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Community Policing and Response to Secure Communities

Explaining the Latest Federal Ruling on SB 1070: A Mixed Decision

Suman Raghunathan on September 11, 2012 - 5:31pm

Last week, a federal district court in Phoenix issued a mixed ruling on Arizona’s anti-immigrant SB 1070. Immigrant communities declared partial victory with Judge Susan Bolton's decision to strike down the portion of the law that makes it a crime to drive, live with, or engage in everyday activities with an undocumented individual. This means Arizonans of good faith who interact with or provide spiritual support to an undocumented friend or neighbor no longer have to worry about getting slapped with criminal penalties or arrest. Several SB 1070 copycats — including laws in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina — feature similar provisions which have also been blocked by federal courts.

California Senate Passes "Anti-Arizona" TRUST Act, Moves Conversation on Smart Immigration Enforcement Forward

Alvin Melathe on July 6, 2012 - 6:41pm

Yesterday afternoon, the California State Senate affirmed their state’s commitment to smart and cost-effective immigration enforcement by passing the TRUST Act (AB 1081) by a 21-13 vote. The bill’s focus on maintaining trust with community members statewide by prioritizing violent and serious criminals instead of casting a wide, expensive, and counter-productive dragnet has spurred many to call it the “anti-Arizona.” Introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, a member of PSN’s affiliated State Legislators for Progressive Immigration Policy, the legislation seeks to clarify the relationship between local jurisdictions and the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities (S-Comm) program.

DISPATCH: White House Announces Changes to S-Comm, Privatization Leads to Job Loss and Vote By Mail Program Restricted

PSN on August 25, 2011 - 2:26pm

White House Announces Changes to S-Comm Program In Response to Pressure from Activists and State Legislators

Suman Raghunathan on August 25, 2011 - 2:26pm

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced major changes to its signature (and  maligned) immigration enforcement program, Secure Communities - promising to review pending immigration  deportation cases based on newly-reinforced guidelines that prioritize deporting immigrants who commit violent crimes.  The proposed changes  provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with guidance to consider factors such as whether an undocumented young person would be eligible for the federal DREAM Act; the severity of the misdemeanor or offense the undocumented individual allegedly committed; and whether or not the immigrant in question has close family members who are legal permanent residents or US citizens. State legislators  and immigrant rights activists, who have long been calling for an end to the program, applauded the announcement while continuing to ask the program be dismantled and reiterating their support for comprehensive immigration reform from Washington.   

PSN 2011 Workers’ Rights Roundup: States Fight Back Against Unprecedented Attacks on Workers

PSN on August 18, 2011 - 1:12pm

Research Roundup: Ballot Measure Report Card, ICE's Failed Initiative, Affordable Coverage and More

PSN on August 18, 2011 - 1:11pm

In this week’s PSN Research Roundup: Reports from HealthCare.gov on recent federal actions to ensure seamless access to affordable health coverage under state-based exchanges, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and National Community Advisory on recommendations for dealing with the failed “Secure Communities” immigration enforcement program, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center on ways states can protect their ballot initiative processes from fraud, Gallup on the economic mood

DHS Reverses Course, Mandates State Participation In Costly, Ineffective “Secure Communities” Program

Suman Raghunathan on August 11, 2011 - 2:07pm

Last week, the United States Department of Homeland Security issued  a decision stating their intention to mandate that states participate in the controversial, ineffective, and costly “Secure Communities” immigration enforcement program. This decision generated confusion and controversy given that the Secure Communities program had previously been described by DHS officials as a voluntary option for states. The announcement last Friday afternoon, which came as a surprise to many advocates, immediately invalidated the roughly 40 agreements that DHS had entered into with individual states or localities regarding their implementation of the program – agreements which the department once argued were required, but which are they now claim are unnecessary.

PSN 2011 Immigration Roundup: AZ Copycat Bills Fail, Common-Sense Policies Advance, and State Economies Hang in Balance

PSN on July 28, 2011 - 2:29pm

PSN 2011 Immigration Roundup: AZ Copycat Bills Fail, Common-Sense Policies Advance, State Economies Hang in Balance

Suman Raghunathan on July 28, 2011 - 2:21pm

As comprehensive immigration reform remained stalled in Washington, D.C. in the first half of 2011, common-sense state legislators across the nation took up the fight in their legislative sessions, defeating expensive and misguided enforcement bills that targeted undocumented immigrants and their families. Despite the deluge of SB 1070 copycat bills promised by anti-immigrant groups, attempts to mimic Arizona’s anti-immigrant law largely failed, as did a far-right effort to rewrite the U.S. Constitution by revoking citizenship for children born in the United States. Encouragingly, state legislative sessions saw a wide variety of innovative and common-sense proposals that sought to expand opportunity for all residents, both immigrant and native-born, through approaches emphasizing access to education, workforce development, and community policing.