A week after the National Immigration Law Center released its comprehensive report on abuses in the detention system, the Obama Administration announced major steps for detention reform - including the creation of the Office of Detention Policy and Planning (ODPP). Read the detention reform fact sheet here.
On the other hand, the administration rejected federal judge Danny Chin's petition for legally enforceable rules for immigration detention, and most recently predicted that comprehensive immigration reform will not begin until next year. Michael Lind of Salon.com wrote an interesting article (recently featured on the ImmigrationProf Blog) arguing against comprehensive reform - "of anything." Instead, Lind reasons that piecemeal reforms may attract less special interest lobbying than omnibus bills, are more democratic in nature, and would be easier to push through Congress.
Beyond the abstraction of politics, undocumented immigrants continue to speak in spirited defiance against the policies that threaten their basic rights and happiness. PBS will broadcast the documentary series Made in L.A. this Tuesday, August 11, at 10 p.m. It tells the story of three women's battle for basic rights as sweatshop workers and follows their journey over the course of three years. On a similar note, WireTap Magazine, an online news and culture site geared towards the development of citizen journalism, features a documentary on five siblings' struggle to survive after their mother's deportation.
Forever Wary of the Ides of March
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