Immigration Issues
Updated 2/17/08
East TN Rally for Real Immigration Reform; Knoxville; 3/18/06
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC);
For more pictures from immigrant rights rallies in Knoxville, see below |
Background Information on Immigration
- Dying to Live (2006 DVD, 22 minutes long, $25) - Excellent video to use to education about the human face of immigration from Mexico; especially useful for Christina audiences. Available from the Institute for Latino Spirituality at Notre Dame University: http://www.nd.edu/%7Elatino/units/dying_video.htm [1/7/07]
- Facts on Immigration - National Immigration Forum - Comments on newspaper editorials, breaking news, or the statements of prominent players in the debate on immigration policy.
- "Getting Immigration Facts Straight" - Heidi Beirich, Southern Poverty Law Center [7/31/07]
- Highlander Reports - Special Issue on Immigration (English/Spanish). Articles include: "Can a Human Being Be Illegal?," "Why Are So Many People Coming to the United States from Mexico?," "Why Don't They Just Play by the Rules? Myths and Facts about U.S. Immigration Policy," "Playing with People's Lives: Politicians, Militarization, and the Border," and "You Canot Organize Together if You Can't Talk to Each Other! Bridging the Language Barrier," as well as a list of additional resources. (PDF, 390 KB) [1/7/07]
- Immigration Facts (prepared by Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights). An extensive collection of fact sheets and other materials on immigration issues, including "Dispelling the Myths About Immigrants," "Immigrants in Rural and Urban Communities Fact Sheet," "Imiigration and the Economy Fact Sheet," and many more. [4/10/07]
- Immigration Fact Sheet [National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights]
- Making the Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: A Resource Guide - American Immigration Lawyers Association, February 2007. A comprehensive overview of immigrant issues and the need for immigration reform. [4/10/07]
- NAFTA's Vicious Cycle - explains how the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has caused increased poverty in Mexico and increased immigration in the United States. (From "Rethinking the NAFTA Record" by Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh [Institute for Policy Studies, 2004]). [1/17/07]
- Policy Updates - National Immigration Forum - Information about a wide range of policy issues related to immigration.
- "Real Deal" Public Awareness Fact Sheet on Detention (prepared by Detention Watch Network) - an illustrated fact sheet on immigrant detention. [4/10/07]
- The Real Political Purpose of the ICE Raids - David Bacon; New America Media; 3/30/07. A discussion of the political purpose behind recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [4/10/07]
- "Slaves, Sharecroppers, Now Immigrants" - Tula Cornel; AFL-CIO Now Blog; 2/16/08 - An excellent post about the exploitation of immigrant workers, with links to other publications and resources.
- Top 10 Immigration Myths and Facts [National Immigration Forum]
- Towards a Common Sense Immigration Policy - a review of the immigration policies proposed by the two major groups in organized labor, the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition. [4/14/07]
- U.S./Mexico Interactive Shopping Trip - If you worked in Mexico, what could you afford to buy? And how does that compare with the same job in the U.S.? To find out, visit the U.S./Mexico Ineractive Shopping Trip on the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers Website. It's a great way to see what the wage differences are between the U.S. and Mexico. [6/26/06]
- "Why Are So Many People Coming to the United States from Mexico?" / ¿Por qué está llegando tanta gente a los Estados Unidos desde México? [Jason Wallach, Mexico Solidarity Network, and Susan Williams, Highlander Center]
- "'Why don't they just play by the rules?' Myths and Facts about U.S. Immigration Policy" / "¿Por qué ellos simplemente no respetan las reglas?" Mitos y Realidades sobre la Política Migratoria de los EEUU [Monica Hernández, Highlander Center]
- The World of Immigration Detention: A System Hidden in Plain Sight (prepared by Detention Watch Network). On any given day, over 27,000 immigrants are detained in almost 200 prison-like facilities in the United States. This page includes an interactive map showing facilities known to detain immigrants in removal proceedings, Immigration and Customs Enforcement district offices, and legal service organizations that provide representation or referrals to immigrants detained. [4/10/07]
For additional information about immigration issues, see the National Immigration Forum's page on Immigration Reform Resources.
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U.S.-Mexico Border Issues
Aware that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would increase migration from Mexico significantly, the Clinton administration launched Operation Gatekeeper, which sealed off traditional urban entry points in San Diego and funneled migrants into the Sonora-Arizona desert, one of the most extreme areas of the border. The Bush administration has continued this policy.
