<\/div>\r\n <\/td>\r\n
\r\n February 2006 \r\n National Immigrant <\/b><\/p>\r\n Solidarity Network \r\n Monthly Digest <\/b> <\/p>\r\n National Immigrant Solidarity Network
\r\n URL: http:\/\/www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
\r\n e-mail: Info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org<\/b><\/p>\r\n No Immigrant Bashing! Support \r\n Immigrant Rights!<\/b>
\r\n <\/p>\r\n New York: (212)330-8172
\r\n Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
\r\n Washington D.C.: (202)544-9355<\/b><\/p>\r\n <\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/table>\r\n February 2006 U.S. Immigrant \r\n Alert! Newsletter
\r\n <\/b><\/p>\r\n Published by \r\n National Immigrant Solidarity Network
\r\n <\/b><\/p>\r\n URL: http:\/\/www.immigrantsolidarity.org\/Newsletter\/Feb06.pdf \r\n
\r\n [Requires Adobe Acrobat, to download, go: http:\/\/www.adobe.com]<\/b> \r\n <\/b><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Take Actions \r\n To Defeat Anti-Immigrant Sensenbrenner-King bill!
\r\n
\r\n <\/b><\/p>\r\n In This Issue:<\/b><\/p>\r\n 1. Defeat Sensenbrenner-King Bill! (Pg 1)
\r\n 2. Minutemen Watch (Pg 2)
\r\n 3. Immigration News (Pg 5)
\r\n 4. Feb-March Major Immigrant Events (Pg 6)
\r\n 5. Katrina Resources (Pg 6)
\r\n 6. Hate e-mails against NISN (Pg 7)<\/b><\/p>\r\n Although the U.S. House had passed the anti-immigrant H.R. 4437 -- the \r\n \"Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control \r\n Act of 2005\" by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, \r\n Jr. (R-Wis.) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King \r\n (R-N.Y.) last December. It doesn't mean we lost our battle. While the \r\n House vision of the Bill has passed, we still can mount a strong opposition \r\n against the upcoming Senate version, which will be introduced and debated \r\n sometime in February, 2006.
\r\n
\r\n Now that we have finished the holiday season, we should gear up our fighting \r\n spirit to build multi-ethnic community actions against the final passage \r\n of the Senate bill early this year!
\r\n
\r\n Suggest Community Actions<\/b>
\r\n
\r\n • Call your U.S. Senate members, ask them not to support the bill.
\r\n
\r\n • Community dialogue\/town hall meeting to educate the people the \r\n facts behind the bill, and to build a community alliance to oppose it.
\r\n
\r\n • Grassroots campaign to push city resolution to against the bill \r\n (For example, Los Angeles has done a great job pushing the city resolution.<\/p>\r\n Petition to the Los Angeles City Council
\r\n January 2006<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\r\n WHEREAS, on December 16, 2005 the House of Representatives passed Bill \r\n H.R. 4437 introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) which would allow \r\n felony prosecution of anyone who resides in the United States without \r\n authorization, or anyone who assists them, including, their spouses, relatives, \r\n friends, churches, schools, hospitals, employers and community based organizations;
\r\n
\r\n WHEREAS, in the last few weeks, anti-immigrant sentiments have resulted \r\n in actions that generate fear and insecurity in our communities, such \r\n as, the ordinance passed by the City of Costa Mesa, which authorizes the \r\n police to act as Federal Agents for the purpose of implementing immigration \r\n laws. This situation creates unsafe conditions for all Angelinos.
