By Saket Soni, The Hill
August 8, 2015
What’s it like being a guestworker for Donald Trump?
I don’t know firsthand. But as director of the National Guestworker Alliance, I’ve met and organized thousands of guestworkers in the same federal visa programs Trump used to apply for over 1,000 foreign workers for his companies since 2000. So I’ve got some pretty good guesses.
If Trump’s guestworkers are like the overwhelming majority of workers in the H-2A, H-2B, and H-1B programs, they were lured by recruiters in their home countries who promised them steady work, good pay, and the chance to provide for their families.
Maybe they’d heard stories from friends and relatives who’d gone to the U.S. as guestworkers with high hopes, only to face brutal conditions, stolen wages, threats of physical violence by bosses, sexual harassment and even assault.
But they must have decided it was worth the risk—likely because the prospects at home were even grimmer. Many guestworkers, especially in the H-2A and H-2B programs, come from areas wracked by economic desperation and violence, such as Mexico’s Sinaloa region, home to the drug cartel that U.S. authorities call the most dangerous in the world.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.guestworkeralliance.org/2015/08/life-as-donald-trumps-guestworker/
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
US failing kids fleeing Central America
By Philippa Garson, IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks)
July 17, 2015
NEW YORK, 17 July 2015 (IRIN) - Fleeing gang violence in his hometown near San Pedro Sulas in Honduras, 14-year-old Gredys Alexander Hernández tried to reach safety in the United States, only to be intercepted in Mexico and sent back. Two days later, just as he was about to re-attempt the journey, masked gangsters burst into his house and shot him dead.
Honduran police say Hernández was murdered because he had witnessed gangsters killing his sister’s boyfriend. The authorities in Honduras say he failed to tell staff at the migrant processing centre there that his life would be in danger if he was sent home.
Hernández’s story illustrates how mechanisms put in place to stop an unprecedented influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America to the southern US border – which peaked last summer – are failing scores of children fleeing violence in their native countries.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.irinnews.org/report/101762/us-failing-kids-fleeing-central-america
July 17, 2015
NEW YORK, 17 July 2015 (IRIN) - Fleeing gang violence in his hometown near San Pedro Sulas in Honduras, 14-year-old Gredys Alexander Hernández tried to reach safety in the United States, only to be intercepted in Mexico and sent back. Two days later, just as he was about to re-attempt the journey, masked gangsters burst into his house and shot him dead.
Honduran police say Hernández was murdered because he had witnessed gangsters killing his sister’s boyfriend. The authorities in Honduras say he failed to tell staff at the migrant processing centre there that his life would be in danger if he was sent home.
Hernández’s story illustrates how mechanisms put in place to stop an unprecedented influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America to the southern US border – which peaked last summer – are failing scores of children fleeing violence in their native countries.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.irinnews.org/report/101762/us-failing-kids-fleeing-central-america
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Media Run With Discredited Nativist Group's Research To Claim More Than Half Of Immigrant Households Receive "Welfare"
More Questionable Research From the SPLC-Labeled Nativist Group, the Center tor Immigration Studies
Craig Harrington and Cristina Lopez, Media Matters
September 3, 2015
Numerous conservative media outlets are parroting the misleading conclusions of a September 2015 report by an anti-immigrant nativist group, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which claims that "immigrant households use welfare at significantly higher rates than native households." Like previous flawed CIS studies, these findings have been called into question by immigration experts for failing to account for the economic hardship of some immigrant families, lumping American-born beneficiaries into "immigrant household" categorizations, and conflating numerous anti-poverty programs with so-called "welfare."[...]
Read the full article:
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/09/03/media-run-with-discredited-nativist-groups-rese/205368
Craig Harrington and Cristina Lopez, Media Matters
September 3, 2015
Numerous conservative media outlets are parroting the misleading conclusions of a September 2015 report by an anti-immigrant nativist group, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which claims that "immigrant households use welfare at significantly higher rates than native households." Like previous flawed CIS studies, these findings have been called into question by immigration experts for failing to account for the economic hardship of some immigrant families, lumping American-born beneficiaries into "immigrant household" categorizations, and conflating numerous anti-poverty programs with so-called "welfare."[...]
