Five years after the May 1 immigration marches of 2006, much has changed – and hasn’t

By Leslie Berestein Rojas Sunday marks five years since the massive immigration reform marches of May 1, 2006. It was that year, amid a wave of activism, that May 1 first became closely associated with immigration rallies. Things have changed quite a bit since, something I discussed in detail during a recent segment on KPCC’s Madeleine Brand Show. But with this year’s march coming up in two days, it’s worth revisiting the history of the May 1 marches, as well as what to expect this yea...

The President’s Actions on Immigration Will Speak Louder Than Words

By Frank Sharry Yesterday, the president met with Latino celebrities and news personalities to talk about his push for comprehensive immigration reform. This followed a similar meeting with other leaders last week, a meeting which I attended. As many have pointed out, these were not the first meetings the White House has held on immigration, and they certainly won't be the last. At our meeting, the president made it clear he is willing to use the political capital he has to make th...

Unlicensed drivers: Impounding is not the answer

Editorial Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has adopted a common-sense approach to dealing with unlicensed drivers and the cars they drive. Under Beck's new rule, when officers at sobriety checkpoints stop unlicensed drivers, they can issue them tickets or, if they have no identification, arrest them. But police are no longer allowed to impound a car if a licensed driver or the registered and licensed owner is on hand or can pick up the car in a reasonable amount of time. This helps offi...

Gay Undocumented Immigrant Released From Rikers After Acquittal

By Monika Fabian A month ago, a jury found Ricardo Muñiz innocent of assaulting a 65-year-old man during a fight outside a Brooklyn bar in July 2009. The dispute began when two men harassed Muñiz and a friend of his with homophobic epithets in the bar, according to published reports. Yet in spite being cleared of all criminal charges, it appeared as if Muñiz would remain behind bars. During his pre-trial detention, Muñiz, 25, became ensnared in the Rikers Island Criminal Alien Progr...

DHS Announces Indefinite Suspension Of Controversial And Ineffective Immigrant Registration And Tracking System

by ACLU WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security today, in a long-overdue announcement, said it will indefinitely suspend the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS). Instituted in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, NSEERS was a domestic immigration enforcement program targeting men and boys from predominantly Arab- and Muslim-majority nations for extraordinary registration requirements with DHS. The program was repeatedly condemned by the United Nat...

City Cops to Obama: We Don’t Want to Enforce Broken Immigration System

By Afton Branche In a recent White House meeting, President Obama and an eclectic group of administration officials, business and law enforcement leaders, former and current elected officials and other "stakeholders" discussed current prospects for comprehensive immigration reform, one of Obama's notable and still unfulfilled campaign promises. According to official records of the gathering, big-city law enforcement leaders relayed their concerns that “without reform, enforcing federal imm...