Florida’s new law targeting undocumented immigrants has raised concerns in sectors of the local economy, with Arizona’s past experience serving as a possible precursor of both economic repercussions and unforeseen political consequences.
Fi2W’s Valeria Fernandez was inside the courtroom as arguments were heard on the controversial Arizona law that has inspired anti-immigrant laws around the nation.
Green Card Stories, by journalist Saundra Amrhein, tells the stories of 50 people who climbed their way through the immigration law jungle.
The HALT Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas takes aim at the Obama administration’s executive powers to grant waivers allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S.
“If you’re really married you have nothing to fear” – Barbara Felska, an immigration services officer at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Stokes unit.
By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor
Manassas and other parts of Virginia have seen a heated debate on immigration. Photo: NY·DF/Flickr
This year’s elections showed that the use of immigration as a campaign issue apparently backfired for enforcement-only, hardline candidates. Now the results are starting to have an impact on policy: Virginia, where immigration laws are among the toughest in the nation, seems poised to radically alter its approach towards immigrants.
The Washington Post reported this week that the Virginia Commission on Immigration is about to send Gov. Timothy M. Kaine a set of recommendations, “most of which would help immigrants instead of penalizing them.”
Virginia was one of several traditionally-red states that swung Democratic this year. Latino voters there have been credited with helping President-elect Barack Obama win the state.
Now, “backlash at the voting booth” is cited as one reason for the new attitude towards immigrants, together with a lack of interest in the issue due to the economic crisis and “a clearer understanding of the state’s limitations on a largely federal issue,” The Post‘s Anita Kumar wrote.
Recommendations include shortening the Medicaid residency requirements for certain qualified immigrants, offering in-state tuition to immigrants who meet specific criteria and creating an immigration assistance office.
The commission considered but did not adopt proposals to force immigrants to carry special identification cards, allow hospitals to fingerprint patients who do not pay their bills and require proof of legal residence to be eligible for public assistance.
“Our job as journalists is to continue to write about the immigration crisis so it will earn the place it should have among the priorities of the new president.”
