Welcome to The Sanctuary

by: The Editors

Wed May 14, 2008 at 14:14:20 PM EDT

Welcome to "The Sanctuary,"  a new on-line community where human-rights, civil-rights, and progressive activists will be discussing issues of concern for all those interested in humane and practical immigration reform, migrant-rights, human-rights, and the greater struggle of all who those have left friends and family behind to start new lives in new lands.

The Sanctuary is an effort to create a virtual community to share information, organize, engage in activism, and come together under one roof to unite in our efforts to effect change.

It is intended to be a "cyber-sanctuary", free from the din of right-wing noise, where those working towards meaningful reform can come together in the hope of magnifying their individual efforts through community action and cooperation, and build bridges with like-minded activists from a wide cross-section of the political spectrum.

First and foremost, The Sanctuary is a community founded on the basic premise that human rights and dignity are the cornerstones of civilized society.

With that in mind, The Sanctuary is unequivocally a "pro-migrant space" which respects the intrinsic value of all members of society regardless of their circumstances or legal status.

We believe that immigration is a vital part of maintaining a healthy and vibrant America, and has set this nation apart from all others since its inception. It is the lifeblood that has always made this nation grow and prosper, and our mission is to work towards reform of our current immigration system to better reflect these liberal progressive ideals ... To be practical, fair, rational and humane.

No More Funding for Sheriff Joe's Roundups

by: Manuel

Fri May 16, 2008 at 12:28:00 PM EDT

Border Action Network of southern Arizona alerts its members to the AP report that outlines the decision by Governor Janet Napolitano to force Sheriff Joe to do his job rather than hold press conferences to satisfy his ego.  Predictably, he's not pleased:

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday criticized the governor's decision as a maneuver to thwart his efforts against illegal immigrants.

''Dirty politics are at work right now,'' Arpaio said at a news conference.

While it may come to a shock to the sheriff, Governor Napolitano reminds him that it's not all about him:

CBP locks up Italian visitor for 10 days without charge

by: yave begnet

Wed May 14, 2008 at 08:08:37 AM EDT

Nina Bernstein at the New York Times brings us another story of government immigration overreach.

He was a carefree Italian with a recent law degree from a Roman university. She was “a totally Virginia girl,” as she puts it, raised across the road from George Washington’s home. Their romance, sparked by a 2006 meeting in a supermarket in Rome, soon brought the Italian, Domenico Salerno, on frequent visits to Alexandria, Va., where he was welcomed like a favorite son by the parents and neighbors of his girlfriend, Caitlin Cooper.

But on April 29, when Mr. Salerno, 35, presented his passport at Washington Dulles International Airport, a Customs and Border Protection agent refused to let him into the United States. And after hours of questioning, agents would not let him travel back to Rome, either; over his protests in fractured English, he said, they insisted that he had expressed a fear of returning to Italy and had asked for asylum.

Ms. Cooper, 23, who had promised to show her boyfriend another side of her country on this visit — meaning Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon — eventually learned that he had been sent in shackles to a rural Virginia jail. And there he remained for more than 10 days, locked up without charges or legal recourse while Ms. Cooper, her parents and their well-connected neighbors tried everything to get him out.

Mr. Salerno’s case may be extreme, but it underscores the real but little-known dangers that many travelers from Europe and other first-world nations face when they arrive in the United States — problems that can startle Americans as much as their foreign visitors.

Human Rights Report on Anti-Asian Racism

by: Kai

Wed May 14, 2008 at 15:18:51 PM EDT

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has released a report on the recent wave of white racist attacks against Asians in the Canadian fishing industry. As Resist Racism and Angry Asian Man have suggested, this is not strictly a Canadian problem, because the trend of "n-ppertipping" (i.e. sneaking up behind Asian fishers, pushing them into water, stealing their gear) extends south at least to the Chicago area where Du Doan was murdered in this manner last year, and I'd be surprised if Asian fishing and shrimping boats in California and Louisiana didn't face some of the same treatment. I would also lump these incidents together with the spate of killings of people of Hmong descent, especially hunters. The unifying theme is that white nativists see Asian folks (and The Brown in general) as perpetual foreigners helping themselves to natural resources which people of European ancestry already acquired via a combination of maniacal violence and pieces of paper whose magical markings determined who owned what. And indeed they're still playing that same game, knocking out a hate crime here and a legal proceeding there, a racist media stereotype here and a xenophobic legislative act there, a suspicious sideways glance here and an ICE raid there. Racism is like a hellish mosaic whose imagery and meaning can only be seen from a certain distance and with a certain developed ability to discern the patterns at multiple levels of abstraction.