\r\n THEREFORE, the undersigned, request the Los Angeles City Council to:
\r\n
\r\n 1. Declare its opposition to H.R. 4437 and to request California Senators, \r\n Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to oppose H.R. 4437 and to work for \r\n comprehensive immigration reform that would lead to permanent residence \r\n and citizenship; and
\r\n
\r\n 2. Reaffirm its support for Special Order 40, which prohibits questioning, \r\n detaining or interrogating persons solely because of suspected undocumented \r\n immigration status. <\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Please Visit Our New Minutemen \r\n Watch Home Page!<\/b>
\r\n
\r\n http:\/\/www.MinutemenWatch.net<\/b><\/p>\r\n New! Useful Resource Page
\r\n
\r\n http:\/\/www.immigrantsolidarity.org\/resource.htm <\/b> \r\n <\/b><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Please subscribe to \r\n the US Immigration Alert!<\/b>
\r\n A Monthly Newsletter from National Immigrant Solidarity Network
\r\n 1 year subscription rate (12 issues) is $35.00
\r\n It will help us pay for the printing costs, as well as funding for the \r\n ISN projects (additional donations to the ISN is tax deductible!)
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\r\n ActionLA \/ The Peace Center 8124 West 3rd Street,
\r\n
\r\n Suite 104 Los Angeles, California 90048<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n First National Study of Day Laborers Exposes Abuse, Injuries<\/b> \r\n Center for the Study of Urban Poverty
\r\n January 23, 2006
\r\n URL: http:\/\/www.sscnet.ucla.edu\/issr\/csup\/index.php<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\r\n They attend church, raise children and participate in community activities \r\n and institutions. Yet, when America's day laborers go to work, they have \r\n experiences that would shock any other upstanding community member: police \r\n harassment, violence at the hands of employers, withheld wages and conditions \r\n so dangerous that is not unusual for them to be sidelined for more than \r\n a month with work-related injuries or to work for weeks on end in pain.<\/p>\r\n
This is the vivid portrait painted by the first nationwide study of America's \r\n 117,600 day laborers. Orchestrated by social scientists from UCLA, the \r\n University of Illinois at Chicago and New York's New School University, \r\n \"On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States\" presents findings \r\n from a survey of 264 hiring sites in 143 municipalities in 20 U.S. states \r\n and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\r\n \"The goal was to document a population that, though quite visible \r\n on the corners of U.S. cities, is poorly understood by the public and \r\n by policy makers,\" said Nik Theodore, an assistant professor in the \r\n Urban Planning and Policy Program at the University of Illinois, Chicago, \r\n and one of the study's three lead authors. \"We hope to inform policy \r\n debates so that decision-makers can devise thoughtful and effective strategies \r\n for resolving many of the problems that day laborers face.\"<\/p>\r\n Three years in the making, the report includes the first-ever national \r\n count of U.S. day laborers, little-known characteristics of these workers' \r\n backgrounds and troubling aspects of their working conditions across five \r\n U.S. regions: the West, Midwest, Southwest, South and East.<\/p>\r\n \"Day labor has been thrust into the public consciousness, but we're \r\n concerned that the debate has gone on without an understanding of what \r\n gives rise to the phenomenon or what the many downsides are to work in \r\n this field,\" said Abel Valenzuela, a UCLA social scientist and study \r\n coauthor.<\/p>\r\n Among the findings:<\/p>\r\n \r\n - Once contained to ports-of-entry cities along the East and West coasts, \r\n day labor is now a nationwide phenomenon, spilling into small and rural \r\n towns throughout America, including the South and Midwest.<\/li>\r\n
- Day labor may be widespread, but the total count of these workers \r\n is actually onetenth to one-20th the size bandied about by anti-immigration \r\n forces.<\/li>\r\n
- Wage theft is the most common abuse suffered by day laborers, with \r\n nearly half of all workers having been denied payment in the two months \r\n prior to the survey.<\/li>\r\n
- Just over three-quarters of day laborers are undocumented immigrants, \r\n meaning that the share of American citizens working in day labor is \r\n much higher than commonly supposed and that day laborers account for \r\n only a small fraction of the estimated 7- to 11-million undocumented \r\n immigrants in America today.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n
