Trump Continues Attack on Immigrant Communities and the Census
07.11.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, the Trump administration announced that it...
07.11.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, the Trump administration announced that it will issue an executive order requiring government agencies to compile and send records on citizens and noncitizens to the Department of Commerce, as the administration dropped its effort to add a citizenship question directly to the 2020 census questionnaire. Concurrently, homeland security officials confirmed that beginning Sunday, it would hold raids nationwide to arrest thousands of members of undocumented families. In response to this series of attacks on the livelihoods and political power of immigrant communities, the Center for Popular Democracy released the following statement from Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director.
“The Trump Administration continues to escalate its attacks on immigrant communities on all fronts. Today, Trump announced that even without a citizenship question on the census, his administration is charging forward with an executive order to track noncitizen data and manipulate the census.
“This is another attempt by this Administration to erase the voices of immigrants in our democracy and instill fear in our communities. Trump’s immigration policies continue to advance a radical white nationalist vision for the country that uses the tactic of constantly scapegoating immigrants in order to exclude us from our society, our democracy and our economy.
“The President is attempting to scare our communities out of participating in the census. The president believes that he can bully us into the shadows. We will not be afraid. We will work to make sure immigrant communities are protected, represented and treated with dignity.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202.618.2482
"It's Time to Fight Back": Hundreds of #CloseTheCamps Rallies Planned Across the Country Amid Reports of Abuse in Detention Centers
"It's Time to Fight Back": Hundreds of #CloseTheCamps Rallies Planned Across the Country Amid Reports of Abuse in Detention Centers
MoveOn was joined by the ACLU, the Center for Popular Democracy, and other organizations in planning at least 184 events in cities and towns across the country.
...
MoveOn was joined by the ACLU, the Center for Popular Democracy, and other organizations in planning at least 184 events in cities and towns across the country.
Read the full article here.
Dear Maybe Trump voter: Immigration bluster is a head fake designed to con you into voting for him
Dear Maybe Trump voter: Immigration bluster is a head fake designed to con you into voting for him
Natalia Salgado, a senior political strategist with the Center for Popular Democracy, a progressive organization, warned that Trump is misjudging the political effect his policies will have: “What...
Natalia Salgado, a senior political strategist with the Center for Popular Democracy, a progressive organization, warned that Trump is misjudging the political effect his policies will have: “What he doesn’t understand is that in communities of color, that sort of raising of the temperature and fear-mongering is also going to bring us out.”
Read the full article here.
Trump’s threat to deport millions of immigrants risks backlash in 2020
Trump’s threat to deport millions of immigrants risks backlash in 2020
“What he doesn’t understand is that in communities of color, that sort of raising of the temperature and fear mongering is also going to bring us out,” said Natalia Salgado, senior political...
“What he doesn’t understand is that in communities of color, that sort of raising of the temperature and fear mongering is also going to bring us out,” said Natalia Salgado, senior political strategist at the Center for Popular Democracy, a group that opposes Trump’s immigration policies.”
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New York Grants Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Residents
New York Grants Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Residents
As a new report by the Center for Popular Democracy and EPI highlights, the number of workers that each Wage and Hour Division investigator at DOL was responsible for in 1978 was just over 69,000...
As a new report by the Center for Popular Democracy and EPI highlights, the number of workers that each Wage and Hour Division investigator at DOL was responsible for in 1978 was just over 69,000.
Read about it here.
New York Grants Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Residents
New York Grants Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Residents
Today in New York, immigrant rights activists are celebrating after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill allowing undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses. The bill overturns a...
Today in New York, immigrant rights activists are celebrating after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill allowing undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses. The bill overturns a nearly 20 year ban and came after years of grassroots and political organizing. Proponents of the bill say it not only helps to protect immigrant communities but also makes roads safer. Ana Maria Archila of the Center for Popular Democracy tweeted about historic passing of the legislation, commonly referred to as the green light bill, saying, “for as long as I've been an activist we've been trying to win driver's licenses for all New York state residents. This fight is about the freedom to move without fear and the right to return to our families at the end of the day. Today democracy came alive and delivered justice.
