Yearly Archives: 2014

Children are crossing the borders as unaccompanied minors in unprecedented numbers: “But once they get here, what happens? Do they just get to stay, as the president’s critics charge?”  Listen here to the NPR report, “Influx Of Children Creates New Strain On Beleaguered Immigration Courts” In immigration in the news: Protesters of undocumented immigrants vow to block new arrivals via Los Angeles Times When is a little kid a ‘detainee’? When he’s an immigrant, and the AP says so via The Huffington …
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Is the new wave of unaccompanied children crossing the US border from Central America interfering with comprehensive immigration reform or demonstrating poor border security? “Bob Ortega, senior reporter for The Arizona Republic, talks about his reporting from both sides of the border on why the kids say they want to come to the US, and the message in their home countries about the dangerous journey.”  Listen here to the WNYC report, “What Unaccompanied Minors Mean for Immigration Reform” In immigration …
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By Lisa Falk, Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships, Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona This 2014, each of the participating sites in the National Dialogues on Immigration project will be contributing to our blog post series, “Immigration: Our Stories.”  Living in the Southwest, immigration is a constant presence in our lives. La frontera, meaning “the border” in Spanish, is a mere 70 miles from the University of Arizona campus where the Arizona State Museum is located. The museum focuses on the anthropology of …
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The FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 12th.  Read some of the immigration-based commentary of the events below: Soccer, Not Just a Pastime — but a Path to Citizenship via Nation Swell Anti-Immigrant Group Says US Soccer Team’s Ethnic Make-Up Signals Lack Of Assimilation viaThink Progress The Soccer Fan’s Argument for Immigration Reform via Bloomberg Businessweek Also in immigration in the news this week: “After years of documenting migration in Mexico, Spanish-born photographer Encarni Pindado began a new project that handed the equipment — disposable …
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“While the politics of a system play out, the mothers and fathers and children still deserve to feel like they belong” — Cristina Henriquez What does President Obama want for Fathers’ Day? “A “loyal, rational opposition,” one that he can negotiate with on immigration legislation. Following the defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor by Dave Brat in the Virginia Republican primary elections, Obama still believes that bipartisan immigration reform is possible. Cantor had once backed a limited path of …
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An unprecedented number of children, mainly, from Central America are crossing the U.S. border without their parents to escape increased violence in recent years. In a National Public Radio piece called, “Children Traveling Solo Across U.S. Border Face Dangerous Trip,” reporter Sonia Nazario describes their treacherous journey. An estimate of 60,000 children will cross by themselves this year and 130,000 are expected to cross by 2015. You can hear the story here. In immigration in the news this week: Faces …
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By Erica Garcia, Curriculum and Community Coordinator, National Hispanic Cultural Center This 2014, each of the participating sites in the National Dialogues on Immigration project will be contributing to our blog post series, “Immigration: Our Stories.”  As a young girl, I was aware that generations of my family were from New Mexico dating back hundreds of years. Our family takes great pride in being Nuevo Mexicanos. By middle school, I started questioning that strong sense of identity when I noticed my Grandmother …
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by Jennifer Scott A quieter trend of immigration in the United States includes rapidly growing black immigrant community. A recent article, The Changing Face of Citizenship, asserts that since 2000, black citizenship in Massachusetts has more than doubled, “fueled by transplants from the Caribbean and, increasingly, fast-growing groups from Africa. Nationwide, the number of new black citizens has nearly doubled, to 1.8 million.”  Nationally, in fact, according to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of the black foreign-born population increased …
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Center for American Progress recently published the infographic, “Do We Need to Detain 34,000 Immigrants Every Day?” questioning the excessive number of US immigration detentions and incurred cost: In immigration news this week: Obama makes new pitch for immigration reform via CNN Chamber Of Commerce Head: Without Immigration Reform, Republicans ‘Should Not Bother’ To Run In 2016 via Think Progress When will Boehner turn to immigration? via The Hill Language Barrier Continues to Thwart Victims of Crimes via New York …
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by Jennifer Scott “Home is whenever I’m with you” from “Home,” a song from Jorge Narvaez to his mother In tribute to Mother’s Day, this piece is dedicated to all of the mothers who are affected by immigration policies. The recent spike in deportations – two million since 2009 – has greatly impacted families, often separating parents from children and siblings from one another, breaking up marriages and extended families. No one has felt this pain more than the mothers. …
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