Friday, April 13, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Homeland Security Today: NJ Mosque Uses NYPD Surveillance In Ad Campaign
Homeland Security Today: NJ Mosque Uses NYPD Surveillance In Ad Campaign
Counternarcotics, Terrorism & Intelligence
NJ Mosque Uses NYPD Surveillance In Ad Campaign
By: Samantha Henry, Associated Press
04/06/12
Bookmark and Share
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The leader of a New Jersey mosque that was listed in a secret NYPD surveillance report is using the incident to try to recruit new members and promote a more positive view of Muslims.
Imam Mustafa El-Amin of Masjid Ibrahim in Newark ran an advertisement Thursday in The Star-Ledger newspaper urging people to read the Quran, denouncing terrorism and emphasizing that his mosque has an "open door" policy.
Under a bold-letter headline that reads: "NYPD Surveillance of Muslim Community," the ad says there's no need for the NYPD or any other agency to conduct secret surveillance of the mosque, because: "We have nothing to hide. Our doors are open."
El-Amin says he came up with the idea after reflecting on a phrase in the Quran — "With every difficulty, there is relief" — and realizing that finding a positive, teachable moment out of a negative experience is a concept deeply rooted in Islam.
"We've heard a lot about the negative effects, but once you get this level of exposure, one of the best things about it is, if you're positive, than the positive will win out," he said.
El-Amin was one of several Muslim leaders who met in March with New Jersey's attorney general following a series of stories by The Associated Press that detailed the monitoring or recommended surveillance of Muslims in New York and New Jersey, including the mapping of mosques in Newark — Masjid Ibrahim among them. NYPD officials have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The leaders have asked State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa for a formal investigation into whether New Jersey law enforcement officials were involved in the surveillance and whether it was conducted in violation of any state or federal laws. There have been signs the AG is looking into it, El-Amin said, but no formal investigation has been announced. A spokesman for Chiesa said Thursday there was nothing new to report.
Attendance at El-Amin's largely African-American mosque, housed in a converted storefront along a gritty commercial strip in Newark, has not waned in light of the NYPD revelations, he said. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to run the ad for a variety of reasons: to attract new people to the mosque — potential Muslim converts, law enforcement officials or people of any faith wanting to learn more about Islam — to emphasize the mosque's long-running stance against terrorism, and to set non-Muslims at ease, especially those who were once friendly to the mosque but are now wary of visiting Muslim businesses or mosques that were listed in the NYPD report.
"You have to be innovative, when something concerns you or your community," El-Amin said of taking out the ad. "It's not purely advertising; it's to state unequivocally that we have nothing to hide."
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Counternarcotics, Terrorism & Intelligence
NJ Mosque Uses NYPD Surveillance In Ad Campaign
By: Samantha Henry, Associated Press
04/06/12
Bookmark and Share
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The leader of a New Jersey mosque that was listed in a secret NYPD surveillance report is using the incident to try to recruit new members and promote a more positive view of Muslims.
Imam Mustafa El-Amin of Masjid Ibrahim in Newark ran an advertisement Thursday in The Star-Ledger newspaper urging people to read the Quran, denouncing terrorism and emphasizing that his mosque has an "open door" policy.
Under a bold-letter headline that reads: "NYPD Surveillance of Muslim Community," the ad says there's no need for the NYPD or any other agency to conduct secret surveillance of the mosque, because: "We have nothing to hide. Our doors are open."
El-Amin says he came up with the idea after reflecting on a phrase in the Quran — "With every difficulty, there is relief" — and realizing that finding a positive, teachable moment out of a negative experience is a concept deeply rooted in Islam.
"We've heard a lot about the negative effects, but once you get this level of exposure, one of the best things about it is, if you're positive, than the positive will win out," he said.
El-Amin was one of several Muslim leaders who met in March with New Jersey's attorney general following a series of stories by The Associated Press that detailed the monitoring or recommended surveillance of Muslims in New York and New Jersey, including the mapping of mosques in Newark — Masjid Ibrahim among them. NYPD officials have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The leaders have asked State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa for a formal investigation into whether New Jersey law enforcement officials were involved in the surveillance and whether it was conducted in violation of any state or federal laws. There have been signs the AG is looking into it, El-Amin said, but no formal investigation has been announced. A spokesman for Chiesa said Thursday there was nothing new to report.
Attendance at El-Amin's largely African-American mosque, housed in a converted storefront along a gritty commercial strip in Newark, has not waned in light of the NYPD revelations, he said. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to run the ad for a variety of reasons: to attract new people to the mosque — potential Muslim converts, law enforcement officials or people of any faith wanting to learn more about Islam — to emphasize the mosque's long-running stance against terrorism, and to set non-Muslims at ease, especially those who were once friendly to the mosque but are now wary of visiting Muslim businesses or mosques that were listed in the NYPD report.
"You have to be innovative, when something concerns you or your community," El-Amin said of taking out the ad. "It's not purely advertising; it's to state unequivocally that we have nothing to hide."
