As of January 1, 2012, five more states require the use of E-Verify to check work authorization status of new hires, while California took the opposite stance and made it illegal for municipalities to mandate that companies use the program unless required by federal law.
The holidays can be especially hard for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender immigrants. They don’t just feel left out by the mainstream but by their own families and ethnic communities.
A paycheck for zero dollars. (Photo: Jima/flickr)
Stalled in Congress is a bill which extends the payroll tax cut for two months, thanks to the intransigence of a handful of House GOP freshmen. If the measure is not passed by the end of the year, 160 million of us will see our paychecks cut by an average of $40. Those among us who access Medicare and unemployment benefits will also suffer greatly.
Among the millions who will have less money to survive on are Latinos and other immigrants who are here legally or are naturalized citizens. Many will be voting come November and rest assured, they will have immigration and bread and butter issues on their minds.
Latinos are the poorest according to the Census’ Supplemental Poverty Measure. Over six million Latino children, more than any other group, are living in poverty. The net worth of Latino families shrank the most during the Great Recession. The payroll tax cut, which may seem paltry to wealthy lawmakers, makes a huge difference to struggling families.
Rational conservatives are lambasting their mulish comrades. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board warns that if this impasse is not breached, Republicans might as well gird themselves for a second Obama term. Even some GOP senators who fear losing their seats next November have spoken out against their counterparts in the lower chamber.
If they’d like a chance of winning any Latino votes in 2012, House Republicans should heed these warnings.
More than 6.6 million Latinos – about seven percent of all voters – voted in last year’s midterm elections. Many more are expected to turn out for next year’s presidential and general elections. Who do you think they will vote for?
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Feet in Two Worlds is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the Sirus Fund. Feet in Two Worlds podcasts are supported in part by WNYC, New York Public Radio.
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has been accused of flip-flopping on issues, chief among them immigration. But has his stance on immigration really shifted that much?
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill to increase the per-country limit on visas granted to high skilled workers. Advocates say it will improve the American economy, but Senator Chuck Grassley disagrees, and has blocked the bill in the Senate.
After last week’s commentary on the response of gay binational couples to new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deportation guidelines, Fi2W blogger Erwin De Leon received quite a few heated reactions.
Newt Gingrich’s comments on immigration during Tuesday’s CNN debate sparked a maelstrom. He suggested that some immigrant families, including those with members who are in the country without papers, should not be broken up.
LGBT couples are upset that DHS’ new guidelines do not signal reprieve for binational couples in which one partner is an American citizen and the other an immigrant at risk of deportation.
Almost a third of all immigrants living in the United States hail from Asia, but their voices are often left out of the immigration debate.
Mexican officials are in the U.S. to advocate for more humane treatment of their nationals. They are visiting U.S. Senators in Alabama, Arizona and other states that recently passed harsh laws targeting undocumented migrants.