DECEMBER 14 - 18: THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION:

www.ImmigrationImpact.com


DEC 18
Greyhound Lines, Inc. Accused of Racially Profiling Latino Passengers
Traveling home for the holidays might not be as cheerful as you may think if you plan on taking a Greyhound bus. According to a recent article in the Contra Costa Times, an immigrant rights group in San Bernardino, CA, is accusing Greyhound Lines, Inc. of racially profiling their Latino customers. The rights group, Immigration Raids Response Network, alleges that Greyhound Lines Inc. targets Latino riders by allowing Border Patrol agents--along with Greyhound employees--to "conduct immigration checks of passengers upon their arrival at the San Bernardino Greyhound bus station." The rights group is now urging Latinos not to ride Greyhound buses nationwide.

DEC 17
The BIA Has the Chance to Prevent the Wrongful Deportation of Immigrant Children
While there is no question that Congress needs to step up to the plate and repair our broken immigration system through legislative reform, there are some fixes that can be made now without waiting for Congressional action. If the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) would stop narrowly interpreting existing immigration law, many noncitizens would be eligible to complete applications for legal status in the manner Congress intended.

DEC 16
ICE Will Halt Detention of Asylum Seekers
According to the Associated Press, the Obama Administration said today that it will no longer detain asylum seekers who, in addition to other criteria, have displayed a credible fear of persecution in their home countries. According to the article, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton says asylum seekers can temporarily enter the U.S. if they meet certain criteria. They must establish their identities, they cannot be dangerous or a flight risk, and they must have a credible fear of persecution or torture."

DEC 16
Shenandoah is a Cautionary Tale for How to Debate Immigration Reform
This week a police chief and two of his officers were charged with obstruction of justice in connection with their investigation of the beating death of Luis Ramirez, a 25-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant, in Shenandoah, PA, last year. The two teenagers acquitted of his murder were also indicted on federal hate crime charges. While some measure of justice may eventually be served in the Ramirez case, this tragedy should serve as a cautionary tale as we move into 2010 and gear up for a new round of immigration reform debates. Policy makers and the media must understand that when the debate devolves from reasoned, fact-based discussions into fear and hate-mongering the consequences can be dire.

DEC 15
Congressman Luis Gutierrez Introduces Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009
On Tuesday, in a room filled with supporters and shouts of "Si, Se Puede," Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) held a press conference to introduce the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP). Congressman Gutierrez introduced the immigration reform bill--which at last count had 89 original co-sponsors including the Congressional Hispanic, Black, Progressive, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses--before Congress heads home for the holidays "so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year."

DEC 14
Restrictionists Build Anti-Immigrant Agenda on Backs of American Workers
While perpetuators of the myth that "immigrants take jobs away from hard working Americans" are busy exploiting both immigrants and native-born workers, a new report by America's Voice Education Fund shines a much needed light on the restrictionist lobby's real agenda--deportation at any cost. Released last week, the report takes a closer look at the "anti-worker" voting records of supposedly "pro-worker" Congressional Members who, "aided by a shadow coalition of groups with an anti-immigrant agenda," have consistently built a "deport them all" agenda on the backs of American workers.