Category Archives: La Migra

Houston will get involved in the SB4 fight later this month

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Very good to hear. Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to ask City Council to vote this month on joining lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Texas’ new “sanctuary cities” law, ending months of equivocation on the controversial immigration enforcement measure. If City … Continue reading →

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Dallas gets in the fight against SB4

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Dallas is joining some other Texas cities, including Austin and San Antonio, in taking on the state’s so-called “sanctuary city” law. Mayor Mike Rawlings made the announcement Wednesday afternoon, calling SB4 “unconstitutional” and a law that “greatly … Continue reading →

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Bexar County joins in on SB4 litigation

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Add another to the list. Bexar County has joined the fight against Senate Bill 4, the so-called “sanctuary cities” law. In their biweekly meeting Tuesday, three commissioners and Judge Nelson Wolff voted to join the City of San Antonio in … Continue reading →

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ACLU files for injunction against SB4

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas filed the first motion today to block the anti-immigrant and anti-law enforcement Texas Senate Bill (SB4) before it takes effect. This is the next step in the … Continue reading →

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State files motion to combine all the “sanctuary cities” lawsuits

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t a surprise, but there is a bit of a twist. In a filing late Thursday, Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a federal district court in Austin to absorb two other legal challenges that have been filed against the … Continue reading →

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San Antonio files “sanctuary cities” lawsuit

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here they go. The cities of San Antonio and Austin announced on Thursday they have joined the fight to stop the state’s new immigration enforcement law, Senate Bill 4, in federal court. […] The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational … Continue reading →

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ACLU joins first “sanctuary cities” lawsuit

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas and the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project have joined the lawsuit challenging Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4), which demands that local governments and their employees engage in federal immigration enforcement practices. The case, City … Continue reading →

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El Paso files “sanctuary cities” lawsuit

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two and counting, as El Paso gets in on the anti-SB4 action. The lawsuit, filed by El Paso County, its Sheriff Richard Wiles and the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, a client of the Texas Civil Rights Project, charges that … Continue reading →

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More “sanctuary cities” plaintiffs gearing up

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Local governments are not going down without a fight. On Tuesday, which organizers said was the beginning of a “summer of resistance,” Austin City Council member Delia Garza said the city will move this week to take formal action to … Continue reading →

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More “sanctuary cities” litigation in the works

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon. Civil rights groups vigorously opposed to Texas’s new anti-“sanctuary cities” law – which would allow the jailing of sheriffs and police chiefs if they refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities – expect to file within the next … Continue reading →

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SB4 is what you get when you vote for Greg Abbott

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is me, shaking my head. Duque, who is Latina and Catholic, represents two constituencies Abbott courted during his campaign. The same constituencies strongly opposed the sanctuary cities ban, which Abbott made an emergency item in January and championed throughout … Continue reading →

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First anti-“sanctuary cities” lawsuit filed

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Senate Bill 4 has drawn its first lawsuit. The League of United Latin American Citizens, Maverick County and the city of El Cenizo sued the state of Texas on Monday, claiming that SB 4 has failed to … Continue reading →

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Paxton gets ahead of the “sanctuary cities” lawsuit rush

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one way to do it, I suppose. Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas’ ban on “sanctuary cities,” which takes effect Sept. 1. Shortly after Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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When will the lawsuits against the “sanctuary cities” bill begin to be filed?

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Soon. The question isn’t whether or not the Texas attorney general’s office will be hauled to court over a Texas Senate bill to ban “sanctuary” policies in Texas — but, more likely, when they’ll be asked to defend Senate bill … Continue reading →

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The SB4 protests

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I admire the hell out of this. At least two dozen protesters on the grounds of the Texas Capitol on Monday evening were charged with misdemeanor trespassing, the culmination of a day-long sit-in. The demonstration began around 10 a.m. Monday … Continue reading →

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Federal court blocks Trump “sanctuary cities” order

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in San Francisco dealt the Trump administration another legal blow Tuesday, temporarily halting President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding from cities and towns that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities. U.S. District Judge William … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum poll on immigration

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Our state has more nuanced views than you might think. The pollsters found that 62 percent of Texans said immigration helps the United States more than it hurts the country. That’s an increase from 2016, when 54 percent of the … Continue reading →