Valenzuela, Theodore and New School economist Edwin Meléndez directed \r\n teams of surveyors during July and August 2004 as they interviewed 2,660 \r\n randomly selected day laborers at 264 hiring sites across the nation. \r\n <\/p>\r\n Interviewers asked about the workers' educational backgrounds, family \r\n lives, occupational histories and experiences as day laborers, including \r\n injuries sustained on the job and the nature and frequency of abuse at \r\n the hands of employers, merchants, police and security guards.<\/p>\r\n Using statistical methods pioneered by researchers of another shifting \r\n and hard-to-quantify American population -- the homeless -- Theodore, \r\n Valenzuela and Meléndez were able to create a statistically valid \r\n snapshot of day labor in America today, a portrait previously considered \r\n too difficult to capture.<\/p>\r\n Many day laborers turned out to be family men. A significant number are \r\n married (36 percent) or living with a partner (7 percent), and almost \r\n two-thirds have children. Furthermore, many are engaged in community activities. \r\n More than half regularly attend church, one-fifth are involved in sports \r\n clubs and more than one-quarter participated in community worker centers. \r\n Many (40 percent) have been in the United States for more than six years.<\/p>\r\n \"These guys proved to be much more active and ensconced members \r\n of their communities than commonly supposed,\" said Valenzuela, a \r\n UCLA associate professor of urban planning and Chicana\/o studies and director \r\n of UCLA's Center for the Study of Urban Poverty.<\/p>\r\n The researchers say that the prevalence of abuse proved to be the most \r\n defining characteristic of the market. In the two months leading up to \r\n the survey, 44 percent of day laborers were denied food, water and breaks; \r\n 32 percent worked more hours than initially agreed to with the employer; \r\n 28 percent were insulted or threatened by the employer; and 27 percent \r\n were abandoned at the worksite by an employer.<\/p>\r\n \"Coming into the study, we knew that the low-wage market is rife \r\n with violations of basic labor standards, but we still found the statistics \r\n shocking and disturbing,\" said Theodore, who also is the director \r\n of UIC's Center for Urban Economic Development.<\/p>\r\n Day laborers suffered violence at the hands of employers, fellow day \r\n laborers and bands of youths who see easy marks in the workers who are \r\n paid in cash for a day's work.<\/p>\r\n \"I don't know of any other occupation so susceptible to so many \r\n abuses,\" Valenzuela said.<\/p>\r\n Injuries were also common. In the year leading up to the study, 20 percent \r\n of day laborers were injured on the job, and of those two-thirds missed \r\n work as a result. In fact, accidents sidelined injured workers for an \r\n average of 33 days and caused them to work in pain for an average of 20 \r\n days.More than half did not receive the medical care they needed for the \r\n injury, either because the worker could not afford health care or the \r\n employer refused to cover the worker under the company's workers' compensation \r\n insurance.<\/p>\r\n The Midwest displayed the highest rates of abuse in almost every category. \r\n Also with the highest overall injury rate, the region's laborers were \r\n the most likely to face physical risk. A whopping 92 percent said they \r\n considered their work to be dangerous.<\/p>\r\n \"The dangers and injuries in the Midwest may have to do with the \r\n fact that roofing jobs are undertaken at significantly higher rates than \r\n in the other regions,\" Theodore said.<\/p>\r\n Anti-immigration forces have portrayed illegal immigration as the driving \r\n force behind day labor. But the researchers found a market fueled by a \r\n growing zeal for home improvement and by employers under pressure to cut \r\n wages and benefits. The report characterizes the market as \"employer-driven\" \r\n with more than two-thirds of day laborers hired repeatedly by the same \r\n employers, including contractors in the building and landscaping trades.<\/p>\r\n The researchers call for greater worker protections, better monitoring \r\n of safety conditions and increased access to legal services to adjudicate \r\n workers' rights violations.<\/p>\r\n \"Many day laborers believe that avenues for enforcement of labor \r\n and employment laws are effectively closed to them,\" Valenzuela said. \r\n \"This belief is reinforced by the general climate of hostility that \r\n exists toward day laborers in many parts of the country.