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Walking Across America For The Dream Act
Walking Across America For The Dream Act
Youtube videos of the Campaign for the American Dream Walk in March 10, 2012
Published April 4, 2012 by Angelo Lopez | Permalink | Tags: Campaign For An American Dream Citizenship Dream Walk Illegal Immigration Senator Dick Durbin The Dream Act Undocumented Youth
Walking Across America For The Dream Act
By Angelo Lopez
April 4, 2012
April 4, 2012
On March 10, starting at the Golden Gate Bridge, a group of enthusiastic immigrant rights activists began a 3,000 mile walk across the nation to promote the Dream Act and immigration reform. These activists hope to create a dialogue about the plight of undocumented youth in small towns and big cities along their route. These walkers are sponsored by the group Campaign for an American Dream and they hope to arrive at Washington D.C. with renewed support for the passage of the Dream Act.
The Dream Act was first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 by Senators Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch and it would provide a means for undocumented children of illegal immigrants an opportunity to become citizens if they pass certain requirements. Those eligible must have come to this country before they were 15 years old, they must have good character (meaning they do not have a criminal record), they must have graduated from a U.S. high school or received a GED , and they must have lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. These young adults must complete either two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning to obtain a temporary residency for a six-year period. Within the six-year period, they may become a permanent resident if they acquire a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or has completed at least 2 years in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States or have served in the armed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, has received an honorable discharge. Throughout the years, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin has remained a consistent advocate for the Dream Act. Here is a youtube video of Senator Dick Durbin advocating the Dream Act.
The people who will walk for the Dream Act are Alex Aldana, Lucas da Silva, Jose Gonzalez,Nico Gonzalez, Raymi Gutierrez, and Jonatan Martinez. You can connect to their individual Facebook pages, read their blogs as they do through their walk across the country, or read their newsletter that is found in the Campaign For An American Dream website. Jonatan Martinez wrote a good summary as to why he is walking across the country to talk to people for support of the Dream Act:
I will walk for all of the DREAMers who are in the same position as me. I will walk for people who have hope to earn a degree but are not given the opportunity to put their talents to use. I will walk for a change in our immigration system and a halt in the separation of families. I will walk for every person who feels they do not have a voice in their own country. I will walk for those who feel that their dreams are crumbled and useless due to a broken immigration system. I will walk for those who are raised in America and even without a legal status; they still stand proud to call themselves Americans. For a fellow American I will walk as far as it takes. I will keep walking and never settle for less than equality. I will put one foot in front of the other and not lay rest, because I walk for the American dream and the American dream is you.
Here is a link to the U.S. Senate's contact information and the directory of the U.S. House of Representatives so that you can contact your Senator and Representative and let them know that you support the Dream Act.
Here are some organizations who are involved in the immigration debate
Dream Activist: Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network
National Council of La Raza
Frontera de Cristo
Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.
Interfaith Immigration Coalition
Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights
Border Action Network
Asian Law Caucus
Asian Pacific Americans For Progress
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
National Council of La Raza
Frontera de Cristo
Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.
Interfaith Immigration Coalition
Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights
Border Action Network
Asian Law Caucus
Asian Pacific Americans For Progress
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
Youtube videos of the Campaign for the American Dream Walk in March 10, 2012
A youtube video of Nico Gonzalez, one of the Dream Walkers
A youtube video of Jose Gonzalez, a Dream Walker
A youtube video of Irvin Camacho showing support for the Campaign for an American DREAM, the DREAM Act, and undocumented immigrants.
A youtube video of Deyvid Morales telling why he supports the Dream Act
A youtube video of Gabriela Mejia supporting the Dream Walk
A youtube video of Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) chairing the first-ever Senate hearing on the DREAM Act before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
Published April 4, 2012 by Angelo Lopez | Permalink | Tags: Campaign For An American Dream Citizenship Dream Walk Illegal Immigration Senator Dick Durbin The Dream Act Undocumented Youth
Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Obama has problem telling the truth on immigration reform - Viewpoints - The Sacramento Bee
Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Obama has problem telling the truth on immigration reform - Viewpoints - The Sacramento Bee
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Obama-has-trouble-with-truth-on-immigration-3459581.php#ixzz1rAaDZQO2
Obama has trouble with truth on immigration
Ruben Navarrette, Washington Post Writers Group
Updated 09:44 p.m., Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Comments (
Printable Version
Email This
FontWhen I said recently that President Obama has a habit of not being truthful about his immigration record, an angry Obama supporter demanded that I give specifics.
There are so many examples that it's tough to keep track.
We can add a few more to the list thanks to an interview that Obama recently gave to talk show host Fernando Espuelas of Univision Radio. When Espuelas noted the criticism that the president has received from Latinos for failing to deliver immigration reform, Obama bristled.
“Well look,” he said. “I think it is important for everybody to remember that I have been four square behind comprehensive immigration reform from the time I was a U.S. senator to my election as president and today. So, the issue has never been my full-throated support for comprehensive immigration reform.”
