Last week, Mitt Romney's reference to "self-deportation" was added to the list of buzzwords in immigration policy. Romney's Republican opponents scoffed at the idea at first, but the roots of the seemingly contradictory "self-deportation" idea (or "attrition through enforcement" as it is also known) are embedded in stances advocated by ultra conservative anti-immigrant groups and legislators since at least 2007. While President Obama reiterated a promise of comprehensive immigration reform in the State of the Union Address, Romney asserted his support for resolving unauthorized immigration issues by compelling immigrants to leave of their own accord due to unhospitable circumstances. Alabama and Arizona have already enacted legislation designed to create unwelcoming environments for any resident who doesn't have the right papers.

Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas, vocal anti-immigrant critic and lawyer, drafted the Arizona legislation which then became a model for Alabama's bill. Kobach has voiced fears of undocumented immigrants committing voter fraud to justify stringent voter ID requirements. Opponents of his measures question the credibility of Kobach's claims saying that he has failed to substantiate his claims of mass voter fraud.

Though it's been less than a year since Alabama's legislation was passed, the effects on families in the state have been far-reaching. Supporters of the bill claim success, citing lower immigration levels and unemployment rates as compared to other states. On the ground, some Alabama legislators are regretting their decision to enact the legislation citing the flood of unintended consequences and declines in productivity. This week, NPR's This American Life featured the stories of mothers, children and workers in Alabama adjusting to the new reality under state-imposed isolation. The phrase "self-deportation" sounds efficient, painless, and relatively uncomplicated. However, the harsh implications of isolation, increased vulnerability and the climate of fear that associated policies can foster begs for a greater public understanding of the lives that are changed by the process.

Last April, the Women of Color Policy Network published a policy brief about the impacts of SB 1070 and other state-level anti-immigration policies on the people, fiscal health and public safety of states. As the GOP races heat up, it will be interesting to see how the isolation of immigrants is talked about and the nature of policy recommendations offered up on both sides.  

 

This week, in communities from Ohio to Arizona to Mississippi, voters rejected a policy agenda designed to diminish the rights of immigrants, women, and public sector workers. These defeats highlight that the anti-union, anti-choice, anti-racial equity platforms advanced across the country following 2010 Republican electoral gains are out of touch with voter sentiment (see the Network's mid-year State Legislative Roundup for a review of the unprecedented number of state-level attacks on workers' economic security, immigrants' rights, and women's reproductive health in the first half of 2011). The tide is now turning against these policies, with voters across the nation rejecting regressive policy initiatives that negatively impact women of color, their families, and communities.

Take a look at this week's major victories at the ballot box:

Ohio Anti-Union Bill Repealed: Ohio State Senate Bill 5 was passed by Republican lawmakers in the state earlier this year. The nullified anti-union  measure included prohibiting public employees from going on strike and eliminating binding arbitration. On Tuesday, voters chose to repeal the bill and restore the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers by a 63 to 37 percent margin. The collective negotiation of fair benefits, a living wage, and workplace protections are essential components of a quality job that workers, particularly low-income workers, have been historically denied. Women and workers of color disproportionately lack access to such benefits and have particularly high stakes in the ongoing debates over workers' collective bargaining rights.

Mississippi Personhood Amendment Defeated: Voters in Mississippi rejected Initiative 26, an amendment that would have defined a fertilized egg as a "person." By a 58 to 42 percent major, voters blocked the personhood amendment on Tuesday, thereby protecting women's access to reproductive health services within the state of Mississippi. The measure included language that would have made birth control methods, such as the morning after-pill or intrauterine devices, illegal. These measures would have increased the likelihood of unintended pregnancies throughout Mississippi by criminalizing specific methods of birth control and abortion procedures. The creation of additional barriers to reproductive health services would have been particularly devastating for women of color, who already "fare worse than white women in every aspect of reproductive health."

Architect of Arizona Anti-Immigrant Bill Defeated in Recall: Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, sponsor of the draconian anti-immigrant bill SB 1070, was defeated on Tuesday in a recall election. Pearce had gained national notoriety for his vocal anti-immigrant stance and support of legislation that targeted immigrant communities with harsh enforcement measures. Fellow Republican, Jerry Lewis, defeated Pearce with the backing of immigrant rights groups that crossed party lines to help oust the sitting State Senator. As noted in the Network's policy brief on the issue, SB 1070 and similar anti-immigrant measures have a detrimental impact on immigrant women and communities of color by promoting racial profiling, separating families, and eroding worker protections.

These are only a few of the victories that demonstrate that voters are pushing back against an extreme agenda that compromises the economic security, health, and well-being of women of color, their families, and their communities. Others include the restoration of same-day voter registration in Maine, the protection of a non-discrimination ordinance in Michigan, and the election of multiple openly gay and lesbian candidates.
 
