New U.S. English Press Release

The anti-immigrant group U.S. English, which lobbies for the United States to adopt English as its official language, sent out a press release earlier this week. In it, the organization acclaimed the Representatives cosponsoring H.R. 997, also known as the “English Language Unity Act.” Emphasizing that over a quarter of the House has endorsed it, U.S. English then urged the remaining members of Congress to swiftly pass the bill.

Politics

Islamophobes Gather on Day 2 of CPAC

Though most reports of Day 2 at CPAC will focus on the arrival of Newt Gingrich and his massive entourage, it was the event that Newt actually delayed, “Islamic Law in America: How the Obama Justice Department Is Selling Us Out,” that was much more of a talking point. The “distinguished” panel of guests were the inseparable Pam Geller and Robert Spencer of Atlas Shrugs and Jihad Watch respectively; J. Christian Adams of Pajamas Media; Robert Muise of the American Law Freedom Center (AFLC); James Lafferty of the Virginia Anti-Sharia Task Force; and Ilario Pantano, who is running for Congress in North Carolina.

In brief, Spencer and Geller are two of Americas… Read more

Rep. Steve King & ProEnglish Share Stage With White Nationalists on Day 1 of CPAC

The annual CPAC conference started yesterday in Washington, DC, and the annual gathering’s first day did not disappoint. Some of the usual suspects gathered into one of the smaller rooms at 12:30 for a panel titled, “The Failure of Multiculturalism: How the pursuit of diversity is weakening the American Identity,” which was sponsored by the anti-immigrant group ProEnglish.

The panel featured Robert Vandervoort, the new executive director of ProEnglish; John Derbyshire of National Review; white nationalist Peter Brimelow, founder of the anti-immigrant VDARE.com; and Rosalie Porter, chair of ProEnglish. Listed speaker Dr. Serge Trifkovic was absent.

Unsurprisingly, most of the participants on this panel maintain lengthy track records of racism.

Breifly, Brimelow… Read more

IRC Chairman Loses Communications Director

Brian Bilbray, the current chairman of the anti-immigrant Immigration Reform Caucus (IRC) lost his communications director earlier this week. Travis Cosidine left the IRC chairman and took up a new position with Ohio Senate nominee Josh Mandel.

New Social Contract Press/CAPS Press Release

Anti-immigrant groups Social Contract Press and Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) issued a press release on February 6 to bemoan a decision made by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to revoke permission for CAPS to have an exhibition booth at the AAAS annual meeting later this month. CAPS has taken money from the Pioneer Fund, a foundation that has a history of promoting the genetic superiority of white, European-Americans.

Immigration

Cross-Post: Undocumented Young Activists Talk About Depression And Suicide

Originally posted by Huffington Post on February 3, 2012.

Yanelli Hernandez, 22, tried to commit suicide while in immigration detention. Twice.

Twice, she survived.

She was doing everything she could to prevent authorities from deporting her to Mexico, a country she never knew and a place where she has no one.

In her support, and as part of a wider movement for immigration reform, immigrant rights activists from the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition (IYC) gathered in Los Angeles this week to decry anti-immigrant sentiments and policies that they say have taken a toll on the mental and emotional health of their communities.

They held posters that read “We Love You Yanelli,”… Read more

Immigration

Cross-Post: Support grows to help East Bay immigrant get kidney transplant

Originally posted by the Mercury News on February 4, 2012.

An effort to save the life of an Oakland father who was denied an organ transplant because of his immigration status has gained a legion of supporters across the country.

Jesus Navarro now has a website, an online petition with thousands of supporters, several lawyers and a laundry list of groups organizing on his behalf.

The soft-spoken 35-year-old has a willing donor in his wife and private insurance to pay for a kidney transplant. But UC San Francisco Medical Center refuses to perform the operation because administrators can’t be sure he will be able to afford follow-up care given his status as an illegal… Read more

Friday Media Recall (02.03.2012)

Every Friday we want to offer a collection of media pieces that we’re finding provocative, vital, persuasive, prophetic, genius, infuriating, mind-blogging, and other adjectives that gesture at all things thought-provoking. Some of these posts will, of course, focus on immigration, but some will not. Some of these posts will represent the foreground of our national attention, but others will have sunk far into its background. Regardless, we hope to pass on a bit of what we’ve been reading, and what’s been capturing our attentions. If you’d like to pass on any media, please contact us at Imag2050@gmail.com. Enjoy!

    Read more

    Economy

    Cross-Post: The 10 Most Racist Moments of the GOP Primary (So Far)

    Originally published by Alternet on January 25th.

    One cannot forget that the contemporary Republican Party was born with the Southern Strategy, winning over the former Jim Crow South to its side of the political aisle, and as a backlash against the civil rights movement. This is a formula for a politics of white grievance mongering and white victimology; a dreamworld where white conservatives are oppressed, their rights infringed upon by a tyrannical federal government and elite liberal media that are beholden to the interests of the “undeserving poor,” racial minorities, gays, and immigrants.

    In keeping with this script in order to win over Red State America, the 2012 Republican presidential candidates… Read more