Daily Headlines: June 11, 2012

* U.S.: A Latino Decisions poll published last week found that 82% of Hispanics and 61% of non-Hispanics prefer the DREAM Act over a stricter immigration proposal by Sen. Marco Rubio.

* Honduras: The mythical Ciudad Blanca ruins may have been located by archeologists using laser image mapping rather than the traditional hacking through forests with machetes.

* Latin America: Latin America and the Caribbean should spend $110 billion a year through 2050 in order to cut greenhouse-gas emissions according to the Inter-American Development Bank.

* Argentina: Press rights group Reporters Without Borders “strongly condemned” the recent attacks against at least ten journalists in the Buenos Aires area.

Video Source – YouTube via bkkaykay (This infographic for a pro-DREAM Act campaign explains the bill’s guidelines including who would benefit from the proposal).

Online Sources- The Hill, LiveScience, Bloomberg, Reporters Without Borders

Daily Headlines: February 23, 2012

* Ecuador: President Rafael Correa said that he might annul the controversial prison sentence against three former newspaper directors accused of libeling him. (Note: link is in Spanish).

* Honduras: Relatives of some of the 359 inmates who died in a Honduran prison fire last week have called on authorities to confirm a preliminary report claiming that the cause of the blaze was accidental.

* U.S.: A group of Latino student activists supporting the DREAM Act protested outside of the site of last night’s Republican presidential debate in Arizona.

* Bolivia: At least ten people are dead as a state of emergency was issued for parts of the Amazon region hit by heavy flooding.

Image Source – Flickr via Gobierno de Chile (Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, seen here in the dark blue jacket during a 2010 visit to Chile, has come under fire from press rights groups after suing three former newspaper directors for libel). (CC BY 2.0)

Online Sources- El Espectador, Cronkite News, BBC News, The Australian, The Latin Americanist

Weekend Headlines: December 18-19, 2010

* U.S.: Despite strong efforts by Latino community and youth activists the U.S. Senate voted against final passage of the DREAM Act.

* Bolivia: On Friday, Bolivia became the latest Latin American country to back the recognition of Palestine as an independent state.

* Colombia: Ex-president Alvaro Uribe continues to face serious allegations related to a major wiretap scandal that makes Watergate look like a walk in the park.

* Venezuela: Less than a month before a new legislature is sworn in outgoing members of the National Assembly passed a bill granting President Hugo Chavez decree powers for 18 months.

* Central America: Costa Rica and Nicaragua accepted an offer by Mexico and Guatemala to mediate in a sometimes heated border dispute.

* Mexico: Staff at a Tamaulipas prison are suspected of aiding in the escape of over 140 inmates on Friday.

* Haiti: Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza supposedly requested that the Haitian government delay reporting the results of last month's presidential election.

* Chile: A French court sentenced fourteen former officials who served under the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for their roles in the "disappearances" of four Frenchmen.

Online Sources - The Telegraph, CBC, Insidecostarica.com, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, MSNBC, CBS News

Image - Damian Dovarganes/AP via CSMonitor.com ("Immigrants parents, students and others participate in a candle-light procession and vigil in support of the Federal DREAM Act in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 7.")

Haiti orphan bill becomes law

Last week the U.S. Senate postponed voting on the DREAM Act, a proposal that would legalize the status of potentially thousands of undocumented youth. Discussion on the bill has reignited the debate on illegal immigration and led to some attacks against the plan that were reviewed by PolitiFact.com.

While plenty of attention has been paid to the DREAM Act, another proposal to help undocumented youth was quietly passed and became a law this month. On Thursday President Barack Obama signed the Help Haiti Act (HHA) into law days after it received Congressional approval.

The HHA facilitates the adoption of approximately 1200 Haitian orphans adopted after January’s massive earthquake. The HHA treats the Haitian orphans the same as other internationally adopted orphans. Thus, they avoid the risk of being deported by staying in the U.S. with permanent resident status and subsequently citizenship.

Though both the DREAM Act and the HHA help young immigrants, the latter’s Congressional sponsor (Rep. Jeff Fortenberry) was opposed to the DREAM Act. “This is about Haitian orphans and their adoptive American families and to leverage that bill for a highly controversial immigration measure was just wrong,” Fortenberry said to Omaha.com over efforts to introduce both proposals together. Ultimately both plans were presented separately and after a brief delay the HHA was swiftly passed on December 1st.

Meanwhile, as reported on the Miami Herald’s website, some deportations to Haiti may resume after being put on hold after the tremor nearly a year ago:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said Friday that the U.S. expects to begin flying deportees with criminal records back to Haiti in January in coordination with Haiti's government.

Gonzalez says ICE is must deport people with criminal records or release them "if their repatriation is not reasonably foreseeable."

Haiti has been rocked in recent weeks by an outbreak of cholera and unrest over last month’s possibly fraudulent presidential elections. Two of the leading presidential hopefuls on Saturday rejected a planned recount of the first round of elections.

