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Organization of the Week: MALDEF

Amy Crawford — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:21:36 +0000

Immigration is a fraught issue, and in recent years dozens of groups have sprung up to advocate for one position or the other, to lobby Congress, to fund candidates, or to fight it out in the courts. With all the vague or patriotic-sounding names, it can get pretty confusing. You might see spokespeople from these organizations quoted as experts in news articles, but sometimes reporters fail to identify a group’s position. This weekly feature will help you become a savvier consumer of immigration news.

This week’s organization, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, has been involved in a number of immigration lawsuits, litigating and advocating for Mexican immigrants and other Latinos.

Name: Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, or MALDEF. Founded in 1968 in San Antonio, Tex. It is now headquartered in Los Angeles.

Stance: Pro-immigrant. MALDEF opposes increased restrictions on immigration and supports extending rights for illegal immigrants. It actively opposes English-only laws.

Activities: MALDEF has had a hand on many major legal cases, including the case that struck down most of California’s Proposition 187. News 21 previously reported on MALDEF’s unsuccessful case against Arizona’s Proposition 200 and its victory against Farmers Branch, Tex. MALDEF also educates Latino voters about their rights and how to exercise them and encourages Latinos to get involved in politics and policy, and it helped to organize rallies after the murder of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pa.

Funding: MALDEF has a budget of about $6.5 million. Its funding comes from private donors and foundations—the Ford Foundation was a major donor in the early years—as well as unions and corporations (PDF; scroll down).

Major Players: MALDEF has 22 lawyers who litigate around the country. John Trasviña, MALDEF’s current president and general counsel, has testified before Congress in support of expanding the Voting Rights Act and in opposition to English as an official language. Lawyer Nina Perales fought Arizona’s Prop 200.

Controversy: MALDEF is frequently accused by anti-immigration groups of being a racial supremacist organization, because it works on behalf of a specific ethnic group. It is also unabashedly in favor of extending rights to illegal immigrants, which has drawn the criticism of many on the right.

Weekly Immigration News Round-Up, 9/5

Amy Crawford — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:23:31 +0000

The Washington Post looks at how Shenandoah, Pa., is coping with the aftermath of Mexican immigrant Luis Ramirez’ murder. Ramirez was beaten to death by a group of white teenagers in June.
State Rep. Russell Pearce won the Republican primary for the Arizona state Senate. Pearce is a fierce anti-immigration hardliner, and he has been accused of ties to white supremacists.
A group of landlords and other opponents are suing Farmers Branch, Tex., to block a law that would prevent require occupancy permits to prevent illegal immigrants from renting homes in town. The ordinance is scheduled to take effect this month, after a previous ban was overturned. News 21 investigated Farmers Branch earlier this summer.
The Laurel, Miss., ICE raid may have indicated a policy change. Only eight immigrants faced criminal charges this time, compared to some 300 at the Postville, Iowa raid.
Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D) hopes to use President Bush against his challenger, immigration hardliner Lou Barletta (R), the Standard-Speaker says. News 21 followed Barletta’s candidacy earlier this summer.

Tensions Over Illegal Immigration Continue in Shenandoah, Pa.

Amy Crawford — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:08:41 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXZoPN-2u7k

Voice of the People USA co-founder Daniel Smeriglio speaks at an anti-illegal immigration rally in Shenandoah, Pa.

Pennsylvania state police had to stand between anti-illegal immigration activists and a group of pro-immigration protesters carrying a Mexican flag at a rally in Shenandoah, Pa. on Saturday. Shenandoah, a town of about 5,000 in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region, became a hot spot in the immigration debate after Luis Ramirez, an illegal Mexican immigrant, was brutally murdered by a group of white teenagers in July.

The rally was organized by Voice of the People USA, an organization co-founded by Hazleton, Pa., resident Daniel Smeriglio in 2007 after Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta signed a city ordinance designed to keep illegal immigrants out. News 21 interviewed Smeriglio in June, when he defended his organization, which to his chagrin has attracted the support of the Ku Klux Klan, against charges of racism. After Saturday’s rally, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We are in no way applauding what happened in Shenandoah. We condemn racism in every way.”

But tension continues to surround race and immigration in this economically depressed part of the country, and regional eyes are on Shenandoah as the school year begins. Two of the alleged murderers, who were all football players, are not being allowed to attend school. The school hosted a diversity training program for students last Monday night.

Immigrant Murdered by White Teens Sparks Much-Needed Conversation in Pennsylvania

Amy Crawford — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:27:47 +0000

Luis Ramirez, a 25-year-old Mexican immigrant, was beaten to death by four high school football players as he walked home in Shenandoah, Pa., last month. The murder shocked this town of about 5,500 in the heart of anthracite coal country, and it made national news, as immigrants’ groups protested and the FBI launched a hate-crime investigation.

This is not the first incidence of ethnic tension in the region. Shenandoah is less than 20 miles from Hazleton, which in 2006 passed a controversial law aimed at illegal immigrants. Now, many in the region are seeking to heal the divisions by holding vigils at churches in and around Shenandoah, and at the playground where the fatal beating took place. Shenandoah’s public schools will hold tolerance and anti-bullying programs when classes begin in the fall.

Many in the area blame Halzeton’s anti-immigration ordinance and Mayor Lou Barletta for exacerbating the tensions. Barletta, who is running for Congress, called the beating a tragedy. So far there is no sign as to how the tragedy will affect his bid, but it has drawn more attention to the simmering tension in this economically-depressed region.

Suspect Brandon Piekarsky is escorted to court. AP Photo.