Immigration Vigils on Wed 6/24 in AZ

From nuestros amigos at Border Action Network

What: Vigils in four Arizona towns to call on Arizona Senator John McCain and other participants of the White House Immigration Reform meeting to push for immigration reform this year.

When: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from 6:00-7:30pm

Where:

Tucson -Senator McCain's office at 407 W. Congress St.

Douglas -Corner of 5th St and Pan American Highway (Co-sponsored by Humanitarian Border Solutions, Episcopal Border Ministries and Frontera de Cristo)

Sierra Vista -St. Andrew Apostle Church, 800 Taylor Dr.

Nogales - La Casa del Viejo at 665 Morley Ave.

Who: Border Action Network and its Human Rights Committees throughout southern Arizona.

Why: On Thursday, June 25 at 2:00pm EST, key members of Congress will join the President at the White House for a meeting that is expected to create a roadmap for legislative action on comprehensive immigration reform in 2009. The evening before this important meeting, members of Border Action Network in Tucson, Douglas, Nogales and Sierra Vista, Arizona are gathering to hold a "Now is the Time" vigil for Arizona Senator McCain and other meeting participants.

SEIU Joins Effort to Fight AZ Anti-Migrant Bills

The budget nightmare unfolding in Arizona is taking the back seat to several pieces of nasty legislation that could only come from Russell Pearce's National Alliance-influenced brain. Senate Bill 1280 would make it a crime to even be in the presence of an undocumented worker while SB1175 strips local governments of the ability to keep immigration enforcement where it belongs - a federal issue.

Border Action Network has been all over this lately with action alerts to put political pressure on Arizona State Legislators. Those efforts have received a shot of adrenaline with SEIU joining the fight against these overreaching and, yes, anti-latino bills:

Tell your State Senator to vote no on anti-immigrant legislation and focus on Arizona's real challenges

For Arizona and America to be a land of opportunity for everyone who lives here, our policies must recognize that we’re all in it together, with common human rights and responsibilities.

Right now, anti-immigrant extremists are trying to distract us from addressing Arizona’s real challenges like the budget shortfall, education, health care and employment and scape goat immigrants.

Tell your State Senator that anti-immigrant legislation has go to go!

If one group can be exploited, underpaid and prevented from becoming part of our society, none of us will enjoy the opportunity and rights that Arizona and America stands for.

Tell your Arizona State Senator to vote NO on Anti-Immigrant Bills SB 1162

The climate in Arizona has become increasingly hostile to those of us who have brown skin. I don't have any charts or graphs to back it up, it's something that I live everyday. And I've had enough of it. Anti-migrant legislation becomes anti-latino when officials like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who give winks and nods to white supremacist groups, get their hands on it.

Unless we come together and tell the state legislature that they have gone too far, the situation will continue to unravel and grow in toxicity. We have a budget to fix. A true crisis; but instead of doing their job, people like Russell Pearce are perverting their power with shenanigans to gut education, target latinos and make sure that they can do it anywhere while wielding a gun.

Enough! Please join the pushback and encourage your family and friends to do the same.

Crossposted at The Sanctuary and AZNetroots

Napolitano Favors National Guard Along Border

This is not change and it's not something I can believe in...

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, President-elect Barack Obama’s reported primary choice for Homeland Security secretary, says she still thinks National Guard troops should be sent back to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Napolitano says “as governor of Arizona” that’s something she has advocated with other border state governors and still believes.

Arizona Daily Star

We are not at war with Mexico. Stop treating la frontera like the Korean DMZ.

Border Alliance Formed to Address Concerns

Border policy is just one important aspect of the need for a complete upheaval and restructuring of the overall immigration system. Unfortunately, those of us who call the FronteraLands our home in the southwest portion of the United States know that when D.C. talks about the need to secure our nation's borders, they don't really mean it. That's all just wonky code for "do all we can to keep the horde of brown people heading north from Mexico and Latin America out of our land."

Never will we see the construction of a massive wall between the U.S. and Canada as we are witnessing rise like an evil phoenix across the desert states; nor will Alaskans have to tolerate the erection of virtual sensor towers along their imaginary line with the Yukon Territory. Checkpoints with armed guards a hundred miles inland won't be commonplace in Maine, though if they were to materialize, you can bet a sack of euros that agents would still be scanning vehicles for those suspected of crossing la frontera sur. No need to worry about every guest at a Hawaiian luau being seized by gas mask-covered ICE agents wielding demands that proof of citizenship be provided on the spot.

No, no. Those types of adventures are usually reserved for us. A second helping if our skin happens to be brown. Any yet, over the past several years, the George W. Bush misAdministration has repeatedly told residents of frontera communities that our concerns were null and void in the face of Homeland Security™. Our human rights have been repeatedly ignored and violated as the region becomes more militarized, environmental protections slashed and burned, tribal burial grounds desecrated, ancestral properties seized, minority populations targeted through profiling, etc etc etc.

