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Joanne
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01/18/2013
Anti-Immigrant Laws

Curtailing Immigration Prison System Can Reduce Spending Without Hurting Public Safety

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 11:17am

Today, Roll Call published an op-ed we wrote on how curtailing immigration prisons is an easy way for Congress to begin to reduce the deficit, cut government spending, and reform our flawed immigration system.

In addition, there are several steps the Obama Administration can and should take now, without waiting for Congress, to reduce its unnecessary and expensive reliance on immigration prisons.  Here are four:

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12/13/2012
287(g)

Petitions, Sign-on Letter Sent to Administration Calling for End to Controversial Immigration Program

By Abdi Soltani, ACLU of Northern California & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 12:03pm

Communities across the country are saying no to 287(g)...

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11/07/2012
DREAM Act

DREAM Act Passage in Maryland Should Spark Federal Action

By Sirine Shebaya, ACLU of Maryland & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 9:32pm

Last night was a watershed moment for immigrants’ rights in Maryland. Faced with federal inaction and a stalemate on immigration reform, Maryland stepped in to ensure that none of its children are left behind. 

Voters in the state overwhelmingly approved Question 4, a ballot measure known as the Maryland DREAM Act, which expands access to higher education for all of Maryland’s students, regardless of their immigration status. We hope that this move will inspire the incoming Congress to act decisively to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

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10/02/2012
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

Important Breakthrough for LGBT Immigrant Families

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 1:57pm

In August, over 80 members of Congress, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting recognition, explicitly and in writing, of the ties of a same-sex partner or spouse as a positive factor for determining discretionary relief in immigration cases.  On Friday, it was reported that DHS had announced it would be issuing new, written guidance providing that relief to LGBT immigrant families. 

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06/27/2012
287(g)

Reading the Fine Print: DHS Has Not Ended 287(g) in Arizona

By Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office & Chris Rickerd, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:20pm

On Monday, the Supreme Court in Arizona v. United States struck down three provisions of Arizona’s S.B. 1070 racial profiling law, but reinstated, for now, the most controversial provision, which requires Arizona police officers to demand the immigration papers of anyone they stop, arrest, or detain. S.B. 1070 makes racial profiling Arizona state policy. When a police officer asks for papers, it’s based on bias because there is no way to tell by looking at or listening to someone whether the person is lawfully in the United States.

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05/31/2012
DREAM Act

House Republican Discloses a (Watered-Down) DREAM—What About the President?

By Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 6:15pm
What happens to a DREAM deferred? In 2010 Senate Republicans defeated the bipartisan legislation, which offered a path to citizenship for DREAMers—promising undocumented youth headed to college or the military, most of whom were brought to the United States at very young ages through no fault of their own. But now, the same party that stamped out DREAM is attempting to bring it back—somewhat.
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05/17/2012
Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Inappropriate Appropriations: The House Votes to Waste Taxpayer Money on Unnecessary Border and Immigration Enforcement

By Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office & Chris Rickerd, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:22pm

“Trimming excess.”

That’s how Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, described the committee’s recently released 2013 budget for the Department of Homeland Security. Rogers says the bill, which the committee marked up and passed out of committee yesterday,  is “focused on fiscal discipline” and only supports the “most hard-hitting” of DHS’s vast umbrella of programs.

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05/10/2012

U.S. House Votes Show Acceptance of Racial Profiling of Latinos, Minorities

By Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office & Chris Rickerd, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:38pm

The House of Representatives told us on Wednesday thatthe majority of members are okay with state-sanctioned racial profiling of Latinos.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) slipped in an amendment to the FY2013 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill that would prohibit the Department of Justice from originating or joining any legal challenge to nine specified state anti-immigrant laws, many of which are racial profiling laws in thin disguise. These include laws passed by Arizona, Alabama, Utah and South Carolina, where DOJ already has pending litigation, including at the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as Georgia and Indiana laws which the ACLU has challenged in court. Missouri and Oklahoma, where two omnibus anti-immigrant laws have been in effect for several years, are also included. While the Black Amendment doesn’t affect pending DOJ litigation, the amendment would handcuff DOJ from making future litigation choices consistent with the executive branch’s responsibility to uphold the Constitution.

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10/26/2011
Prison Rape Elimination Act

Battling Prison Rape: Immigration Detainees Deserve Protection, Too

By Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 3:02pm

Excluding immigration detention from prison rape standards that prevent, detect and respond to sexual assault in custody is unjustifiable and unconscionable.

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10/20/2011
Three Faces of Racial Profiling

Three Faces of Racial Profiling: Immigrants are the Latest Victims

By Georgeanne M. Usova, Washington Legislative Office & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 3:31pm

The Obama administration's federal immigration enforcement system includes two programs that are fraught with civil rights problems.

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