Discussions about immigration so often devolve
into a war of
beliefs in whic the facts don't seem to matter. Recently, four
students met with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to build a bridge of shared
humanity.
These courageous students
are known as "The DREAM Walkers" because they
walked from Florida to Washington, DC to give voice to their request
that Congress pass the DREAM Act, allowing them to live in
their country, to work, and to continue their education free from fear.After the meeting, DREAM Walker Gaby Pacheco shared
these
wise and moving words:
"I talked to him
(Sheriff Arpaio) and looked in his
face and looked in his eyes and gave him my
papers--a piece of carbon--that I was given by Tupac at Tonatierra; a
carbon
that symbolizes a piece of him and a piece of me.When
I pass away to another life, I will
become that piece of carbon, and so will he.And thus he is my brother and I am his sister.And
we must make sure that we allow for him,
as a brother that has been strayed away, to come into the light.And so today we stand once again, and I tell
everybody here, the news, the media, everybody around the world, not to
use "undocumented"
anymore, not to use "illegal" anymore, but rather human being, because
we are
part of this earth.And let's not use
hateful news to talk to those that are oppressing us.Rather,
let's go and talk to them with love."
1
Let's Not Be Bystanders
The immigration debate has been dominated by anti-immigrant groups whose often extreme views are amplified by purveyors of hate radio and television. These views are legitimized and buoyed by Arizona's talk radio stations that are replete programs specializing in vitriol and polemics. They have champions in the Arizona
legislature that propose and pass laws that cause suffering among citizen and non-citizen Latinos alike. People of conscience can no longer be bystanders.
How can we get beyond our divisions and instead focus on our shared humanity? What can you do to help? AzAN's Immigration Task Force has developed a presentation tool you can use to open the dialogues in your neighborhoods, among your circles of friends, and in your own family. We welcome all who wish to join us in this effort. Take a look at the materials we have posted and contact us by phone or email if you'd like to get involved.
287(g) and Secure Communities programs allow true
criminals to prosper while elder-caregivers, maids, gardeners and their
families live in fear. Law enforcement professionals report
that good relations between police and community residents are essential
to catching criminals and minimizing crime. But when residents are
fearful of any contact with law enforcement, community policing falls
apart, and crime goes up. Career criminals know this and they are
delighted to be able to count on neighbors being too afraid of the
police to contact the authorities when they suspect criminal activity.
The
Department of Homeland Security's 287(g) and Secure Communities
programs train and deploy local law enforcement to act as Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, allowing them to detain people
that cannot prove they have proper documentation to be in the country.
Arizona has now created a state law (SB 1070) that will require all law
enforcement officers to act as ICE agents and to question anyone if they
have "reasonable suspicion" that person does not have proper papers.
Another law (HB 2008) requires all government employees to report any
person they come into contact with that they suspect may not have proper
papers.
The result is a climate of fear in
which parents are no
longer walking their children to school, families are afraid to attend
church or go to the doctor or hospital, and businesses that support
immigrant communities are closing.
We
ask the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano and the
Obama Administration to stop place a moratorium the flawed 287(g)
agreements and Secure Communities programs until congress passes a
sensible, comprehensive solution to our immigration challenge. We are
also asking them to decline to accept any non-criminal detainees turned
over to ICE under Arizona's state laws, including SB 1070 and HB 2008.
Calling Out The John Tanton Network Subtle messages of hate and intolerance are being spread by our newspapers and televisions. One man, John Tanton, has created an network of organizations to further his views by connecting to anti-immigrant sentiment. The organizations including Federation for American
Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS),
NumbersUSA, the Immigration Reform Law Institute and the Social Contract Press have become part of the mainstream dialogue on immigration and are cited frequently by the media. The truth is that each of these organizations was founded or funded by White Supremacists as discovered by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.
Immigration Policy Center Releases Report on the Economic Benefits of Immigration to Arizona
Highlights from New Americans in the Grand Canyon State: The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos and Asians in Arizona:
Latinos made up 11.7% of Arizona voters in the 2008 election.
The purchasing power of Arizona's Latinos and Asians totaled $37.1 billion in 2008.
Immigrant-headed households accounted
for $10.5 billion in consumer spending power and contributed $776
million in tax revenue in 2004.
If all unauthorized immigrants were
removed from Arizona, the state would love $26.4 billion in
expenditures, $11.7 billion in economic output and about 140,000 jobs.
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