Recently in Immigration Category
This is a link to a story about a Japanese woman and her 8 month old son who are being refused resident status in the United States because of a 1957 year old immigration law. Her husband was a U.S. Marine who was killed in combat. They were married, by proxy, in Japan before he deployed. The United States military recognizes their marriage, but the U.S. government doesn't. I would spend time to comment on this, but I am at work and don't have time, but it's an important article and I wanted to share!
Dear Advocates and Allies,
To capture the diverse narratives of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community through the perspective of API women and girls, NAPAWF has created an Immigration Community Survey . The stories of Asian immigrant women and their families are rarely, if ever, depicted in mainstream media. We hope this community survey will help elevate immigrant Asian women's issues and bring attention to the compelling stories that are too often not told.
Please take the next 8-10 minutes to fill out NAPAWF's Immigration Community Survey and forward it to other API women who might be interested. Together, we can give voice to the most urgent issues facing immigrant Asian women and girls as comprehensive immigration reform approaches Congress.
NAPAWF believes that true comprehensive immigration reform must be grounded in principles of human rights, and include provisions that support all immigrants, their families, and communities. To learn more, read our principles for immigration reform .
For questions about the Immigration is HERstory and Our Story Campaign, please contact Lan at lnguyen@napawf.org .
For justice,
NAPAWF
From the New York Times:
The Obama administration has opened the way for foreign women who are victims of severe domestic beatings and sexual abuse to receive asylum in the United States. The action reverses a Bush administration stance in a protracted and passionate legal battle over the possibilities for battered women to become refugees.
Women seeking asylum still have to meet a fairly high threshold of evidence, "bused women will need to show that they are treated by their abuser as subordinates and little better than property, according to an immigration court filing by the administration, and that domestic abuse is widely tolerated in their country. They must show that they could not find protection from institutions at home or by moving to another place within their own country." But overall, I think this is great news.
The world of development economics struggles over how to define development and what to call developing countries. Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner and leader in development economics, defines development as an increased freedom to participate in society. This week the US could do with a little more thought on its own development as well as Africa's. (We're not done yet, I hope.)
Marriage equality is an important step toward LGBT inclusion in the US. But from the LGBT labor perspective, there are two pieces of legislation that in some ways play a greater part in defining Americans' freedom to participate in their society: The Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Uniting American Families Act.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will bar employment non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) will allow same sex bi-national couples to sponsor their foreign-born partners for immigration purposes. Together these two pieces of legislation develop our answers to the questions, "Who gets to be American?" and, “Which Americans get to participate in our society?”
President Obama said regarding African development, “This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections… I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world.” LGBT Americans and workers are waiting for that same acknowledgement and invitation to participate—not just in a speech, but from our nation’s laws.
We cannot lead the world in development when we neglect our own.
Please call your Congresspersons to request their co-sponsorship for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017, yet to be introduced this year in the Senate) and the inclusion of the Uniting American Families Act (S. 424/H.R. 1024) in any comprehensive immigration reform. (202) 224-3121. Or send an email through http://prideatwork.org .The earliest immigrants to this country broke almost every chain that bound them to the Old World to start a new life in America. They abandoned religions, traditions, languages, and political institutions - yet even as the world around them changed radically these immigrants leaned heavily one unchanging force: the family unit.
Even though our immigration laws have changed over the years (decidedly away from its "cornerstone" of family reunification) some things don't change.
Recently, New America Media conducted a poll among immigrant women in the United States to gain an insight into what it means to be a female immigrant today. The results were fascinating, both for immigrant advocates and feminists.
The poll revealed that the great gender imbalance that once existed among immigrants is gone (with men historically comprising the vast majority of migrants to this country). Today, this balance has shifted to the point that women actually comprise half or more of the immigrants entering this country, and more than half of the migrant population worldwide.
This demographic change comes at a time in the US when our broken immigration laws are imposing an ever-increasing strain on families seeking to immigrate. Outdated visa quotas and bars on reentry have caused huge backlogs on visa processing resulting in families forced to wait decades to be reunited through out immigration system.
