What is the right way?

“A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted last week shows that Americans support tougher immigration enforcement laws like the controversial Arizona Senate Bill 1070.” The problem now is how is illegal immigration going to be fixed said the head of the Customs and Border Protection agency. Bersin, the agency’s commissioner said any immigration overhaul should be based on principles of secure borders, a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for people living in the U.S. illegally. He says many people will not tolerate another amnesty like in 1986 that allowed 2.7 million people to become citizens. The downside of no amnesty is that the government can’t deport 8 million to 10 million people.

A solution that I thought could be part of is the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). This act is for those people who came here with their parents and finished High School, but can’t go to college, work legally, or pay taxes. This act would allow those people to make their dream come true. The requirements would be:

--if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16, are below the age of 35,
--have lived here continuously for five years,
--graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED
--have good moral character with no criminal record and
--attend college or enlist in the military

There hasn’t been any recent news to the status of this act, but there is hope that this act will pass.

*If you wish to support this act there is a website you can go to sign a petition http://www.dreamact.com/

http://immigration.about.com/b/2010/05/05/new-poll-shows-americans-support-arizona-senate-bill-1070.htm

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/national/MI86619/

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/the_dream_act_for_america_in_2010

How Will This End?

Following the recent new about Arizona’s new immigration law and immigration reform a voter has many hard choices when it comes to voting for a senate. We are the land of the free and are made up of immigrants. A person in Europe spends a lot of time and money to get to America for a better life. They have to first of all have someone form America ask and fill out a lot of paperwork for them to begin the process of moving. Then every family has to go through tests to prove that they are worthy to come to our country. After that they come to this country with nothing but what is in a few bags that they where allowed to bring. Once they are on this side of the world they have low monthly payments that pay their plane tickets. On the other hand you see someone who decided that they wanted to go to America to have a better life and instead of coming legally they “jumped” the boarder. They live in our country and take our jobs. Arizona is legalizing a new law that will let a police ask for proof of legalization to anyone they suspect is an illegal immigrant. Karl Rove who was a former adviser of George W. Bush said “I applaud Arizona for taking action (The New York Times)”. Senators are torn at this point and do not know who’s side to be on. They want the vote of the people who are for the law, but Latinos do make up a great number of voters. Senates have to please the public in order to get elected. Who is going to vote for them if they do not like what that senate is standing up for. Suspecting that after Arizona’s law comes into action immigration reform will have to happen and quickly. Washington will move to legalize Latino immigrants and we will be able to secure the southern boarders more. Linda Chavez who is the republican chairwoman of the Central for Equal Opportunity said that “the fact is, you can’t secure the boarders if you don’t fix immigration, because the two go hand in hand (The New York Times)”.

Republicans Feel the Heat of The Arizona Law

Reported by the New York Times, In the wake of Arizona's controversial immigration law, politicians have been forced to take a stand on the issue and although there is a consensus on the issue among Republicans in Washington the problem lies with Republican lawmakers and candidates in the states because they are, "-torn between the need to attract Latino support, especially at the ballot box, and rallying party members to support tougher action". A candidate or lawmakers decision as whether to support or oppose the Arizona law can have immediate political consequences for the politician in question. The latest example of this fact lies with Meg Whitman's declining popularity. For months Whitman enjoyed an advantage over Steve Poizner (the other Republican nomination for governor of California), however, when Poizner publicized that Whitman opposed the Arizona law Whitman saw a falling in her advantage over her rival by 23 percent. Now Whitman proclaims in her new advertisement that she is 100 percent against amnesty of illegal immigrants. As the article puts it, “State Republicans now find themselves in a balancing act, trying to seize a moment of Congressional stalemate to demonstrate leadership while not repelling voters on either side of the debate, a challenge that is particularly daunting for those in a primary fight”. That is not to say that Democrats don’t have problems with party division in the states caused by the Arizona law but the split is less pronounced than it is for Republicans who are afraid of alienating Hispanics or their main conservative base. The bottom line is, though, that it doesn’t matter whether lawmakers or candidates are Republican or Democrats, they should stick to what they truly believe and not bend to the wills of the constituents for popularity and fluctuate so much in their views.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/us/politics/22immig.html?hp

