Here's a look at some of the key battles in the states over the past week.
Adela de la Torre, communications manager at the National Immigration Law Center, sends us this.
The civil rights issues at the heart of S.B. 1070, Arizona’s notorious racial profiling law, finally had their day in court Tuesday. After more than two years of legal challenges mounted by our civil rights coalition and the federal government, we, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), MALDEF and others, presented evidence of what we all already know: S.B. 1070 was written with the intent to discriminate against Latinos and other people of color. This evidence was introduced as part of a request that the district court consider additional legal grounds that were not before the U.S. Supreme Court when it determined that section 2B of S.B. 1070, which forces police officers to demand “papers” of those they suspect are in the country without proper authorization, should be allowed to go into effect.
Imagine if you were a child and living in constant fear of losing your parents.
For many children of aspiring citizens, potential loss of one or both parents is a day-to-day reality. Deportations can force children into foster care when their parents are shipped out of the country and leave single mothers struggling to make ends meet.
A new Center for American Progress report highlights how deportations break up families and negatively affect the entire community.
Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.
Hundreds of activists gathered at the state Capitol Thursday morning in Phoenix to denounce Gov. Jan Brewer for the appalling executive order she issued on Wednesday, which was the day the Obama administration's Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals went into effect. The federal policy change allows the young people known as "DREAM Act kids" or "DREAMers" to stay in the country and apply for work permits provided they meet certain conditions. An estimated 80,000 Arizonans who were brought into the country illegally as children may be eligible for the program, and many have been excitedly lining up at federal immigration offices around the state to get the forms and instructions.
Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer gloated over Monday's Supreme Court decision upholding the racial profiling provision of S.B. 1070, describing it as a victory and vindication. But the governor's buoyed spirits were quickly deflated as she learned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security suspended the 287(g) status of many Arizona law enforcement agencies —287(g) is the agreement that allows state and local police departments to perform some immigration enforcement functions.
A recent report dismantles claims by private prison industry and its backers—including the extremist American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—that private prisons are a better deal than publicly run facilities. The report also explores the influence private prison companies exert over criminal justice policymaking and the industry’s overall lack of transparency. Two of ALEC’s major sponsors are Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Security), the largest private prison firms in the country.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed her pet project of "personnel reform" into law Friday, claiming it will "modernize the state's personnel system" and make state employees "more accountable and efficient, more competitive and productive." In a nutshell: All new state workers in Arizona will have no civil service protections and those on the job now are being offered a small raise to give up their protection. Public-sector workers put up vigorous opposition to the move, saying it will lead to hiring and firing based on politics and favoritism. Even conservative Arizona Republic columnist Robert Robb expressed reservations about it , warning of "potentially dangerous consequences" to turning civil servants performing crucial public functions into at-will employees.
Thursday was sine die (adjournment) for the Arizona Legislature. It came relatively early this year after a budget deal was struck earlier this week between Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led legislature. Brewer had warned GOP leadership that she would hold all bills until the budget was ready, which seemed to spur them into action. For public-sector Arizona workers, it was a mixed ending.
The Republican majority in the Arizona House just voted to approve a budget, a compromise with Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, that critics say underfunds education, health care and public safety. But the most shocking item in the budget proposal is a plan to transfer $50 million from funds intended to help homeowners facing foreclosure to the private prison industry . Worse, some Republican legislators want to "save money" by removing auditing and oversight from private prison contractors.
Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is refusing to appear at a Senate hearing to defend S.B. 1070, the controversial state immigration law she signed in 2010. Brewer is scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., on April 24, the day the hearing is scheduled, but will be sending former state Sen. Russell Pearce to testify in her place.
The reason Brewer won’t be at that hearing is obvious to anyone familiar with Arizona politics. Despite her national image as a tough-as-nails politician, bolstered by her recent memoir, Scorpions for Breakfast, the last thing Brewer ever wants to face is hard questions.
It’s been four years since low-wage workers got a raise. Sign the petition to tell Congress it’s time to raise the minimum wage.
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