\"<\/p>\r\n The researchers also advocate support for strategies that can help day \r\n laborers make the transition from the informal economy into better jobs \r\n and what the report calls realistic immigration reform, including the \r\n normalizing of the immigration status of undocumented workers.<\/p>\r\n \"Employers are often able to deter workers from contesting labor \r\n violations by threatening to turn them over to federal immigration authorities,\" \r\n Theodore said. \"Even when employers do not make these threats overtly, \r\n day laborers, mindful of their undocumented status, are reluctant to seek \r\n recourse through government channels. We want to change that.\"<\/p>\r\n A complete copy of \"On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States\" \r\n can be found in the Publications section of this website. <\/p>\r\n Download the Full Report: On \r\n The Corner: Day Labor in the United States<\/b><\/p>\r\n
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<\/p>\r\n <\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"Info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org","link":"http:\/\/www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org","address":"Los Angeles, CA USA","phone":"(213)403-0131","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!","numcomment":1,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2006\/02\/146087.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":146224,"heading":"About Mexican Immigration","article":"What is Mexico's Immigration Policy?\r\n\r\nMexico's General Law of Population sets out the rights and obligations of foreigners, as well as the different statuses associated with foreign immigration.\r\n\r\nIn general, foreign nationals are welcome to visit Mexico for a defined period of time to take part in non-remunerative activities (e.g. a holiday), and requirements for remunerative visits or longer stays (beyond 180 days) require special permits from the Mexican Consulate.\r\n\r\nThere are two kinds of permit: Non-Immigrant and Immigrant. Non Immigrant Permits are for people who intend to visit Mexico for a specific purpose and then depart. Immigrant Permits are for people who wish to live in Mexico, temporarily or long term.\r\n\r\nYou do not have to surrender your natural Citizenship to be granted full resident status in Mexico. Full resident status entitles you to all rights and benefits of a Mexican National (live, work, claim state benefits and to pay taxes) but you cannot vote in Mexican elections. These permits may also prohibit work in specific industries. These are limited, and relate to bar and waiter\/waitress work.\r\n\r\nThis section describes the different types of Non-Immigrant an Immigrant Permits, and also discusses the issue of attaining Mexican Citizenship.\r\n\r\nThe information on this page is intended as a guide only, and you should seek professional advice in regard to Immigration matters, as well as make contact with the Mexican Consulate in your home country; details of local offices can be found from the Further Contacts Page in this section.\r\n\r\nWhat are the Non-Immigrant Permits?\r\n\r\nThere are various classifications of Non-Immigrant visitors to Mexico - the main ones are listed below. For a description of the type, click on the title. Your local Mexican Consulate will be able to give you full details about how to apply (and in some cases, pay for) permits that are required in advance.\r\n\r\nTourist Permits (now with Business Traveler's Section) \r\n\r\nTraveller In Transit \r\n\r\nVisitors (Common for Business & Investment) \r\n\r\nStudents \r\n\r\nDistinguished Visitors \r\n\r\nLocal Visitors \r\n\r\nProvisional Visitors \r\n\r\nCorrespondents \/ Journalists \r\n\r\nReligious Ministers \r\n\r\n[TOP]\r\n\r\n\r\nTourist Permits (now also used for Temporary Business Visits)\r\nThese are the equivalent of the "Landing Card" in the EU or "Visa Waiver" in the US that non-nationals need to fill out and have stamped when they enter to visit.\r\n\r\nThe Mexican Tourist permit is known at the "FMT"; it is very simple to fill out, and available from airlines and ports of entry. This permit allows visitors to remain in Mexico for a maximum period of 180 days, although immigration officials will only assign a maximum of 90 days, instructing visitors to extend it later. The permit can be extended to the maximum permitted stay if the original term granted (written on the form at the port of entry) was less than 180 days, by visiting one of the local foreign immigration offices, completing the paperwork and paying a small administration fee.