SB1070: Pushing the Gears of History Forward

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clinic Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;”>The migrant rights movement in this country is about to enter a new phase and every person, no matter their position, will have to decide how they will relate to it.

While many are waiting to see the decision of the Supreme Court related to the Department of Justice’s SB1070 case, a human rights crisis of epic proportions is already roiling in Arizona.

The status quo we face now and the results of even the best possible decision from the Supreme Court still represent a steady march toward anti-immigrant attrition that the state has constructed over years.  First we faced efforts to restrict our ability to function in society: drivers’ license bans, denial of social services, and English only rules. Then they built ways to humiliate and dehumanize us through Sheriff Arpaio’s outdoor jails and Florence’s expanding penal colonies.

Defending Arizona in a SB 1070 Nation: What Side Are You On? – Jeff Biggers

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With defiant Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer growing moreemboldened as the Supreme Court readies to unveil its ruling on the state’s SB 1070 “papers, please” immigration law, Arizona human rights group Puenteand their national allies are bolstering their “Barrio Defense Committees,” as “neighbors link with neighbors to learn their rights and make collective plans to defend themselves.”

They are also asking their fellow Arizona neighbors and politicians to take a stand.

Community members rally against 287(g) – The Tennessean

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More than 100 people marched up Seventh Avenue Thursday, their voices booming, as they chanted in English and Spanish, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.” They walked from the Downtown Presbyterian Church to the Tennessee Supreme Court building to demonstrate their outrage against Metro’s participation in the 287(g) program – the federal immigration enforcement program that allows law enforcement to determine the immigration status of jail inmates and turn them over for federal deportation proceedings. The march occurred just hours before the Tennessee Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office’s authority to participate in the federal program. Protesters argue the Metro charter gives policing authority to the Metro Police Department, not the sheriff’s department. Speakers at the rally included leaders of state and national immigrant advocacy groups and legal representatives. They condemned 287(g) for the fear…

Securing DC’s Community – Washington Post

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Ever since the Department of Homeland Security decided to conscript local police as “force multipliers” in harsh immigration enforcement efforts, sick cities and states have found themselves unwittingly or unwillingly part of the controversial federal deportation program misnamed Se Communities. But a bold move last week by the D.C. Council [“In D.C., no warm welcome for immigration crackdown,” Metro, June 5] to protect residents from the effects of Se Communities should serve as a model for the country.

Wage Theft: A Crime You Can Get Away With

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By ,  Workers’ Rights Policy Spet at Progressive States Network | Source: HuffingtonPost.com | Posted: 06/07/2012 5:19 pm

Co-authored with Cristina Francisco-McGuire

This week, we authored a report grading states on how well they protect a fundamental workplace right: getting paid what you are legally owed. This right is so basic and common-sense that most people are still unaware of how commonly it is violated.

Wage theft, or the illegal underpayment of workers, has become so widespread, it affects millions of workers across the country and is nearly ubiquitous in certain industries: retail, restaurants, ity, day-labor, warehousing, child care, and construction. That’s a lot of people — already not getting paid enough — whose bosses illegally make their paychecks even lighter.

The last time a detailed, multi-state survey was done, the findings were shocking. Researchers in three of our nation’s largest cities interviewed thousands of workers who earned at or near the minimum wage, and found a wide array of workplace violations. Here are just the basic facts: