Category Archives: Featured News

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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“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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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.” This post comes from Levine Museum of the New South. A few Charlotteans were asked: What is your definition of “immigrant”? “Someone who has moved to a different place in hopes of a better future & life.” “Someone who doesn’t have papers. They’re illegal.” “Someone who takes our jobs.” Immigrant. When people hear or see …
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May 1st marked “May Day,” also known as International Workers Day, begun in 1887 as a day to honor laborers and draw attention to workers’ rights. Since 2006, this day has become closely tied to immigrant rights and immigration reform. Thousands of people throughout the country recently gathered in solidarity to protest and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Here is some of the news coverage from May Day activities last week: May Day — Then and Now via Huffington Post May …
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This week, at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, a team of multimedia artists who are part of a new project called Immigrant Nation will be working with visitors to record their stories and add them to an installation art piece at Ellis Island. “Whether you arrived just recently or your family came to the U.S. generations ago, the millions of immigrants and descendants of immigrants who make up our nation have something important in common,” said Immigrant Nation …
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