Between 2000 and 2005, over 1,000 migrants died along the border in southern California and southern Arizona. The following resources provide more information about conditions on the border and groups that are fighting to change this situation.
- Border Maps (created by Humane Borders) - showing where migrant deaths have occurred.
There are maps of the Arizona and Arizona/California borders and "Warning Posters" that focus on smaller sections of the border, showing how far migrants can walk in one, two, and three days and where deaths have occurred. See, for example, the Sasabe Warning Poster.
- Coalition for Human Rights/Coalición de Derechos Humanos
- Humane Borders - A group that provides humanitarian assistance to migrants through more than 70 emergency water stations on and near the border
- Migrant Deaths - a list of migrants who have died crossing the U.S. Mexico border since 2001. Prepared by the Coalition for Human Rights.
- No More Deaths/No Más Muertes
- "Real Deal" Public Awareness Fact Sheet on Border Militarization [PDF 1.48MB] (prepared by Detention Watch Network) - an illustrated fact sheet on border militarization. [4/10/07]
- A Report on the Emergency National Border Tour (PDF, 29 KB) - by Monica Hernandez, Highlander Center. Includes information about border issues and conditions on the border.
- Stop Border Deaths Now (PDF, 421 KB) - A report by the Border Working Group
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"Know Your Rights" Information
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Reports on Anti-Immigrant Activity
- Ku Klux Klan Rebounds With New Focus On Immigration - Anti-Defamation League Report; 2/6/07 [7/31/07]
- Immigration fervor fuels racist extremism - Southern Poverty Law Center; 5/16/07. The SPLC also publishes a weekly e-mail summary of anti-immigrant activity called "Nativist News." You can subscribe by sending an e-mail to sub_immigrationwatch@newsletter.splcenter.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. [7/31/07]
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Updates on Proposed Federal Legislation
- National Immigration Forum - Legislation - Includes information on current and past proposals for immigration reform at the national level.
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Congressional Contact Information
- Congressional Switchboard - for calls to Senators or Representatives: (202) 224-3121
- House Website (with links to individual House members' sites): http://www.house.gov/
- Senate Website (with contact information for individual Senators): http://www.senate.gov
For an easy way to contact your Senators and get more information about the issue (including a sample letter/e-mail), go to www.bluelatinos.org/congress.
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Local Organizing
Throughout the country, immigrants and allies are organizing rallies, vigils, fasts, marches, congressional visits, and work stoppages calling for just immigration reform and speaking against draconian immigration proposals.
To find out about activities going on around the country, go to: http://www.cirnow.org/content/en/calendar.htm.
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Additional Highlander Resources on Immigration
- Information on immigration in the South and resources on multi-racial organizing, produced by the Across Races and Nations project, co-sponsored by Highlander, the Southern Regional Council and the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis.
"Securing Immigrant Rights," part of Grassroots Action for Global Change, an extensive list of resources for community organizers on global justice issues.
- Information about Highlander's Pueblos de Latinomaérica program, which supports organizing and leadership development in immigrant communities.
- Spanish/Bilingual Resources on immigration and other issues.
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Useful Links
- AFL-CIO Resources for Immigrant Workers
- BlueLatinos.org
- Coalition for Human Rights/Coalición de Derechos Humanos
- Coalition for New South Carolinians
- Detention Watch Network - Formed in 1997 in response to the rapid growth of the immigration detention system in the United States, DWN is a network of individuals and organizations working in support of, and in service to, immigrants in detention.
- Familes for Freedom - a New York-based multi-ethnic defense network by and for immigrants facing and fighting deportation.
- Humane Borders - A group that provides humanitarian assistance to migrants through more than 70 emergency water stations on and near the border.
- Justice for Immigrants
- La jornada sin fronteras - Weekly edition of La Jornada, a progressive Mexico newspaper geared for Mexican migrants in the U.S; in Spanish.
- Mexico Solidarity Network - Has a good weekly Mexico news and analysis update, and supports solidarity between Mexico and the United States.
- Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance
- National Immigration Forum
- National Immigration Law Center
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - To find the excellent video "Uprooting the Global Economy," the BRIDGE curriculum, and other great resources for education about immigration, go to www.nnirr.org/shop/curriculums.html.
- New American Opportunity Campaign
- No More Deaths/No Más Muertes
- Pew Hispanic Center - Founded in 2001, the Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicla Latinos' growing impact on the entire nation.
- Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
For links to other groups fighting for immigrant/farmworker rights, see our Links page.
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Pictures from Immigrant Rights Rallies in Knoxville
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