False. Obama tends to forget that, while in the Senate, he supported — at the behest of organized labor — a “poison pill” amendment intended to kill bipartisan attempts at comprehensive immigration reform.
And, as president, he failed to make reform a top priority, as he promised Latinos he would.
Obama went on: “The challenge is to get it passed through Congress, which is ultimately who has to pass this law. We have strong support from the majority of Democrats. We have no support from Republicans.”
False. Obama may have support from a majority of Democrats in Congress, but it doesn't appear to be “strong” support.
For the four years that Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, from January 2007 to January 2011, comprehensive immigration reform was never a priority. Back then, Republicans were driving the agenda.
The president also said: “You've got some of the leading Republican candidates for president saying they would veto the DREAM Act, and members of Congress telling the same line. We couldn't get any Republican votes for the DREAM Act when it came up a couple of years ago.”
False. In December 2010, when Congress last took up the legislation that would give undocumented youth legal status if they joined the military or went to college, three Republican senators — Richard Lugar of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Robert Bennett of Utah — voted in favor of cloture to move the bill to a full vote. Lugar, in fact, was a co-sponsor of the bill.
Obama said: “My hope is that after this election, partly because of a strong Latino vote, a message will be sent that we need to, once again, be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, that we've got to be respectful of folks who are here, who are doing the right thing, trying to raise their families, often times have kids who were born here in the United States, and they need to be given a chance, a pathway, so that they can have a strong legal status in this country.”
False. Obama has nerve talking about being “respectful” to immigrant families given that his administration has divided tens of thousands of them.
According to a recent report by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more than 46,000 parents with U.S.-born children were deported in the first half of 2011.
In trying to be both hawkish and humane on immigration, Obama has a problem telling the truth on the subject.
And that's no lie.
ruben@rubennavarrette.com.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Obama-has-trouble-with-truth-on-immigration-3459581.php#ixzz1rAaDZQO2
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Secure Communities on Thin ICE » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Secure Communities on Thin ICE » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
WEEKEND EDITION MAR 30-APR 01, 2012
Immigration Law Enforcement is Going in the Wrong Direction
Secure Communities on Thin ICE
There are ten million undocumented migrants in the United States who risk deportation if apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE only has 20,000 employees – only a fraction of whom are enforcement agents. Although ICE is the second largest investigative agency in the federal government, ICE does not have the resources to arrest, detain, and deport 10 million people. Thus, ICE must find other agencies to help it carry out its mission.
In case you were wondering, ICE’s mission is, it is “to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration.”
All that? With 20,000 employees? The NYPD has 34,500 uniformed officers in New York City alone. As you can see, ICE can’t do it all alone. Thus, this federal agency seeks cooperation with other agencies. One of their key collaborators is the local police, who are charged with protecting and serving their communities – not with enforcing federal immigration laws.
Nevertheless, police officers have become the primary on-the-ground enforcers of immigration law inside the United States. One way this has happened is through the Secure Communities program. Under this program, the local police check the immigration status of any immigrant booked into a county jail. The federal government has been pushing this program for two main reasons: 1) They don’t have the officers to carry out their mission and 2) Programs like this allow immigration law enforcement to be selective and get dangerous criminals off the street.
The problem is, study after study shows that Secure Communities is not catching dangerous criminals. Instead, Secure Communities encourages racial profiling, drives a wedge between community members and police, and primarily catches people with low-level (or no) offenses. A study by the Warren Institute, for example, revealed that 93 percent of people turned over to ICE under Secure Communities were Latino, even though Latin Americans make up only three-quarters of all undocumented immigrants. Another study reveals that, in Illinois, 77% of people arrested by ICE in Illinois under Secure Communities through July 2010 have no criminal convictions. The reason Secure Communities programs can pick up people without criminal convictions is that the Program only requires that people be arrested, not that they are actually convicted of any criminal activity.
The Center for American Progress has released a study where they examined the everyday lives of undocumented immigrants in North County, San Diego, the first community in California to sign on to Secure Communities. They completed 30 in-depth interviews with migrants, in addition to 851 surveys. Their study revealed that undocumented migrants were reluctant to report crimes, out of fear that they could be arrested and deported. In addition, many undocumented migrants reported that they avoided public places and even walking down the street, out of fear of being arrested. Some parents stopped picking their children up from school once they perceived that there was a crackdown in immigration law enforcement. In sum, they found that undocumented migrants often live in fear. This fact is particularly pernicious when we remember that over half of undocumented migrants live in mixed-status households. That is, they live in houses with legally present immigrants as well as with U.S. citizens. The grave impacts of undocumented migrants living in fear are often felt by their U.S. citizen and legally present family members, causing reverberating effects well beyond the ten million undocumented migrants in this country.
As the Center for American Progress and other studies make clear, cracking down on undocumented migrants by obliging local police departments to add to their already overburdened system does not make us safer or more secure. Instead, it creates fear and uncertainty in communities.
Tanya Golash-Boza is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and American Studies at the University of Kansas and the author of Immigration Nation: Raids, Detentions and Deportations in Post-9/11 America, published by Paradigm Publishers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)