Category Archives: February 2012

Civil Rights Coalition Challenge to Anti-Immigrant Laws

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 29, 2012

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), (213) 400-7822; [email protected]

MEDIA ADVISORY

Civil Rights Coalition in Court Thursday to Challenge Alabama and Georgia Anti-Immigrant Laws

Press Conference to Take Place After Hearing

ATLANTA – Attorneys from the National Immigration Law Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups will be at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Thursday to present arguments against Alabama and Georgia’s anti-immigrant laws.

In addition to the ACLU, SPLC and NILC, the civil rights coalition includes MALDEF, the ACLU of Georgia, the ACLU of Alabama, the Asian American Justice Center, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and NDLON. The groups brought lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of a number of provisions in HB 87 in Georgia and HB 56 in Alabama. While key sections of the Georgia law have been blocked by the district court, major components of the Alabama law went into effect in September, leading to widespread civil rights abuses. Some portions of Alabama’s law were successfully blocked by the federal courts and the civil rights coalition will also be defending these provisions on Thursday.

WHAT:

Federal appeals court hearing where the civil rights coalition will present arguments in the Alabama and Georgia anti-immigrant law cases. Omar Jadwat, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, will present arguments in the Georgia case. Samuel Brooke of SPLC and Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, will present arguments in the Alabama case. A news conference will follow the hearing.

WHO:

They will be joined by Marielena Hincapié, executive director, National Immigration Law Center, Mary Bauer, legal director, Southern Poverty Law Center and plaintiffs from both cases.

WHEN:

Court hearing will begin at 9am EST on Thursday, March 1; press conference will follow outside the courthouse immediately after.

WHERE:

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, 56 Forsyth Street, N.W., Atlanta, GA, 30303

For more information about the Alabama case, go here: http://www.nilc.org/hb56hvb.html.

For more information about the Georgia case, go here: http://www.nilc.org/hb87.html.

Tax Package Protects Child Tax Credit Eligibility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 17, 2012

A FAIR SHAKE FOR CHILDREN

Congress approves tax package and protects the eligibility of millions of immigrant families for the Child Tax Credit

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Immigration Law Center applauds President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Richard Durbin, and Democratic leadership and conferees for standing up for children, working families, and fairness. Thanks to their leadership, immigrant children were not denied eligibility for the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

In December, the House of Representatives approved a provision in its tax package that would have restricted eligibility for the CTC and its refundable component, the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). If this provision were to become law, it would take an average of $1800 out of the pockets of up to 2 million immigrant families, the majority of whom make $10 an hour.

The CTC was enacted to help working families financially care for their children. It is one of our nation’s most effective anti-poverty tools. Marielena Hincapié, NILC executive director, said, “It is astounding to me that Congress would even consider drawing a line in the sand on taxing millionaires but have no compunctions about squeezing the working poor. The House proposal would have effected 5.5 million children and impacted their families’ ability to put food on the table or pay for rent and utilities.”

Hincapié went on to say, “Democratic leadership has shown their commitment to a fair and equitable national economic policy, and I thank them.”

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NILC Statement on Department of Labor Regulations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 10, 2012

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STRENGTHENS PROTECTIONS FOR ALL

Recently Released Regulations Create Protections for Guest Workers,
Level Playing Field for U.S. Workers

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of Labor (DOL) today released a comprehensive set of H-2B guest worker regulations to protect all workers from discrimination, retaliation, and abusive practices. These regulations come in light of numerous news reports of egregious behavior on behalf of major employers that imported workers and subjected them to abusive labor practices. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Today’s announced regulations right a grievous wrong in too many low wage workplaces. For too long, we’ve seen abusive employers that have imported foreign workers, often under false pretenses, forced them to work in subhuman conditions, and quashed any attempt to organize. These regulations remove the perverse incentive to abuse immigrant guest workers by raising the floor for all workers, guest workers and citizen workers alike. The National Immigration Law Center applauds the Department of Labor for recognizing that current labor practices by employers, job contractors, and temp agencies actually undercut all workers’ abilities to labor free from fear or abuse. These regulations bring us closer toward achieving a work place in which people can work with the expectation that they will be treated fairly, and that if they are not, they will be able to assert their rights.”

For more information about the proposed regulations, visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/immigration/H2BFinalRule/index.htm.