Colorlines: How Undocumented Youth Nearly Made Their DREAMs Real in 2010

by Julianne Hing By the time Felipe Matos got to North Carolina, his 1,500-mile march was nearly over. It was April and he, Gaby Pacheco, Carlos Roa and Juan Rodriguez were set to arrive in D.C. on May 1. They’d walked from Miami, on what they called the Trail of Dreams, to raise awareness about their plight as undocumented students and demand the passage of the DREAM Act. They’d been walking since the first day of the year, and had already passed through...

Family of Marisela Escobedo Seeks Asylum on Border

by Julian Aguilar The asylum case of a Mexican family whose matriarch was assassinated during a protest could “define the politics of refugee detention” and shape how the U.S. weighs future cases of those fleeing political persecution in Mexico, an El Paso-based immigration attorney said Tuesday. The New York Times reported late Monday that the family of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz refused an offer of protection from the Chihuahua state government and instead chose to enter the United S...

DREAM Act Battle Lost, But War Continues for Activists in 2011

The end of 2010 closes a lost decade in the fight for immigration reform in the United States with Congress failing to pass the DREAM Act that would have legalized undocumented students, though the battle will continue in 2011. Pro-reform students and activists, who had the support of wide segments of society, have made it clear that they will continue their militancy inside and outside the halls of Congress and in campaigns to enlist voters. Hispanics and other members of the immig...

King to press immigration enforcement

By VÍCTOR MANUEL RAMOS  victor.ramos@newsday.com As Republican Congressman Peter King wrestles away chairmanship of the House's Homeland Security Committee from Democrats, he plans to put the spotlight on an issue that he sees as paramount to national security: immigration enforcement. King, who takes charge of the committee next week, said he intends to hold hearings, push bills and seek funding to bolster the fight against illegal immigration. He favors workplace ...

The Invisibles – When the dream becomes a nightmare

Marc Silver and Gael Garcia Bernal filmed a series of shorts entitled ‘The Invisibles’. The series gives an inside look at life from the other side of the fence. These are the stories of the families torn apart by the dangers of migration. Part 2: Six Out of Ten Part 3: What Remains Part 4: Goal!

Immigration overhaul effort seems dead

By Brian Bennett, Washington Bureau When Republican lawmakers take over the House and gain strength in the Senate after the new year, a decadelong drive to overhaul the immigration system and legalize some of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants seems all but certain to come to a halt. When New York Republican Peter T. King takes over the House Homeland Security Committee in January, he plans to propose legislation to reverse what he calls an "obvious lack of urgency" by the...