Obama Administration Trying to File a Lawsuit on Arizona's new law

“In the legal battle over Arizona's new immigration law, an ironic subtext has emerged: whether a Bush-era legal opinion complicates a potential Obama administration lawsuit against Arizona.” The document that was written in 2002 by the Justice Department’s Office of legal Counsel states police officers have “inherent power” to arrest undocumented immigrants. The reason the arrest would be justified was due to the fact that illegal immigrants violate federal law. This memo was issued by Jay S. Bybee. He helped to write memos that sanctioned harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects. Due to the fact that the memo has not been withdrawn, supporters of the Arizona law said it would be awkward for the Obama administration to make a Justice Department Lawsuit against Arizona. The question is “How can you blame someone for exercising authority that the department says they have?” This has become a hard question to answer. As long as the memo is in place it seems like it will be hard for the Obama administration to file a lawsuit against Arizona. Even though the Obama administration has been having trouble in filing a federal lawsuit, civil rights groups have filed. On Monday they filed what they said was the fifth federal lawsuit over the legislation. Cecilia Wang, managing attorney of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project said that the power the Arizona law gives to police “goes far beyond” the basic authority cited in the memo. Wang has called for the Obama Justice Department to withdraw the 2002 memo. She states that the memo give Arizona and other states a comfort to pass overbroad and extraordinary anti-immigration measures.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/17/AR2010051702175.html?sub=AR

Immigration, Trade, and Drug Violence the focus of Obama and Calderon Meeting this Wednesday

Though immigration has been a source of tension between the United States and Mexico for quite some time, the controversial Arizona Immigration law recently enacted has only added strain to an already precarious relationship. In order to reaffirm their commitment to comprehensive immigration reform President Obama and Mexican president Felipe Calderon will meet tomorrow in Washington to discuss what steps to take in this raging debate that has enticed their countries. Calderon is already feeling the heat of the debate, however, since he is facing pressure from some Mexican lawmakers to break commercial ties with Arizona. In itself this would be devastating news for Arizona because putting the morality of illegal entry to the states aside Arizona’s economy has become very dependent on the labor and consumerism of the illegal immigrants in the state and for Mexico to cut ties with Arizona at this stage would only work to encourage uncooperative attitudes between both countries. In addition to immigration discussion, though, a senior administration official has also added a statement about the meeting saying that President Obama and President Calderon will also discuss border security as well as the ongoing drug violence that has affected both sides of the border. As things are more than 22,700 people have been killed since Calderon deployed troops and federal police across Mexico in order to combat drug traffickers but although Washington has been a strong supporter, pledging training and equipment under the $1.3 billion Merida Initiative, only about 25% of the funds and equipment promised have actually been delivered. In any case this meeting is sure to be productive since both sides expect to come away from the meeting with a number of concrete announcements about the ways in which both governments can work together.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100518/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_mexico_2

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/18/us.mexico.presidential.visit/index.html?section=cnn_latest

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/economy/illegal-immigration-provides-benefits-states-despite-rhetoric

Immigration Reform Unhinges Congressman

May 18, 2010

Even before Arizona’s highly controversial immigration law was signed by Governor Jan Brewer, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez was already making threats. Gutierrez is the chairman of the Democratic Caucus Immigration Task Force and he is fond of portentous pronouncements. Either pass the immigration reform this year or Latinos will not vote in November.
In fact, Gutierrez continues to threaten his Democratic colleagues with a wide specter of Latinos sitting out on the November mid-term-elections unless the whole political establishment changes gears and delivers comprehensive immigration reform before the August Congressional recess. Voters should realize, however, that to sit at the sidelines will only give their rivals a chance to gain the advantage and not really solve anything. Considering, for example, that as much as the news makes it seem unlikely with all its coverage of the outrage civil liberties groups and some individuals feel over the Arizona immigration reform, national polls show that 60% of people or more actually agree with the law. Although Gutierrez' speeches may play well with Latinos and undocumented people desperate for a chance at the American Dream they are not a replacement for a real political strategy to persuade legislators.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fernando-espuelas/immigration-reform-unhing_b_578702.html

Myths Affecting Comprehensive Immigration Reform Debate

As the November elections approach and the immigration debate comes once again to the forefront of American politics, mostly in part because of the controversial Arizona immigration reform law, voters should be as informed as they can on the issue. Especially since several widespread myths about immigration reform have come to be misunderstood as facts. In an effort to debunk some of the widespread myths here is an excerpt from an article written by ­­­­­­­­Moses Apsan (the Past-President of the New Jersey Chapter, ­Federal Bar Association and an attorney who has been practicing U.S. immigration law for over 25 years).

