MIRA Blog
MIRA advocates for the rights and opportunities of immigrants and refugees. In partnership with its members, MIRA advances this mission through policy analysis and advocacy, institutional organizing, training and leadership development, and strategic communications.
On this terrible day of tragedy and uncertainty in Greater Boston, we at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition extend our deepest condolences to the family of officer Sean Collier, who was killed in the line of duty yesterday. We also offer our hopes for a speedy recovery to those hurt, and our prayers for continued safety and security to all residents of the Bay State.
MIRA sends its deepest condolences to the victim's of yesterday's heinous bombings at the marathon in our hometown, Boston.
By Sarang Sekhavat, MIRA Federal Policy Director:
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finally issued the final rule for provisional waivers of inadmissibility, what advocates are calling the “Family Unity Waiver”. DHS initially announced back in January 2012 that it would make changes to the way that undocumented relatives of US Citizens could re-enter the United States after leaving the country to obtain an immigration visa abroad. In April, DHS issued an interim rule and requested comments from the public. On January 3, 2013, DHS released the final rule which incorporates some of the suggestions from public comments, but leaves many of our major concerns untouched. The final rule will go into effect on March 4, 2013.
The Old Rule
The new rule is necessary because of the unfair way that the federal government processes I-601s, Applications for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), certain undocumented relatives of US Citizens who benefit from a family-based petition had to leave the United States in order to obtain their immigration visa from a US consulate. The problem is, once an undocumented individual leaves the country, they are subject to a 10-year bar to returning. So essentially, the person is leaving the country to obtain documents required to be here legally, but once they leave, they are not legally allowed to return for 10 years. The INA does allow an individual to file the I-601 to request permission to return to the United States prior to the 10 years, but current regulations say that the individual must file the I-601 outside the country. That means that the beneficiary of the immigration visa must leave the country and be subject to the 10 year bar first, then file the application and hope they are allowed back into the country.
lament of education reformers in recent years has been the declining share of U.S. college students entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professions—and the loss of opportunity for both those students and the U.S. economy as a whole.
A new report from the Information Technology Industry Council, the Partnership for a New American Economy, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce tells another, less familiar part of this story, though one well-known to those paying attention: the growing role of immigrant workers in these same STEM industries, where the foreign-born account for 26.1% of workers with PhDs and 17.7% of master’s degree holders.
With the first debate focusing on domestic topics and the third debate covering foreign policy issues extensively, only the second meeting between the Presidential candidates provided insight into either’s plan for immigration reform.
As the race for the Senate seat in Massachusetts heats up and Election Day draws near, it is important to consider the effects the outcome will have on the state’s minority and immigrant communities – and vice versa.
The Boston Globe's blog "The Podium" published an editorial by MIRA's executive director, Eva Millona, explaining why the new RMV provision won't make Massachusetts any safer. Read the article or see the full text below. Take action on this issue!
Targeting undocumented immigrants
By Eva A. Millona | JULY 24, 2012
The Legislature recently pushed through a provision in the state budget that clearly targeted undocumented immigrants, requiring the RMV to ask for “proof of legal residence” before applicants could register their vehicles. In seeking to amend that language, Governor Patrick noted that “it serves the public’s safety interests to know, through registration, the name and whereabouts of the owner of every vehicle on the Commonwealth’s roads.” But the Legislature sided with state lawmakers from Arizona to Alabama who want to dedicate state resources to the federal issue of immigration checks — by the Department of Transportation’s estimate, the provision will cost over a million dollars to implement.
This Saturday, MIRA will join the Greater Boston Citizenship Initiative (GCBI) in hosting our only Boston-area citizenship clinic of the summer. These free clinics provide legal permanents residents (LPRs) with the guidance, referrals and materials needed to successfully complete their application, pass their citizenship test, and become fully integrated and engaged U.S. citizens.
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n the lyrics of Sam Cooke, “It’s been a long time coming, but I know…a change is gonna come.”
