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Friday, January 30, 2009
Latino groups to Napolitano: Stop immigration raids
A coalition of Latino groups sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week urging her to stop workplace immigration raids.
“The fear of raids in and around schools, neighborhoods and workplaces among immigrants — unauthorized and authorized — keeps our children and families from attending schools, obtaining needed services for which they are eligible and pay taxes and even contacting local police when they or their loved ones are in danger,” the letter said.
It also said that the raids “have destroyed families and spread terror.”
The Bush administration conducted a string of large immigration raids at workplaces over the past few years. The photo on the right shows a raid in Postville, Iowa.
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Special visas for crime victims
The LA Times reports on a little-known visa category that awards temporary status to illegal immigrants who are victims of a crime and cooperate with police.
The U-visa was created in 2000. So far, 65 have been issued, the story says. In addition, the government has given temporary benefits to 10,800 applicants while they wait for a final decision.
Read more here.
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Michelle Obama’s dresses sending a “multicultural” message?
First Lady Michelle Obama picked two foreign-born designers for her inauguration dresses.
According to a fashion article in The Wall Street Journal, the designers “embodied multiculturalism” and “the universal immigrant’s success story.”
“Their frocks, as a result, were much more than just pieces of silk and crystals stitched together. They provided a powerful visual symbol of the struggles and triumphs that Barack Obama has spoken of in his sweeping speeches about this country,” the story said.
Read it here.