\r\n\r\nThe latest version of the FMT also contains a section for business travellers, who are entering Mexico temporarily to conduct business there. If you are travelling on business, complete the second half of the FMT. Business travellers are usually given 30 days entry as standard, although you can ask the immigration officer for more or extend it afterwards to maximum time allowed (180 days).\r\n\r\nRead more about the entry procedures and see what the FMT looks like on the Travel Essentials section on Mexperience.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nTraveller in Transit\r\nIf you are in transit to another country, but will stay in Mexico for a short while, perhaps even just overnight, you can be issued with a traveller in transit permit, which allows a stay of up to 30 days and is NOT renewable. Available at all ports of entry to Mexico.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nVisitors (Common for Longer Business Trips)\r\nIf you plan to visit Mexico on an extended stay for business reasons, then you are likely to be need one of these permits, although the normal FMT entry card (see Tourist Permits, above) now have a business section included for business travellers on temporary visits, so if your stay will only be temporary (see above) avoid the paperwork and administration charges and use the FMT instead.\r\n\r\nFor extended stays in Mexico, you must apply for the Visitors permit (usually an FM3) through your company and state what the purpose of the visit is, and how long it is likely to take. There are also some forms to fill out and a handling fee to pay. You can download the forms, and find out the latest fees and process by contacting your local Mexican Consulate. Visitors Permits are issued for up to one year, and are renewable four times, for a maximum of one year each time - for a total maximum period of five years. See more information on Immigration Permits below.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nStudents\r\nIf you want to study in Mexico, a non-immigrant permit which enables you to live and study in Mexico can be granted by the Consulate. You must be able to prove your ability to be self-sufficient by showing a certain amount of funds in a bank account. The exact amounts change yearly - check with the Mexican Consulate in your local area, details of Mexican consulates abroad are accessible from the Contacts page.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nDistinguished Visitors\r\nVIPs, Heads of State, persons on official visits, royalty, et al can be issued with special visitor permits that last for 6 months.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nLocal Visitors\r\nSpecial permits for foreigners visiting maritime ports and border cities. The permit allows a maximum stay of 3 days, and you must stay within the 35km 'border zone'.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nProvisional Visitors\r\nIf you arrive in Mexico without the proper documentation for normal non-immigrant entry (e.g. your passport was lost en-route) you can be issued with a Provisional Visitor Permit that allows you 30 days to get the required documentation together necessary for normal entry. A deposit or bond is required to guarantee that you will return to where you came from.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nCorrespondents\r\nIf you're involved in journalism or media, you can be issued with a Correspondents Permit, that enables you to carry out journalism work. The permit lasts for a year, but can be renewed as many times as required, provided that you are continuing your journalism work.\r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\n\r\nReligious Ministers\r\nReligious Ministers or Members of Religious Associations can be issued with a permit that allows them to undertake religious duties and services, regardless of which religion it is, as well as social services. Persons wanting this permit will need to register and show their Ministry qualifications. \r\n[Back to Non-Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nWhat Are the Immigrant Permits\r\n\r\nImmigrant Permits are issued to foreign nationals who have the intention of gaining permanent residency in Mexico. Under immigrant schemes, you are permitted to reside in the country, provided that you fulfil certain criteria (as specified by the type of permit) for a period of up to one year. The permit is renewable annually, for one year, for a further four years. At the end of the five year period, you automatically receive residency status, entitling you to full rights and benefits as any other Mexican Citizen, with the exception of the right to vote.