Dems Want Immigrants To Know Their Rights Under New Alabama Law

By Adrianna McGinley, Janie Amaya

Following their recent visit to Alabama, five House Democrats held a press conference Friday urging undocumented immigrants to educate themselves about their rights under new immigration rules in that state.

“If you have a U.S. citizen child, carry a copy of their birth certificate with you at all times…if your wife is a US citizen, carry a copy of your marriage certificate with you, if you have a mortgage, if you have a diploma, if you have papers that show you have roots in the U.S., carry copies of those with you,” Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) advised.

Gutierrez emphasized that while local law enforcement is being given the power to arrest undocumented immigrants, officers do not have the authority to deport individuals, and ICE agents are under executive orders to focus deportation resources on dangerous criminals.

Gutierrez said undocumented individuals with no criminal record have the right to prove their roots in the community, making them eligible for release under President Obama’s prosecutorial discretion order.

While the fight for comprehensive federal immigration reform appears to be on hold, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) said they will continue to fight against unjust state laws.

“I doubt very much that we’re going to see the reform that’s necessary in this Congress,” Lofgren said. “In the meanwhile, we [will] work together to make sure that the Constitution is applied when laws are unconstitutional.”

“Let’s stand up against those who make statements like ‘short of shooting them, I will do anything and everything to get them out of this country,’” said Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas). “Not today, not ever again in our country, will we tolerate the kind of rhetoric, the kind of harsh and mean spirited laws that are unconstitutional.”

Jackson-Lee and Lofgren said they support legislation deeming racial profiling as illegal, saying the U.S. cannot revert to institutionalized racism and segregation.

“If we come to a point where we frame ourselves in eras past, eras that occurred in Germany, where people had to be walking around with papers, there were tragedies that occurred because of someone’s ethnicity,” Jackson-Lee said. “I call upon the new South to reject that.”

“We who are from Alabama have fought too hard to overcome our history of intolerance to be taken back by this law,” said Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.).

The Hispanic Congressional Caucus scheduled a meeting for Thursday with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss the impacts of the Alabama law.

“I, for one, plan to appeal to the Secretary, again, to personally…go to Alabama,” Gutierrez said. “Go and take ICE director John Mortan. I invite the President to go as well and see first hand what has happened in Alabama.”

House Dems Heading To Alabama To Shed Light On Immigration Law

By Andrea Salazar

House Democrats will be visiting Alabama Nov. 21 to bring attention to the effects the state’s immigration law has had on the Latino community.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), a stark opponent of the Alabama law, considered the strictest immigration law in the country, is leading the effort. Acknowledging that he does not expect any immigration measure to make it to the House or Senate floors before the next election, the congressman said the Alabama visit is to raise awareness.

“The more light you shed on the abusive anti-immigrant law of Alabama, the more likelihood there is that you’re going to defeat it,” Gutierrez said at a news conference Thursday. “We’re going there to say that we came to listen and in listening also to ask you what it is you would like us to do as we return to the Congress of the United States.”

HB56, the Alabama immigration law, requires schools to find out students’ immigration status and calls on police to check a person’s status during stops or arrests if there’s “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country unlawfully.

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) is welcoming her colleagues to Alabama and calling on her state to play the role it did during the civil rights movement.

“So many of the injustices that this nation has faced have been addressed on the ground in Alabama, and once again I believe that we in Alabama will lead the way with making sure we get a federal immigration policy and not a piecemeal state by state effort,” Sewell said.

Gutierrez emphasized that all visiting representatives would be spending their own money to pay for the trip. To that effect, Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas) said they were making the trip because immigration is an issue that affects everyone.

“If the law does not protect you today, it will not protect me tomorrow,” Gonzalez said. “We all have an interest in this.”

Pointing out that the author of the Arizona immigration law, Russell Pearce, was recalled in a special election this past month, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), warned politicians to take immigration seriously.

“That recall better be a harbinger for a lot of politicians that it’s time you took this issue of immigration in a serious way,” Grijalva said. “Look at comprehensive reform in a federal level and quit using people in their communities - Alabama, Arizona and others - as a whipping boy for a political advantage.”

Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Al Green (D-Texas), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) will join Gutierrez, Grijalva, Gonzalez and Sewell in Alabama on Monday where they will hold a field hearing and attend the launch of a campaign to repeal the Arizona immigration law.

Hispanic Caucus Applauds AZ Immigration Ruling

By Brandon Kosters - Talk Radio News Service

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus praised U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton for enjoining parts of the new Arizona immigration law, and discussed what can be done to improve living conditions for illegals nationwide.

Bolton yesterday filed preliminary injunctions against the parts of the bill that required immigrants to carry proof of citizenship at all times, and required police to inquire about citzenship status, a measure which opponents felt encouraged racial profiling.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) applauded Bolton’s ruling, saying “[God] didn’t say ‘love they neighbor’ because they’re U.S. citizens…[He] said, ‘love thy neighbor.’”

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) touted a bill that the Hispanic Caucus has drafted, that would require the use of magnified, federally issued Social Security cards. The bill would also prosecute employers who don’t use the cards.

Gutierrez said the immigration debate should not focus on the immigrant population in the U.S. in terms of numbers, but rather in terms of individuals and families who have established roots in the country. He challenged “pro-life”, “pro-family values” politicians who “would take a child in the womb of the mother…[and] would say ‘you must have that child’…’That child has the right to be born.’ And when the child is born, [they want] to deport that child.”

Immigration Reform Bill Gaining Support In The House

By Sarah Mamula
Talk Radio News Service

“We have reached the milestone,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) on Thursday. At a press conference surrounded by immigrants and other representatives, Gutierrez announced that the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) bill he introduced has surpassed 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

“The legislative clock is ticking,” stressed Gutierrez. “We know people are getting deported at the highest rate in modern history.”

Guttierez said the need for Congress to pass his plan is critical, especially with only one month to go before many provisions within the recently signed Arizona immigration law start to take effect. He called the Arizona law a call to action, and said a pragmatic solution must be found for what he referred to as a “broken system.” The Illinois Democrat added that he wants something passed before Congress recesses in August.

Gutierrez's bill would require illegal immigrants to register with the government, go through a background check, and learn English before becoming an American citizen.

With respect to a possible federal lawsuit against Arizona’s recent immigration law, Guitierrez said the legal action is not meant to fuel anger towards Arizona’s attempt at controlling its border, but rather to protect the constitutional rights that are entitled to everyone in the country. Guitierrez said the law is not a solution and could set a dangerous precedent if fully implemented in Arizona and other states.

“We simply cannot expect to get rid of a population about the size of Ohio, or their 4 million American citizen children,” said Gutierrez, referring to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.