Read about it here.
Immigration enforcement funded far better than labor law enforcement
Immigration enforcement funded far better than labor law enforcement
“Furthermore, the agents and investigators at labor agencies who actually police the labor market, who are a subset of the total personnel employed, have seen their workloads reach unrealistic...
“Furthermore, the agents and investigators at labor agencies who actually police the labor market, who are a subset of the total personnel employed, have seen their workloads reach unrealistic levels because hiring has failed to keep up. As a new report by the Center for Popular Democracy and EPI highlights, the number of workers that each Wage and Hour Division investigator at DOL was responsible for in 1978 was just over 69,000. By 2018, that had more than doubled, to 175,000 workers per investigator on average. It’s a similar story at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): there were just over 60,000 workers for every OSHA compliance officer in 1978; the number in 2018 had roughly tripled to nearly 180,000.
Read the full story here.
New Liberate MKE campaign community groups vow to take on Milwaukee's city budget
New Liberate MKE campaign community groups vow to take on Milwaukee's city budget
The Liberate MKE campaign is a collaboration between 25 partners, including the ACLU of Wisconsin, BLOC, Center for Popular Democracy, Citizen Action Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation,...
The Liberate MKE campaign is a collaboration between 25 partners, including the ACLU of Wisconsin, BLOC, Center for Popular Democracy, Citizen Action Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation, MICAH, Urban Underground, the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, Wisconsin Voices and the YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin.
Read the full article here.
New York Expanded Rent Control. Will Other Cities Follow Suit?
New York Expanded Rent Control. Will Other Cities Follow Suit?
“It was the alliance of tenants and homeless New Yorkers in New York City and smaller cities around the state that made the new laws possible, says Sarah Treuhaft, managing director at PolicyLink...
“It was the alliance of tenants and homeless New Yorkers in New York City and smaller cities around the state that made the new laws possible, says Sarah Treuhaft, managing director at PolicyLink. Earlier this year, PolicyLink released a report in conjunction with the Right to the City Alliance and the Center for Popular Democracy advocating for the expansion of rent control nationwide.
Read the full story here.
Letter from Activists: Puerto Rico, Diaspora Call on Congress to Hold Hearings on FOMB
06.19.2019
Sen. Lisa...
06.19.2019
Sen. Lisa Murkowski United States Senator Chairwoman, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Sen. Joe Manchin United States Senator Ranking Member, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Dear Senators:
We write to you today as organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and the United States. Our groups represent people that have been directly affected by Puerto Rico’s economic and humanitarian crises and who care deeply about the future of the island. We write to urge you to hold a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as part of the Committee’s oversight responsibilities of the Financial Management and Oversight Board (FOMB), and in particular before the Senate votes to confirm the appointment of the members of FOMB as recently re-nominated by President Trump.
Three years ago, Congress enacted the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) to address the economic crisis in Puerto Rico. Under this law, the FOMB was created - despite public outrage - to supposedly oversee a process that ensured Puerto Rico regained access to the capital markets. The FOMB has taken over control of the public finances, exercises veto powers over any local law that might impact the budget, and oversees all debt restructuring negotiations and litigation. They have repeatedly attempted to expand the scope of their authority to exercise control over public agencies, entities and now municipalities, despite repeated objections by local officials.
In the aftermath of Hurricane María, we witnessed the life-or-death consequences of decisions made by members of the FOMB. Members of the FOMB have proven to have egregious conflicts of interest and have refused cooperation, outside of litigation, with the basic fundamentals of transparency and accountability for a body given so much governance authority, including providing their financial disclosures. They continue to make decisions that have drastic and long-lasting consequences for the people of Puerto Rico for generations to come with little to no public oversight, participation or input.
