Thursday, June 21, 2012

Developments in the immigrants' rights arena


Last Friday, President Obama announced he would grant "deferred action" on deportation to certain young immigrants eligible under specific guidelines for a two-year period. While we welcome this decision, we also recognize its limitations in scope and implementation. Some immigrant youth will have much-needed reprieve, but countless others in our communities will continue to fall through the net. Our struggle continues. Several key developments in recent months - from the SCOTUS hearing on SB 1070 to Alabama's HB 658 to the new Border Patrol strategy - illustrate the challenges that we continue to face as diverse communities and as a movement for rights, justice and dignity of all people. We hope you'll join us in this journey as we continue to affirm the need to offer real opportunities for adjustment of status, a generous legalization program that upholds our humanity and respects our dignity.
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Supreme Court ruling on SB 1070 expected  

Later this month, the Supreme Court is slated to announce their final ruling on Arizona's anti-immigrant racial profiling law, SB 1070. What does this mean for our communities and how will we respond? We have compiled a few key resources to help make sense of it all.  Read more... 



What's going on in Alabama?  

Last year, the Alabama legislature passed HB 56, an SB 1070 copy-cat bill, reaching far beyond Arizona's law in criminalizing people for their actual or perceived immigration status. Most recently, the state passed a "reform bill" to HB 56, which essentially set in place most of the key provisions of the original bill, with some caveats to relieve the pressure felt by the business and agricultural industry in the state. Communities across the state, both immigrants and allies, have responded powerfully with direct actions, advocacy, and community organizing, sending a strong message that with or without this hateful state law, communities will not stand for injustice anywhere. Read more here...

From the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 

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