Bolton Blocks Bulk of Bill

Yesterday, immigration advocates were vindicated as U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton struck down the most heinous provisions of Arizona's anti-immigrant bill, SB 1070, which takes effect today. In her ruling, Judge Bolton rejected the assertion of Arizona's lawyers that...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on July 29, 2010 6:28 PM

DOJ Files Suit

In an expected follow-up to President Barack Obama's immigration speech last Thursday at American University, the Department of Justice has filed suit against Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070. While the major hype generated by opponents of this law has...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on July 9, 2010 2:29 PM

Giving CPR to CIR

Updated: You can now send an email to your Senators.As the Gulf oil spill disaster wreaks havoc on our Eastern shoreline, high unemployment plagues our populace, and a crippling deficit tugs on our purse strings, immigration reform advocates have grown...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on July 2, 2010 3:34 PM

Copy Cat

Every week since late April when Arizona passed its egregious SB 1070 law, -- which makes it a crime to be within state borders if you lack legal status -- I receive an email update from one of my colleagues...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on June 18, 2010 4:37 PM

AZ Interfaith Delegation Takes on DC for Immigration Reform

Rabbi John Linder traveled to Washington, D.C. last week with an interfaith delegation of Arizona clergy to push government officials to prioritize comprehensive immigration reform.

Posted by Religious Action Center on May 20, 2010 4:57 PM

Dueling Governors

Last Monday, New York State Governor David A. Paterson added his voice to the growing cacophony consuming the immigration debate. The current maelstrom of disputes was set off three weeks ago by the passage of egregious new immigration policy in...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on May 10, 2010 4:56 PM

Arizona's Immigration Law: "An Affront to [Our] Ideals"

Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim serves Congregation Or Chadash in Tucson, Ariz. When I returned home yesterday afternoon, I spoke to my wife and a friend who told me of their conversations with Hispanic friends and co-workers about the Safe Neighborhoods...

Posted by Religious Action Center on April 29, 2010 3:58 PM

There is No Place Like Home

I was born and raised in Arizona and even though I moved away nearly seven years ago, I have always considered it my home. I love the beautiful sunsets, the sweeping desert landscapes, and the delicious Mexican food, and I...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on April 25, 2010 10:56 AM

Arizona Rabbis Oppose Anti-Immigrant Bill

Eight Reform rabbis representing seven congregations throughout Arizona today sent a letter to Governor Jan Brewer urging her to veto the Safe Neighborhoods Act (SB 1070), an enforcement-only immigration bill that encourages racial and ethnic profiling and dangerously extends enforcement of federal immigration law to local police. Read the letter here or below. Check out this New York Times story to learn more about this bill and what it would do.

Posted by Religious Action Center on April 23, 2010 11:58 AM

Show Me the Data!

Not even two weeks ago, more than two hundred thousand people descended on the National Mall to demand comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). If those numbers didn't wow you, now a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) finds...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on April 1, 2010 1:50 PM

How America Got Her Groove Back

March 21, 2010 was historic. Much needed health insurance reform was finally passed after a century-long struggle to provide coverage to all Americans. Cheers! 200,000 people -- twice the expected turnout -- gathered on the National Mall to demand comprehensive immigration...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on March 23, 2010 5:46 PM

An Appeal to Bagel-Lovers (And Their Friends)

 Update on Immigration Reform: Yesterday, the chief authors of much anticipated comprehensive immigration reform legislation, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), published an op-ed in the Washington Post outlining their framework for action on repairing our broken...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on March 19, 2010 3:37 PM

The Meeting Before the March

Today, March 11, 2010, President Obama will meet with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to discuss comprehensive immigration reform. A top priority of the Obama campaign and a divisive domestic issue, immigration reform is crucial both...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on March 11, 2010 4:36 PM

Join us in DC to March for America!

In Leviticus 19:33-34, we read, "When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them...

Posted by Religious Action Center on March 4, 2010 2:38 PM

Giving Students the Chance to DREAM

The following post is the text of a speech that was presented on Monday to Sen. Dianne Feinstein by Madison Tully and Haily Marzullo. Both are members of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, Calif., who attended the RAC's Bernard and Audre...

Posted by Religious Action Center on February 23, 2010 7:22 PM

Setting the Record Straight

Last week, the New York Times blog, "Prescriptions," which is devoted to the ongoing explanation of the increasingly muddled health care debate, published an overdue article clarifying the cost of undocumented immigrants to our health care system. A new study,...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on February 17, 2010 10:35 PM

New Victories for New Olim

When most people have their photo taken for a new driver's license or passport, the government-issued photo I.D. is anything but becoming - think dour faces, terrible lighting, and a general look of total disgust. But last week, IRAC's Legal...

Posted by Religious Action Center on February 1, 2010 10:26 AM

Can Crisis in the Caribbean Cause Change?

