Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words

The hashtag #6wordtestimonies has been picking up steam on Twitter as many share their sometimes melancholic or inspirational immigration experience in just 6 words.

And a clever YouTube video demonstrating how average Americans would fail a US citizenship test went viral in just a few weeks.

These are some of the recent tactics Tony Hernandez, President and CEO of Latino Broadcasting Company (LBC), has used to bring attention to what immigrants of all walks of life encounter when they arrive at the U.S. His larger initiative, the Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) has been capturing testimonies of immigrants from around the country, from well-known celebrities to ordinary citizens who share their family story.

The immigrant story is as quintessentially American as the 4th of July, said Hernandez. “America has from its very founding continued to be fueled by immigrants,” pointing out the impact that Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Andrew Carnegie have had in history.

Hernandez has traveled across the US, visiting New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston and conducted lengthy on-camera interviews, which are later edited into short testimonies, not more than a couple of minutes, at LBC’s headquarters in Miami.

It all started around 2008, when Hernandez felt the conversation about immigration took a negative turn. It was contradictory to the experience he had, after immigrating from Cuba with his parents at age 5.

Growing up in the immigrant-dominated city of Union City, New Jersey, Hernandez said most kids around him had parents who were blue-collar workers. Yet despite the hardships, the majority of those children went to college and are professionals today.

“This group that arrived with a tremendous disadvantage really took advantage of the opportunity this country has given them,” said Hernandez. As a young child he constantly heard stories around the dinner table about the difficulties newly arrived immigrants faced and the drive they had to work and prosper.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” said Hernandez.

“So I just came up with this crazy idea. What if I can give access to everyone to these dinner table conversations that I had access to growing up,” he said. With the IAP he gives the audience a first hand account of what motivates and fuels those who work countless hours in the hopes of giving their children a better future. He pointed out how going to college was imperative in his family and among his peers.

“I think today the country as a whole can take a page from that immigrant playbook and understand that with one generation you can literally make an exponential leap forward,” Hernandez explained.

Hernandez stressed that previous waves of immigrants faced initial resistance from other Americans. As these immigrants assimilated, it is now their children and grandchildren who forget their families’ stories are very similar to those coming to the country today. With the IAP, Hernandez is trying to break that cycle of negativity.

One of the ways he does this is by incorporating a diverse array of Americans who were not born in the U.S. – from celebrities to CEOs to farmworkers. When asked which is his favorite interview, he said it would be like asking him to choose a favorite child. “It’s the stories of everyday hardworking people that really move me the most,” he said.

Hernandez’ work has been recognized by different organizations; he sits on the honorary board of Mark Zuckerberg’s Welcome.us, and has received the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection Award and the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award.

But perhaps one of the more special moments was when Hernandez received a humanitarian award from the World Church Service. Coincidentally, this ended up being the same church that helped Hernandez and his parents with $100 to help get them off their feet when they arrived from Cuba. After his father found a job, he returned the $100 and asked the church to give the money to a newly arrived immigrant family.



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Our Immigrant History, In People's Own Words
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Immigrant detainees: Local officials deflect anger to Obama, Congress

At a raucous town hall meeting in Murrieta Wednesday night, city officials had a message for residents who a day earlier successfully blocked immigrant detainees from entering a local Border Patrol processing facility: Blame the federal government.

At the meeting, during which roughly 750 area residents peppered local representatives and law enforcement personnel with their concerns over plans to move detained immigrants through the facility, Murrieta Mayor Alan Long reiterated the need for the federal government to do more to address the influx of undocumented immigrants.

Citizens, he said, should direct their complaints not to local representatives but rather to Congress and the White House, which is using “frightened women and children” to score political points in the immigration debate.

A sharp increase in immigration on the Rio Grande border — 77% from countries other than Mexico so far in 2014 — has overwhelmed Border Patrol facilities in Texas, leading facilities in other areas such as Southern California to take up the overflow, according to Paul Beeson, chief patrol agent with the Border Patrol’s San Diego division.

Many of the migrants are women and children from El Salvador and Guatemala, who are believed to have sought refuge from gang- and drug-related violence.

The Murrieta debate began when migrants were routed to the city due to a backlog in the processing that each immigrant requires, Beeson said at the meeting.

After processing, immigrants are released into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who will assist them in reaching family members in the United States before their appearance in an immigration court, according to David Jennings, field director for ICE’s Los Angeles field office.

“When you have a noncriminal mother, they are going to be released,” Jennings said. “The most humane way to deal with this is to find out where they are going and get them there.”

Long urged Murrieta residents to sign a city petition urging the federal government to establish “cohesive immigration policy.”

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone hit the national government harder, saying that there was a “lack of political will to protect our borders,” adding that the issue was a federal responsibility. He publicly demanded that Congress take action to secure the border.

