Comments for Immigrants and Politics Blog http://immigrantpolitics.org News and Scholarship on Immigrants and Politics in the US and abroad Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:57:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 Comment on Dual citizenship and a ‘global’ electorate by AY http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/04/30/dual-citizenship-and-a-global-electorate/#comment-20111 Thu, 08 May 2008 22:13:57 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/04/30/dual-citizenship-and-a-global-electorate/#comment-20111 One small correction. Canadians living abroad can keep voting in federal elections for a period of 5 years after their departure and only if they intend to return to live in Canada. The latter is not enforceable and anyone can essentially claim an intent to return. The 5-year period, however, is enforced. After 5 years abroad, Canadians lose their right to vote in federal elections. This doesn't apply to military personnel, government workers abroad, diplomats, etc. One small correction. Canadians living abroad can keep voting in federal elections for a period of 5 years after their departure and only if they intend to return to live in Canada. The latter is not enforceable and anyone can essentially claim an intent to return. The 5-year period, however, is enforced. After 5 years abroad, Canadians lose their right to vote in federal elections.

This doesn’t apply to military personnel, government workers abroad, diplomats, etc.

]]> Comment on Tancredo, the Pope, and Immigration by Eric http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/04/20/tancredo-the-pope-and-immigration/#comment-19234 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:27:56 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/04/20/tancredo-the-pope-and-immigration/#comment-19234 Let's hear the church criticize the government of Mexico for impoverishing one-half of the country's population? By the way, Google the high wall all around the Vatican - to keep people out. What hypocrisy. Let’s hear the church criticize the government of Mexico for impoverishing one-half of the country’s population?

By the way, Google the high wall all around the Vatican - to keep people out.

What hypocrisy.

]]> Comment on PA Judge Says “English or Jail” by Prateepan http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/29/pa-judge-says-english-or-jail/#comment-18864 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:47:08 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/29/pa-judge-says-english-or-jail/#comment-18864 State judges generally have great discretion to fashion "creative" sentences, even when, as here, the crime and the punishment are not directly matched. The article itself appears to have an error; it says the judge gave defendants "immediate parole." Granting parole is the job of a parole board. I'm guessing the author meant "probation." In any case, because of the great leeway state judges have to fashion sentencing, it is not clear that this creates constitutional issues. There are some highly attenuated claims one could attempt - forced speech, cruel and unusual punishment, due process - but all are highly likely to fail. The sentencing provides a choice, that choice allows avoiding jail time, and judges are given wide latitude. A potential claim may arise if in the future, one of the defendants fails the proficiency test, and his failure was due to a learning disability or some other mental/intellectual challenge As for your specific concern re: Equal Protection, this does not easily fit an EP framework. The group disadvantaged by the law or policy has to be identifiable as a suspect class under the 14th Amendment. Here, the judges policy isn't directed, at least on its face, at non-citizens v. citizens. It is directed at a group of non-English or poor-English speaking individuals. That category has never been found to be a suspect category under the 14th Amendment as race, gender, and national origin have been. State judges generally have great discretion to fashion “creative” sentences, even when, as here, the crime and the punishment are not directly matched. The article itself appears to have an error; it says the judge gave defendants “immediate parole.” Granting parole is the job of a parole board. I’m guessing the author meant “probation.” In any case, because of the great leeway state judges have to fashion sentencing, it is not clear that this creates constitutional issues.

There are some highly attenuated claims one could attempt - forced speech, cruel and unusual punishment, due process - but all are highly likely to fail. The sentencing provides a choice, that choice allows avoiding jail time, and judges are given wide latitude. A potential claim may arise if in the future, one of the defendants fails the proficiency test, and his failure was due to a learning disability or some other mental/intellectual challenge As for your specific concern re: Equal Protection, this does not easily fit an EP framework. The group disadvantaged by the law or policy has to be identifiable as a suspect class under the 14th Amendment. Here, the judges policy isn’t directed, at least on its face, at non-citizens v. citizens. It is directed at a group of non-English or poor-English speaking individuals.

That category has never been found to be a suspect category under the 14th Amendment as race, gender, and national origin have been.

]]> Comment on 2008 will probably not be like 1996 by Will Coley http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/27/2008-will-probably-not-be-like-1996/#comment-18827 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:36:38 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/27/2008-will-probably-not-be-like-1996/#comment-18827 Here's my video response to the backlog chaos at USCIS: "Thru the Plexiglass" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-30BZtpvaTY Here’s my video response to the backlog chaos at USCIS: “Thru the Plexiglass” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-30BZtpvaTY

]]> Comment on PA Judge Says “English or Jail” by Dan Kowalski http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/29/pa-judge-says-english-or-jail/#comment-18824 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:15:00 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/03/29/pa-judge-says-english-or-jail/#comment-18824 According to the Philadelphia Inquirer the men are "legal residents." http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/17079016.html According to the Philadelphia Inquirer the men are “legal residents.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/17079016.html

