Beyond The Border

December 11, 2009

Editorial from NYT: States and Localities Enact Harsh Immigartion Laws As a Response from Washington’s Lack of Immigration Reform

This article speaks for itself.

States have taken it into their own hands to deal with illegal immigration. And with an issue like this, it is no shock that certain states have gone simply too far, enacting harsh laws that impede on the natural rights of the individual.

Illegal immigraiton isn’t something that will just go away if you ignore it after awhile. It is a problem, and it’s highly important that we take the time to fix the issue at hand. But, if this issue is left to the states, it is no question that intolerant will enact unjust laws. For example, the Voter ID Bill that nearly had Texas state legislatures coming back to Austin for round two- a special session.

Katy Johnson

1:39am | URL: http://tmblr.co/Z49jTyGd5tC
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Filed under: New Deve New Developments

December 11, 2009

Another Case Where ICE Failed to Stop Illegal Immigration.

Just another case where ICE has failed.

Back in 2008, ICE officials, US Legal immigrants, and US citizens were brought before a House Judiciary Subcommittee to challenge the detention and removal procedures. The committee found that ICE was in violation of many civil rights laws and forced to establish new regulations that protected the rights of immigrants and detainees. And yet, again, we have another case where an ICE official has plead guilty to corruption and aiding a Mexican drug cartel. And lets examine where this case took place, our good friend Arizona; who may just be the least immigrant friendly state along the border.

Katy Johnson

1:31am | URL: http://tmblr.co/Z49jTyGd4Fh
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Filed under: new development New Developments

December 11, 2009

Its Official, KBH Announced, and Illegal Immigration is her Top Issue?

KBH announced last Monday that she will be running for governor of TX. And, to combat Bill White, she announces that Immigration will be her top issue. But I ask, in midst of economic recession, a climate change crisis, and a major healthcare debate, why has she decided to run on the issue of illegal immigration? Waste of time. She needs a stronger issue that applies to the working class families of Texas today. And, for the record, she voted NO on comprehensive immigration reform in 07, voted Yes to declaring English as an official language in 07, No on the guestworker program in 07 as well as a series of other immigration reform legislation. If she wants to fight to immigration reform, she should have begun doing it a long time ago.

Click to find a list of her immigration record

katy Johnson

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Filed under: New New Developments

December 3, 2009

The boundries for ICE

A New York Times article chronicles a development on Capitol Hill regarding a new facet of the illegal immigration problem in the United States. According to reports published by Human Rights Watch and Transactional Records Clearing House, numbers of immigrants are being transferred quickly or more frequently than necessary. This action can and does cause problems within the bureaucratic system in which these transfers take place. Furthermore 60% of these detainees are facing deportation without a lawyer.

This situation in ICE is in is a consequence of fuzzy legal description s and tight budgeting. ICE has had to shift its allocations around and even reported having low numbers of detainee beds in response to the reports. Furthermore, the constant transfers must stop. This only complicates a complicated and ill defined system, plus only costs taxpayers more money, which supposedly is the negative consequence of illegal immigrants in the first place.

-Austin H.

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Filed under: New Developments

December 3, 2009

Court Rules that Mass Immigration Hearings is Unlawful

This post from the AP is pretty interesting. As a result of Project Steamline, no tolerance zones were set up along the border in Texas, Arizona and California. In these zones, immigrants who are caught have the chance of being tried in federal court.

However, because of the high volume of immigrants caught coming through these zones, many officials have turned to efficiency, reading the rights of these immigrants in groups rather than individually. And in some cases, the court tries the immigrants in groups, instead of individually.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that a federal court in Tucson, Ariz.,where mass hearings have been held for defendants arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents, violates federal law which requires that each defendant be read their rights and be given an explanation of what a guilty plea means.

The problem with mass court hearings is that in the case of immigrants, many have no idea what they’re pleading guilty to or how to defend themselves.

-Katy Johnson

1:58pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/Z49jTyF_Jiq
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Filed under: New Development New Developments

December 2, 2009

Houston continues to earn reputation as intolerant city with immigration checks for charity recipien

It is being reported that Houston chapters are requiring potential beneficiaries of its annual christmas toy drive for children to undergo a background check that would verify the immigration/citizenship status of the children and their families before any gifts will be distributed. I can’t imagine that many people will actually be DENIED a gift for their children if they are found to be needy, and so I feel that this gesture on the part of the Salvation Army Houston is merely a symbolic slap in the face to immigrants, especially minorities. I wonder if this practice will apply universally, or only to those who may “seem” like they could be immigrants (i.e not white)? this seems to be only the latest in a string of very bad publicity coming out of the city of Houston, and they are also continuing to give Texans a bad name nationally and internationally. As far as I know, I don’t recall any administrative requirements of a legal nature that would necessitate excluding anyone from receiving charity. I believe that is why it is called “charity” in the first place. Bad move, Salvation Army. According to the article, this has caught criticism from interest groups and lobbying efforts such as America For All, also based out of Houston.

Mitra

5:58pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/Z49jTyFv_OU
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Filed under: lobby msm new developments

November 29, 2009

Illegal Immigration Enforcement Has Inhibited Public Safety Officials

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27fri2.html

This editorial from the NYT makes a good point, our current immigration policies have lead law enforcement officials to use racial profiling as a means to identify illegal immigrants.

It is absolutely imperative that the Obama administration tackle illegal immigration head on, without creating the image that all illegal immigrants are a menace to society. It is that attitude from previous administrations that not only inhibited effective immigration reform from getting passed, but has lead to an overall poor attitude toward immigrants from American society.

-Katy Johnson

10:58pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/Z49jTyFhXqI
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Filed under: New New Developments

November 24, 2009

Pew Research poll reveals where immigration is on public radar

A new poll just released from the Pew Research Center revealed that immigration is a ‘mid-level’ issue among the majority of voters, ranking well below the economy and healthcare in terms of salience. While this comes as little to no surprise, this is one of the reasons why the Obama administration has decided to wait until at least late next year to introduce an overhaul of the current immigration policy in this country.

I find it interesting that the poll broke down respondents by ethnic background, and there is no longer a noticeable difference in the opinions of Hispanic voters versus Caucasian voters.