Image- Ramon Espinosa/AP via MSNBC (“Children play at the Foyer des Infants orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 8.”)
Online Sources- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Politifact.com, Omaha.com, post-gazette.com, MiamiHerald.com, Reuters

Today’s Video: Considering the DREAM Act

To DREAM or not to DREAM, that is the question.

Last month we looked at the "Don’t Be a Douchebag, Vote" campaign by Cuentame, a group run under the auspices of the Brave New Foundation. Their latest effort is to push for Congressional approval of the DREAM Act, a proposal that would permit a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants either fighting in the military or seeking post-secondary education.

Opponents of the plan, which may be debated during the current "lame-duck" period of Congress, claim that it provides an unfair "amnesty" for undocumented migrants. Backers of the proposal believe, on the other hand, that rightfully rewards hard-working young men and women seeking to better their lives as well as their communities.

As noted in the Los Angeles Times, those eligible under the DREAM Act must meet a number of very strict guidelines in order to be granted conditional legal residency:

The Dream Act would give legal residency to immigrants who arrived before the age of 16, resided in the U.S. for at least five years, graduated from high school and completed two years of college or honorable military service. They would be subject to background checks and could not have a criminal record. Even if granted residency, they would not be eligible for federal grant scholarships. When enacted, the law would apply to those under 35.

The following video from Cuentame is part of today's national day of action in support of the DREAM Act. Decide for yourself if this piece of legislation should be passed or defeated:

Online Sources - Chicago Daily Herald, The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times
Video Source - Cuentame's Facebook site

Senate defeats Dream Act

Pardon me for being cynical but quell surprise.

In a near-party line vote this afternoon the U.S. Senate voted against debating a military funding bill that included an amendment for the Dream Act. The 56-43 vote was four Senators short of being able to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The measure received strong support from Latino lawmakers such as Luis Gutierrez who in a letter called the Dream Act a “common sense piece of legislation” designed to help “talented and deserving immigrant students.” Other congressmen like Sen. Scott Brown disagreed and deemed it as a “form of amnesty to certain illegal immigrants.”

The Dream Act would provide a path for citizenship to illegal immigrant youth under certain strict criteria. Those eligible would receive conditional legal residency for six years, then two years to graduate college with a minimum bachelor’s degree or successfully serve in the armed forces. The National Immigration Law Center has allegedly estimated that about 725,000 undocumented youth would benefit from the Dream Act if it ever becomes signed into law.

Both Democrats and Republicans have accused each other of political posturing leading in to today’s vote. Despite playing a key role in backing a failed 2007 stab at bipartisan immigration reform Sen. John McCain threatened to lead a filibuster against the NDAA. Opponents to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claimed that he tacked on the Dream Act to the NDAA in order to gain Latino support for his reelection campaign. (Reid was one of three Democrats to back blocking the bill though he reportedly did so “as a procedural tactic.”)

The Dream Act has mobilized Latino youth in favor of the measure and to take part in protests and other acts of defiance. (The image above came from demonstrators who spelled out their opinion with their bodies on a Floridian beach). "We tell them we're targeting Republicans and Democrats. There can be no more excuses,” said one student to ABC News after he took part in a sit-in at Sen. Diane Feinstein’s Washington office.

Image- cbs4.com
Online Sources- Chicago Sun-Times, CNN, cbs4.com, America’s News Online, ABC News, Politico, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor

Today’s Video: Latinos and the Military

For the record I do not agree with all the arguments made in the below video from Russia Today. Yet in recognition of Memorial Day it's worth debating and examining how the U.S. military is actively recruiting young Latinos. Interestingly enough these recruitment efforts include backing certain immigration initiatives such as the DREAM Act:


What do you think, fair readers?

Online Source - YouTube

DREAM Act-ivists protest at McCain office

In an act of civil disobedience five protestors including four undocumented migrants held a sit-in the Tucson, Arizona offices of Sen. John McCain.

The protest was held in order to bring much-needed attention to the DREAM Act- a proposal to grant conditional citizenship of young illegal immigrants who either pursue a college degree or sign up for two years of military service. "Every day we live with this fear of what's going to happen the next day," said Tania Unzueta, one of the protestors who dressed in a cap and gown while sitting in McCain’s office. Unzueta added that she and her fellow activists were treated very nicely and expressed her hope that Monday’s event could convince McCain to support the bipartisan-created DREAM Act.

The protestors were joined by about 20 to 30 others who held a vigil outside of the office building. Yet late at night the protestors were arrested and three of them risk being deported due to their undocumented legal status.

A spokeswoman for the incumbent senator said that the “individuals have a right to peacefully protest in the senator’s office” but added that they ought to “focus their efforts on the president and the Democrats that control the agenda in Congress.” Though the protesters targeted McCain’s office their overall aim is to convince politicos of both parties to support the DREAM Act:

The students protesting in Mr. McCain’s office said they wanted to increase pressure on Congress to pass the Dream Act this year, even if lawmakers do not take up a broader overhaul of the immigration system. The student bill is currently part of a Democratic proposal for an overhaul, largely written by Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York.

