Immigration Activists Win
Reunion for Phoenix-Area Family After Deportation Almost Tears Them Apart
As President Obama backs an
immigration plan that includes a path to citizenship for some of the country’s
11 million undocumented residents, deportations are continuing at record
levels. We go to Arizona, where one family was almost torn apart because of a
three-year-old traffic violation. Last night, 11-year-old Jose Arma was
reunited with his father, Edi Arma, who was detained two weeks ago and almost
deported to Guatemala. One day after their reunion, Jose and Edi join us from
Phoenix along with immigration activist Viridiana Hernandez, who helped
organize a community campaign to win Edi’s release. [includes rush transcript]
Obama Offers Hope on
Immigration Reform, But Emphasis on Enforcement Portends More Criminalization
President Obama has kicked off
his second term with a major push for comprehensive immigration reform, backing
a bipartisan Senate plan that includes a path to citizenship for some of the
estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the United States. But
Obama’s call for tougher border enforcement and a system for tracking those who
overstay visas has sparked concerns he will continue with a pro-criminalization
and militarization approach that saw a record number of deportations in his
first term. We host a roundtable with three guests: Lorella Praeli, director of
advocacy and policy at the United We Dream Coalition; Fernando Garcia, the
founding director of the Border Network for Human Rights; and Mae Ngai,
professor of history and Asian-American studies at Columbia University.
[includes rush transcript]
