DUH! I just saw this news article on Reuters. And just had to link it. I think politicians and anti-immigration groups should stop saying (1) that immigrants brings crime with them and increase the incidence of crimes - WE DON'T (2)comprehensive immigration reform is an AMNESTY for undocumented aliens - THEY AREN'T!
LOOK - amnesty happens when people like Scooter Libby is PARDONED by Bush without serving any sentence for essentially leaking national secrets - a treason IMHO. If you have to pay a fine, restitutions and go stand in line with everyone else in the green card application line (not the front the line, mind you), where's the amnesty?
Anyways, here's the article from reuters, click on the link to read the complete article:
Rising immigration not linked to crime rates: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Contrary to common beliefs, rising immigration levels do not drive up crime rates, particularly in poor communities, and Mexican-Americans are the least likely to commit crimes, according to a new study.
Robert Sampson, a sociologist at Harvard University who studied crime and immigration in 180 neighborhoods in Chicago over seven years, found that first-generation immigrants were 45 percent less likely to commit violent acts than third generation Americans. Read the complete article
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
US Discriminatory Travel and Immigration Ban on HIV-Positive Individuals Set for Repeal
Out4Immigration Cheers Senate Action, Hopes for Similar Move with Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—March 11, 2008— Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) successfully secured a provision to repeal the discriminatory travel and immigration ban on HIV-positive individuals today as part of the Senate's legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The underlying legislation, authored by Senators Joe Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), is expected to be considered by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations this week.
“This is a monumental first step toward ending the discrimination the LGBT community faces under current US immigration laws,” said Michael Lim, Vice President of the national grassroots organization Out4Immigration, a group dedicated to raising awareness about the discrimination LGBT Americans and their foreign partners face under current US immigration law.
“For many years, the only long-term way around this ban was for HIV-positive people to be sponsored by a family member, similar to the immigration process,” explained Lim. “Under current immigration law, the word ‘family’ does not apply to gays and lesbians.” The majority of HIV-positive people denied entry because of the ban have been gay men, many with American partners who are shut out from the ‘family’ option.
“This is similar to the larger problem of gay and lesbian American citizens not being able to sponsor foreign partners for green cards. It’s been an inhumane practice in this country for a long time,” said Lim.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, who along with Out4Immigration has repeatedly called for an end to this practice, the travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals, students, and tourists from entering the US unless they obtain a special waiver that only allows for short-term travel. Longer-term options can only be obtained using the family member sponsorship not available to gay and lesbian couples.
The ban was originally enacted in 1987, and explicitly restated in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed US immigration law in the early 1990s. While immigration law currently excludes immigrants with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the US, only HIV is explicitly named in the statute. For all other illnesses, the Secretary of Health and Human Services retains the ability, with the medical expertise of his department, to determine which illnesses truly pose a risk to public health.
Senators Kerry and Smith introduced legislation, the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), in December 2007 to repeal the ban. Representative Barbara Lee introduced the legislation in August 2007 in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3337).
“We hope that PEPFAR is reauthorized shortly and this major barrier to allowing all loving couples a chance to be together in the US is removed,” said Lim.
While the repeal of the discriminatory travel and immigration ban on HIV-positive individuals will allow foreign gays and lesbians with this illness some of the same options as their HIV-negative counterparts, there is still a long way to go until equal immigration rights are available to all.
“The good news is that those who are HIV-positive may soon be able to enter the US on work or student visas, in addition to travel,” said Lim. “This is often a first step that same-sex binational couples take in order to live together in the US.
“It will take the passage of the Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221; S.1328) for gay and lesbian American citizens to have the same rights to sponsor a foreign partner for permanent residency as is available to heterosexuals,” explained Lim. “Out4Immigration remains hopeful that the UAFA could be attached to legislation that would move it as swiftly through Congress as the expected repeal of the travel and immigration ban.”
______________
For more information:
Out4Immigration: http://www.out4immigration.org
The Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02221:
The Uniting American Families Act (S.1328): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01328:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—March 11, 2008— Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) successfully secured a provision to repeal the discriminatory travel and immigration ban on HIV-positive individuals today as part of the Senate's legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The underlying legislation, authored by Senators Joe Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), is expected to be considered by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations this week.
“This is a monumental first step toward ending the discrimination the LGBT community faces under current US immigration laws,” said Michael Lim, Vice President of the national grassroots organization Out4Immigration, a group dedicated to raising awareness about the discrimination LGBT Americans and their foreign partners face under current US immigration law.
“For many years, the only long-term way around this ban was for HIV-positive people to be sponsored by a family member, similar to the immigration process,” explained Lim. “Under current immigration law, the word ‘family’ does not apply to gays and lesbians.” The majority of HIV-positive people denied entry because of the ban have been gay men, many with American partners who are shut out from the ‘family’ option.
“This is similar to the larger problem of gay and lesbian American citizens not being able to sponsor foreign partners for green cards. It’s been an inhumane practice in this country for a long time,” said Lim.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, who along with Out4Immigration has repeatedly called for an end to this practice, the travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals, students, and tourists from entering the US unless they obtain a special waiver that only allows for short-term travel. Longer-term options can only be obtained using the family member sponsorship not available to gay and lesbian couples.
The ban was originally enacted in 1987, and explicitly restated in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed US immigration law in the early 1990s. While immigration law currently excludes immigrants with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the US, only HIV is explicitly named in the statute. For all other illnesses, the Secretary of Health and Human Services retains the ability, with the medical expertise of his department, to determine which illnesses truly pose a risk to public health.
Senators Kerry and Smith introduced legislation, the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), in December 2007 to repeal the ban. Representative Barbara Lee introduced the legislation in August 2007 in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3337).
“We hope that PEPFAR is reauthorized shortly and this major barrier to allowing all loving couples a chance to be together in the US is removed,” said Lim.
While the repeal of the discriminatory travel and immigration ban on HIV-positive individuals will allow foreign gays and lesbians with this illness some of the same options as their HIV-negative counterparts, there is still a long way to go until equal immigration rights are available to all.
“The good news is that those who are HIV-positive may soon be able to enter the US on work or student visas, in addition to travel,” said Lim. “This is often a first step that same-sex binational couples take in order to live together in the US.
“It will take the passage of the Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221; S.1328) for gay and lesbian American citizens to have the same rights to sponsor a foreign partner for permanent residency as is available to heterosexuals,” explained Lim. “Out4Immigration remains hopeful that the UAFA could be attached to legislation that would move it as swiftly through Congress as the expected repeal of the travel and immigration ban.”
______________
For more information:
Out4Immigration: http://www.out4immigration.org
The Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02221:
The Uniting American Families Act (S.1328): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01328:
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Treason
The Afghan location of the Honorable Prince Harry of England, our coalition partner in Afghanistan, was outed by the Drudge Report. This disclosure goes way beyond the usual bottom feeding that is typical of the website. The disclosure put brave soldiers unnecessarily in harm's way, and compromised an on going military mission. At best this disclosure of military secrets was treason by way of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. At least, it is reprehensible.
The constitution never protects this behavior. Eleanor Roosevelt used to say loose lips sink ships. The United States government should initiate an immediate and swift investigation and prosecution of the Drudge Report and the individuals behind the disclosure of this information.
The constitution never protects this behavior. Eleanor Roosevelt used to say loose lips sink ships. The United States government should initiate an immediate and swift investigation and prosecution of the Drudge Report and the individuals behind the disclosure of this information.
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