Immigration detention separating families=social injustice
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Emily Thinks-
For this blog, we both decided to forward a letter to Senator John Kerry and Senator Scott Brown, and Congressman Tierney in support of the separated family's act. This letter stated the flaws in the immigration detention system, and explained how children are without their parents due to detention, and they may never see their families again. They are being housed by the state or fostered and it is awful that they cannot be raised by their parents.This take action connects with democratic values because we were able to voice our concerns freely without fear or repercussion. Children need to be taught social justice issues so they can become familiar with them and they will be more likely to take action against wrong doings, or laws that do not support social justice. We, as teachers, need to help children become aware of social injustice to help them take part in bettering the country.The quote, “Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies”, means that teachers need to take action to promote social justice and to explain to students more about where they live and the government and their role. Social injustice needs to be addressed in the classroom and students can be thinking critically to solve social issues according to their morality.
Immigration detention separating families=social injustice
Immigration detention separating families=social injustice
Natasha Thinks...
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For our take action we wrote a letter to senators John Kerry
and Scott Brown and congressman John Tierney addressing the fact that
deportation is ripping families apart.
Many families are struggling with deportation and the impact it has on
their lives. Children are being left
behind in foster care and sometimes one parent is being deported leaving
families separated and devastated.
This take action is democratic because we were able to take
action and voice our concerns freely without fear of repercussion.
I think that teaching social justice issues is incredibly
important. I think that as teachers it
is our responsibility to make information available for our students and allow
them to form their own ideas and opinions about the information provided.
The quote provided is essential to teaching social
studies. As educators we have a
responsibility to help our students develop an in depth understanding of the
state, country and world they live in.
Social ethics and justice will always bring controversy but should
always be talked about and addressed.
Blog 3
Critical attributes of Immigration are national identity,
social activism and promoting civic engagement.
For our topic informational knowledge are the facts such as,
over 5000 children are in foster care because their parents have been deported
or are detained, and there are more facts about detention on this website: http://detentionwatchnetwork.org/aboutdetention
For procedural knowledge people need to start thinking
critically about ways to fix the issues regarding immigration. Within in immigration many human rights are
being violated. People need to keep
human rights in mind when they think critically about immigration.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Hi! For the interview aspect of this blog I decided to interview my co-worker Nicole. She works in the younger preschool room (where as I'm in Pre-K) and I was genuinely interested in her thoughts on immigration and its policies. I told her only a little bit about what our blog was about and asked her the following questions:
1. Is this a problem you think is important, Why/why not?
Yes. I think that this issue is important because we need to control the amount of people being let into the country. People are coming in, and they are taking out subsidies and welfare. We need to take care of Americans before we let other people into the country.
2. Do you think that to others in the community, this is an issue? why/why not?
Yes. Other people feel the same way I do. But there are also opposing views in the community, such as people who want to get their family members into the country. I just feel like we need to take care of ourselves because there is not enough special services to go around; i.e. the vets.
3. What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with the problem?
I'm sure there are policies, I know that in Obama's policy there have been a record number of people being deported. There is the law in Arizona, like you were saying, that promotes racial profiling...that is bad. But I think that requiring a passport to travel within North America is good.
4. What are the advantages of this policy?
I think that deportation for the most part is good.
5. What are the disadvantages?
The disadvantages would be deporting the wrong people, letting the criminals stay and the good people get deported.
6. How might this policy be improved?
I think that the government needs to stop letting people into the country, and get more help for the citizens it has. American government is too concerned with other countries and what other people think, and they need to mind their own business and focus on themselves.
7. Does this policy need to be replaces?
Yes, it needs to be specified and changed (in the ways listed above).
8. What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in the community?
People have different views. Some people have family members in other countries that they want to come here. I think that people in this country need to be productive members of society.
9. Where can i get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?
Different members of community, newspapers, library, news.
Reflection:
This interview opened my eyes more to the thoughts of most people. It made me more aware about prejudice against immigrants. I agree that there needs to be reforms to the immigration policy, but cutting out immigrants all together? Where would our diversity go? I just believe there are other ways to limit immigration, while still working to benefit conditions for Americans. I love working with Nicole, and this interview gave me insight as to her thoughts and beliefs. Although we disagree on immigration, I am friends with her, and hopefully giver her more insight to this issue. I chose to interview her because I knew she would give me her honest opinion, no matter the effect it had on me and she was glad to do so.