Stone’s remarks were met by applause and cheers of “USA! USA!” from the crowd.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Immigrant detainees: Local officials deflect anger to Obama, Congress
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Immigrant children pose humanitarian crisis for US

Los Angeles (AFP) – A massive wave of immigrant children flooding into the United States across Mexico’s border is posing a growing humanitarian crisis, and escalating into a political one.

More than 52,000 minors, the youngest only three or four years old, have been detained since October after crossing the border illegally, hoping that getting a foot on US soil will win them the right to stay.

The process of deporting a child who has arrived illegally and without any family members is long and complicated. So many take a chance on being allowed, eventually, to remain in the country.

Despite US President Barack Obama’s best efforts to persuade them not to try their luck, on the basis that they will eventually be thrown out, hundreds of children keep arriving daily across the Mexican border, most from Central American countries plagued by gang violence and poverty.

In Texas and Arizona, the epicenter of the crisis, detention centers and military bases are full up, a border guard source told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Children are piled up waiting for authorities to start the process of sending them back to their home countries, or at least to give them a better conditions until they do.

The American Red Cross told AFP it is providing blankets and basic hygiene kits to US authorities for detained children, who often arrive exhausted and famished after dangerous trips of thousands of kilometers from Central America.

According to Californian non-governmental organization (NGO) Hermandad Mexicana, Washington should have foreseen the current crisis “given the tide of children (without parents) who have arrived in the country in recent years.”

US authorities didn’t foresee crisis

The US Department of Homeland Security “could have predicted the need for beds and resources to receive them,” said Nativo Lopez, an advisor with the group which is lobbying on behalf of the young migrants.

The flood of children crossing the border has accelerated in recent months, possibly in anticipation of the immigration reforms being pushed by Obama. They include notably plans to make it easier to become a US citizen, while beefing up the US-Mexico border.

But the reform bill is currently moving nowhere in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, prompting the US president to announce Monday that he would take executive action to respond to the crisis.

On the diplomatic front, Vice President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State John Kerry have met authorities from the Central American countries the youngsters fled.

Lopez meanwhile lamented that Obama “is trying to weaken the rules allowing for the expulsion of minors and is thereby depriving them of their rights,” when they “should be treated like refugees,” he said.

The children are living “in awful conditions. They don’t have beds,” added Domingo Gonzalo of the group Campana Fronteriza which operates from the Texas town of Brownsville, where there is a detention center.

The government is planning to open a second center in the vast US state to house another 1,000 migrants.

Rare pictures taken inside these centers show hundreds of children sleeping on the floor, covered only with isothermal (thermal) blankets.

US law states that they must be found a place within 72 hours of being detained. But the most common outcome is that family members living legally in the US offer to take care of them.

Otherwise they are placed in hostels, while the deportation process takes its course.

In the short term there doesn’t seem to be any genuine solution to the crisis. “These children’s arrival shows that the system is broken,” said the Hermandad Mexicana advisor.

“We are going to go from crisis to crisis until there is reform which allows them to be legalized en masse,” added Lopez.

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Immigrant children pose humanitarian crisis for US
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Immigrant detainees: To protest, welcome, or stand aside

A day earlier, angry protesters had blocked buses carrying immigrant detainees from reaching a Border Patrol processing facility here.

On Wednesday, while the rancor in Murrieta had eased, some remained adamant that they would fight any attempts to settle, even temporarily, young immigrants and their guardians from Central America who crossed the border illegally.

And officials and townspeople in Riverside County and elsewhere in border states wrestled with the correct response to the arrival of those immigrants and the backlash it has created.

Carol Schlaepfer, an activist from Pomona who helped block the buses Tuesday in downtown Murrieta, said she and others will organize another protest if officials try again to move immigrants there.

“We’re going to be there,” she vowed. “We’re going to do the same thing, and hopefully with greater numbers of people.”

In the small New Mexico town of Artesia, Mayor Phil Burch said residents held an emotional town hall debate Tuesday night over whether the city should oppose the arrival of underage immigrants at a federal facility nearby. In the end, the town decided not raise picket signs to protest the move.

“We don’t like it,” Burch said. “We’d prefer they not bring these people here. But we’ll do our part to support the government.”

The number of children and teenagers arriving alone from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador is expected to reach up to 90,000 by the end of the year, along with a surge of families with children seeking safe passage into the U.S. Many immigrants say they are fleeing violence in their home countries.

The dramatic standoff in Murrieta highlighted a current of angst over the influx and underscored the challenges the government may face as it moves to transfer immigrants away from border areas, where detention facilities are overcrowded.

