Given recent national trends aimed at curbing the immigrant population and discouraging them from taking a crack at the American Dream, it’s refreshing to see that here in New York City, the melting pot is still bubbling. Walk down the streets and you’ll hear a million different languages. Go do your laundry or hail a cab and you’ll quickly realize that you’re surrounded by a vibrant and business oriented immigrant community. Read more »
One doesn’t need to be in Arizona to be hassled by federal immigration authorities, they’re more than happy to oblige right here in in New York. A Times reporter riding Amtrak from NYC to Buffalo witnessed it firsthand when Border Patrol agents asked her if she was a U.S. citizen on a train that wasn’t even crossing any international borders. Evidently, this is a common process and while passengers can decline to answer, they better do so in perfect English or their silence can possibly be used against them.
Something happened in Arizona today and it has to do with not being able to treat Mexicans like “prawns” in District 9.
Unlike Arizona and other redneck hot zones, New York celebrates immigrants and to stress the need for a major overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, over 40 people are participating in a three-day fast. It’s the latest of many demonstrations taking place across the country and the city and according to the New York Times, “a total of 109 activists have been arrested” in the past three weeks.
While President Obama met with President Calderon of Mexico to discuss how racist Arizona is and the need for comprehensive immigration reform, the First Ladies traveled to an elementary school in Maryland where they got an unexpected confession dealing with the volatile topic head on, via a second grader. Read more »
Various artists have created anti-SB 1070 posters in protest of the recent immigration bill legalizing racial profiling. Swastikas seem to be the prevailing motif. See more and contribute at Alto Arizona.
Cinco De Mayo aka Mexican St. Patty’s Day is more popular in the U.S. than its country of origin, although increasingly, it’s becoming less about celebrating Mexico defeating France and more about celebrating national pride, which is fine, just don’t expect everyone to care—Americans specifically. Read more »
AriZona Iced Tea would like to remind its customers that they have NO relation to the wacky, immigrant-hating red state bearing the same name, they’re from New York, so please don’t boycott.
At least the ones who chat reggae. Some of dancehall’s most successful Jamaican artists are in the process of having their visas revoked according to the Jamaica Star, which would top off a terribly depressing week of immigration-fucked news. Brand names such as Beenie Man, Mavadao, Elephant Man, Ricky Trooper and Aidonia were all reportedly included in a memo issued the by U.S. Embassy in Kingston: Read more »
If yesterday’s post about a legal resident whose life was ruined for smoking a joint wasn’t depressing enough, here’s some more egregious immigration abuse news involving Haitians to sadden you. More than two dozen survivors rescued in Haiti and “waved onto planes by Marines” have been incarcerated in U.S. detention centers for not having visas according to the Times. |NYT|
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