Illinois Families Separated by Deportation Ask President Obama for Moratorium

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March and rally on first day of the President’s 2nd term features stories of families broken up by immigration authorities, highlighting the need for policy that keeps families together.

 

The immigrant community in Chicago is calling for the President to grant immediate relief from deportations by ordering a moratorium.  While Congress deliberates, they say, the President can use his executive authority to make immediate changes to reverse his record on deportations.  President Obama’s first term was marred by a record 1.5 million people deported; 409,000 in the past year alone.  While he has announced his drive for immigration reform, the Chicago area witnessed an increase in aggressive enforcement. The week after President Obama’s reelection, ICE performed unheard of raids on an area Pallet factory and a Northwest side day laborer corner.

 

 

Below is a list of speakers at today’s march.

 

Speaker’s Stories:

 

Josefina Mora is a mother of three United States citizen between 5 and 10 years old. Her husband, Urbano Olmedo Lopez, has been away from his family since November 2012, after he was turned over to immigration authorities by local police during a driver’s license check point. When he was stopped he was on his way to court for another traffic ticket involving his lack of driver’s license. He arrived to the United States in 1985, at the age of 9. He has one prior deportation from his youth, but for the last 12 years that he has been married to Josefina, he has stayed out of trouble with the police and immigration.  Josefina describes Olmedo as a good parent and a hard-working husband. One of the hardest things for he has been the effect his detention has had on her children, one of whom has a hernia and the other an ear problem. She says it has been difficult to keep up with their medical needs without her husband, as he used to take them to the before his detention. Josefina also fears that the detention is having a psychological effect on her children, and is looking to take them to counseling, “I see them cry every night, and ask me when their father is coming home,” she explains.

Questions for the White House on Immigration Reform

Key Questions for the White House on Immigration Reform

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Questions for the White House on Immigration Reform[En Español aquí]

While President Obama has repeatedly pledged to make immigration reform a centerpiece of his next term, not one question was asked of him on this topic by reporters during yesterday’s White House press conference.  

Though the debt ceiling was the issue of the day, it is fair to assume immigration will take center stage in future White House press briefings.  

To clarify and define what can be expected of President Obama’s reform proposal, and to further advance the national debate about immigration reform, tough questions should be asked that cut through political spin and rhetoric.  

Below are just a few specific questions that we at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network feel should be asked of the White House.  

Questions for the White House on Immigration Reform

Key Questions for the White House on Immigration Reform

Migrant Rights BlogLeave a comment

Questions for the White House on Immigration ReformWhile President Obama has repeatedly pledged to make immigration reform a centerpiece of his next term, not one question was asked of him on this topic by reporters during yesterday’s White House press conference.  

Though the debt ceiling was the issue of the day, it is fair to assume immigration will take center stage in future White House press briefings.  

To clarify and define what can be expected of President Obama’s reform proposal, and to further advance the national debate about immigration reform, tough questions should be asked that cut through political spin and rhetoric.  

Below are just a few specific questions that we at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network feel should be asked of the White House.  We encourage others to add their questions below in the comment section. 

Chicago Announces Inauguration Day Plan to March for a Moratorium on Deportations

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On First Day of President’s 2nd Term, Chicago Wants President on the ‘Right Side of History’
 
What: Press Conference Announcing January 21st March for a Moratorium on Deportations
When: 11:00am Tuesday, January 15th
Where: Daley Plaza 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, IL
Who: Families of workers who were detained in Immigration raids, Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Church, Centro Sin Fronteras, 
          ICIRR, Immigrant Youth Justice League, Latino Union of Chicago, and more
 
On Tuesday, groups will announce their plans for an Inauguration day march for a moratorium on deportations. 

City of Seattle Wage Theft Ordinance Text

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City of Seattle Wage Theft Ordinance – full text is below and attached. Was passed in 2011 based on organizing campaign of Casa Latina.

 

 

AN ORDINANCE relating to wage theft; amending Seattle Municipal Code sections 5.55.230 and 12A.08.060; clarifying the definition of theft as it relates to theft of wages; providing a list of circumstances that may be considered in determining whether a person intends to commit wage theft; clarifying the City’s jurisdiction in such cases; and allowing the City to refuse to issue, revoke, or refuse to renew business licenses from employers found guilty of wage theft.

 

Miami Dade Wage Theft Ordinance Text

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Full Text of the Ordinance is attached. It was passed in 2010 as a result of WeCount organizing in Miami Dade County, Florida.

ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING CHAPTER 22 OF THE CODE OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA; PROHIBITING WAGE THEFT, PROVIDING ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND PRIVATE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR WAGE THEFT PROVIDING SEVERABILITY, INCLUSION IN THE CODE, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE

The Jobs Numbers: Never Mind the Quantity, Check the Quality

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The jobs numbers: never mind the quantity, check the quality

Behind modest jobs growth, the real story is full-time jobs with good benefits are still disappearing. America’s going part-time. 

guardian.co.uk,

It’s heartening to see Friday’s news that the unemployment rate edged down to 7.8% last month. But let’s not get too caught up in celebrations. We need to look beyond the sheer quantity of jobs being created and into the quality of those jobs – something neither presidential candidate seems very interested in talking about.

Buried in the Friday’s jobs report is evidence that a disturbing trend continues: the creation of more part-time jobs, many of them low-wage, taking the place of solid middle-class careers. Positions in sectors like manufacturing continued to decline last month, replaced by new jobs in the healthcare, warehousing and retail industries. A lot of these jobs don’t allow workers to rack up enough hours to earn healthcare benefits – let alone break out of poverty.