Author: Suman Raghunathan
Bio: Suman Ragunathan is a former Feet in 2 Worlds contributor. Suman is an experienced immigration and public policy analyst and consultant, with expertise spanning the grassroots, advocacy, and policy worlds.
Contributions:
Posted on: 29 Dec 2009
The Obama Administration’s focus on immigration enforcement up to now offers a useful preview of what a likely legalization proposal will include in 2010 and how it will fare in a historically partisan and divided Washington.
Posted on: 28 Dec 2009
With the Senate passing its version of health care reform in the wee hours of Christmas Eve, many immigrant advocates are waiting with bated breath for the White House to turn its attention to immigration in 2010.
Posted on: 26 Jun 2009
By Suman Raghunathan, FI2W consultant Finally, the much-expected meeting on immigration reform between President Barack Obama and lawmakers from both parties took place Thursday. Participating legislators said the president promised to put his energy into moving forward right away. The response from some reform advocates was “Game On!” But the various sides have already started drawing lines in […]
Posted on: 01 Jan 2009
By Suman Raghunathan, FI2W columnist As the dust begins to settle after the historic November elections, the incoming Obama administration has lost no time in assembling transition teams on a host of pressing issues, including immigration. The new administration faces difficult questions about the recent focus on immigration enforcement, particularly after the Obama campaign’s promises […]
Posted on: 07 Nov 2008
Less than twelve hours after the results of this weeks’ election were announced, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Wednesday that Julie Myers, assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is leaving the agency by November 15. Myers, who has led the agency since 2006, was the controversial face of the Bush administration’s enforcement-focused […]
Posted on: 05 Nov 2008
JERSEY CITY, NJ – Suman Raghunathan, FI2W consultant Over 63-million Americans voted for Barack Obama yesterday to be the nation’s 44th President, giving him a 53% to 46% victory over John McCain. Pundits are saying that Obama’s historic victory hinged on suburban white voters turning out for him, on older white women, and overwhelming levels […]
Posted on: 04 Nov 2008
JERSEY CITY, NJ – Suman Raghunathan, FI2W consultant At a fire house in Jersey City, Arab, Filipino, and South Asian voters voted in a steady stream as the early evening fog rolled in. Several immigrants, longtime residents and US citizens for decades, felt compelled by this election to cast their first votes ever. A couple, […]
Posted on: 04 Nov 2008
ASTORIA, NY – By Suman Ragunathan, FI2W Consultant In Astoria, Queens, an ethnically diverse immigrant neighborhood just minutes away from Midtown Manhattan, Saeeda Nadeem was on her way to vote for the first time after 15 years in the U.S.Saeeda, a housewife originally from Pakistan, became a citizen two years ago in 2006, and was excited […]
Posted on: 03 Nov 2008
By Suman Raghunathan, Feet In 2 Worlds consultant The Associated Press broke the story Friday that presidential candidate Barack Obama has a half-aunt, Zeituni Onyango, who, after her request for political asylum was rejected, is now undocumented and living in Boston. The range of immigration statuses within Obama’s extended family reflects the reality of many […]
Posted on: 27 Oct 2008
In the midst of the swirling allegations of fraudulent voter registrations, I thought it would be useful to explain how most of the nation’s immigrant citizens become legally registered voters. Federal authorities are investigating alleged voter registration fraud by the community group ACORN, and a controversial recent report warned of up to 2 million non-citizen […]