Read the full article:
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/09/03/media-run-with-discredited-nativist-groups-rese/205368
Friday, September 11, 2015
Report: The Educational, Psychological, and Social Impact of Discrimination on the Immigrant Child
By Christia Spears Brown, Migration Policy Institute
September 2015
The past 15 years have seen a surge in research examining how and when the children of immigrants experience discrimination, and what the psychological and educational consequences are. Discrimination—simply defined as harmful actions toward others because of their ethnicity, nationality, language ability and accent, or immigration status—may take place at an institutional or individual level, and can have considerable consequences for the developmental outcomes of young children.
Experiencing discrimination can provoke stress responses similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who experience discrimination from their teachers are more likely to have negative attitudes about school and lower academic motivation and performance, and are at increased risk of dropping out of high school. In fact, experiences of teacher discrimination shape children’s attitudes about their academic abilities above and beyond their past academic performance. Even when controlling for their actual performance, children who experience discrimination from teachers feel worse about their academic abilities and are less likely to feel they belong at school, when compared against students who do not experience discrimination.
This report focuses on incidents of direct discrimination, as perceived and noticed by the child—incidents with identifiable educational, psychological, physical, and social repercussions. While discrimination can be difficult to counteract, the report also presents a number of recommendations on how to prevent these negative interactions, through anti-bullying policies, communicating effectively with immigrant families, and carefully evaluating services targeting immigrant children.
Download the report:
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/educational-psychological-and-social-impact-discrimination-immigrant-child
September 2015
The past 15 years have seen a surge in research examining how and when the children of immigrants experience discrimination, and what the psychological and educational consequences are. Discrimination—simply defined as harmful actions toward others because of their ethnicity, nationality, language ability and accent, or immigration status—may take place at an institutional or individual level, and can have considerable consequences for the developmental outcomes of young children.
Experiencing discrimination can provoke stress responses similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who experience discrimination from their teachers are more likely to have negative attitudes about school and lower academic motivation and performance, and are at increased risk of dropping out of high school. In fact, experiences of teacher discrimination shape children’s attitudes about their academic abilities above and beyond their past academic performance. Even when controlling for their actual performance, children who experience discrimination from teachers feel worse about their academic abilities and are less likely to feel they belong at school, when compared against students who do not experience discrimination.
This report focuses on incidents of direct discrimination, as perceived and noticed by the child—incidents with identifiable educational, psychological, physical, and social repercussions. While discrimination can be difficult to counteract, the report also presents a number of recommendations on how to prevent these negative interactions, through anti-bullying policies, communicating effectively with immigrant families, and carefully evaluating services targeting immigrant children.
Download the report:
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/educational-psychological-and-social-impact-discrimination-immigrant-child
Thursday, September 10, 2015
¿Refugiados?/Refugees?
¿Refugiados?
Por Elvira Arellano, Sanctuary Movement
9 de Septiembre, 2015
(English version follows below)
Esta semana las noticias han estado repletas con fotos de los decenas de miles de refugiados que pretendan llegar desde Irak y Siria a los países ricos de Europa. Las historias de los viajes peligrosos sobre 30 kilómetros del mar incluyen reportes de la muerte de niños jóvenes. En general los gobiernos europeos parecen simpatizar hasta cierto punto más allá del enfrentamiento inicial en Hungría. Estos mismos gobiernos, no obstante, han dejado bien claro que solo aceptarán admitir cierto número de refugiados. Pero aun con esos límites, los movimientos derechistas en Europa se están movilizando.
Me parece interesante que nuestro propio gobierno ha hecho caso omiso a los llamamientos de aceptar algunos de los refugiados. Me acuerdo que hace apenas unos cuantos meses los republicanos insistían que la administración de presidente Obama rechazara los miles de niños hondureños y guatemaltecos que se presentaban en la frontera sureña de los Estados Unidos.[...]