Myth #1: A deportation-only policy will fix our immigration problems. Deporting 12 million undocumented immigrants from the United States would cost an estimated $230 billion and result in a shortage of 2.5 million workers, according to a 2005 study from the Center for American Progress. And, in addition to damaging families and industries, a deportation-only policy does not address the fundamental dysfunction of our immigration system.

Myth #2: Immigrant workers suppress American wages. An overwhelming majority of economists agree that immigrants actually increase economic productivity and the wages of American workers. Additionally, the White House Council of Economic Advisers concluded in a 2007 report that roughly 90 percent of native born workers experience wage gains due to immigration, which total between $30 billion and $80 billion per year.

Myth #3: The United States spends billions on welfare for undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive welfare benefits – ever. Even legal, permanent residents are severely limited when it comes to the benefits they can receive. They must pay into the Social Security and Medicare systems for about 10 years before they are eligible to receive retirement benefits. Furthermore, the percentage of U.S.- born children of immigrants – documented and undocumented – who are eligible for federal assistance is declining.

Myth #4: Undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens. A 2007 study by the University of California, Irvine, found that, among men ages 18- 39 (who comprise the majority of the U.S. prison population), the incarceration rate for native-born citizens was 3.5 percent, five times higher than the rate for immigrants in 2000.

Myth #5: Immigrants don’t assimilate into U.S. society. In states with a long tradition of immigration, such as California, it has been found that immigrants do learn English and climb the socio- economic ladder over time, with each successive generation closing the income and education gap between themselves and white, native-born Americans.

Source: http://news.jornal.us/article-5007.Myths-Affecting-the-Comprehensive-Immigration-Reform--Debate.html

Illegal Immigrant Student Hopes Her Story Encourages Immigration Reform

Yesterday, May 14, Jessica Colotl a college student in Atlanta told reporters that she hopes her unfortunate ordeal encouraged political leaders to push for immigration reform or at least the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act, for those who do not know, is also known as the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors, would apply to illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, have a high school diploma and have shown high moral character, among other requirements. Unfortunately the bill has not made it through congress despite being introduced several times. Anyway, this Friday marked Jessica's second release from detention after getting arrested for a minor traffic violation in her Atlanta college campus on March 30. The 21- year old Jessica came close to being deported after the traffic arrest when the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office turned her over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who sent her to a detention center in Alabama. Luckily for her after lobbying on her behalf by her sorority sisters and Kennesaw state officials, the ICE released Jessica last week and federal officials even deferred action on her case for a year which would give her enough time to complete her classes. However, on Wednesday the Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren obtained a new warrant for her arrest, he claimed that she saying she lied about her address when she was booked into jail following her first arrest (under Georgia law it is a felony to make a false statement to law enforcement). Colotl turned herself in Friday morning and was released on $2,500 bond. Whether or not she will be convicted of this infracture is still up to the courts but Jessica’s criminal defense lawyer is certain that there’s no merit to the accusations and that the Sheriff was just looking to complicate matters for Jessica. Already, though, representatives from civil liberties and immigrant rights groups have called for the ICE to revoke the Cobb County Sheriff's Office's participation in a program known as 287(g), which allows local law enforcement agents to help enforce federal immigration laws.

Source: http://kdka.com/national/Illegal.immigrant.student.2.1695583.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100514/ap_on_re_us/us_immigration_student_2

Arizona’s Governor Signs Bill To Target a School District's Ethnic Studies Program

This past Wednesday, May 12, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer embroiled herself in yet another controversy, this time it concerns her approval of a bill that aims to target a school district’s ethnic studies program. The program, which is a part of The Tucson Unified School District, offers courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group. However, there are some people who believe that this program encourages the resentment of whites and the grouping of students by race, a notable believer of this is the State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed for the bill for years, (Horne is a Republican also running for attorney general). The bill signed May 11, even after United Nation human rights experts condemned it because they say everyone has a right to learn about their heritage, looks to prohibit, on the basis that the program offered by the Tucson school district promotes resentment toward whites, “classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group“. Still, officials of The Tucson Unified School District continue to argue that their program doesn’t promote resentment and is actually very engaging. The signing of this bill is really drastic action because considering that it is supposed to encourage students not to resent other races or classes of people, it does not consider how the students in the program feel about the restrictions placed on their education about their culture and furthermore if the governor also feels that the program is not open for student of all races why not just change that aspect of the program and encourage students of other races to join the program. This incident is important because Jan Brewers approval for the Arizona immigration law has brought controversy because it could promote racial profiling and the fact that she choose to target a school district for its ethnic program will no doubt further rile up individuals.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100512/ap_on_re_us/us_arizona_ethnic_studies

Referendum Drives That Target The Arizona Immigration Law Dropped!