What this new data demonstrates is that these women are no longer staying behind and relying on money their husbands send from their foreign jobs; they are no longer waiting around for their husbands to bring them into the US; they are no longer allowing their families to remained fractured by our outdated immigration system. These women are leaving their villages in order to keep them intact.
The poll also suggests that along with this change in the demographics of incoming immigrants we are also seeing radical changes in the role women play within those immigrant communities. The survey sample included immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America but the results were all the same:
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73% said that upon coming to the United States, they became increasingly independent, seeking new roles and rights. They report being more assertive, both at home and in public, than in their home country.
Almost one-third report having assumed head-of-household responsibilities now that they are here, and share equally with their husbands in making decisions from household finances to more intimate concerns like family planning.
Perhaps the most telling indicator of their role as family stewards is the fact that 58% of the women say they are the main drivers in their families when it comes to seeking citizenship.
Finally, the poll underlined just how much discrimination female immigrants face today, especially Hispanics. These women have overcome prejudice because of their language, race, gender and immigration status. We would do well to remember that America has always benefitted from our openness to immigrants precisely because of the "can-do" spirit that this poll captured among female immigrants today.
Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) . This legislation " would provide a mechanism [...] to allow U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents in binational same-sex relationships to sponsor their foreign born partner for immigration benefits to the U.S. " (for info, see Immigration Equality , also coverage in the NYT and CNN ; for hearing info, including witness testimonies see Judiciary Committee website here )
According to Immigration Equality "there are an estimated 35,820 binational same-sex couples who reported to the most recent Census."
I don't know what the odds are of UAFA receiving committee approval (not to mention actually passing the labirynth that is congress ), but it draws much needed attention to this discriminatory immigration practice. It is also an important reminder that even though six states now recognize same-sex marriage (yay! ), without overturning DOMA, committed same-sex couples are still precluded from more than 1,138 rights and protections conferred to U.S. citizens upon marriage by the federal government (according to the federal government's Governmental Accountability Office).
(Originally posted on Wiretap)
By Naima Coster, WireTap
"Choice" is the marketing theme for Gardasil, a vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). For women who are American citizens, Gardasil is a choice; for women who are immigrants, the vaccine is a federal mandate upon which their presence in this country depends.
As of July 2008, female immigrants between the ages of 11 and 26 who seek to adjust their citizenship status are required to receive the vaccine. Gardasil markets itself as part of a sexual health revolution for empowered, educated young women and girls -- from their promotional TV spot, "I Chose," to their website which boasts, "We chose to help protect ourselves.... Now the choice is yours!"
But the message that the vaccine is a way for all young women to protect themselves and make decisions about their own sexual health is partial and false; for immigrant women, the vaccine represents the policing of their bodies.
The mandate is a disturbing marriage between anti-immigrant policy and the capitalist ambitions of pharmaceutical giant, Merck, which produces the vaccine. Merck will be cashing checks every time an immigrant woman or girl seeks citizenship in the United States.
Moreover, enforced vaccination is yet another federal measure to police the bodies of immigrant women. These are women who are already subject to deportation, detention, militaristic border control, raids and other brutal enforcement tactics. Now, sexual health regulations require female immigrants to exchange their freedom to make decisions about their own bodies for American citizenship status.
Some of you may have seen this piece in the New York Times yesterday, telling the story of Encarnación Bail Romero, a Guatemalan woman who had the custody rights to her son, Carlos, removed by Judge David C. Dally of Circuit Court in Jasper County.
The reason: abandonment.
The catch (from hell): Ms. Bail had been detained in an immigration raid at a poultry processing plant Carthage, MO two years ago and has been in jail ever since, awaiting to be deported when her time in jail is over.
Carlos was given to a couple, about which the Judge said:
"the couple made a comfortable living, had rearranged their lives and work schedules to provide Carlos a stable home, and had support from their extended family. By contrast, Judge Dally said, Ms. Bail had little to offer."