1. Is this a problem you think is important, Why/why not?
Yes. I think that this issue is important because we need to control the amount of people being let into the country. People are coming in, and they are taking out subsidies and welfare. We need to take care of Americans before we let other people into the country.
2. Do you think that to others in the community, this is an issue? why/why not?
Yes. Other people feel the same way I do. But there are also opposing views in the community, such as people who want to get their family members into the country. I just feel like we need to take care of ourselves because there is not enough special services to go around; i.e. the vets.
3. What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with the problem?
I'm sure there are policies, I know that in Obama's policy there have been a record number of people being deported. There is the law in Arizona, like you were saying, that promotes racial profiling...that is bad. But I think that requiring a passport to travel within North America is good.
4. What are the advantages of this policy?
I think that deportation for the most part is good.
5. What are the disadvantages?
The disadvantages would be deporting the wrong people, letting the criminals stay and the good people get deported.
6. How might this policy be improved?
I think that the government needs to stop letting people into the country, and get more help for the citizens it has. American government is too concerned with other countries and what other people think, and they need to mind their own business and focus on themselves.
7. Does this policy need to be replaces?
Yes, it needs to be specified and changed (in the ways listed above).
8. What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in the community?
People have different views. Some people have family members in other countries that they want to come here. I think that people in this country need to be productive members of society.
9. Where can i get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?
Different members of community, newspapers, library, news.
Reflection:
This interview opened my eyes more to the thoughts of most people. It made me more aware about prejudice against immigrants. I agree that there needs to be reforms to the immigration policy, but cutting out immigrants all together? Where would our diversity go? I just believe there are other ways to limit immigration, while still working to benefit conditions for Americans. I love working with Nicole, and this interview gave me insight as to her thoughts and beliefs. Although we disagree on immigration, I am friends with her, and hopefully giver her more insight to this issue. I chose to interview her because I knew she would give me her honest opinion, no matter the effect it had on me and she was glad to do so.
Interview with Cassandra Lopez
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Is Immigration a problem you think is important? Why/ Why
not?
Yes. There are millions of hard-working, law-abiding people
in the United States who are undocumented because our current immigration
policies do not provide a path to obtaining legal status. Undocumented
immigrants are forced into a permanent underclass in our society, prevented
from accessing education and employment opportunities. In addition, the
United States wasted billions of dollars a year enforcing immigration laws -
incarcerating and deporting undocumented immigrants. Moreover, by deporting
people with US citizen spouses and children, our immigration laws destroy
families.
Do you think others in our community think Immigration is an
important problem? why/ why not?
It seems like this is an issue many people our concerned
about.
What is the biggest misconception associated with immigration?
Undocumented
immigrants take jobs away from US citizens and drain resources like Medicare or
public benefits.
How
do you feel about the laws passed in Arizona? What do they mean to you?
I think
they are xenophobic and racist. They give local police the authority to
racially profile and essentially harass anyone who appears to be non-white.
Moreover, the law is a waste of resources. The money spent carrying out
the law could be spent on education or some other socially beneficial project.
The law is also bad public policy. We want people, including undocumented
immigrants, to cooperate with the police if a crime has been committed. Under
the Arizona law, victims of crime, such as domestic violence victims, will be
unlikely to contact the police for assistance for fear of deportation.
What policy, if any, does government now have to deal
immigration?
Immigration law is complicated and the government employs a
number of policies to enforce immigration laws. One policy is the US of
immigration detention to enforce immigration laws. There is a laundry list of
minor criminal offenses, such as possession of drugs (any drug, marijuana
included) that subject a person to mandatory custody. This means that the
immigration judge has no discretion to determine whether the person should
remain in custody during the pendency of immigration proceedings. In criminal
proceedigs, for example, the court makes a determination regarding whether the
defendant is a danger or a flight risk, before setting conditions of release.
However, decreased constitutional protections apply in the immigration context.
Where
can I get more information about immigration and the different positions people
take on immigration?
Detention
watch network: http://detentionwatchnetwork.org/
Immigrant
legal resource center:
Florence
immigrant and Refugee Rights Project:
I really enjoyed chatting with her and hearing her thoughts even though I knew her points of view. I was lucky enough to see her in action in May. I watched a her in trial and it was amazing. I respect the work she is doing for a population of people that many Americans dismiss and are ready to throw away. Her views are my views and I really like to hear her talk about the laws in Arizona. Those laws are so racist and are a complete waste of resources. They show how our country may have come a long way from civil rights but in other ways we have barely made any headway. People may not be as openly racists but when these laws began to pass it highlights how racist we still are in parts of the country and it makes me sad.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Intro to Immigration and where we stand....