In the face of such adversity and oftentimes absurdity, a sliver of light shines through the crack in the doorway to true dialog. An alliance has been formed between the National Immigration Forum, the Border Network of Human Rights and the Border Action Network to give a voice to border residents. This week, members of the three groups travel to Washington, D.C. to present their collaborative report: Effective Border Policy: Security, Responsibility and Human Rights. You can view the full report and representative listings here.

This report finally addresses border policy and immigration reform with an adult mindset, instead of with a tantrum and band-aid, as we've seen repeatedly during the past eightish years. Via press release, here is an excerpt of recommendations and the mindset of collaborators:

"Border policy is not a choice between enforcement or no enforcement; it is about smart enforcement that creates national and community security," said El Paso Sheriff-elect and Task Force member, Richard Wiles. "I came to Washington because I believe that border security and community security are not mutually exclusive. Establishing and maintaining trust between local law enforcement and the immigrant community is central to the security of my county. If we trust each other, then as Sheriff I can focus on the real dangers facing our community."

The recommendations in the report are divided into several key areas: accountability and oversight, review of border operations, technology, and infrastructure, ports of entry, border walls and fencing, diluting law enforcement resources, military at the border, detention and deportation, community security and just and comprehensive development.

Specific proposals include:

• Communities are more secure when border enforcement policies focus on the criminal element and engage immigrants in fighting the real dangers facing our country;
• Communities are safer when we implement policies that ensure accountability and provide local oversight of enforcement activities;
• Communities flourish when Ports of Entry are treated as vital gateways to America;
• Communities are stronger and lives are saved when we replace border blockade operations with more sensible enforcement; and
• Communities are safer when local law enforcement is not pressed into immigration-enforcement roles and the military is not used to enforce civilian law.

Let's see how much Change™ can be enacted with a new President and Congress next year. A bigger table for discussion with the people who actually live in the areas being affected is a decent start.

Crossposted from The Sanctuary

Southern Arizona Human Rights Organizations

Here are some grassroot organizations that are doing admirable work in the southern part of the Grand Canyon State that relates to the human rights facet of immigration and border policies in the U.S.:


Border Action Network

Border Action Network formed in 1999 and works with immigrant and border communities in southern Arizona to ensure that our rights are respected, our human dignity upheld and that our communities are healthy places to live. We are a membership-based organization that combines grassroots community organizing, leadership development, litigation and policy advocacy.

No More Deaths

No More Deaths is an organization whose mission is to end death and suffering on the U.S./Mexico border through civil initiative: the conviction that people of conscience must work openly and in community to uphold fundamental human rights. Our work embraces the Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform and focuses on the following themes:

• Direct aid that extends the right to provide humanitarian assistance
• Witnessing and responding
• Consciousness raising
• Global movement building
• Encouraging human immigration policy.

Humane Borders

Humane Borders, motivated by faith, offers humanitarian assistance to those in need through more than 70 emergency water stations on and near the U.S.-Mexican border.

"They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water."

-- Isaiah 49:10

Coalición de Derechos Humanos

Coalición de Derechos Humanos ("The Human Rights Coalition") is a grassroots organization which promotes respect for human/civil rights and fights the militarization of the Southern Border region, discrimination, and human rights abuses by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials affecting U.S. and non-U.S. citizens alike.derechos humanos logo

Our goals include:

* Strengthening the capacity of the border & urban communities to exercise their rights and participate in public policy decisions.
* Increasing public awareness of the magnitude of human rights abuses, deaths and assaults at the border resulting from U.S. policy.
* Seeking changes in government policies that result in human suffering because of the militarization of the U.S. border region.

Samaritan Patrol

Who or what is it? Samaritan Patrol ( a.k.a. Samaritans) are people of faith and conscience who are responding directly, practically and passionately to the crisis at the US/ Mexico border. We are a diverse group of volunteers that are united in our desire to relieve suffering among our brothers and sisters and to honor human dignity. Prompted by the mounting deaths among border crossers, we came together July 1, 2002, to provide emergency medical assistance, food and water to people crossing the Sonoran Desert.

Feel free to add to the list in the comments below and I will update the post.

Legislative Alert from Border Action Network

Arizona residents, please call your state reps and urge NO votes on these measures.

March 19, 2008 URGENT Legislative Action Alert! On March 20, the Committee of the Whole, which is the Arizona House of Representatives, will likely be voting on three bills that have dire consequences for border and immigrant families. Please take a moment to TAKE ACTION and tell your representatives to VOTE NO on these bills and support Human Rights in Arizona! HCR2041 Discrimination; Preferential Treatment; Prohibition Sponsor: Representative Pearce Hearing: House of Representatives - March 20, 2008 HCR2041 would put on the ballot a measure to eliminate affirmative action in Arizona. The bill sounds admirable, but if read carefully it eliminates affirmative action in employment, education and public contracting. Arizona, more than many other states, needs programs that attempt to create a level playing field for people of color, women, refugees, immigrants, and others who are at a marked competitive disadvantage. Take Immediate Action on HCR2041! HCR2039 Illegal aliens; enforcement & trespassing Sponsor: Representative Pearce Hearing: Committee of the Whole - March 20, 2008 HCR2039 would put on the 2008 general election ballot a measure to require that all governmental units in AZ must assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Further, anyone unlawfully present in this county is guilty of trespass, with a first time punishment of being transferred to federal authorities. A second offense is a class 4 felony punishable by a prison sentence of 2.5 years. Take Immediate Action on HCR2039!