“The only certainties in the biological mother’s future,” he wrote, “is that she will remain incarcerated until next year, and that she will be deported thereafter.”
I find these news extremely saddening, not to mention unjust and cruel. Ms. Bail was consulted about the possibility of the adoption, which she rejected, requesting that his son would be put in foster care. Moreover, the communications were not sent to her in Spanish, and no legal help was provided to her to defend her custodial right.
There is SO much that is wrong with this measure (which is only one in several other cases, as the article in question, as well as this other article make clear), but let's just start with the fact that the judge seems to think that undocumented immigrants are not entitled to the right to a family, and the state does not have the obligation to do what's possible to maintain families together:
“Her lifestyle, that of smuggling herself into the country illegally and committing crimes in this country, is not a lifestyle that can provide stability for a child,” the judge wrote in his decision. “A child cannot be educated in this way, always in hiding or on the run.”
Being an undocumented immigrant is not a crime, and the only reason why Ms. Bail was in detention was that she was charged with using false identification. This maneouver, also used in the high-profile Iowa raid, is used to make imigrants into criminals and ease their deportation procedures, even when the identity theft law was enacted to prevent fraudulent transactions in the name of a person from whom the identity had been stolen. This is not the case for immigrants, who are often provided with the fake identification by their employers, and they simply use them to be able to work.
A second issue that transpires in this ruling, although it's never explicitly acknowledged, is the narrative of motherhood, in which poor, non-white women are deemed inherently incapable of responsible motherhood, and the state seems to think it's entitled to intervene in their reproductive and family decisions to a greater extent.
There are many more issues that I could list on this post, but suffice it to say that I hope the Obama administration works toward a change that exceeds policy, and addresses the culture of hatred and de-humanization that accompanies our immigration debates.
One of the top stories on CNN.com this afternoon is about Japanese officials’ deportation of two undocumented Filipino immigrants, forcing them to part with their 13-year-old Japanese-citizen daughter, possibly until she is 18. The daughter was given the choice of staying in her homeland of Japan, the only home she has ever known, or leaving the country with her parents, who have lived in Japan for years.
The author asks readers, “Do you think Japanese officials are doing the right thing?” – which is all well and good – but how about asking, “Did you know this same exact thing is happening to American-citizen children? Do you think American officials are doing the right thing?”
Two years ago, the Child Citizen Protection Act (CCPA, H.R. 182) was introduced in Congress. The bill proposed an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act that would give judges discretionary authority in deportation proceedings involving immigrants who are the parents of US-citizen children. Basically, it would allow a judge to decline to order the deportation of immigrant parents if she feels it is in the best interest of the citizen child.
There was/is a good deal of conservative backlash about “anchor babies” and protecting the integrity of this great nation of ours, as you can imagine. The CNN report on Japan’s own xenophobic issues with immigration policy got me thinking I should do my own part to spread the word about this important bill. If I can encourage even one of the wonderful Feministing readers to take action and write a letter to their representatives in Congress, or even just educate themselves about the fucked up anti-family immigration policies as they stand today and the importance of CCPA, then that’d be a pretty good thing.
Check out the Families for Freedom site for more information -- just in case, it's at http://www.familiesforfreedom.org/httpdocs/americankids.html
The National Immigrant Solidarity Network is holding its
4th National Grassroots Immigrant Strategy Conference April 10-12, 2009 in Chicago.
They are accepting proposals on the following topics until Feb 1st.
- 2009 and Beyond
- Congressional Legislation
- Militarization of the Border
- Immigrant Detention, Deportation and Raid
- Labor Organizing
- Student/Youth Organizing
- Education & Outreach
- Multi-Ethnic Organizing
- Community Support Network
- International Immigration/Migration
- Diverse Tactics to Achieve Goals
- Caucuses (LGBT, Women and Regional)
Check it out here.
Mark your calendars and register online! They will not turn anyone away due to lack of funds.