Immigration is an important topic in the United States. Our country is born out of immigration. One problem with immigration is the racism
that comes with it. There have been many
racist laws that have been passed under the guise of anti-immigration laws http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration-and-emigration/arizona-immigration-law-sb-1070/index.html
This article from the New York Times, discusses the Arizona
anti-immigration law that was passed.
This law barred illegal immigrants from driving in the state as well as
attending school. This law also allowed
for police to detain a person they suspected of being an illegal alien; basically stating that police officers were
allowed to use racial profiling. We have
come a long way from segregation and racism, yet this law is enacting a very
racist policy, suggesting that by looking at someone you can tell if they are
illegal. There is an interesting set of
tests that Harvard University has put out on different subject areas,
sexuality, race, age etc called Project Implicit. These tests are set up in a way to uncover
unconscious and conscious divergences. I
urge everyone to take some of these tests, especially the one regarding race. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/
The executive branch of government
oversees immigration. This includes organizations such as Homeland Security and
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
I am Natasha and I currently
believe that immigration is a major problem in the United States. One problem is that people have misconceptions about illegal immigrants.
Many people often say that immigrants are stealing all of our jobs. This is hard to hear from someone who grew up
in California and watched many illegal immigrants work out in the fields for
little compensation. I always wondered
who they were stealing the job from because I know the person who was spouting
this ideal was not interested in going to work out in the field. Immigrants are cheap labor and many big companies
exploit this as you can see in the Food Inc. clip posted on the left from
youtube. Another fact that is often
thrown around is that immigrants pay no taxes.
This is also something that is untrue.
Many immigrants are paid over the table using false social security
numbers. Although this may not be a
great practice, this does mean that they are paying taxes. It is also important to point out that they
are paying taxes, but are unable to reap any of the benefits from this. They are unable to collect many of the social
services that money goes too. In some
states in the south and in Arizona children are in danger of being barred from
school for being immigrants.
I am Emily and I currently believe that Immigration is in need of reform. Throughout our research I have found that the boarders are becoming an increasingly dangerous place, and that there still needs to be a better way to both regulate immigration and keep people safe. That being said I also believe that immigration is giving people in this country a reason to voice racist ideas. This country has had a history of racism, and it has not seemed to end. There are many prejudices that people place upon immigrants, such as "lazy" and "violent", and people have begun to racially profile in an effort to "keep the country safe". My hope is to one day have people learn the facts about immigrants and immigration as a whole rather than the myths. Immigrants are not lazy, and are not violent and prone to crime. On the contrary, immigrants are hard working and research has shown that immigrants are less likely to be involved in criminal activity than their natural born counter parts. On the whole, I am frustrated with the way that racial profiling is becoming law, and that the myths about immigrants are the ideas being believed, rather than the facts that shed immigrants in a better light. I often hear comments along the lines of "It's those gangs, they should step in and ship them all back to where they came from" and was struck by how someone could profile an entire group as immigrants, and then wish them to be removed from the country. This thinking is dangerous and is leading American citizens into the mindset of a pre civil war era. The profiling and the stereotypes need to be addressed and serious and humane reform needs to take place for this country to succeed both economically and morally.
I am Emily and I currently believe that Immigration is in need of reform. Throughout our research I have found that the boarders are becoming an increasingly dangerous place, and that there still needs to be a better way to both regulate immigration and keep people safe. That being said I also believe that immigration is giving people in this country a reason to voice racist ideas. This country has had a history of racism, and it has not seemed to end. There are many prejudices that people place upon immigrants, such as "lazy" and "violent", and people have begun to racially profile in an effort to "keep the country safe". My hope is to one day have people learn the facts about immigrants and immigration as a whole rather than the myths. Immigrants are not lazy, and are not violent and prone to crime. On the contrary, immigrants are hard working and research has shown that immigrants are less likely to be involved in criminal activity than their natural born counter parts. On the whole, I am frustrated with the way that racial profiling is becoming law, and that the myths about immigrants are the ideas being believed, rather than the facts that shed immigrants in a better light. I often hear comments along the lines of "It's those gangs, they should step in and ship them all back to where they came from" and was struck by how someone could profile an entire group as immigrants, and then wish them to be removed from the country. This thinking is dangerous and is leading American citizens into the mindset of a pre civil war era. The profiling and the stereotypes need to be addressed and serious and humane reform needs to take place for this country to succeed both economically and morally.
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