Thursday, March 28, 2024

Racial Profiling of Latino Immigrants and Its Effects on Families

According to a study by Andrea Gómez Cervantes, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Kansas, the intersection between legal status and race can make the experiences of illegality different for Latino indigenous versus non-indigenous groups. Immigration policies focused on racial profiling and criminalization of Latinos in the United States have direct implications […]

Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant Law Backfires, Creating a New Civil Rights Movement

Alabama’s show-me-your-papers law, HB56, threatens to turn the clock back to a time when hardworking men and women were persecuted because of the color of their skin. The law legitimizes racial profiling, terrorizes people of color throughout the state, frightens children, and harms the state’s economy. Sound familiar? Alabama’s past — post emancipation years characterized […]

Mississippi State Senate passes Arizona-style Immigration Law

On Tuesday, Mississippi followed in the steps of Arizona when the state Senate passed a measure that would allow law enforcement officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws if there is reason to suspect that they are in the country illegally. As previously reported in La Plaza, Bill Chandler, the director […]

Anti-Immigrant Republican will not Chair Subcommittee on Immigration

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) was expected to become the chair of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee but was instead passed over for the role by the new Republican House leadership. As previously reported by La Plaza, Somos Republicans, a group of Hispanic Republicans that was organized in response to Arizona’s SB 1070, strongly opposed his […]

Intern that Offered Aid to Rep. Giffords Could be Asked for Papers under Arizona Immigration Law

Being lauded as a hero for offering aid that potentially saved Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ life, the young intern who rushed to her aid, Daniel Hernandez, could have been asked to turn over his papers under Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB 1070. Signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer last spring, the law requires that law […]

Colorado to Participate in Secure Communities Program

Gov. Bill Ritter took a controversial step in the last days of his governorship yesterday when he announced Colorado will participate in the federal background check program meant to target undocumented immigrants with criminal records for deportation. Yesterday, La Plaza reported that Ritter was seeking to get Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to agree […]

Federal Judge Rejects Challenge to SB 1070

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton dismissed a lawsuit filed against Arizona’s anti-immigrant law by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The basis of LULAC’s lawsuit filed in July rested on training materials given to law enforcement officers throughout Arizona.  The civil rights group claimed the materials promoted racial profiling. Bolton also […]

Prisons in Tennessee Could Benefit from GOP’s Proposal for Arizona-style Immigration Law

Republicans in Tennessee want to copy Arizona’s controversial anti-immigrant law next year, which critics say would benefit one private prison company that has made significant contributions to conservative lawmakers backing the law. The tough immigration law will be a top item on the new Republican-dominated legislature’s agenda.  State Sen. Bill Ketron (R) says he will […]

Latino Republican Group Calls for GOP Leadership Not to Appoint Smith and King to Oversee Immigration Legislation

Somos Republicans, a group of Hispanic Republicans that was organized in response to Arizona’s SB 1070, is taking on its party’s Congressional leadership and urging them not to appoint Reps. Lamar Smith (TX) and Steven King (IA) to positions where they will oversee immigration legislation. DeeDee Blase, an Arizona Latina, is the founder of the […]

Panel to Hear AZ Appeal over Judge’s Ruling Includes Two Hispanic Judges

Two of the three judges that will hear the appeal by the state of Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer of a judge’s ruling which declared parts of the state’s controversial anti-immigrant law unconstitutional, are Hispanic. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit announced the names of the three judges, Richard Paez, Carlos Bea […]