The morning after the inauguration of America’s first black president, men, women, and children from around the country will assemble in DC and march to the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in protest. These justice activists, immigrants and supporters, will hold a Day of Action for Immigrant Rights , seeking to shed light on the agency’s years of repressive policies. The event will be led by a collection of faith leaders, who will host a forum featuring testimonies about the ICE raids and civil liberties violations that have devastated communities.
It seems fitting that the Day of Action will be juxtaposed so closely with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 22nd of January. In many ways, the planned immigrant-rights actions are reminiscent of the many pro-choice and reproductive justice rallies that I’ve supported in the past. I’ve marched on The Hill, rallied on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court and attended speak-outs that remind the audience of the ongoing oppression against women and affirm us with stories of resistance and empowerment.
As a reproductive justice advocate and self-identified feminist, it's difficult for me to separate the fight for women's rights and the struggle for immigrant justice. Fear and stigma force many immigrants and their citizen family members to live in the shadows of our communities - an oppression that mirrors the experience of women who needed underground abortions before Roe v. Wade. Before Roe, these courageous women overcame significant financial and logistical barriers. They traveled long distances and "voluntarily" subjected themselves to often unsafe procedures. Many died in their wish for a better life.
We see the same parallels in the lives of immigrants and refugees who migrated here to live and work. Many endured harsh and even life-threatening travels. Some paid exorbitant visa application fees while others became burdened with travel debts that will take nearly a lifetime to pay off. Once here, many immigrants work under dangerous conditions for employers who engage in coercive tactics. These employers use fear to exploit immigrant workers, keeping them in constant worry for their lives and the lives of their families. Like the women who sought (and for various reasons, continue to seek) underground abortions, many immigrants and refugees, both documented and undocumented, risk their lives in hope for freedom and a better future.
If we strive to advance feminist values and human rights, we also must honor the rights and dignity of immigrants and refugees. If you're in the D.C. area, you can march and attend the Day of Action for Immigrant Rights on January 21st. You can also learn about promoting immigrant and refugee justice through a gender lens from the National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights, led by the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum , National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and National Organization for Women .
Here is a great little piece of news that i found tonight on CNN.
so apparently if something terrible has already happened to you, you''ve got nothing to fear right?
The National Coalition for Immigrant Women’s Rights (NCIWR) kicked off its first in-person convening on June 12, 2008. As part of the steering committee, NAPAWF, along with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) organized this historic convening for people to share information, network, and collectively begin to develop a proactive immigrant women’s rights agenda.
Over thirty participants attended the Convening and engaged in a comprehensive discussion around the Coalition’s objectives, past and upcoming immigration legislation, current issues regarding detention centers, and potential next steps for the Coalition. One exciting discussion focused on NCIWR’s plans to launch a “Liberation Campaign “ that would raise awareness around the specific issues (such as sexual assault) that immigrant women detainees face. The guest speakers were definitely a highlight of the gathering—they included Noelle Lee, health staffer for Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), Michelle Brane from the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and Pabitra Benjamin from the Rights Working Group. Ms. Brane, for example, gave a compelling description of visits to detention centers where she handled sexual assault complaints and was given accounts of inhumane treatment towards pregnant women and separation of mothers from their children.
Overall, the attendees agreed that the day was productive and informative. Everyone especially appreciated the chance to come together and learn about how their own organization can take on a significant role in carrying out the Coalition’s agenda.
Having just started my summer stint with NAPAWF a week before, I could not fully appreciate or understand the depth of such a Convening at the time. The different member organizations included immigrant rights groups, women’s rights groups, and faith-based groups. The power behind such an intersection of race, gender, and religion was beyond me, and needless to say, I had much to learn. After a solid six weeks of being here at NAPAWF, I am beginning to piece together the importance of such a meeting. What I have come to appreciate is that NCIWR is not just another coalition; it is a movement among social justice groups to recognize the power of organizations with sometimes different objectives and goals coming together to support one purpose. Consequently, there is a stronger voice, more resources, and a greater pool of people ready to be mobilized. All of this combined with everyone’s energy and passion is a potent stimulus for change. NCIWR represents a united front and an effort to acknowledge immigrant women’s rights as human rights.
