Progress Illinois

Good news out of our nation's capitol today. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to take up a challenge to a 2004 Kansas law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities and colleges.

Illinois is one of nine other states that have a similar law on the books. And that's a good thing, because it's a statute that is sensible and humane. Children of immigrants, who by no fault of their own were born outside the United States and brought across the border illegally, are routinely shut out of college because of economic and social barriers. Even though many of them are bright, motivated kids who grew up speaking English in American schools, studies show less than 10 percent of undocumented high school graduates move into higher education.

Providing an opportunity to lower their education costs, even if they can't receive scholarships or financial aid, isn't a drag on our economy either, as some conservatives like to suggest. The Immigration Policy Center explains (pdf):

The ten states which, since 2001, have passed laws allowing undocumented students who graduate from in-state high schools to qualify for in-state college tuition have not experienced a large influx of new immigrant students that “displaces” native-born students or added financial burdens on their educational systems. In fact, these measures tend to increase school revenues by bringing in tuition from students who otherwise would not be in college.

With Kansas' law secure, it's now time for Congress to approve Dick Durbin's DREAM Act.

Jackie Mahendra, e-advocacy manager for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), has a piece up on AlterNet about their great Democracy Day event last Saturday on Chicago's Northwest side:

“Our Vote is Power… Our Vote is Power,” chant the hundreds of immigrants, elected officials, and leaders in the fight for immigration reform who gathered to celebrate the national “New Americans Democracy Day” this past Saturday. In a sweaty auditorium on Chicago’s Northwest side, an audience of over 300 listens as Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky speak about their efforts to pass immigration reform. Elected officials from both parties and community leaders share the stage and the excitement.

The diverse crowd fans themselves between cheers with posters that bear several dozen logos - a reminder of the many non-partisan, community organizations that will be working around-the-clock to turn out the immigrant vote this fall. In a nearby classroom, dozens of South Asian, South American, and Eastern European immigrants fill out the final paperwork to become citizens. 

Mahendra goes on to detail ICIRR's campaign to register 20,000 new citizens in Illinois this year and to get 50,000 immigrants to the polls on November 2. The event on Saturday represented the official launch of this campaign -- dubbed "New Americans Vote 2008" -- as well as a celebration of immigrants' growing power at the ballot box. Along with Durbin and Schakowsky, several new citizens took to the stage to tell their own stories. They were joined by representatives from various national organizations working towards just and humane immigration reform.

Below are several of the speeches from the event:

Sen. Dick Durbin (7:50)

Internal mp3

Frank Sharry - Executive Director, America's Voice (3:00)

Internal mp3

Clarissa Martinez de Castro - Director of Immigration and National Campaigns, National Council of La Raza (3:40)

Internal mp3

Simon Rosenberg -- President, NDN (3:10)

Internal mp3

You can find more pictures of the event here.

Tomorrow, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights will celebrate New Americans Democracy Day with an event at Foreman High School in Chicago. Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky will both be in attendance to help kick off ICIRR's New Americans Vote 2008 campaign, which seeks to register 20,000 Illinois immigrants to vote this election year.

Head over to ICIRR's website to read more about this initiative and learn how to help. And be sure to check out ICIRR executive director Josh Hoyt's Progress Illinois column on how the immigrant vote affected the 14th District special election earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of ICIRR.

In his Southtown Star column today, Rich Miller wrote that State Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) walked away from a private meeting with John McCain last Wednesday "open to the possibility" of endorsing the Arizona Republican for president. Miller reports that during their meeting, McCain made his pitch for why the GOP is stronger on the issue of immigration reform:

McCain reminded Sandoval that the last president to do anything major about immigration reform was a Republican, Ronald Reagan. Sandoval claimed McCain told him that the immigration issue would be "one of the hallmarks of my presidency." Reagan's immigration policy included an amnesty program for those here illegally, but McCain never uttered the "A" word.

Appearing on Fox Chicago Sunday yesterday, Sandoval repeated McCain's history lesson, adding that McCain was the last member of Congress "to propose immigration reform":

Of course, there's a big problem with Sandoval giving McCain credit for proposing immigration reform -- namely, that McCain has since said he would vote against the bill in question.