Today, President Obama will announce lifting the threat of deportation for some undocumented students and granting them work authorization on a temporary and renewable basis.
In a memo released this morning from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, an estimated 1 million young people could be eligible for DHS’s “deferred action” directive. Students in the U.S. who are already in deportation proceedings or those who qualify for the DREAM Act, will not be deported and will be eligible for work permits.
To be eligible, applicants must be between 15 and 30 years old and have resided in the U.S. for at least five years continuously. Students can either be presently enrolled, graduated, received a high school diploma/GED, or be honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or armed forces. People who have one felony, one serious misdemeanor, or three minor misdemeanors will be ineligible to apply. Minor traffic violations such as driving without a license, will not be counted. Deferred action will last for two years and can be renewed, meaning long-term relief is still be predicated upon legislative change.
Republic Senators blocked the DREAM Act in 2010, after it passed the House – the furthest it has gone in the legislative process. The DREAM Act offers a pathway toward permanent residency for young people who have completed some college or military service. This year, House Judiciary Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) has already said he would not hold a hearing on the DREAM Act in his committee. Recently, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has expressed support for a scaled-back version of the bill.
This announcement is a much-needed boost to our nation’s spirits and economic vitality. While this is a milestone for the immigrant rights movement, and a long overdue help for the young people who have known no other home other than the US, it is important to recognize that this does not alleviate the need for congressional action and comprehensive legislation.
The administration’s action today is not guaranteed immunity or categorical amnesty. Instead, the process will still be subjected to the discretion of individual field officers. Today’s directive and broadening of criteria is certainly promising, but it is important to prevent the spreading of false information and exploitation of immigrants.
Further details regarding the detailed process and implications on access in-state tuition, conditions for travel, etc. are forthcoming.
Tune in at 1:15 p.m. for the President’s statement.
(Photo: Massachusetts student activists advocating for the DREAM Act in front of the State House in 2010)
Breaking news this morning via Associated Press:
The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin giving work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of a growing Latino electorate that has opposed administration deportation policies.
The administration’s decision will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants. Two senior administration officials described the plan on condition of anonymity ahead of its expected announcement Friday.
Stay tuned for details.
This year’s Give Liberty a Hand gala also marks MIRA’s 25th anniversary. While MIRA is honored to celebrate another year of continued positive influence in the community, we are especially eager to honor the longevity of the organization. The sustained presence and expansion over the years is a point of particular pride for all of those who have remained steadfastly involved with MIRA and its core mission of advocating for immigrant and refugee rights in the Commonwealth. To those organizations and individuals who have contributed to this continued success, we extend our deepest gratitude.
As part of the Tufts Hillel Moral Voices lecture series, Deval Patrick spoke at the university on Monday about immigration rhetoric and voiced concerns regarding existing and pending immigration policies. Continue reading to take a look at what the governor had to say by reading the speech’s transcript.
It is that time of year when high school seniors eagerly await their college acceptance letters. For many, of course, acceptance does not guarantee access. Undocumented students must still pay 2-3 times more tuition than other students to attend public colleges in our state, regardless of their contributions to their communities, number of years in the U.S., or the absence of any choice in whether to immigrate. Because they are also ineligible for public financial aid, college is therefore a financial impossibility for many undocumented students. The Massachusetts legislature, for the fourth time in the last decade, has deferred these students the equal access to higher education they deserve.
Last summer, students, educators, business leaders and other supporters of higher education equality packed a State House hearing room to testify in favor of An Act regarding higher education opportunities for high school graduates. This bill would remedy our state's current discriminatory policy by allowing all students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges in Massachusetts provided they attend high school for at least three years in our state and graduate or obtain a GED. The bill would also generate $7.4 million per year once fully implemented, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, without crowding classrooms.