The Senate will soon have the opportunity to review the actions of all seven members of the FOMB in a confirmation process. Before any nominations are brought to a vote, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has the opportunity and responsibility to move forward with hearings that help the public understand and evaluate the work of the members of the FOMB, the impact of their decisions on the people of Puerto Rico and the economic future of the island, and decide whether or not they should continue serving in this role.
We see the effects of the FOMB's actions in our daily lives and the devastating impact they have had in curbing access to essential public services and the realization of fundamental rights, including:
Tens of thousands of our children in Puerto Rico's rural areas have seen their schools close over the last two years due to budget cuts in education;
Formal employment in the private sector was made more precarious and less attractive through the deregulation of labor rights in an open labor market that already has the lowest wages in any U.S. jurisdiction, pushing working families to move stateside for better job opportunities;
Millions of ratepayers could see their electric bills hiked by as much as 28% for a period of 48 years;
The University of Puerto Rico, the largest public university system on the island and one of the largest in the region, is one step away from losing its accreditation status due to budget cuts;
Retirees risk having their pensions cut to the federal poverty line by this time next year.
The impact of the deep austerity pushed and imposed by the FOMB cannot be understated. The FOMB is currently negotiating debt restructuring deals that will have an impact on the economic development of the island and the ability of Puerto Ricans to stay in their homeland for decades. While this happens, questions have been raised about the ability of members of the FOMB to remain impartial when negotiating restructuring deals because of potential conflicts of interest.
For the aforementioned reasons, the undersigned organizations urge you to hold a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where you may ask questions of the nominees before they are confirmed. This is one of the few opportunities members of the FOMB will be held accountable for their decisions, as they answer to no other body or institution, including the public or government of Puerto Rico. We believe the role played by anyone appointed to the FOMB in crafting the future of Puerto Rico requires a thorough evaluation and honest critique, and we hope that you will undertake your duties of oversight and investigation with the responsibility with which they have been entrusted to you.
Thank you,
Action Center on Race and the Economy Alianza Comunitaria Ambientalista del Sureste (ACASE) Alianza de Salud para el Pueblo Alianza for Progress Alliance for Quality Education Asociación Puertorriqueña de Profesores Universitarios Boricua Vota Inc. Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora Campaign to Divest Harvard's Endowment from Puerto Rican Debt Cancel The Debt Center for Popular Democracy Chicago Boricua Resistance Churches United For Fair Housing | CUFFH Coai, Inc. Coalición de Coaliciones Pro Personas sin Hogar de PR, Inc. Comisión Ciudadana para la Auditoría Integral del Crédito Público CT National Puerto Rican Agenda Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida- Miami Dade Chapter Diáspora En Resistencia Faith in Florida Feministas En Marcha Florida Immigrant Coalition HedgeClippers HERMANDAD DE EMPLEADOS EXENTOS NO DOCENTES Instituto Caribeño de Derechos Humanos Junta Comunitaria Calle La 23 y Las Gardenias Junta comunitaria de residentes los usubales inc. Junta comunitaria de residentes los usubales inc. L 1996/SPT LatinoJustice PRLDEF LittleSis Make the Road Connecticut Make the Road Nevada Make the Road NY Make the Road PA Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico Movimiento Unión Soberanistas National Institute for Energy and Island Sustainability New York Communities for Change Organización Puertorriqueña de la Mujer Trabajadora Our Revolution Puerto Rico Pa’lante por Más Pensacola Chapter of WMFL Puerta de Tierra Camina Puerto Rican Association of University Professors Puerto Rican Women’s Council Puerto Rico Citizen Front for de Debt Audit SEIU 32BJ Sindicato Puertorriqueńo de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras SEIU Local 1996 Somos Dign@s Strong Economy For All Coalition Taller Salud UTIER Vamos4PR Women's March Central Gulf Coast Florida Women's March FL - St. Augustine Women's March Florida- Jacksonville Women's March Florida, Florida Keys Women's March Miami Women’s March Florida - Palm Beach County Chapter Womens March Florida Womens March Jacksonville
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