Indeed, during the January 30 Republican debate, Los Angeles Times reporter Janet Hook asked McCain about the comprehensive immigration reform measure -- S. 1348 -- that he worked on and initially supported: "At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?" McCain responded: "No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first." Watch it:

Miller reports in his column that after their conversation last Wednesday, McCain requested "that they continue to meet, which Sandoval agreed to do." Maybe the next time they sit down, Sandoval can ask McCain about his constant changing of position on this issue.

In the meantime, it'd be nice if he didn't repeat GOP talking points on the local airwaves.

John McCain often gets a pass from the media on his many policy reversals. One example occurred last year when he abandoned his support for comprehensive immigration reform and instead took a "border security first" stance -- going so far as to say he wouldn't vote for an immigration reform bill that he co-sponsored. For the purposes of maneuvering in a crowded GOP primary, the reversal made sense. So it's no surprise that now -- having locked down the GOP nomination -- the Arizona Republican is signaling to Latinos behind closed doors that he's not so hard-line after all.

Indeed, during a visit to Chicago last Wednesday, McCain toned down the border security rhetoric during a private meeting with a Hispanic Republicans from the area. Unfortunately for him, Illinois Minutemen leader Rosanna Pulido was present at the meeting and has been publicly expressing her "disgust" with McCain's private comments in the days since. (Speaking of disgust, some of you may remember Pulido's recent prediction on Chicago radio that assault rifles would be needed to control a recent protest by immigration rights activists. Of course, the demonstration was entirely peaceful.)

Following McCain's Chicago meeting, Pulido talked to the AP, then ABC News' Jake Tapper, before landing on Lou Dobb's CNN show Friday night -- home sweet home for any and all anti-immigrant activists. Watch her talk about McCain's comprehensive immigration reform "mantra" and how he is "kicking conservatives to the curb":

This is classic McCain -- straddle two positions while hoping that the moderates think you're moderate, the conservatives think you're conservative, and the media pays no attention. (Of course, McCain isn't the only Republican trying to have it both ways this election year. Check out "thoughtful, independent" Rep. Mark Kirk's remarks about the uninsured in America -- made during a private meeting of Wheeling Township Republicans last month.)

In related news, Rich Miller reports in his Southtown Star column today that State Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) is flirting with the possibility of supporting McCain over Obama this November. Miller writes that the two met in Chicago last week and that McCain "promised to be an advocate for Latino issues."

Appearing on WTTW's Chicago Tonight on Friday, Tribune editorial page editor Bruce Dold suggested that Barack Obama and John McCain share the same position on immigration. Watch that claim -- as well as Dold's assertion that Obama suffers from an "elitism divide" -- below:

Now on the one hand, you could argue that Dold's description of the two candidates' positions on immigration favors Obama. After all, Dold is essentially arguing that Obama isn't vulnerable on this "wedge issue" because of their purported agreement.

But I'd argue the contrary -- that Dold's characterization helps McCain.

Indeed, Dold is giving the Arizona Republican credit for his initial support of comprehensive immigration reform, while overlooking that he backed away from that position in a clear pander to GOP primary voters. Media Matters has this concise description of McCain's switch:

[D]uring the race for the Republican nomination, McCain reversed himself on the issue of border security, saying that "we've got to secure the borders first" -- a position at odds with his prior assertion that border security could not be disaggregated from other aspects of comprehensive immigration reform without being rendered ineffective. Indeed, McCain said in January that he "would not" support the comprehensive immigration reform legislation he once sponsored with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

Every time a reporter or commentator overlooks McCain's flip-flops -- on immigration or the Bush tax cuts or the religious right -- McCain benefits. Independents and moderates continue to think that he shares their values, while the Republican base takes comfort in his decision to move in their direction.

It's the media's responsibility to remind the public of McCain's maneuvering. But more often than not, they turn a blind eye.

Today, the Sun-Times editorial board cited the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of an Iowa meatpacking plant as evidence of the need for better treatment of detained immigrants:

Immigration raids are a fact of life in the U.S., but mistreatment of immigrants shouldn't be. Besides the concerns raised in Iowa, a recent New York Times investigation reported evidence of inadequate medical care for detained immigrants. Sixty-six immigrants died in detention from January 2004 to November 2007, according to federal data obtained by the Times.