When fleeing hurricanes in S. Texas, Border Patrol says undocumented not allowed to evacuate

by: LatinaLista

Wed May 14, 2008 at 13:27:48 PM EDT

Hurricane Katrina near peak strength on August 28, 2005
(Source: Wikipedia)

It is something that we are seeing already with the weather - starting with Katrina and ending with last week's tornado rampage through several states that claimed over 20 lives.

It's a safe bet that we won't have to wait till the latter part of the 21st century to see these monster hurricanes scientists are predicting.

Of all the coastlines in the country, there are two that have always been the most vulnerable and have a greater risk of being hit than the rest of the country: Florida's Atlantic coastline and the Gulf Coast coastline from Florida to Texas.

When these areas know they are in the path of destructive hurricanes, people are evacuated. Åfter Katrina, it was seen that everyone had the right to be moved out of the city and out of potential life-threatening harm.

Yet, in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, officials say that when the time comes to evacuate people only legal citizens will be allowed on the buses.

Immigrant Community in Iowa Devastated by ICE Raid

by: yave begnet

Wed May 14, 2008 at 00:27:06 AM EDT

An immigrant community in Iowa was shattered Monday by a huge ICE raid that appears to still be in progress. Susan Saulny of the New York Times reports: 

In the biggest workplace immigration raid this year, federal agents swept into a kosher meat plant on Monday in Postville, Iowa, and arrested more than 300 workers.

The authorities said the workers were suspected of being in the United States illegally or of having participated in identity theft and the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers.

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement would not say how many people had been rounded up beyond the initial 300 or whether the management and owners of the plant, AgriProcessors, would face criminal charges.

The plant has 800 to 900 people and is the country’s largest producer of meat that is glatt kosher, widely regarded as the highest standard of cleanliness.

Open thread: Voices

by: The Sanctuary

Wed May 14, 2008 at 00:15:00 AM EDT

The Terror Of Raids Continues: Pro-Migrant Sanctuarysphere

by: symsess

Tue May 13, 2008 at 20:35:30 PM EDT

 Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

GOP Pal Employer Going Scot Free as Largest Ever ICE Raid Nets over 390 Illegal Immigrants andSweeps them to Detention! at Immigration Talk with a Mexican American.

The Republican Approach to Immigration Policy: Treat Immigrants Like Cattle Tactics Hurt Party’s Image, Make Problem Worse, and Terrorize Immigrant Families at Immigration Prof Blog. Also The Efforts to Crack Down on "Voter Fraud," i.e., Latino Voters.

Despite clarification, NC bars undocumented students! at A Dream Deferred.

A Crumb For the Starving: Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008

by: kyledeb

Tue May 13, 2008 at 13:05:39 PM EDT

Mass Deportation: Lessons from the Past

by: Edmundo

Mon May 12, 2008 at 14:01:07 PM EDT

Advocates for "enforcement only" would like nothing better than to see a future in which most of the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the US be removed, either through coercive means or voluntarily. This, however, is not the first time that fear has triggered the adoption of tough immigration policies. For example, it was economic insecurity that triggered the racism that contributed to the passage of the infamous laws excluding Chinese immigrants from the US in the late 1800s.

Given the history of US propaganda coupled with the general invisibility of Latina/o civil rights abuses during the last century, it is not surprising that a large majority of Americans have not heard of the forced removal of approximately one to two million persons from the United States during the Great Depression. The 1930s marked the first time in the history of international migration between the US and other countries that the federal government sponsored and supported the mass deportation of immigrants.

One Plan for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

by: Duke

Sun May 11, 2008 at 17:09:29 PM EDT

With the news cycle revolving around the circus of national politics, immigration issues have once again moved to the back of the public's consciousness. Aside from concerns for voting blocks of ethnic voters, most politicians have made every effort to avoid the issue.