HB2807: Immigration; Local Law Enforcement Sponsor: Representative Nelson Hearing: Committee of the Whole - March 20, 2008 HB2807 Requires county, city and town law enforcement agencies to fully enforce immigration and bars local governments from passing ordinances prohibiting immigration enforcement or sharing information with immigration agencies. Take Immediate Action on HB2807!

Border Action Network Posada

This coming Saturday, Border Action Network will be looking back at a year of human rights advocacy as well as forward to continued trainings of Promotores and Know Your Rights campaigns in neighborhoods across southern Arizona.

CELEBRATE WITH US! - Our 3rd Annual Posada

• Date: Saturday, December 15, 2007
• Time: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
• Place: St. John’s Church - 602 W. Ajo Way, Tucson

Border Action Network invites you to celebrate this holiday season at our 3rd Annual Posada where we will reflect on our accomplishments of 2007 in promoting Human and Civil Rights, but equally important, we will celebrate our commitment to working with one another for justice in our communities while we share great food and music.

• Dinner and Live Music
• The graduation of Human Rights Promoters in Tucson and Sahuarita
• The graduation of the first “I Know My Rights” English class
• Slideshow of our 2007 Highlights

More on posadas later.

I Believe That's Called A Mandate

Hey, if George can claim one based on a 50.7%/48.3% poll, and terrorize 100% of us as a result of it, then what is Congress waiting for?

While Congress and the White House remain divided over what to do with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the USA, a new poll shows the American public appears to have reached a consensus on the question.

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken last weekend found that 78% of respondents feel people now in the country illegally should be given a chance at citizenship.

linkage (emphasis mine)

Atrios is "utterly astonished" at the numbers, and to be honest, it is somewhat surprising to me that it's that high; but one of the biggest gripes that those of us connected to the info hub had/has is the complete lack of balance within the political debate.

It is, as Nezua aptly describes, La Lente Blanca - The White Lens - working in overdrive.

BECAUSE OF THE SUBTLETY OF THESE SYSTEMS that privilege those perceived to be "White," it takes an actual about-face in translation, a swivel of the mental lens to become aware of the lens, itself. It requires a dramatic change in orientation, we may even say a breaking of the lens. The very tool of analyzation has been perverted to channel distorted information, because (again) were sane humans to meditate upon the situations required today to continue the American lifestyle, they would be shocked and disgusted. If I return to the train metaphor, I could say that were the passengers to actually sit up and look out the window, they would be horrified at the corpses along the ground. But the line to our hearts has been detoured past mirrored cul-de-sacs so that we can only see beautiful scenery.

When I started blogging a couple of years ago, I knew that a big part of the message I wanted to get out to whomever stumbled upon my words would be to tell the stories of those who are trampled by our immigration system. Personas como la familia Dominguez-Rivera y muchas mas que no tienen nombres.

The dry river beds of the desert Southwest run with the blood of innocent people everyday, yet the power structure of the U.S. is being dragged, kicking and screaming, into action to address the issue. It's like being caught in a continuous loop of the storyline in The Running Man, where reality is treated like a game yet the death is real.

Ironically, some of the cast members are the same.

So what needs to happen now? Aside from hauling in a defibrillator to the U.S. Capitol and shocking the Suits and Pearls out of lethargy, it is important to support the work of those agencies and coalitions that are in our communities making sure that families are not separated, basic human rights are upheld, and the dignity of the roots of those affected by the power games are honored. Groups like the Border Action Network, Coalición de Derechos Humanos and No More Deaths.

It wouldn't hurt to get out into the street on May 1st either.

Border Action Network Fundraiser for D.C. Trip

The Border Action Network is organizing an unprecedented trip of immigrants and advocates to Washington, D.C. to meet with powerbrokers; but they need the community's assistance.

To get a better idea of the work they do than the Tucson Citizen provides below, please visit their website or read the entry I wrote last year after attending one of their important community meetings.

Here's the lowdown for their latest human rights campaign:

As US Congress gears up to initiate the discussion on immigration reform, the Border Community Alliance for Human Rights (representing border and interior communities), the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) are joining their efforts to bring more that five hundred representatives from their respective communities across the nation to carry out national educational and legislative days (March 13-15) for fair and comprehensive immigration reform and humane border security policies.

On March 13^th a Congressional Briefing on Comprehensive Immigration Reform will be hold at Capitol Hill. At this briefing representatives of the convening networks will present their reports, testimonies and proposal to congressional staffers.

linkage

Groups like the Border Action Network are truly grassroots movements. They have little money but do honorable and vitally important work. Please consider donating to their worthy cause to help make this upcoming trip successful, as well as providing seed money for future campaigns. Here is the link to their secure online donation page.

Paz (¡y Justicia!)