]]> Comment on Dems and Drivers Licenses by Dems and Drivers Licenses — 2008 President election candidates http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-18182 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:55:10 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-18182 [...] Washington Sen. Barack Obama easily won the African American vote in South Carolina, but to woo California Latinos, where he is running 3-to-1 behind rival S … en. Hillary Rodham Clinton, he is taking a giant risk: spotlighting his support for the red-hot issue of granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants…. source: Dems and Drivers Licenses, Immigrants and Politics Blog [...] […] Washington Sen. Barack Obama easily won the African American vote in South Carolina, but to woo California Latinos, where he is running 3-to-1 behind rival S … en. Hillary Rodham Clinton, he is taking a giant risk: spotlighting his support for the red-hot issue of granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants…. source: Dems and Drivers Licenses, Immigrants and Politics Blog […]

]]> Comment on Dems and Drivers Licenses by lance sjogren http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-17309 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:30:44 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-17309 The article's statement that Latinos "want" driver's licenses for illegal aliens strikes me as an example of the juvenile manner in which the media often portray immigration policy issues. A few years ago when that issue was being heavily debated in California, polls showed Latino voters favoring driver's license by about a 50% to 40% margin. There is an awful lot of political discourse that treats Latino Americans as some sort of monolithic voting block who are all supportive of permissive policies toward illegal aliens. I know that many Latino Americans find that sort of ethnic sterotyping to be highly insulting. Even some who support permissive policies have objected to that stereotyping. (I believe Reuben Navarette has expressed that point of view in his columns, for example) The article’s statement that Latinos “want” driver’s licenses for illegal aliens strikes me as an example of the juvenile manner in which the media often portray immigration policy issues.

A few years ago when that issue was being heavily debated in California, polls showed Latino voters favoring driver’s license by about a 50% to 40% margin.

There is an awful lot of political discourse that treats Latino Americans as some sort of monolithic voting block who are all supportive of permissive policies toward illegal aliens.

I know that many Latino Americans find that sort of ethnic sterotyping to be highly insulting.

Even some who support permissive policies have objected to that stereotyping. (I believe Reuben Navarette has expressed that point of view in his columns, for example)

]]> Comment on Dems and Drivers Licenses by Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Clinton: “No Legal Process” For Immigrants Who Commit Crimes http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-17023 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:25:59 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2008/01/29/dems-and-drivers-licenses/#comment-17023 [...] (You may wonder, reading this, where Obama stands on migrant issues. My impression is that he’s not perfect, but he’s better than other mainstream politicians, including Clinton. Even when it involves taking a political risk by supporting drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants.) [...] […] (You may wonder, reading this, where Obama stands on migrant issues. My impression is that he’s not perfect, but he’s better than other mainstream politicians, including Clinton. Even when it involves taking a political risk by supporting drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants.) […]

]]> Comment on Anti-Immigrant Climate in North Carolina by Roy http://immigrantpolitics.org/2007/09/24/anti-immigrant-climate-in-north-carolina/#comment-16154 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:47:40 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2007/09/24/anti-immigrant-climate-in-north-carolina/#comment-16154 Well, what did one expect, if it's a wink, wink, and a nod, nod for employers to hire illegally in North Carolina? Yes, they are hard workers but they depress wages, displace legal workers, and they themselves are at risk since they don't have the protections of legals. Also, there is a real impact on services such as health-care and schools that we citizens have to take up the load of paying for. Those of us who have to compete with illegals, especially in construction, are not very happy about it. Also there is the problem that illegals weren't screened for diseases such as TB. I myself had to get TB tested after being exposed to someone with wet TB who used an ESL lab that was also being used for teaching Spanish. I'm a descendant of immigrants, so I'm not for slamming the door shut. It's always good to have new blood in the country, just ask that they do it legally, or more states will emulate Arizona and start going after the real problem, people who won't hire legally. Well, what did one expect, if it’s a wink, wink, and a nod, nod for employers to hire illegally in North Carolina? Yes, they are hard workers but they depress wages, displace legal workers, and they themselves are at risk since they don’t have the protections of legals. Also, there is a real impact on services such as health-care and schools that we citizens have to take up the load of paying for.

Those of us who have to compete with illegals, especially in construction, are not very happy about it.

Also there is the problem that illegals weren’t screened for diseases such as TB. I myself had to get TB tested after being exposed to someone with wet TB who used an ESL lab that was also being used for teaching Spanish.

I’m a descendant of immigrants, so I’m not for slamming the door shut. It’s always good to have new blood in the country, just ask that they do it legally, or more states will emulate Arizona and start going after the real problem, people who won’t hire legally.

]]> Comment on Can the GOP credibly seek the Latino vote in 2008? by free xbox 360 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2007/12/09/can-the-gop-credibly-seek-the-latino-vote-in-2008/#comment-15945 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 19:33:09 +0000 http://immigrantpolitics.org/2007/12/09/can-the-gop-credibly-seek-the-latino-vote-in-2008/#comment-15945 It doesnt matter whether they can credibly do it- they will do it anyway! It doesnt matter whether they can credibly do it- they will do it anyway!

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