Yet, as the candidates for national office have kept the topic of immigration at arms length, on the local level it continues to be a divisive, hot-button wedge issue.

In the past year a record number of state and local laws and ordinances were propose,  most being extremely harmful to immigrant families. The number of raids, detentions and deportations have increased exponentially and hate crimes  have increased to the point that groups like the ADL, SPLC, ACLU, NCLR and many other human rights organizations have sounded urgent warnings.

While the American public concerns itself with it's quadrennial spectacle, immigrant families live in increasing fear.

In that light, it is perhaps time to re-examine what a liberal/progressive plan for comprehensive reform would look like, re-define our goals and try to re-frame the terms of the debate.

With that in mind, what follows is a proposal for how to address this issue effectively while still remaining true to the basic ideals of liberal and progressive thought that respect the intrinsic value of all members of society and protects human rights and dignity ... a policy paper or framing exercise if you must; but I'd rather think of it as a starting point for meaningful dialogue.

Privatized Prisons for Immigrants: The Expansion Continues

by: Edmundo

Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 11:20:22 AM EDT

At the time of the report, there were about 180,000 in federal custody, 1.2 million in state custody, and 760,000 in local jails. The BJS statistics also reported there were over 90,000 immigrants (both documented and undocumented) who were held over 12 months by three jurisdictions: the Federal system housed 33,701; California housed 15,849; and Texas housed 9,227.

In a recent "year in review" report, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had rounded up more than 30,000 immigrants - doubling the number from last year. According to Detention Watch Network, a D.C. based advocacy group, more than 186,600 immigrants were deported in 2006. However, more disturbingly, in 2007, ICE had detained more than 300,000 immigrants. These frightening statistics only confirm this country's commitment to lock up an insurmountable amount of people; and the reality of it all, this is an integral part of the globalization of capital.

People of Faith & The Sanctuary

by: KetyE

Wed May 07, 2008 at 23:49:39 PM EDT

I think that it is imperative that communities of faith step up across the board on this issue and by this I mean not just the leadership but also the people in the pews (insert faith-appropriate terminology here).  

Why this site exists

by: Duke

Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 23:03:21 PM EDT

The last round of negotiations on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), the so-called "Grand Compromise", provided a huge wake-up call for the immigrant-rights community. We found out just how badly the right-wing had out-flanked us both in Washington, and in the old and New Media.

Did you get the memo?

by: Manuel

Tue May 06, 2008 at 18:02:54 PM EDT

Back in 2005, political strategist Frank Luntz issued a memo to Republicans entitled "Respect for the Law & Economic Fairness: Illegal Immigration Prevention", which outlined a set of talking points and nuances to divide the electorate and create a new group of political targets - undocumented immigrant workers.  At the time, it ended up in several left-leaning bloggers' hands and was eventually posted at Daily Kos (.pdf warning).  

Luntz writes:

(1) Always differentiate LEGAL from illegal immigration;

(2) Always refer to people crossing the border illegally as "illegal immigrants" - NOT as "illegals"

(3) Always focus on those who are hurt most by illegal immigration - American citizen and immigrants who came here legally and played by the rules;

(4) Don't argue whether illegal immigration is a crisis, a major problem or a national challenge.  Describe the problem, quantify it, but don't measure it; and

(5) If it sounds like amnesty, it will fail.

Since the memo was issued, many of Luntz' recommendation have become vernacular among media pundits and political campaigns without any significant response, which is why I believe it is necessary to denounce this practice and a call for reform of the immigration system using human rights as the prism.  Sections of Luntz' memo were outright ignored, and no where in the country is this more evident than in the state of Arizona, with Phoenix serving as a lightning rod for for the future of immigration policies in the United States

Open Thread: "English is our lanaguage"

by: Duke

Mon May 05, 2008 at 13:23:07 PM EDT

We're getting close to the official launch date of The Sanctuary, so we've got a little housecleaning to do before we open up.

1. If any community members who are representatives of organizations or advocacy groups and would like to have their organizations listed on the "Affiliates" page,  please contact us with the official contact information and we'd be happy to add you to the list.

2. We'll be re-working the layout over the next day or two, giving it a new color scheme and graphics, so if it looks strange or changes as you're viewing it, don't freak ..it's us ...not you.