As ICE continues large-scale raids, detainees must be treated fairly. As a country, we can't figure out how to reform our broken immigration system, but we do know where we stand on civil liberties -- they need to be protected, whether a person resides here legally or not.

The Iowa raid also highlights the weak penalties against employers who hire and exploit illegal immigrants. Workers at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville, Iowa, according to a suit filed last week, were assessed $50 immigration fees in their paychecks, not paid overtime and denied bathroom breaks. Eighteen may have been minors.

The Times investigation can be found here. And for a more forceful criticism of the immigration enforcement system in the U.S., read the response to the Iowa raid released by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

After a 24-hour prayer vigil at a local Catholic church, hundreds of immigrant rights supporters carrying signs that read "The Minutemen Are Not Welcome" and "The New KKK" gathered on the four corners of Depaul University's campus last night to protest what activists were calling a hate speech from Minuteman Civil Defense Corps President Chris Simcox. Despite a warning from Minutemen Illinois Director Rosanna Pulido that the Chicago Police Department's armory of machine guns "may come in handy," no violence was reported and the presentation was not interrupted.

Representing what Nicholas Hahn, president of the DePaul Conservative Alliance, called "the conservative opinion on the issue of legal immigration," Simcox delivered his remarks to 200 students. He said the controversy surrounding his visit was "part of the agenda of the open borders lobby" and not a reaction to his organization's legally questionable detention tactics. Professor of religious studies Charles Strain gave a dissenting viewpoint. ABC 7 News reported that he "said he wanted to make it clear to the audience that Simcox's ideas directly contradict the core values of Depaul University and, in fact, called the Minutemen a detriment of solving the problem of immigration reform."

Speaking to WLS Radio's Don and Roma this morning, Minutemen Illinois Director Rosanna Pulido had an unsettling suggestion for Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis:

“With the violence I've seen at these other [events] brought on by all of these [immigrant rights] groups that are coming to protest, I would like to see Mr. Jody Weis and all the new AK-47s that he had purchased for him by the Mayor, I think he may want to bring them down to DePaul tonight, because from what I've seen from past practices with these groups, they may come in handy. “

Which violent protesters was she concerned about? Apparently, members of Chicago's immigrant rights community who are displeased with the DePaul University Conservative Alliance's decision to bring controversial Minuteman Civil Defense Corps President Chris Simcox on campus for a speech tonight. A coalition of local organizations have vowed to pray for the speaker but not to interrupt his presentation. Yesterday, they met for an outdoor mass before they walked to DePaul to camp out overnight in anticipation of the event.

Frightening stuff.

Enrique Morones, founder of the group Border Angels and a participant in the expected protest, told Chicago's CBS affiliate that "it's so wrong for DePaul University to allow somebody that promotes and practices hate and gets people fired up to go out there and commit violent acts, to speak at the school."

On WLS, Pulido defended the practices of the Minutemen, telling Don and Roma that its members simply "observe and report." But this 2003 Salon profile of Simcox and his organization's practices suggests an organization with ties to white nationalists that boasts a record of inhumanely detaining Mexicans while increasing a climate of intolerance in the border states.

Today the Illinois House unanimously approved HB 2747, a bill that ensures that prisoners detained for immigration violations can be visited by religious officials. According to a press release from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), the bill had the support of over 60 religious institutions and leaders. ICIRR also emphasizes that visitation rights could become a growing issue as immigration raids increase:

Raids and deportations are escalating rapidly throughout the country, requiring more space to house immigration detainees. Many of these detainees are seeking asylum and are being detained while awaiting their day in court. Others are there solely for lacking immigration status, without having been charged with any crime. "Immigrants are suffering after being separated from their families and communities, with very limited access to spiritual counseling," said Rep. [Julie] Hamos [(D-Evanston)]. "Enabling religious workers to visit and pray with these immigrants is a basic but compassionate improvement in the conditions that they face."

Back in April, ICIRR brought over 100 new immigrants to Springfield to lobby in favor of this measure and other immigration-related legislation.

The bill now moves to the Senate where it is sponsored by Sens. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) and Iris Martinez (D-Chicago).