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The Rodeo and the immigrants

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about who’s working the carnival midway. Why, you might wonder, is a South African working at the Houston rodeo’s midway? “The American workforce is not interested in this kind of work,” said Chris Lopez, vice president of carnival … Continue reading →

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Paxton stands by that Muslim ban

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Till the bitter end. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday led a coalition of 13 states in filing a brief with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defending President Donald Trump’s revised immigration order. In the brief, Paxton and … Continue reading →

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The travel ban and the rural doctor shortage

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just another unintended consequence. In Texas and across the country, foreign-trained doctors like the Iranian-born [Dr. Hossein] Yazdani fill a critical need in rural communities, which often struggle to attract physicians born and trained in the U.S. That reality has … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

“Texas lives on immigrant labor”

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ain’t that the truth. In Texas, an estimated 400,000 construction workers reside illegally, according to one study. If they were forced to leave the country, contractors say, state construction companies would face a difficult fallout, including higher labor costs, construction … Continue reading →

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Cutting ICE

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another campaign promise gets fulfilled. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has ended a controversial partnership with federal immigration authorities that trained a team of county deputies to determine the immigration status of jailed suspects and hold those selected for deportation. … Continue reading →

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Deportation nation

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Appalling. The Trump administration on Tuesday moved one step closer to implementing the president’s plans to aggressively rid the country of undocumented immigrants and expand local police-based enforcement of border security operations. In a fact sheet outlining the efforts, the … Continue reading →

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Alternate funding sources

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one way to do it. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, announced plans Friday to raise public funds for Travis County, days after Gov. Greg Abbott canceled about $1.5 million in criminal justice grants over the county’s new “sanctuary” policy. … Continue reading →

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Senate “sanctuary cities” bill hearing

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people came out to testify against it, which is a good thing. After a 16-hour hearing that included tears, heckling, bursts of anger and warnings from lawmakers to witnesses to respect the rules of the Capitol’s upper chamber, … Continue reading →

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Abbott pulls state grant money to Travis County

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As threatened. Gov. Greg Abbott has followed through on his threat to cut off state funding for Travis County over its new “sanctuary” policy. Abbott’s office said Wednesday it has canceled criminal justice grants it usually administers to the county, … Continue reading →

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Look for the helpers

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’re at the airports now. Luis Ruiz, an immigration attorney with his own practice, set up shop early Sunday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. He’d seen news of attorneys around the country flocking to airports to help people detained under the … Continue reading →

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Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is who the now-injuncted executive order suspending refugee resettlement and immigration visas from certain countries was supposed to “protect” us from. The lawyers said that one of the Iraqis detained at Kennedy Airport, Hameed Khalid Darweesh, had worked on … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Sheriff Hernandez not backing down

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for her. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez indicated Thursday she is not backing away from her recently introduced “sanctuary” policy. Her comments came a day after Gov. Greg Abbott proposed the removal of Hernandez, who announced Friday she would … Continue reading →

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Abbott goes authoritarian

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, but it is still shocking, even in the world we now inhabit. Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he and state lawmakers will pursue legislation that would “remove from office any officeholder who promotes … Continue reading →

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Abbott versus Travis County

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This could get ugly. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is formally demanding that Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez reverse her new policy on cooperation with federal immigration authorities or lose state dollars, further escalating a showdown over “sanctuary cities” that have … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears immigrant harboring lawsuit appeal

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This time it’s the state that’s appealing a lower court ruling. A federal appeals court in New Orleans heard oral arguments Wednesday about whether a key portion of Texas’ omnibus border security bill is legal. Lawyers for the state of … Continue reading →

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On welcoming immigrants

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner puts out the welcome mat for a key part of Houston’s community. A press conference Monday morning to announce the unveiling of Houston’s Office of New Americans and Immigrant Communities evolved into a denunciation by city officials of … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

State moves to withdraw Syrian refugee lawsuit

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good, though at this point it probably doesn’t matter. A week after the state officially withdrewfrom the nation’s refugee resettlement program, Texas has moved to end its legal battle over Syrian refugees. In a short, three-page motion, Texas on Friday … Continue reading →

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