3. The Sanctuary now allows for "style" attributes when pasting cross-posted diaries directly from other sites. This should make it much easier to cross-post without having to do a bunch of re-formatting.

4. If anyone has any suggestions or comments on the site, or ideas on how to make it better, post them in the comments, and we'll try to incorporate them in before the launch.

We Rallied in Unity: Pro-Migrant Sanctuarysphere

by: symsess

Fri May 02, 2008 at 11:41:28 AM EDT

May 1: Peaceful Marchers Support CIR vs ANTI Attack Strategy and ANTI´s Manipulation of phone, email and faxes to Congress! at Immigration Talk With A Mexican American.

May 1, 2008 marks the third anniversary of Immigration Day in the United States. Pro-immigrant groups across the country are conducting peaceful demonstrations to voice their support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) and to voice their opposition to Family Detention Centers and Racial Profiling.

Some images from today in Los Angeles at People Migrate.

Mayday Interview With Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! at Of América.

May Day 2008 at the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Low Turnouts for Immigration Marches Have Stronger Implications at Latina Lista.

But this isn't an indication that the Latino community has become complacent about an issue that is accelerating discrimination and racism directed towards all Latinos. On the contrary, the reduced turnout should send another signal that the fight is far from over.

Pearls of wisdom from Chuck Norris

by: Duke

Fri May 02, 2008 at 01:14:08 AM EDT

Fearful that 105 million scary brown people will flock up the NAFTA superhighway, flanked by terrorist who despise our country and despite all our victories in Iraq still pose an imminent threat, Chuck believes he's come up with a perfect solution to protect our sovereignty and way of life.

....just post "manned trucks" along the border with instructions to use deadly force against all who try to cross. ...just like we do at the super secret space-alien research facility at Area 51 in the Nevada desert    

Attend The Rallies!: Pro-Migrant Sanctuarysphere

by: symsess

Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:12:05 AM EDT

 Get out today and support migrant and human rights!

Breaking News: Chicago Church Receives Word that DHS is Ending Truce with Sanctuary Movement at Latina Lista. Latina Lista has received word that the church housing Flor Crisostomo may be detained by DHS tomorrow. This is sickening news.

May Day for Undocumented Workers at Dream Act Texas.

Marches and Rallies on May Day. Tomorrow, May 1, there will be marches and rallies throughout the country. The marches and meetings will have different objectives - to make the country more aware of the plight of undocumented immigrants ; to protest the raids and inhumane attitude and behavior of ICE; to show support to immigrants.

In Memoriam … and a celebration of life

by: Duke

Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 19:23:28 PM EDT

Marching for Human Rights: A Personal Account of a Pueblo Presente
by DuctapeFatwa
Mon Apr 10th, 2006

The day dawned sunny and cool, perfect marching weather!

Thanks to the success of Saturday's Incitement Constitutional, our group, including my own descendants, neighbors, friends, and their descendants, had swelled to over a thousand souls, representing all the world's continents. I will not try to say how many countries, or name them, suffice it to say that we were diverse. And so numerous, that when the hour of departure came, we were obliged to call upon the good offices of the local popo, to guide our massive convoy out of the neighborhood and on to the highway for the short ride to the gathering place.

A gathering place which, it turned out, was too small to accomodate the crowds which overflowed it, and they spilled out into the streets, streets which had not been intended to be "blocked off," but this was done de facto, and after the facto, the popo sighed and put up their cones, and stationed their cars, and the crowd grew more, and the cars had to be moved. And again. And again, as the people continued to arrive

In clumps, then streams, then rivers, then waves, the gente came. All dressed in white, from all directions, they converged. I was obliged to put on my sunglasses, so blindingly brilliant was the sea of white, as far as even those with very good eyes assured me they could see, and which my own eyes confirmed with the aid of binoculars.

Many did carry US flags, but many carried flags of other nations, and one creative young lady carried a long pole from which waved mini-flags of several dozen countries.

Some people had driven all night, from little villages in the surrounding area, and bore huge banners of the Virgen de Guadalupe emblazoned with the names of the little townlets. Several banners contained exhortations to vote NO on a draconian local hate law, and there were plenty of the now familiar "We are not criminals," and "We have a dream today," etc.