While the recent crisis in Haiti has spurred many Americans to action - through donations, public service, humanitarian aid, etc. - it has also precipitated a reckoning with current domestic policy, particularly immigration. Last Friday, at the urging of Democratic...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on January 21, 2010 2:42 PM

First HIV/AIDS Positive Person in 22 Years Legally Enters U.S.

In October of 2009, President Obama repealed a 22-year old injustice from the books of law: people living with HIV/AIDS were no longer banned from entering the United States. That law recently went into effect, giving both advocates for...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on January 14, 2010 10:01 AM

Trail of Dreams

While many college students slept off their New Year's festivities, Gaby Pacheco, Juan Rodriguez, Felipe Matos, and Carlos Roa began the decade on a more agile note. These four protestors, former students of Miami Dade University, began a 1500-mile march...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on January 7, 2010 6:36 PM

Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP

Yesterday afternoon, 87 Members of Congress lit the fire under an already animated group of immigration reform advocates as they unveiled the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321) or CIR ASAP. This legislation...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on December 16, 2009 5:25 PM

Bringing the Melting Pot to Boiling Point

Asked in a recent interview with Politico.com about his New Year's resolution, Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) needed only four words, "Passing comprehensive immigration reform." Rep. Polis is among millions of proponents who are turning up the heat in pursuit of...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on December 7, 2009 9:00 AM

Home for the Holidays

This Monday, November 16th, faith leaders across the country partnered with Faith In Public Life and Reform Immigration FOR America to launch "Home for the Holidays," a campaign to mobilize for comprehensive immigration reform. Home for the Holidays is a...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on November 18, 2009 4:37 PM

Napolitano Demands Humane Solutions

With President Obama's New Year's Eve deadline approaching and no healthcare bill yet dropped in the Senate, nail biting among immigration reform advocates is in full swing. Nervous that immigration reform will face detrimental delays due to healthcare legislation and...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on November 13, 2009 3:00 PM

The Case Against Question 11

At only ten questions, the 2010 federal census -- decennially dreaded for its length and intricacy -- will be one of the shortest in history, a boon to busy taxpayers and a point of encouragement for hesitant respondents. In recent...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on October 20, 2009 5:37 PM

Illinois Representative Intros Immigration Reforms

Thousands of cheering immigration advocates greeted Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) on Tuesday, October 13, as he appeared on Capitol Hill, along with Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA), Chair of...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on October 14, 2009 9:07 PM

Detention Reform: A Step, Not a Stride

Tuesday afternoon, October 6th, Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton announced new immigration detention reforms for a deeply flawed system.Reform will focus on classifying the risk posed by...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on October 7, 2009 4:34 PM

Harnessing the Power of Prayer

As partisan tempers were increasingly set ablaze last week by the heated debate over health care reform and undocumented immigrants, the faith community responded with its most powerful tool - prayer. On Tuesday, five faith leaders from across the country...

Posted by Religious Action Center on September 20, 2009 11:20 PM

Has Security Gone Awry with E-Verify?

While health insurance reform advocates and opponents are brandishing their swords in the wake of President Obama's address, a new development in immigration-related legislation seems to have snuck under the radar.  On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, the E-Verify system went...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on September 10, 2009 1:12 PM

Potlucking for Immigration Reform

Alex Hull is a participant in the Religious Action Center's Machon Kaplan summer program for college students. He is a student at Kenyon College and an intern at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, run by the Friends Committee on National Legislation....

Posted by Religious Action Center on July 21, 2009 2:24 PM

Postville One Year Later: A Call to Change

This piece originally appeared in the Union for Reform Judaism's Ten Minutes of Torah on Friday, May 15. Sign up for Ten Minutes of Torah here. This week marks the first anniversary of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raid...

Posted by Religious Action Center on May 18, 2009 2:26 PM

The 100th Day

Early this year, Jewish advocates for comprehensive immigration reform began a campaign for progress...by Pesach. The campaign gave the new Obama administration until its landmark 100th day in office to show its commitment to turning United States immigration policy in...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on April 1, 2009 5:00 PM

Scaling Fences

Last week, Rachel wrote about the environmental impact of a border fence and the need for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.Another aspect of our broken immigration system was put in the spotlight earlier this month when Arizona's Maricopa County...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on February 23, 2009 1:56 PM

Protecting Our Borders?

Friendship Park is a unique place- a popular meeting spot that sits directly on the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana. The park hosts bi-national concerts, worship services, and even yoga classes, and has symbolized the potential for harmonious...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on February 19, 2009 9:30 AM

Progress by Pesach

"When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers...

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism on February 3, 2009 5:14 PM

The Immigration Stigma's Got to Go

Emily Schwartz is an intern at the Religious Action Center and a senior at The George Washington University. When I Google the term "immigration," the first result to pop up is "Related searches: illegal immigration." The correlation is offsetting....

Posted by Religious Action Center on September 26, 2008 2:40 PM