While 2010 proved fruitless for states seeking to imitate Arizona SB 1070, the 2011 legislative sessions has been more challenging for defeating or delaying these misguided measures.  The 2010 elections changed the composition of many statewide chambers, with a number of states electing candidates who campaigned on the promise that they would introduce copycat legislation.  Despite the fact that some copycats have gained traction in a handful of states, many more of these bills have been failing across the country.  Below is a summary of the states that pose the …

While 2010 proved fruitless for states seeking to imitate Arizona SB 1070, the 2011 legislative sessions has been more challenging for defeating or delaying these misguided measures.  The 2010 elections changed the composition of many statewide chambers, with a number of states electing candidates who campaigned on the promise that they would introduce copycat legislation.  Despite the fact that some copycats have gained traction in a handful of states, many more of these bills have been failing across the country.  Below is a summary of the states that pose the …

2011 Mississippi Legislative Session
Status of Bills that Adversely Affect Immigrant Workers (3-29-11)
33 bad bills were introduced.  Aas of today, ALL ARE DEAD!!!
HB 54 by Rep. Gary Chism (R) Columbus—(Arizona style): “Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” of 2011. Referred to House Judiciary Committee B–DEAD
HB 245 by Rep. Ted Mayhall (R) Southaven—Public benefits, deny to any person not lawfully present in the United States.  Referred to House Judiciary Committee B–DEAD
HB 273 by Rep. John Moore (R) Brandon—Civil Rights Education Commission, repeal provisions creating.  Referred to House Education Committee–DEAD
HB 281 …

SB 2179 (the Arizona style anti-immigrant bill) is DEAD! Thanks to everyone who helped fight against the bill.
SB 2170 (copia de Ley anti-inmigrante estilo Arizona) ha muerto hoy! Muchas gracias a todos aquellos que lucharon para matar este horrible Proyecto de Ley.

With its new request for information from vendors on its second attempt to connect video-surveillance towers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is following the same path that led to a failed $1 billion “virtual fence” across part of the Southwest border, several management and security experts say.
Source: Nextgov | The Southwest …

(From Mississippi Public Broadcasting)
Listen to the story here.
Immigration and racial profiling is a hot button issue for communities across Mississippi. But as MPB’s Lawayne Childrey reports the capital city may soon be adopting an ordinance to discourage the practice.
State and local Law enforcement must often answer to accusations of racial profiling.
“They’ve done things like setting up road blocks in Latino neighborhoods or on roads where they know that Latinos travel from the neighborhood to work. ”
Lily Axelrod, an organizer with the Mississippi …

PHOENIX — The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County for not cooperating with an investigation into whether his department was systematically violating the rights of Hispanics.

The government is looking into whether Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s department discriminates against Hispanics in its immigration sweeps.

Obama administration officials called the suit the first time in 30 years that the federal government had to sue to compel a law enforcement agency to cooperate with an investigation concerning Title VI of the …

Laurel, MS — On August 25, 2010, a small group of people gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of a blow to civility, tolerance, justice, and freedom in Laurel, MS.  Two years ago, U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents descended on Howard Industries to rob 595 immigrants and migrant workers of their dignity and separate them from their families without warning or recourse.  For a second consecutive year, MIRA held a vigil for justice to remember those people and families whose lives …

The Associated Press
By Shelia Byrd
August 13, 2010
Mississippi officials conspired to take the infant of an illegal immigrant from Mexico so the girl could be adopted by a white couple, a civil rights group charged Thursday in a federal lawsuit.
The Southern Poverty Law Center said Cirila Baltazar Cruz was separated from her daughter, Ruby, for a year before her child was returned to her in 2009 after the intervention of the group.
Cruz had the baby at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula in November 2008. Two days after the child was born, …

by Joe Atkins
Originally published by the Clarion Ledger and Atkins’ Labor South blog
SANFORD, N.C. — Getting to the rusted-out trailer that Diego Reyes Sr. and five other Latino workers call home between June and November of each year was no simple task.

I grew up in North Carolina’s tobacco country, but I’d never been here. Taking a right turn off Barbecue Church Road, Reyes and his son Diego Reyes Jr. led me down a rutted, one-way dirt road, past corn fields and bean fields, and …