Oregon Activists at the Heart of Fight to End ICE Holds

By Nicole Brown Center for Intercultural Organizing Last week when I received a call from Multnomah County Chair Marissa Madrigal and then from Sheriff Daniel Staton, I wondered if the sheriff might finally be reconsidering his policy on holding immigrants in jail at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But I never couldContinue reading “Oregon Activists at the Heart of Fight to End ICE Holds”

No More Delays, Two Million is Too Many

Delaying defense is one of the oldest tactics of war. It’s as much a psychological one as it is strategic. The goal is to wear down the opposition until they become weak, hungry or distracted. Our immigrant rights movement hasn’t been immune to it. Now there is no longer time for delay: two million deportationsContinue reading “No More Delays, Two Million is Too Many”

Gutierrez Urges Latinos to Claim Political Power

On May 27, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevadav (PLAN), an Alliance for a Just Society affiliate, hosted U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez at their “Familias Unidas” summit on immigration issues. Gutierrez delivered the event’s keynote speech, speaking alongside community members who shared their personal stories of how the current immigration system separates families and closesContinue reading “Gutierrez Urges Latinos to Claim Political Power”

Fighting New York City’s Wrongful Deportation Policies

In June of 2009 Ricardo Muñiz, an undocumented migrant from Mexico, was attacked by two men who shouted anti-gay and anti-immigrant slurs while beating him.  Ricardo went to the local police precinct to report the attack. Days later, the police arrested Ricardo, accusing him of having committed an attack against his perpetrators. In August ofContinue reading “Fighting New York City’s Wrongful Deportation Policies”

Unfair to Immigrants, Costly to Taxpayers

This op-ed, originally published in the New York Times, is co-authored by Andrew Friedman, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, an Alliance affiliate. Every year thousands of immigrants being held on Rikers Island are transferred to federal custody and deported. Only about half of them have a criminal record, many of them areContinue reading “Unfair to Immigrants, Costly to Taxpayers”

Immigration Reform in Montana

In 2007 millions of people took to the streets to demand comprehensive immigration reform. Despite these strong numbers, we were unsuccessful in getting legislation passed that year. But we did learn one key lesson from this fight: in order to win immigration reform, we need to reach out to non-immigrant communities and educate them aboutContinue reading “Immigration Reform in Montana”