Many minors who arrive by themselves are being transferred to emergency shelters in Texas, Oklahoma and California, while some children accompanied by a guardian are being sent to processing stations in Laredo and El Paso, Texas, and Murrieta and El Centro, Calif. Most will be released with orders to appear in immigration court.

Immigration officials have not said exactly how many people will be moved.

Murrieta became a flash point for emotions over the issue Tuesday afternoon, when 100 to 150 people blocked three buses of immigrant children and adults from reaching the Border Patrol processing station. Demonstrators and counter-demonstrators shouted and even spat at one another.

Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) said he was surprised that members of the “angry mob” weren’t arrested, adding, “I have never seen a group of people prevent federal officers from doing their job and not get arrested.”

The migrants who were turned back from Murrieta were driven to San Diego and taken to at least three Border Patrol stations. Officials have not said if and when they will attempt another transfer to Murrieta.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), whose district includes Murrieta, said the government should not send immigrants caught in Texas to California.

“They should handle this problem in Texas,” said Calvert, who described his constituents as “extremely upset.”

“I’m getting hundreds of phone calls,” he said. “The anger is growing.”

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey) offered a different view.

“The buses the protesters tried to stop weren’t filled with dangerous criminals,” she said. “They were carrying women and children, many of whom fled their homes in Central America to escape violence and death.”

While many of the migrants are likely to be eventually deported, “we must afford them access to basic due process and treat them with simple human dignity while they are in our government’s custody,” she said.

Calvert, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, will play a critical role in Congress’ response to President Obama’s request for more than $2 billion to manage the influx of immigrants crossing the Southwest border illegally.

He plans to examine whether National Guard troops should be deployed to the border, as a number of his GOP colleagues have suggested.

Calvert, who toured the Murrieta Border Patrol facility earlier this week, said he expects the protests to continue if more buses with immigrants arrive. He said the Inland Empire’s struggling economy has fueled tensions over illegal immigration.

In neighboring Imperial County, El Centro also received a convoy of migrants to the city’s Border Patrol station, but the reaction was muted.

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Immigrant detainees: To protest, welcome, or stand aside
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Protesters Turn Back Buses Of Immigrant Detainees Near San Diego

Protesters block the arrival of immigrant detainees who were scheduled to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol station in California on Tuesday.i i

hide captionProtesters block the arrival of immigrant detainees who were scheduled to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol station in California on Tuesday.


Sam Hodgson/Reuters/Landov

Protesters block the arrival of immigrant detainees who were scheduled to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol station in California on Tuesday.

Protesters block the arrival of immigrant detainees who were scheduled to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol station in California on Tuesday.

Sam Hodgson/Reuters/Landov

A plan to move immigrant detainees to a Border Patrol facility north of San Diego has set off protests and counterprotests this week, as residents and activists argue over how to treat people caught entering the U.S. illegally.

Three buses that were carrying nearly 140 migrants to a processing center were forced to turn around Tuesday, after their path was blocked by protesters urged on by the mayor of Murrieta, Calif. The migrants, mostly women and children, had reportedly crossed the border in Texas and were then flown to San Diego.

Carrying signs bearing messages such as “Return to Sender” and “America Has Been Invaded,” more than 100 protesters reportedly took part in Tuesday’s rally against the Border Patrol operation, according to San Diego member station KPBS.

As the buses approached the Murrieta Border Patrol station, the protesters chanted “Go home” and “We want to be safe,” according to the Los Angeles Times, which also notes that the protest went on without violence.

The scene drew a counterprotest by advocates for immigrants, who said they were planning a rally Wednesday “to show their support for the migrant families from Central America,” KPBS reports today.

The station quotes an advocate who condemned Tuesday’s protest:

” ‘What I witnessed today in Murrieta as the three buses of children and mothers arrived was very sad, and the worst of the American Spirit,’ Border Angels director Enrique Morones said in a news release.

” ‘These children could hear the racist taunts, hear the sign banging the bus and seeing the Murrieta Police Department stand by,’ Morones said.”

The immigrants had initially been caught by U.S. agents as they attempted to cross into Texas. The Department of Homeland Security then flew them to California “for processing and supervised release through a religious volunteer group, pending appearances in immigration court,” the Times says.

The plan was created as a way to ease congestion in crowded Texas facilities, but it was hotly disputed by residents of Murrieta. Eventually, the buses took the women and children to another facility some 70 miles away, in Chula Vista, KPBS says. The station also reports that the federal government could bring more migrants to Southern California within days.

As we’ve reported, there’s a growing number of people from Central America who are illegally crossing the Southern U.S. border. Many say they are fleeing violence and poverty.

Source Article from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/07/02/327738660/protesters-turn-back-buses-of-immigrant-detainees-near-san-diego?ft=1&f=1070
Protesters Turn Back Buses Of Immigrant Detainees Near San Diego
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