Refugees?
By Elvira Arellano, Sanctuary Movement
September 9, 2015
This week the news has been filled pictures of tens of thousands of refugees attempting to make their way from Iraq and Syria to the wealthy countries of Europe. The reports of the dangerous journey over twenty miles of a turbulent sea included reports of the deaths of young children. In general, the governments of Europe have seemed sympathetic after the initial stand-off in Hungary. These same governments have also made it clear that they will only accept a limited number. Even with these limits the right wing anti-immigrant movements throughout Europe are already mobilizing.
I find it interesting that calls on the United States to take some of the refugees have mostly fallen on deaf ears in the government. I recall that only a few months ago how the Republicans demanded that the Obama Administration turn back thousands of Honduran and Guatemalan children who were presenting themselves at the southern border.[...]
Read the full article:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/sanctuarymovement/dVIoRdRRA4I
Por Elvira Arellano, Sanctuary Movement
9 de Septiembre, 2015
(English version follows below)
Esta semana las noticias han estado repletas con fotos de los decenas de miles de refugiados que pretendan llegar desde Irak y Siria a los países ricos de Europa. Las historias de los viajes peligrosos sobre 30 kilómetros del mar incluyen reportes de la muerte de niños jóvenes. En general los gobiernos europeos parecen simpatizar hasta cierto punto más allá del enfrentamiento inicial en Hungría. Estos mismos gobiernos, no obstante, han dejado bien claro que solo aceptarán admitir cierto número de refugiados. Pero aun con esos límites, los movimientos derechistas en Europa se están movilizando.
Me parece interesante que nuestro propio gobierno ha hecho caso omiso a los llamamientos de aceptar algunos de los refugiados. Me acuerdo que hace apenas unos cuantos meses los republicanos insistían que la administración de presidente Obama rechazara los miles de niños hondureños y guatemaltecos que se presentaban en la frontera sureña de los Estados Unidos.[...]
Refugees?
By Elvira Arellano, Sanctuary Movement
September 9, 2015
This week the news has been filled pictures of tens of thousands of refugees attempting to make their way from Iraq and Syria to the wealthy countries of Europe. The reports of the dangerous journey over twenty miles of a turbulent sea included reports of the deaths of young children. In general, the governments of Europe have seemed sympathetic after the initial stand-off in Hungary. These same governments have also made it clear that they will only accept a limited number. Even with these limits the right wing anti-immigrant movements throughout Europe are already mobilizing.
I find it interesting that calls on the United States to take some of the refugees have mostly fallen on deaf ears in the government. I recall that only a few months ago how the Republicans demanded that the Obama Administration turn back thousands of Honduran and Guatemalan children who were presenting themselves at the southern border.[...]
Read the full article:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/sanctuarymovement/dVIoRdRRA4I
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Evidence suggests that amnesty for undocumented immigrants in 1986 significantly reduced crime in the US
Scott Baker, London School of Economics Blog
August 27, 2015
In 2015, the role of undocumented immigrants in US society has become much more prominent, with many arguing for a full amnesty for the 11 million currently in the country. In new research, Scott R. Baker finds that a 1986 amnesty for nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants led to a 3-5 percent persistent fall in crime. He writes that this fall in crime is linked to the much improved labor market prospects of previously undocumented immigrants, which led to a decreased motivation to commit crimes for economic gain.
Beginning in the late 1970’s, rates of undocumented immigration into the United States began to increase dramatically. Fearing negative labor market and social effects, Congress passed the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). The primary purpose of the bill was to enhance controls on the hiring and recruiting of undocumented immigrants. However, the legislation also represented a near-universal legalization of undocumented immigrants in the United States, a group comprising almost 3 million people, about 1 percent of the nation’s population.
This widespread legalization drove a persistent decline in crime of approximately 3-5 percent, equivalent to 120,000-180,000 fewer crimes committed each year across the nation, primary due to a large fall in property crimes. This decline cannot be explained by pre-existing trends, economic conditions, declines in drug crimes, changes to police forces and prison populations, or other common explanations of changes in crime rates during this period.[...]