Last week, An Act regarding higher education opportunities for high school graduates was "sent to study" by the Joint Committee on Higher Education, effectively halting progress for the remainder of this year. While it was convenient for politicians to not take up a reasonable and pragmatic bill because of yet another election season, many students are left again with the burden of sending themselves to study with unrealistic costs, or not pursue college at all.
By kicking the can down the road, the Legislature is not only failing these students, but also wasting talent of a population most likely tostay, contribute to the Commonwealth. Delaying the bill also lacks foresight in our goals for a strong economic recovery, especially as our entrepreneurs, world-class companies and research institutions are hungry for a readied workforce in this globalized knowledge-based economy. Having already lost our first-mover advantage, thirteen states have adopted laws and policies of higher education equality, including our neighbors New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. But this momentum also gives us hope, especially as the movement for national immigration reform continues.
MIRA expresses our deepest gratitude to the lead sponsors of this bill, Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Representative Denise Provost and Representative Alice Wolf, who stood as courageous champions for this bill, as well as the co-sponsoring legislators of this bill and all students, advocates and allies that stood up for higher education equality this session. It will be a bittersweet summer for some of our high school graduates, but it doesn't have to be this way for those that follow the class of 2012.
With the deadline for reporting bills out of state legislative committees fast approaching, several bills that would impact immigrants have received their hearings in recent weeks, and MIRA has provided testimony. Most notably, on February 28, MIRA testified before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in opposition to S.B. 2061/H.B. 3919, "An Act to enhance community safety." This was a wide-ranging bill with numerous provisions that would harm immigrants and Massachusetts communities more broadly, and about which we regularly updated our members since its filing in late September 2011. MIRA worked with our members and allies to bring informative testimony to the hearing, and also mobilized community members to deliver hundreds of postcards about the bill, signed by registered voters, to legislators.
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The recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision Finch v. Commonwealth Health Care Connector Authority has re-established Commonwealth Care health coverage eligibility for many immigrants. If you are an immigrant who was previously enrolled in the "Bridge" program, you should have received a letter from the Connector Authority in February regarding increases in benefits, health plan options, and designation of a Primary Care Provider (PCP). Everyone in this situation should have been transferred to Commonwealth Care on March 1.
Committee hearing packed with constituents speaking out against divisive and fiscally irresponsible Senate Bill 2061
BOSTON — In the middle of a contentious State House hearing today on a bill entitled "An Act to Enhance Community Safety," Representative Carlos Henriquez asked, "Why are we making immigration the culprit in this? What can we do that addresses these issues that doesn't make immigration the boogeyman, so to speak?"
The act, SB 2061 and its counterpart House Bill 3913, were presumably introduced in response to the tragic death of a U.S. citizen caused by a drunk driver who happened to be undocumented. But at the Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing, human rights advocates, faith leaders, immigration experts and others spoke about how the proposed legislation scapegoats immigrants and ignores the real threats to public safety, namely, drunk driving and alcohol abuse.
At 1 p.m. today, February 28, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on “An Act to Enhance Community Safety,†a bill that is not only anti-immigrant, but actually detrimental to public safety.
Senate Bill 2061 and its counterpart House Bill 3913 have been widely condemned by advocates, including faith-based organizations, poverty law attorneys, and health care providers. The bill was introduced last fall in the legislature as a political response to media uproar over the tragic death of a U.S. citizen by a drunk driver who happened to be undocumented. Instead of tackling the problems of alcohol abuse and driving under the influence, the bill imposes punitive measures on immigrant communities by focusing on matters related to federal immigration law. These measures would send painful reverberations through immigrant, mixed status and non-immigrant households alike by damaging community-police relations and our economy.
The not-so-quiet town of East Haven, Connecticut has been the subject of a media firestorm in recent weeks. The initial story broke when four East Haven police officers were arrested following a three year federal investigation into alleged racial profiling of Latinos in the area. While East Haven Police Chief Leonard Gallo was not criminally charged in the investigation he has conveniently decided to retire, a decision that will take affect today.