Immigration
Reform
The
defeat in the Senate of the Dream Act last
week dealt a harsh blow to the many young people who have grow up here
in the US who
would
have had a bright future going to school, getting a job or
joining the army had the Senate passed the bill. The future of young immigrants is once again put on hold until
our leaders pluck up the political courage to do the right thing.
Secure
Communities Program
ICE
continues to increase the pace of deportations
and expand the reach of the Secure Communities
Program. This program allows
state and local police to check the fingerprints of an individual they are booking into a
jail against Department of Homeland Security
(DHS)
immigration databases. If there is a "hit" in an immigration database,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is automatically notified,
even if the person has not been convicted of
any criminal act.
Massachusetts
is the latest state to agree to implement this program. Governor Deval
Patrick's about face on this issue surprised and disappointed
immigrants across the state. The Secure Communities
program
has been fraught with problems since it's inception. It purports to
target immigrants who have committed crimes but nationally, almost 80% of those deported have not been "Level 1"
violators. In Boston, over half of
those deported have not been guilty of any
criminal behavior whatsoever. The program is also criticized for
decreasing levels of trust between law
enforcement and immigrant communities.
News From Ireland
This
year again saw the introduction of budget
measures that spared very few residents in Ireland. The
2010 Budget was described by commentators in Ireland and around the
world in unusually harsh terms as €4 billion was removed from the country's national deficit.
It included pay cuts for public sector workers and a 4%
cut in social welfare payments, excluding the state old age pension as
well as cuts in the Child benefit.