This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending October 10

Week Ending October 10

This week in immigration reform: Deportations in 2013 were at a record high and cities are changing how they respond to federal immigration enforcement; NCLR continues the “Hanging in the Balance” blog series; Huffington Post publishes an op-ed by Representatives Conyers (D-Mich.) and Lofgren (D-Calif.) on executive action; NCLR presents the Immigo app, a resource for immigrants, activists, and advocates.

–Department of homeland security releases report detailing deportation numbers from 2013 and more cities are refusing to cooperate with immigration and customs enforcement: An article in the Las Vegas Sun notes that according to a new DHS report, “438,421 immigrants were deported in 2013, up approximately 5 percent from the previous record of 418,397 in 2012. More than 2 million people have been deported since President Barack Obama took office.” These numbers are released in the midst of a growing trend of cities refusing to detain those suspected of immigration violations in local jails and detention facilities until ICE decides to collect and deport them. These policy changes result partly as “officials worry that the detention requests also undercut community policing, making neighborhoods less safe by discouraging victims in immigrant neighborhoods from reporting crime or working with police. Local communities, unlike ICE, are also left with the collateral damage of families fractured by deportation” according to an article in the Washington Post. The growing trend of cities refusing to cooperate with federal officials is further evidence that the immigration system is broken and needs reform.

–NCLR continues ‘hanging in the balance’ series with the stories of three latinas threatened with deportation: With the delay of executive action by President Obama until after the November election, aspiring Americans continue to face the threat of deportation. In our latest blog post we share the story of three Latinas who are either at risk of deportation themselves or know of someone who is at risk of deportation. The possibility of deportation is real, especially with the continuation of a record number of removals by the Obama Administration. We continue to advocate for immigration reform so that Anabel, Maria, Elizabeth, and millions of other families, can live free of the fear of deportation.

–Huffington Post publishes an opinion piece by representative conyers (d-mi) and representative lofgren (d-ca) on administrative action: Representative Conyers (D-Mich.) and Representative Lofgren (D-Calif.) write an op-ed recognizing that the inaction of House Republicans has created the need for executive action on immigration. Not only have House Republicans failed to vote on comprehensive immigration reform, but they have passed several bills harmful to immigrants, including one that would disallow DACA recipients from renewing their applications, exposing them to the threat of deportation. They write, “We had hoped that executive action by the president would have taken place sooner, given the House Republicans’ obstructionism on immigration reform and the overriding national interest in updating our immigration system. But make no mistake, when the president acts, it will be because the GOP has made it abundantly clear there is only one viable path forward on immigration.”

NCLR presents new immigo app as a resource to share information on immigration: NCLR presents its new app, Immigo, to the NCLR Corporate Board of Advisors. The app highlights the successful partnership between NCLR, Verizon, and the Immigration Advocates Network.  Working together we have created an app that empowers service providers to share accurate immigration information with their clients. David Valdez of the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA is a perfect example of the user of the app. In an article, he writes, “No less than two weeks ago I had a student approach me needing some advice on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Normally, I would be anxious about providing accurate information on such a sensitive subject. However, having recently attended a digital media workshop at the National Council of La Raza conference, I’d learned of great new applications that have been developed to provide information on issues related to immigration. I was able to direct this young man to download the Immigo app and provide him with the most up-to-the-minute information for immigration reform.”

The app is available for free in the iTunes store and the Google Play stores.

Tune in tonight at 10 pm ET on msnbc for the NCLR ALMA Awards: