Immigrant Issues News Today

By Torsheta Jackson for Yes! Media.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the YES! Media-Public News Service Collaboration Residents of Evanston, Illinois, filed into the Evanston Township High School Auditorium for the reparations committee’s regular meeting on Jan. ...

April is Second Chance Month and many Nebraskans are celebrating passage of a bipartisan voting rights restoration bill and its focus on second chances. Legislative Bill 20 restores voting rights to those convicted of a felony upon completion of their sentence, eliminating the two-year waiting period. Jason Witmer, policy fellow at the ACLU of Nebraska, said the change will promote success for formerly incarcerated Nebraskans. ...

Some Indigenous groups in Michigan want to draw parallels to their own historic struggles and those of Palestinians in Gaza and they are doing it through powerful artwork depicting dance. One elaborate drawing shows a Native American and Palestinian woman dancing together. The nonprofit Citizens Resistance at Fermi Two said the group advocates for environmental causes and safety for all people, including tribal nations. ...

Mississippi prisons often lack resources to treat people who are incarcerated with substance-use disorders adequately but a nonprofit organization is offering alternative programs focused on treatment instead of incarceration. The Magnolia State has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, with more than 1,000 people per 100,000 residents behind bars. Christina Dent, founder and president of End It For Good, said they invite people to support approaches to drugs prioritizing life,...

Minnesotans who havent completed their tax returns yet might be fretting about meeting the April 15th deadline. For those facing language barriers or other resource issues, the concern is even greater, but help is available. In the Twin Cities and around Minnesota, there are free tax preparation sites staffed with multi-lingual volunteers, including those who speak Spanish. ...

Groups supporting peace around the globe say the budget approved by Congress is lacking crucial components. After a monthslong stalemate, Congress has approved the fiscal year 2024 budget. Megan Rodgers, U.S. ...

As the nation observes National Medal of Honor Day, facilities in Florida and Texas are under construction to serve as perpetual memorials commemorating the heroic actions of recipients for their valor and sacrifice. In Sebring, Florida, a memorial honoring the 24 recipients of the Medal of Honor from the Sunshine State is underway, with plans to celebrate 18 of them posthumously. Mike Borders, chairman of the Florida Medal of Honor Memorial, anticipates the completion next year, featuring a b...

Immigrants rights advocates are pushing back on a flurry of bills in the Iowa Legislature they said would create discriminatory policies targeting migrant communities. Iowa lawmakers are considering bills that critics claim could potentially destabilize the states workforce, create additional barriers for low-income families and threaten support networks for people seeking safety. Erica Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, said anti-immigrant rhetoric typically...

Rep. Ben Toma, R-Peoria, Speaker of the Arizona House, has introduced legislation with hopes to curtail illegal immigration and save Arizonans big in welfare benefits but a coalition of business leaders and Democratic lawmakers are speaking out, saying it will hurt the state economy. Businesses in the state already use the federal E-Verify program to check the immigration status of potential and current employees. ...

Immigrants whose cases are heard in Omahas Immigration Court are often denied their due process rights, according to a report from the ACLU of Nebraska. Data were collected from more than 500 pretrial hearings between April and August 2023. Due process violations included judges not informing people of their rights more than 80% of the time. ...