Blog of Rights
Sirine
Shebaya
05/02/2013
DREAM Act

VICTORY! Maryland and Oregon Extend Driving Privileges to All Immigrants

By Sirine Shebaya, ACLU of Maryland & Becky Straus, Legislative Director, ACLU of Oregon at 4:55pm

Today Maryland and Oregon are celebrating the signing of new laws expanding access to driver's licenses to all residents, including undocumented immigrants. We are part of a movement. Our hope is that our success inspires the passage of bills in more than a dozen other states considering similar measures.

In most states today, it is difficult, if not impossible, for people to go about their daily lives without the ability to drive. Simple but essential tasks such as driving kids to school or to extracurricular activities, picking up groceries, going to the doctor, and traveling to workbecome riddled with hardship. As a result, people without access to driver's licenses are faced with the difficult "choice" of either not meeting their basic needs or driving and risking arrest and other negative repercussions.

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11/29/2012
Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A Policy Gone Bad: What Happens When a County Enforces National Immigration Law

By Sirine Shebaya, ACLU of Maryland at 1:53pm

A few months ago, the ACLU called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end its 287(g) program, which delegates immigration enforcement authority to participating law enforcement agencies across the country. Civil rights and faith organizations joined the ACLU in calling for an end to the program, which has been the subject of severe criticism for promoting racial profiling and harassment of Latinos. The ACLU of Maryland is among the groups that have called for an end to the program in Frederick County, which is the only jurisdiction in Maryland with a 287(g) agreement with ICE.

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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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