McCain has taken a tougher stance on immigration as part of his contentious primary challenge from J.D Hayworth. He has backed Arizona’s recently signed immigration law and last month unveiled a plan that includes deploying 3000 National Guard soldiers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The DREAM Act has also received additional attention in Georgia where a Mexican-born university student was under threat of deportation after being arrested for a minor traffic violation.

Image- Michigan Messenger
Online Sources- KOLD, KGU, Phoenix New Times, New York Times, The Latin Americanist, USA TODAY

College Board to Congress: Pass DREAM Act

"There are few things as fundamental to the American dream or as essential as a good education," said U.S. President Barack Obama earlier today while unveiling his latest plan to make higher education more affordable. The association best known for administering the SAT and AP exams hope that Obama and Congress will follow that advice.

In a report released this week, the College Board called on the government to pass the DREAM Act- a proposal that would permit undocumented students to legalize their immigration status. "Undocumented students in the United States are currently trapped in a legal paradox," said one of the study’s co-authors who observed that tens of thousands of students were unfairly falling through the cracks. The report also decried the recent push by several states to ban illegal immigrants from paying in-state tuition and even from enrolling in their public colleges.

The DREAM Act- which was re-introduced into Congress last month- provides very specific criteria for promising and bright young adults who aspire to continue learning or courageously serve their country in the military. Nevertheless, the bill has its detractors:

(...)Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the Dream Act allows illegal immigrants to take scholarship opportunities away from native U.S. residents. It's unfair, he said, to reward those who violated the law to get to this country.

"If you ask any illegal alien why they came to America, the answer, invariably is, 'Well, I wanted to do better for my family,' and this gives them precisely what they broke the law to achieve," Mehlman said.

The bill would allow students who illegally entered the U.S. when they were 15 or younger to apply for conditional legal resident status if they have lived in the country for five or more years and graduated from high school or received a GED. If they attended college or served in the military for two or more years, they could be granted citizenship.

Image- savingadvice.com
Online Sources- CNN, The Latin Americanist, College Board, MSNBC, Los Angeles Times

DREAM Act introduced in Congress (updated)

A key bill designed to help promising young people define their immigration status was reintroduced to Congress yesterday.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was presented once again to the Senate by the bill’s co-sponsors- Republican Sen. Dick Lugar and Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin. “This measure will provide these young people with an incentive to move towards permanent residency while pursuing an education or other worthwhile service,” said Lugar of the proposal.

Update: The DREAM Act was also presented to the House of Representatives by a pair of legislators on both sides of the aisle: Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

Under the bill, undocumented immigrant children would obtain citizenship by fulfilling certain criteria. They must have come to the U.S. before the age of 16, cannot be older than 30, have lived in the U.S. for five years minimum, graduated from high school or obtain a GED, have “good moral character” and either attend college or enlist in the military for two years. Despite all the details for eligibility, the Migration Policy Institute observed that 715,000 undocumented youth between 5 and 17 would be eligible for “conditional legal status” under the proposal.

The DREAM Act is a bill that should be backed as it provides promising youth the opportunity to become fine citizens of the U.S. Their potential should be nurtured and encouraged rather than demonized and left unrealized.

The pro-DREAM Act website Dreamactivist.org provides several ways to help support the proposal:

1. CALL - The National Council of La Raza has a page to help you call your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.

2. FAX - America's Voice has a page to help you fax your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.

3. EMAIL - Change.org has a page to help you email your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.

Image- daylife.com (“Students and immigrants march toward the Federal Building carrying a sign that calls for passing the Dream Act...Tuesday, May 1, 2007.”)
Online Sources- Dreamactivist.org, Hispanosphere, San Diego 6, wane.com, The National Council of La Raza, America's Voice, Change.org, Vivirlatino

News briefs – Immigration

* The U.S. Senate is expected to vote today on the DREAM Act; the proposal would grant a path for legalization of immigrant children who have completed a minimum two years of military service or post-secondary education.

* Representatives of a labor union representing construction workers in the Dominican Republic have denounced the “quiet invasion” of Haitians into that industry. Of the approximately one million Haitians live in the neighboring Dominican Republic most work in the construction and sugar industries.

* Los Angeles police chief William Bratton and a former White House antiterrorism czar have publicly backed a New York plan to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, a bill that would overturn the license plan was passed in the state Senate but is unexpected to be approved by the Assembly.

* Chile’s government has offered amnesty to about 20,000 illegal immigrants residing there. In addition, Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley announced a plan that would allow migrant laborers in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America to shift their retirement benefits to their home nations.

Sources (English)- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, USA TODAY, New York Times – City Room, Gothamist, BBC News, International Herald Tribune

Source (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa

Image- NPR