Arizona on hold

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Though scheduled to go into effect today, Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070, was prevented from taking full effect by a preliminary injunction of a federal court.


Connecting the wars overseas and at home

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The frontlines of Pax Christi's fight for peace are both in our backyard and on the other side of the world.

By Guest Blogger John Zokovitch


Sacrificing for a DREAM

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A new element in the fight for justice to the immigrants has been activism among young immigrants, especially those who are undocumented students. There have been marches of young people across the country - from California and Arizona to Washington, D.C. as well as from east coast cities. Now they have come out of the shadows to demonstrate in the U.S. Capitol.


California Gubernatorial Primary Turns on Immigration

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Tuesday was the busiest primary day of this off-year election season. Immigration touched many contests, but not as significantly as the heat of the debate was beforehand.

None was more significant than the Republican primary in California. The winner, Meg Whitman, had started her campaign as a somewhat moderate Republican on immigration. She initially opposed the Arizona law, but her opponent, Steve Poixner, made it the principal issue.


Arizona governor meets with Obama

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Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the controversial law allowing police to detain anyone without proper papers, met with President Barack Obama. They have both called the immigration system "broken," but they seem to have divergent strategies to deal with it. Obama calls the Arizona law "misguided"; Brewer didn't hesitate to sign it. Still, they pledge to work together to find a solution (see Arizona Republic).


How to celebrate Cinco de Mayo

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Feliz Cinco de Mayo--the day that US Americans think they're celebrating Mexican independence (that's Sept 16) by drinking Coronas and margaritas.

Or as this article calls it "Gringo de Mayo." Gustavo Arellano argues that the holiday is ridiculous as it celebrates the victory over French troops in one battle, even though Mexico was to lose the war, which ended in a five-year occupation by the French.


Arizona passes anti-immigration law - UPDATE 4/23

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Last week the Arizona state house and senate passed the most restrictive state measure against undocumented immigrants. Already the state has among the most restrictive laws against hiring them. Now police can stop anyone in the state to ask for documented proof they are here legally.


Promises on immigration reform?

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On Saturday, April 10, I was in the Teamsters Hall on Ashland Avenue in Chicago's near West Side, along with more than 1,000 others - mostly Hispanics, but Chinese and Polish. We were there to ask Senator Dick Durbin, Assistant Majority leader of the U.S. Senate, to push comprehensive immigration reform through this year. He promised to do so and pointed to the behind-the-scenes negotiation of Senators Charles Schumer (D, NY) and Lindsey Graham (R, SC) to structure the architecture of a bill and introduce later this month.


Time for ICE to clean up the deportation mess

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The pressure is building on the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to clean up its act in the case of detention and deportation.

As I wrote in a previous blog post, there are some horrendous examples of injustice to detained immigrants--both undocumented and lawfully here--in the custody of ICE. Not only have those held for minor infractions been deported, but ICE has not hesitated to hold indefinitely those the courts had determined mentally incompetent.


Anti-immigrant laws force tough decisions in Arizona and Nebraska

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The Arizona lower house of the state legislature is poised to enact the toughest anti-immigration restrictions in the nation. A companion bill has already passed the state Senate. The bills would make the presence of an undocumented person in violation of trespass laws.

It also will be a crime to stand out in front of Home Depot, waiting to be picked up for a day job. The guy in the truck looking for day labor will also commit a crime by hiring an undocumented worker.


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