Lawsuit Filed Against Federal Agencies to Uncover Possible Influence on Immigration Bill

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 Freedom of Information Act Suit to Shed Light on Tactics to Halt California TRUST Act

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2013—The Asian Law Cacus, a legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian Pacific American communities, has sued federal immigration authorities for information about whether they helped defeat a bill meant to limit entanglement between California law enforcement and U.S. immigration agencies.

The lawsuit seeks information from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and the Department of Homeland Security under the Freedom of Information Act about possible efforts to encourage the Governor’s office and state sheriff’s association to oppose the TRUST Act, AB-4.

Had the TRUST Act passed last year, it would have restricted California’s involvement in the Se Communities program, which relies on local police to hold individuals suspected of being deportable upon arrest until ICE can pick them up for possible deportation. Last summer, the bill reached Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk with robust support from both legislative houses, but he vetoed it. 

La Santa Cecilia Sing About the Undocumented Immigrant Experience in ICE El Hielo – ABC News

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The just-released music video from Los Angeles-based La Santa Cecilia shares the anguish that the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants experience in the United States because of their precarious status. For the band members, "ICE El Hielo," is more than just a heartfelt song tells of their community. La Santa Cecilia’s vocalist,…

New Music Video from La Santa Cecilia Hits Close to Home for Undocumented Cast

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As Immigration Reform Again Takes Center Stage This Week…

LA SANTA CECILIA, in Partnership with Leading Migrant Rights Group and the Americas Business Council (abc*) Foundation, Spotlights the Real-Life Faces and Stories of Undocumented Immigrants with the Poignant New Video for Hit Single “El Hielo” (ICE)

Starring an Undocumented Cast of Key Figures in the Fight for Immigrant Rights, New Video by “Los Angeles’ Best Latin Alternative Band”, Directed by Alex Rivera, hits close to home for many.

In conjunction with the video’s release premiering today on VEVO, the band will now appear at immigration reform events on April 9th In Phoenix, Arizona, and April 10th at The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

Watch the video at http://bit.lyelhielovid

 

Immigrant Laborers Rebuild Work Center, Restore Their Sense Of Mission | Fox News Latino

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They toiled to repair and rebuild the homes, s apartments and businesses that Hurricane Sandy damaged. They ran into areas where danger lurked — contaminated water, downed power lines, hidden debris capable of puncturing skin. And while the day laborers of Bay Parkway Community Job Center helped in the recovery of Hurricane Sandy, their own facility laid in shambles.  Sandy’s angry, unforgiving winds shook the old center, an 8-by-12 wooden shack, off its foundation, blowing it 100 feet away, causing major damage. But with grants from several foundations and the work of the laborers, the center was brought back to life. It is a renaissance of sorts for the center — now a 40-foot trailer the workers painted in red and yellow, the colors of the old shack — and also a new incarnation for the laborers and their place in the larger community.

How Obama Could (but Probably Won’t) Stop Deporting Illegal Immigrants Today – Keegan Hamilton – The Atlantic

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If the current congressional push for immigration reform were to fail, however, a presidential pardon for undocumented immigrants with no criminal history might be Obama’s last ditch alternative to prosecutorial discretion. Rather than scaling back on detentions, Obama could instantly–and permanently– legalize millions of illegal immigrants….