This Monday in Phoenix two proposed referendum drives aimed at challenging Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigrants are being abandoned. The Arizona law will take effect this 29th of July if it is not blocked by court injunctions requested under at least three of four legal suits already filed by several groups and individuals. Andrew Chavez, a professional petition circulator, who was involved with one of the referendum drive efforts said that backers of the drive pulled out after concluding that they may not be able to time their petition filings in such a way as to put the law on hold, pending a 2012 public vote. The Chief organizer of the other referendum drive, Jon Garrido, claimed the end to his referendum drive happened because of the belief that the Arizona's immigration reform law on would have been legally protected under Arizona's constitution if it was approved by Arizona's voters. Unfortunately as of late, no hearings have been set for the lawsuits against Arizona's immigration law but it is speculated that the lawsuits will be consolidated into one case before a single judge. Currently the four legal suits filed in the U.S. District Court in Phoenix have been randomly designated to different judges but several more major civil groups are expected to file other suits, possibly even this week. The fact that these drives were abandoned is a real shame and so far it still looks like a tough road ahead for comprehensive immigration reform and a wait for Capitol hill to step it up.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/11/ariz-referendum-drives-targeting-new-law-dropped/

Lack of Leadership in the Immigration Debate

It looks like our elected leaders have turned a blind eye to federal laws over which they have control over. Before Arizona passed its immigration control law, the federal government passed a very similar law. This law is the located in the Title 8 the of U.S. Code and it allows federal immigrant officers without a warrant to interrogate any alien or person that is believed to be an alien and ask of they are allowed to live in the United States. As Americans are debating on the Arizona's new law, they do not seem to notice the federal law that already exists.
Many of our elected officials have been very outspoken about the Arizona law. It has effected many people who are enraged with the new law. One group that really voiced out their opinions has been our elected leaders in Washington. Representative Raul Grijalva has called for a boycott of his own state. Representative Luis Guitierrez (Illinois) has engaged in acts of civil disobedience to protest the Arizona law. The Attorney General has not ruled out legal challenges in court.
The most interesting thing is that Obama tells the world that the immigration law that passed in Arizona is not fair to every American, but on the other hand he under his oath promised to withhold the federal government which already has a law passed that is similar to the one on Arizona that i talked about in the beginning. The people who have the power to change the law do not do anything about it right now to change it but talk about how unconstitutional it is.

Read more on this article on this site bellow.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/11/opinion/main6473960.shtml

Evangelical Association Railed Up Over Immigration Reform

The National Evangelical Association’s director reported to Yahoo News that it has plans to rally support for comprehensive immigration reform. The association‘s campaign will begin with a full-page ad in Roll Call, a Washington newspaper that covers Congress, this Thursday. Although the association chose not to take an official stand on the issue in the last congressional debate, the association managed to reach an agreement with it members in 2009 citing biblical references that support immigration.

For more info: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100511/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1994_5

"More laws have been enacted to help illegal immigrants than restrict them"

In a study released yesterday by the Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars, even though stringent laws such as the Arizona’s bill have been and are being made even more bills that protect immigrant’s rights are being accepted across the country. According to the Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars, “An analysis of 1,059 immigration-related bills in 50 state legislatures in 2007 found that 19 percent of 313 bills expanding immigrant rights were enacted, while 11 percent of 263 bills contracting rights were enacted”. Additionally it found that ,“Bills contracting immigrant rights included those such as one approved in Prince William County”. This bill allowed police officers to check peoples immigration status if there was cause to believe that they were in the United States illegally. The bill was later amended to require a status check for all people arrested. Bills expanding immigrant rights included a measure in New York that eliminated citizenship requirements for such occupations as police officer, firefighter and teacher. A bill Texas made it an offense to obtain labor or services by threatening to report someone to immigration. Also, a Nevada bill designated new crimes and penalties around involuntary servitude and human trafficking. As Andrew Selee, co-author of the report and director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute, stated, "The fact is that immigrants are here all ready and cities just want to find a way to incorporate them into their society". He also stated that immigrants in a sense are a productive part of society. So in other words, there is hope that some type of amnesty can happen were immigrants won’t be scared or worried anymore. It won’t happen in two or three years but maybe in the near future.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/10/AR2010051003170.html

After Health Care Reform, Is Immigration Reform Achievable?

