Page 4 - Immigrant Issues News Today

A new jail would be built in northwest Washington if a measure on the November ballot passes. Opponents say it isnt a good solution to issues facing the community. Proposition four in Whatcom County - home to the city of Bellingham - proposes a 0.2% sales tax increase to pay for a new, $137 million jail and other services such as mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment. ...

Opponents of previous efforts to build a border wall in South Texas are reeling from the Biden administrations announcement last week to resume, and speed up, wall construction. In issuing the order, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said 26 federal laws will be waived to construct more border wall in Starr County, Texas. ...

The latest report on the Nebraska Correctional System shows a decrease in the use of restrictive housing. The Office of Inspector General of Correctional Services has tracked the data and other prison practices since it was created in 2015 to oversee the states correctional system. The use of restricting a prisoners contact with others peaked at 423 in 2018 and has dropped most years since then, to 216 people in August. ...

A new report questions New York City Mayor Eric Adams latest budget proposal for dealing with the citys influx of over 110,000 migrants. The cost for housing the migrants is the reason Mayor Adams is warning city departments to be prepared to trim 15% from their budgets if state and federal funds are not provided soon. But a report from the Fiscal Policy Institute takes issue with Adams proposal. ...

Immigration advocacy groups are calling on New Yorkers to join them in Foley Square at noon today. Its a National Day of Action to call attention to what theyre calling a "cruel" immigration system. People in roughly a dozen cities across the country are asking the Biden administration to follow through on promises to close immigration detention centers and put an end to deportations. ...

Next week, elected officials in Minnesota, along with Latino and environmental organizations, will gather to discuss a recent delegation trip to Puerto Rico. Participants said climate solutions they observed underscore the strength of grassroots work. The weeklong visit in the first half of August was led by Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action. ...

As students head back to school, a recent poll of teachers in Maryland found many are facing financial hardships. The poll conducted over the summer surveyed more than 2,800 members of the Maryland State Education Association and found in the last year, 44% reported working a second job. Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, said with persistent reports of teacher shortages in the state, the poll illustrates why the state has difficulty keeping educators. ...

Across the Mountain State today, unions are hosting Labor Day celebrations - in Baden City, Charleston, Mannington, Marmet, and Racine. Public support for labor unions continues to grow. According to a Gallup poll released this week, 67% of Americans approve of of them. ...

As Labor Day approaches, health care workers at Kaiser Permanente are weighing authorizing a strike to demand better working conditions. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions has been bargaining with the company, but has faced impasses on issues including staffing levels and higher wages. Keven Dardon, a patient access representative at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, normally works 36 hours a week but averaged 56 hours last year to help with the lack of staffing. ...

Organizations that help immigrants find a community, achieve economic self-sufficiency, and become legal residents or citizens say anti-immigrant rhetoric has created a funding challenge. Financial donations are down in Texas - which has bused more than 20,000 migrants to unprepared cities. Lawmakers have considered legislation to create a state border police task force empowered to "repel" and arrest migrants. ...