Read the full article:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2015/08/27/evidence-suggests-that-amnesty-for-undocumented-immigrants-in-1986-significantly-reduced-crime-in-the-us/
August 27, 2015
In 2015, the role of undocumented immigrants in US society has become much more prominent, with many arguing for a full amnesty for the 11 million currently in the country. In new research, Scott R. Baker finds that a 1986 amnesty for nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants led to a 3-5 percent persistent fall in crime. He writes that this fall in crime is linked to the much improved labor market prospects of previously undocumented immigrants, which led to a decreased motivation to commit crimes for economic gain.
Beginning in the late 1970’s, rates of undocumented immigration into the United States began to increase dramatically. Fearing negative labor market and social effects, Congress passed the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). The primary purpose of the bill was to enhance controls on the hiring and recruiting of undocumented immigrants. However, the legislation also represented a near-universal legalization of undocumented immigrants in the United States, a group comprising almost 3 million people, about 1 percent of the nation’s population.
This widespread legalization drove a persistent decline in crime of approximately 3-5 percent, equivalent to 120,000-180,000 fewer crimes committed each year across the nation, primary due to a large fall in property crimes. This decline cannot be explained by pre-existing trends, economic conditions, declines in drug crimes, changes to police forces and prison populations, or other common explanations of changes in crime rates during this period.[...]
Read the full article:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2015/08/27/evidence-suggests-that-amnesty-for-undocumented-immigrants-in-1986-significantly-reduced-crime-in-the-us/
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
The Pacific Coast Farm-Worker Rebellion
From Baja California to Washington State, indigenous farm workers are standing up for their rights.
By David Bacon, The Nation
August 28, 2015
A burned-out concrete blockhouse—the former police station—squats on one side of the only divided street in Vicente Guerrero, half a mile from Baja California’s transpeninsular highway. Just across the street lies the barrio of Nuevo (New) San Juan Copala, one of the first settlements of migrant farm workers here in the San Quintín Valley, named after their hometown in Oaxaca.
Behind the charred stationhouse another road leads into the desert, to a newer barrio, Lomas de San Ramón. Here, on May 9, the cops descended in force, allegedly because a group of strikers were blocking a gate at a local farm. A brutal branch of the Mexican police did more than lift the blockade, though. Shooting rubber bullets at people fleeing down the dirt streets, they stormed into homes and beat residents.
By then a farm-labor strike here was already two months old. Some leaders say provocateurs threw rocks and egged on a confrontation, but the beatings undeniably set off smoldering rage in the Lomas and Copala barrios. In addition, a government official who’d agreed to negotiate had failed to show up to talk with strike leaders.
By the end of the day, the police headquarters was a burned-out shell.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-pacific-coast-farm-worker-rebellion/
By David Bacon, The Nation
August 28, 2015
A burned-out concrete blockhouse—the former police station—squats on one side of the only divided street in Vicente Guerrero, half a mile from Baja California’s transpeninsular highway. Just across the street lies the barrio of Nuevo (New) San Juan Copala, one of the first settlements of migrant farm workers here in the San Quintín Valley, named after their hometown in Oaxaca.
Behind the charred stationhouse another road leads into the desert, to a newer barrio, Lomas de San Ramón. Here, on May 9, the cops descended in force, allegedly because a group of strikers were blocking a gate at a local farm. A brutal branch of the Mexican police did more than lift the blockade, though. Shooting rubber bullets at people fleeing down the dirt streets, they stormed into homes and beat residents.
By then a farm-labor strike here was already two months old. Some leaders say provocateurs threw rocks and egged on a confrontation, but the beatings undeniably set off smoldering rage in the Lomas and Copala barrios. In addition, a government official who’d agreed to negotiate had failed to show up to talk with strike leaders.
By the end of the day, the police headquarters was a burned-out shell.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-pacific-coast-farm-worker-rebellion/
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