Many say Arizona's stringent new law demands immigration reform from Washington. But Congress may not be ready for another political showdown so soon after health-care reform.

May 8, 2010

With everything going on in congress right now with the healthcare reform, immigration is not getting the full attention it should at this time. On Cinco De Mayo president Obama made a speech about the importance of immigration reform, and also how he sees it being a part of discrimination. Right now democrats are wanting to put a vote on immigration reform, we will see if this actually happens. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, democrat of Nevada, from trying to keep alive efforts to bring alive immigration overhaul to vote this year. Senate Democrats discovered a new proposal for reform late last month, stressing security first, then a pathway to legalization for the estimate 10.8 million people in the country illegally. The Democrats are making a long shot effort to attract republican support but so far they are not having much luck. Bellow I have a video that you can enjoy to get more information on this article.

By LINDA FELDMANN, The Christian Science Monitor

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/health-care-reform-immigration-reform-achievable/story?id=10584261

Obama Pledges to Push For Immigration Reform but It Will be Tough

While on April 28, President Obama had told reporters he was not sure whether Congress had the “appetite” to tackle immigration reform, this Wednesday speaking at a Cinco de mayo celebration at the White House the President continued to criticize the recent Arizona immigration law. He also went on to clarify his stand on comprehensive immigration reform by saying that in fact Congress should begin work on the immigration reform issue. Without a comprehensive federal approach as Obama puts it “ state and local authorities continue to take "misconceived" steps at addressing the illegal immigration problem”. Still, even if Obama puts immigration reform on the agenda he continues to struggle with the continuing rift between Republicans and Democrats. Furthermore, the recent incidents of the Gulf of Mexico oil slick and the failed Time Square car bomb scare have continued to consume much attention from the media and authorities and some analysts are asking if immigration reform is to much after the struggling to pass the controversial health care reform . Not to mention that although Americans agree that there is a need for immigration reform, people are still divided as to what should be done, and the economy continues to be a top priority on everyone’s minds. This is pointed out in a recent poll conducted by Fox news that found (quote)“The issue of immigration falls far behind other top issues on voters' minds. The economy remains the priority — in fact, the poll finds nearly 10 times as many voters cite the economy (47 percent) as immigration (5 percent) as being the most important issue facing the country today.” The poll also found that, “ 61 percent of voters nationally think Arizona was right to take action instead of waiting for the federal government to do something on immigration.” Because the federal government is failing to provide reform people are wanting to take things into their own hands and while this poll does little to provide positive encouragement about federal immigration reform it does indicate that people are getting impatient with congress. Obama has quite a challenge but a challenge does not mean that immigration reform can’t get done, people had doubts about health-care reform as well.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/05/obama.immigration.reform/index.html?section=cnn_latest

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/health-care-reform-immigration-reform-achievable/story?id=10584261

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/07/fox-news-poll-arizona-right-action-immigration/

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Rejects Schumer's Plea to Delay Immigration Law

May 7, 2010

Reported by CBS news, Republican Arizona Governor Jan Brewer quickly rejected the proposal from Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, to hold off on going through with Arizona’s controversial new immigration law. Reportedly Schumer sent a letter to Brewer on Thursday asking her to delay the law, which is to go into effect this July, while Washington works on comprehensive immigration reform. He also asked to push one of Arizona’s two republican Senators, John McCain or Jon Kyl, to support federal immigration reform, in order to give it more momentum in the state.

The news has outraged Latinos and others across the country who say it would inevitably lead to racial profiling, though the law prohibits officers from using race or ethnicity to determine “reasonable suspension”. The outrage has lead to protests, and calls of boycotts to the state. Some Arizona citizens have already filled lawsuits against the state challenging the law.

source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20004409-503544.html

South Carolina: To follow Arizona ?

In a article today it was reported that all four Republicans campaigning to be South Carolina’s next governor would be willing to introduce an Arizona-style immigration reform bill that has an aim to deport illegal immigrants. The Republicans candidates also say they would veto a bill to raise the state’s cigarette tax. April 29 marked the release of the framework for an immigration bill—Real Enforcement and Practical Answers for Immigration Reform (REPAIR), why do these candidates have to be so harsh if they want immigration reform then they should work on supporting federal immigration reform.

