Page 12 - Immigrant Issues News Today

Lawmakers are considering a bill which would restore Nebraskans right to vote immediately after they complete their felony sentences, instead of having to wait two years. Jason Witmer, board member of the ACLU of Nebraska, spent two decades in the criminal-justice system after getting into what he calls serious trouble as a teenager. He said Legislative Bill 158 would encourage more people reentering society to educate themselves about programs affecting their families, and to get more involved...

Tomorrow, the Clark County Commission considers a resolution to support creation of a new national monument at Spirit Mountain, outside of Searchlight, to be called Avi Kwa Ame. An Indigenous-led coalition has been working to establish the 450,000-acre monument since the 1990s. A Swedish wind-power company has made an application to build in the area, which has heightened the pressure to more forward on the monument. ...

The road to voting rights for Native Americans has been long, but advocates for indigenous people hope to build on the momentum theyve seen in recent years to get more people to the polls. Native Americans were not granted U.S. citizenship until 1924. ...

Wyoming will appeal a recent district court decision affirming Crow tribal hunting rights granted under treaties signed in the 19th century, rights recently affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Dan Lewerenz, staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, said tribal leaders were very clear about maintaining hunting rights before they agreed to move into a reservation on just a portion of lands they had occupied for centuries. ...

ROSEBUD, Neb. -- A lawsuit accusing a Nebraska school district of violating a Lakota familys First Amendment rights and unlawful racial discrimination is headed to court. The suit was filed after a school employee cut two girls hair during school lice checks, even after the parents raised concerns. ...

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict is fueling a variety of perspectives. In Iowa, one viewpoint is that its adding to whats perceived as an increasingly hostile environment toward people who protest against systemic racism. Rittenhouse, a white teen from Illinois, was found not guilty of murder charges in last years shooting of protesters in Wisconsin. ...

Kenosha, WI - The jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial has announced not-guilty verdicts on all charges in the case. Ground-level activists say the case shows that laws and how theyre applied dont work properly when white supremacy still exists in a democracy. Comments from Kyle Johnson, Kenosha-based community organizer, and Angela Lang, executive director, both of Black Leaders Organizing Communities. ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Anticipating a busy summer, airport workers in Pennsylvania continue their fight for better wages and health insurance, and demand what they say would be a fair contract from American Airlines and other carriers. Philadelphia International Airport contract workers and supporters rallied this week in support of a prevailing wage bill being debated by the city council, which would change a city agreement with air carriers, to boost hourly wages to just over $15, create a paid-leav...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas is a big and religiously diverse state, but faith communities say controversial voting bills before the state Legislature will disenfranchise both rural and urban voters. Texas Republicans last week advanced bills, House Bill 6 and Senate Bill 7, which would limit early-voting hours, prohibit drive-through voting and give partisan poll workers the ability to videotape voters at the polls. Bee Moorhead, executive director of Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy/Texas...

When I was at school, my mum was partial to taking last night’s leftover kebab, slapping it in the middle of two slices of bread and calling it lunch. If you were from Pakistan you may know this as a variant of ‘bun kebab’ – a snack sold from street carts weaving through Pakistani neighbourhoods. In Australia however no one knew of such a snack, especially not the kids at the very Anglo school I went to. So when I took the kebab sandwich out of my lunchbox the next day, and anyone withi...