nightline their statistics refute Arpaio's claim and crime is actually worse in Arpaio's sector.
"Sheriff Joe" video
See what others say
Photos courtesy of ABC
Arpaio told Nightline he's an "equal-opportunity enforcement and incarcerator." He said he locks up everyone.
But the "Do not enter illegally" signs on his sheriff vans and the hotline he created specifically for tips related to illegal immigration have lead some to believe he's only looking to lock up illegal immigrants.
According to ABC, Arpaio has taken it upon himslef to apply federal laws regarding immigration to a recent Arizona mandate that says it's a criminal offense to bring illegal foreign nationals into the state. Arpaio said migrants are accessories to the crime and encourages his deputies to use minor traffic violations as impetus to arrest them.
According to ABC, deputies set up traps near locations where employers are known to pick up migrant workers to catch illegals in "routine" traffic stops.
The report bordered on charging Arpaio with racial profiling. He countered, saying illegals commit more crimes.
Police in Pheonix and Mesa, Ariz., told Nightline their statistics refute Arpaio's claim and crime is actually worse in Arpaio's sector.
"Sheriff Joe" video
See what others say
Photos courtesy of ABC
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