While these victories are a critical bell weather of the nation's mood as we approach the 2012 elections, the progressive community must remained focused towards our goal of enhanced social equity. Reengagement of youth, women, first-time voters, people of color and Independents will be critical to adding to the victories of Tuesday night.

he Network remains engaged in promoting policy solutions that work for our communities and, next month, will convene a national summit to build a progressive, unified agenda for change with an eye toward the 2012 election cycle. The summit, Engage2012, will take place December 8-9, 2011 at New York University. All are welcome to attend the opening event, which is free and open to the public, on December 8 from 6:00-8:00 pm. For more information and to register, please visit our website: http://wagner.nyu.edu/wocpn/

This past Friday the Bloomberg Administration expressed support for a City Council bill first introduced by Speaker Christine Quinn in August that would limit the cooperation between New York City and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the New York Times, the bill "prevent[s] corrections officials from transferring inmates to federal custody . . . if prosecutors declined to press charges against them, and if they had no convictions or outstanding warrants, had not previously been ordered deported and did not show up on the terrorist watch list." The announcement signaled "a significant reversal" in the administration's position, making it likely that the bill will be enacted as law.

The Bloomberg Administration's decision falls in line with a political trend that recalibrates the focus of immigration enforcement. Earlier in the summer, Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended New York State's participation in the controversial Secure Communities program, citing concerns about the "impact on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement." In August, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would not use federal resources on low-priority cases, such as people who had been brought into the country as young children, military veterans, and spouses of military personnel, instead targeting individuals who have been convicted of crimes or pose a security risk. NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía called the reforms outlined in Obama's speech "an important step in the right direction to bring sorely needed direction and clarity in current policies."

The Network outlined the detrimental effects of deportation on women and children in a brief earlier this year, noting the resultant separation of individuals from their families and describing how the practice discourages victims of violence from reporting abuse. Children separated from their mothers or primary care giver are either forced into the care of the state or deported along with their mothers or primary care givers, even if the children are U.S. citizens. For immigrant women facing abuse and violence, the threat of deportation reduces the likelihood that they will report such crimes. These women also may lack financial resources, basic safety nets, and language proficiency to navigate the complex criminal legal system to prosecute a crime and pursue their right to stay in the country.

The Bloomberg Administration's decision to support the City Council's bill may lead to an important legislative victory for immigrant women and their families in New York City by raising the threshold for deportation. If faithfully implemented, this bill and the revised DHS policies will lead to a reduction in deportation numbers, eventually displacing the specter of vague immigration enforcement policies and blunt practices that have long functioned as a threat to the personal security of immigrant families and communities.

A year ago, Arizona passed one of the most restrictive anti-immigration bills in the nation: SB 1070. The bill criminalized undocumented individuals and sparked a trend of copycat legislation introduced in 30 states. While most efforts were unsuccessful, SB 1070 and copycat laws have severe negative implications for undocumented individuals and their families, including American citizen children. SB 1070 and similar legislation erode worker protections and the civil rights of undocumented immigrants, compromise the fiscal health of states, and place an undue strain on local law enforcement.

The Women of Color Policy Network's latest policy brief, A Look at SB 1070 and State-Level Immigration Efforts, outlines the far-reaching implications of SB 1070 and similar legislation for immigrant women and their families. The brief addresses the impact of SB 1070-style laws on civil liberties, state fiscal solvency, and public safety, underscoring the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level and positive immigration reform at the state level. To read the Network's analysis of SB 1070 and our recommendations for policy responses that strengthen the nation's economic security, support immigrant families, and enrich communities, click here: http://wagner.nyu.edu/wocpn/publications/files/Immigration_Policy_Brief.pdf

"Someone who uses violence will use it in an economic windfall, too," said Woldeguiorguis, policy and systems advocacy director at Jane Doe Inc., a Boston-based group that works to reduce domestic violence.

This has led to an escalation in the severity and frequency of domestic violence among immigrant women.

Read full story

From RaceWire:

Due to language and social barriers, undocumented immigrants are prone to being severely undercounted, which is at the heart of the controversy surrounding the 2010 census. Although a fuller count would not resolve the unmet needs that burden the undocumented population (there's even division in the Latino community over the value of the census), the Drum Major Institute argues that better numbers are crucial for accurately targeting government resources and services.

Census data drives distribution of funding for schools and health care and informs local decisions on public transportation, district division, etc. The Census could potentially erase the immigrant population politically, even as they're still affected by policy-making. The fact is that immigrants are part of the diverse demographic landscape of the United States and can't be "ignored away" by the Census. Immigrant women of color, a historically ignored population, already face a tenuous economic status, and could also become politically invisible through an inaccurate census.

Read the full article here.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health blog, Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Voz, discusses a 2004 report by Just Detention International on sexual abuse in light of the "explosive growth in rates of immigration detention" in the last five years.

Read the full post here.

Despite calls from pro-immigrant advocates and big city police chiefs for  humane and just immigration reform, the Obama administration moves to approve enforcement measures that will have an adverse affect on immigrant populations.