Full Article: http://www.thestate.com/2010/05/04/1271664/gop-hopefuls-oppose-cigarette.html

Polls Reflect Americans Want Immigration Reform

Two polls, one conducted by The New York Times/CBS News and the other by USA Today/ Gallup, show indications that the American public wants immigration reform. Americans are frustrated by our broken immigration system and are ready for change. Quoted from The New York Times, “Just 8 percent of Americans said the immigration system needed only minor changes. The vast majority said it needed reworking, including 44 percent who said it needed to be completely rebuilt and 45 percent who said it needed fundamental changes.” Unfortunately, no bill has been introduced to congress so far and even President Obama seems to have reservations as to whether government wants to tackle the challenge of immigration reform especially as people continue to be divided as to how to deal with illegal immigrants already in the United States. Luckily USA Today notes that even as Americans want better secured borders many are sympathetic to illegal immigrants who work hard and stay out of trouble. Quote “77% are concerned that stricter laws would mean illegal immigrants and their families who have lived productively in the USA for years would be forced to leave.”. While the views of wanting to halt immigration and being sympathetic toward illegal immigrants already in the US may seem conflicted it is good to know that the American people have sympathetic responses to innocent, hard working people who while they have broken the law mean no harm and are good citizens trying to make a better life.

Sources:http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-03-immigration-poll_N.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/us/04poll.html

Arizona Immigration Law Awakens Sleeping Giant

Just today immigrant activists, including a congressman have been arrested after protesting outside the White House. Three dozen protesters and U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez from Illinois joined in civil disobedience to urge President Obama to fulfill his campaign promise of achieving immigration reform. The advocates were arrested outside the White House fence after refusing to follow police orders. This, however, is not an isolated incident. Protesters turned up by the hundreds at a rally at Lafayette Park and today has rallies demanding national immigration reform kicking off in cities all over the country. A rally in Manhattan's Foley Square drew more than 5,000 people and more are expected to come. While rally attendance had dwindled in the last several years reform activist have seen a resurgence of activity because of the controversial Arizona immigration law.

For more details go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/01/immigrant-activists-plan-dozens-marches-nationwide/.

On an interesting note yesterday April 30, Latino high school students walked out of Denver area high schools to protest Arizona's immigration law.

Activists Expect Boost at Nationwide Rallies After Arizona Immigration Law

With Arizona's new law, rallies are thought to sky rocket. Today May 1 several protest are to be held because it's a traditional day of protest and International Workers Day.

On the Complex Issues Posed by the Immigration Bill for 2 Parties

On April 27, 2010, The New York Times article “Immigration Issue Poses a Complex Test for 2 Parties”, reported how the issue of the immigration reform bill has been stirring trouble in Capitol Hill. Both Democratic and Republican parties are sure to face challenges in the upcoming fall election. If the Democrats choose to push forward with immigration reform they are sure to have a fall out with voters who view illegal immigrants as competitors, especially in this time of recession, and while some Republicans who may see to benefit by opposing the Democrats the fact is that they are not looking at the long-term risks of not choosing to deal with immigration reform. This owing to the fact that Hispanics have become a sizable population as well as an electoral force and many Hispanic groups have came to view acts like the Arizona law giving the police the authority to detain people they suspect are illegal immigrants, as racial profiling. Not to mention that many Civil Liberties groups are against these kinds of actions as well. However that is not to say that some Republicans have not advocated the immigration reform bill, such as Senator John McCain (noticeable, however, they do come from states with a great Hispanic population). The true problem with the immigration reform bill, however, is not just that one party completely disagrees with the immigration reform bill, both Democrats and Republicans agree that we need better border control they just can’t decide on how to deal with illegal immigrants already in the country. Some voters do not want illegal immigrants to be able to start a path towards legalization. The only way to move ahead with the immigration reform is for bipartisan cooperation, which currently seems unlikely. For example the recent debacle in the senate when Senator Harry Reid suggested that immigration reform would be more important than the climate control and energy bill. Noticeably this bill was a significant bipartisan effort between Senator Schumer (Democrat) and Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican). When Senator Reid’s suggested that he was putting the legislation on climate control and energy aside this angered Senator Graham, who suddenly stopped supporting the legislation. There is a need for this riff to be mended if we want to move forward.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/us/politics/28immig.html?hp

Side note: In the same article it is reported that even Mexican authorities found it necessary to warn Mexican citizens living or traveling to Arizona that they could be harassed.