Immigrants Yearn to Be Americans, Not a Permanent Underclass

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Friday March 08, 2013 · 6:48 AM PST

2013/03/08 · 06:48

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to...be part of a permanent underclass in American society..."? Oops. Wrong America.

While the italicized words above are mine, the opening words come from the inspiring poem by Emma Lazarus. Inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and written in the 1880s, Lazarus' poem cast America as the colossus that welcomed newcomers seeking to become new Americans. Her poem is a quintessentially American expression that gives greater meaning to the light of freedom extended by Lady Liberty.

Frank Sharry

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Tuesday December 04, 2012 · 7:47 AM PST

2012/12/04 · 07:47

After the drubbing Republicans took from Latino voters in the 2012 elections, some of the party's leaders began to talk openly about the stark choice they face: appeal to a diversifying America, or risk extinction as a national party.

This isn't just a political choice, it's a policy choice too. Already we're seeing signs that the old guard is still in charge of the Republican immigration strategy in the House.

Frank Sharry

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Monday September 17, 2012 · 7:52 AM PDT

2012/09/17 · 07:52

Boston, you have a problem.

Your guy, Mitt Romney, is losing badly with Latinos and it could cost him the election. Battleground states such as Nevada, Colorado, Florida and even Virginia are likely to swing Obama's way if he keeps his current 66 percent - 29 percent lead among Latinos. And Boston, 29 percent is a far cry from your own campaign's stated goal, declared last month by your campaign's Hispanic Leadership Team co-chair Jose Fuentes, of 38 percent.

Frank Sharry

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Friday July 13, 2012 · 11:03 AM PDT

2012/07/13 · 11:03

Cross-Posted at California Progress Report and America's Voice.

Years ago, California tried to take the punitive and xenophobic approach to immigration with Prop 187 -- a 1994 ballot initiative whose stated goal was to keep undocumented immigrants from receiving public benefits, but would have essentially turned California into a police state for immigrants. Fortunately, Proposition 187 was invalidated by the courts. But instead of learning from California, states like Arizona, Alabama, and a handful of others are repeating the same mistakes and passing similar laws designed to turn anyone who looks or sounds “like an immigrant” into a suspect and make them feel unwelcome in their own homes.

But last week, the California State Senate showed just how far the state has come—by passing Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s (D-San Francisco)TRUST Act, the antithesis of Arizona’s anti-immigrant SB 1070 law.

Frank Sharry

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Wednesday February 08, 2012 · 12:22 PM PST

2012/02/08 · 12:22

Does anyone (besides Mitt Romney) listen to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee anymore?

This week, Rep. Lamar Smith is looking especially desperate. He's taken to the pages of Roll Call and National Review Online to try to garner some attention on one of his favorite subjects: immigrant bashing. In Roll Call, Smith launched what amounts to another fact-free attack on President Obama. Smith claims the President is ignoring immigration laws. In reality, as immigrant communities and advocates are painfully aware, the Obama Administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than any other in history.

Frank Sharry

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Tuesday October 04, 2011 · 3:03 PM PDT

2011/10/04 · 15:03

Mitt Romney thinks he’s found his winning issue against Rick Perry: For weeks now he’s been attacking Perry for signing a bill that grants in-state tuition to undocumented students. Yeah, that’s Romney path to the White House: picking on kids. Immigrant kids. Alabama's new law should give him plenty of fodder, since it aims directly at grade schoolers. Mitt can make first-graders the next target of his anti-immigrant wrath.

Frank Sharry

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Friday December 10, 2010 · 12:03 PM PST

2010/12/10 · 12:03

Trivia question for all you policy wonks: before the DREAM Act passed Wednesday night, when was the last time you read the headline, "House passes historic immigration bill?"

Answer: December 16, 2005.

But December 16, 2005, was a night that lives in political infamy among supporters of progressive immigration reform. That was the night the Republican-controlled House passed a notoriously anti-immigrant bill authored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI).

Frank Sharry

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Tuesday November 09, 2010 · 1:34 PM PST

2010/11/09 · 13:34

Check out America's Voice’s new weekly resource, "Immigration Insider," which takes an in-depth look at immigration politics.SUBSCRIBE to receive Immigration Insider in your inbox every Tuesday-- absolutely gratis.

Welcome to Immigration Insider | 1 Week After Election 2010

Last week, the Latino vote saved the Senate for the Democrats—surprising pundits, pollsters and right-wing fearmongers alike. Under a GOP House of Representatives, immigration enforcement will be the priority, not immigration solutions. Will Sen. Harry Reid keeps his pre-election promise to move the DREAM Act during the lame-duck? After the way Latinos voted in Nevada, we think he will.

Frank Sharry

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Tuesday November 02, 2010 · 8:46 AM PDT

2010/11/02 · 08:46

Check out America's Voice’s new weekly resource, "Immigration Insider," which takes an in-depth look at immigration politics. SUBSCRIBE to receive Immigration Insider in your inbox every Tuesday-- absolutely gratis.

Immigration Insider | Election 2010

Maribel Hastings talks to voters in Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. Will the attack ads on Latino immigrants suppress the vote, or spur turnout? Tune in Wed. at 1pm to find out. While Majority Leader Reid promises to bring up the DREAM Act in the lame-duck session, Senate Republicans want to know: how much would it cost to deport everyone? (Answer below.)

Frank Sharry

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Friday October 29, 2010 · 1:40 PM PDT

2010/10/29 · 13:40

Today’s Los Angeles Times reports:

"Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman has reignited a controversy that roiled her campaign for weeks, saying the undocumented housekeeper she employed for nine years should be deported....The deportation remark represents the kind of hard-line stance that Whitman sought to avoid for most of the campaign."

Deport a woman who cared for your children and took care of your house for nine years? A woman who you once described as a "member of our extended family?"

So much for Meg Whitman being a new kind of Republican on immigration. So much for Meg Whitman being the next governor of California.

Frank Sharry

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Tuesday October 26, 2010 · 2:57 PM PDT

2010/10/26 · 14:57

Check out America's Voice new weekly resource, "Immigration Insider," which takes an in-depth look at immigration politics, leading up to the November election. SUBSCRIBE to receive Immigration Insider in your inbox every Tuesday-- absolutely gratis.

With one week to go, Angle backtracks on the border. Voter guide shows immigration a key issue in 54 races. Spanish language ad blitz hits NV and CO to turn out Latinos in wake of Republican attacks. Illinois’ Kirk a nightmare on DREAM. DNC announces major Spanish ad buy.

Frank Sharry

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday October 19, 2010 · 2:21 PM PDT

2010/10/19 · 14:21

Immigration Insider | Election 2010

Among Latinos, interest in voting shoots up 10% in one month. A conservative group tries to suppress the growing Latino vote in Nevada, but Univision is refusing to run their ads. Joe Miller hearts East Germany’s approach to border security. Even after stock photo snafu, Angle finds new ways to trip up with Nevada’s Latino (Asian?) voters.

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Immigrants Yearn to Be Americans, Not a Permanent Underclass

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Meg Whitman on Immigration: From New and Exciting to Mean and Typical

Immigration Insider | One Week Out: Attacks Backfire, Latinos Energized; New GOTV Ads

Immigration Insider | 2 Weeks Out: Ads Tell Nevada Latinos “Don’t Vote”