\r\n\r\nUpon receiving this status, you will receive a document that looks like a Mexican Passport (called a "FM2") which enables you pass through Mexico's borders as if you were Mexican National. You do not need to surrender your national passport, and you use your own passport when you return to your home country, either for visits, or when returning home to dwell. If you stay outside of Mexico for longer than 2 years, or for 5 years in any 10 year period, you will lose your resident status in Mexico.\r\n\r\n\r\nBelow are the kinds of people who can apply for Immigrant Permits, with a view to taking up permanent residency in Mexico:\r\n\r\nRetirees \r\n\r\nInvestors \r\n\r\nProfessionals \r\n\r\nScientists & Technicians \r\n\r\nArtists and Sportspeople \r\n\r\n[TOP]\r\n\r\nRetirees\r\nIf you are over 50 years of age, and want to engage in "non remunerative activities" and you are receiving funds from abroad (from a pension or other investments or fixed income) at least to the value of 400 times the daily minimum daily wage per month and a further 200 times daily minimum wage per month for each dependent (e.g. spouse, children) then you can apply for a Retiree Immigration Permit. Read more about retirement in Mexico on Mexperience.\r\n[Back to Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nInvestors\r\nYou can receive an immigration permit if you are willing to invest your capital in Mexico. You investment can be directed at industry or services, and must equal a minimum of 40,000 times the minimum daily wage in Mexico City.\r\n[Back to Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nProfessionals\r\nIf you are a qualified professional, you can have your certificates validated by the Mexican Consulate and apply for an immigration permit to live in Mexico. You must be sponsored by a company who must satisfy the authorities that you are essential to their operative requirements.\r\n[Back to Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nScientists & Technicians\r\nIf you are involved in science, or are a qualified technician, whether commercially or for education, you can apply for an immigration permit in Mexico. You may need to be invited by one of the established scientific or technical organizations in Mexico.\r\n[Back to Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nArtists and Sportspeople\r\nThese people can apply for an immigration permit. Each case is considered individually and entry is at the Interior Ministry's discretion.\r\n[Back to Immigrant List]\r\n\r\nCan I be granted Mexican Citizenship?\r\n\r\nAcquiring Mexican Citizenship is an involved process, and it is not easy to do. As a minimum, you must have been living in Mexico for 5 years (2 years under special circumstances) and have resident status. Marriage to a Mexican national may allow Citizenship without the residency requirement. For matters concerning the acquisition of Mexican Citizenship, seek professional advice and contact your local Mexican Consulate.\r\n\r\nWhich Permit is right for Me?\r\n\r\nNon Immigrant - i.e., you do not want to acquire permanent residency in Mexico:\r\n\r\nFor holidays and casual trips to Mexico: just fill out and use the tourist permit, available from the airline you travel with or the port of entry.\r\n\r\nFor work placements: If you plan to live in Mexico for a period of less than 5 years, then a Visitors Permit, renewable annually, is probably your best option.\r\n\r\nFor Other Activities: you should acquire a permit commensurate with your activity - e.g. Student, Journalist.\r\n\r\nImmigrant, Active: - i.e. you do want to acquire permanent residency in Mexico AND work there:\r\n\r\nYou will need to satisfy the requirements for entry (e.g. professional, sponsored by a company, etc), or be able and prepared to invest at least 40,000 times the minimum daily wage in Mexico City.\r\n\r\nImmigrant, Non-Active: - i.e. you do want to acquire permanent residency in Mexico but NOT work there:\r\n\r\nIf you are of retirement age (50+), and have at least US$1,500 or equivalent income per month, then a Retiree permit will be your easiest route.\r\n\r\nIf you are not of a retirement age (below 50) and want to live but not work in Mexico, you will need to contact the Mexican Consulate. Provided that you can prove a permanent steady income in line with the regulations, you may be granted an FM3 permit to live in Mexico, which would be eligible for conversion to an FM2 in 5 years. You will need to state what you intend to do there, e.g. early retirement due to health, etc.\r\n\r\n","author":"Immigrant","parent_id":146087,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2006-02-03 15:50:25","modified":"2006-02-03 15:50:25","fileurl":""}]} |