Show notes and summary:
This podcast examines the immgrantion rights movement of the United States. Beginning with some quick facts about immigration and immigrants in the United States to provide some background information to those that are unaware. We then dive into how the immigration rights movement got started and what made it become so widespread in 2006. Following this we highlight how our current administration has hindered the growth of immigration reform to a huge extent and is responsible for the inhumane treatment thousands of immigrants are experiencing. We end with our podcast by emphasizing that we the people are responsible for change and the simplest way to start that is through voting.
Some quick facts about immigration:
There are more than 41 million immigrants in the United States.
In 2013, 83 percent of people deported from the United States were not given a hearing before a judge.
The United States spends $1.84 billion detaining immigrants.
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights
“In 2017, Mexicans accounted for approximately 25 percent of immigrants in the United States, making them by far the largest foreign-born group. Indians and Chinese (including immigrants from Hong Kong but not Taiwan) were the next two largest groups, each comprising close to 6 percent, followed by Filipinos at 5 percent”
You can obtain a green card through a family relationship, employment sponsorship, humanitarian protection (refugees and asylees), and the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. All of these take on average years to process the applications and review them
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states
Takes a very long time to receive a visa or citizenship and is very expensive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLrYMTc585I
What is immigration rights movement?
Started in 2004 but became more apparent in 2006 in response to anti-immigration rights legislation that was trying to be passed in Congress. Over 2 million people took to the streets to protest against this https://www.infoplease.com/us/immigration-legislation#1981
Key organizations in this movement: centers for day laborers, legal support offices, ethnic organizations, Fair Immigration Reform movement, The National Council of La Raza, and other trade, state, local, and labor organizations https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/us-immigrant-rights-movement-2004-ongoing/
Trump Administration:
Has hindered and worsened the treatment of immigrants
Has called immigrants hardened tough criminals with no data to back this claim up https://apnews.com/338e568dba644de597185309a790e09d
Under his administration he has enacted new asylum policies, family separation, and detention centers. These detention centers are overcrowded and unsanitary with many being denied basic human medical needs. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-10-24/trump-administrations-immigration-policies-violate-civil-rights-government-agency-says
Hunger strikes have been happening to try and raise awareness around this inhumane treatment and even some officers were trying to force feed some of the detainees that were on strike https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/us-immigrant-rights-movement-2004-ongoing/
https://www.thenation.com/article/immigration-ice-el-paso-hunger-strike/
