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SECOND CHANCES — After his prison sentence was reduced for good behavior, Mexican-born Leonel Sanchez "became one of the 1,500 foreign-born California prisoners who earn their release each year, only to be transferred to federal detention and told they may be kicked out of the country," reports Daniel Trotta of Reuters. "I thought I was going to walk away a free man because ... I was contributing to the communities. Fighting fires, saving property and animals, people’s homes and stuff," said Sanchez by telephone from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. A new bill could end the prison-to-ICE deportation pipeline for people like Sanchez: The VISION Act, introduced by California State Assembly member Wendy Carrillo (D), passed the Assembly in June. Per Trotta, the bill is expected to pass the Senate soon and then head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. "He made a mistake," said Danny De La Torre, Sanchez’ former employer of 20 years. "We’re all entitled to a second chance." NEW STAGE — Today, the Biden administration "will restart a high-level economic dialogue with Mexico after a gap of four years," Nandita Bose reports for Reuters. On the agenda: "promoting investment in the Northern Triangle of Central America - which includes Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras - in an effort to stem migration from the region." Meanwhile, Latin America News reports that "the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, hoped that the US government would open a ‘new stage’ in immigration matters."
CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS — Many of us with immigrant parents owe them so much for the sacrifices they made. Paradise Afshar at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiles a number of these families in a moving story well worth your time. Another child of immigrants, the Carnegie Corporation’s Geri Mannion, was recently profiled by Inside Philanthropy. Finally, our friends over at the George W. Bush Institute have a new podcast series, The Story of U.S. (They were kind enough to have me on for this week’s episode.) DREAMERS — In a Tampa Bay Times op-ed, five Florida university presidents voice their support for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented students — and call on Congress to act. "With more than 12,000 DACA-eligible students in Florida, every day on our campuses we see firsthand the hopes, aspirations and hard work of many of Florida’s nearly 70,000 Dreamers," they write. "Granting them a pathway to citizenship is no act of charity; it’s enlightened self-interest." A permanent solution is feasible with the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act (passed in the House), and the upcoming budget reconciliation process. "All of our students have dreams and aspirations that will enrich our state and country, and we all lose if those dreams go unfulfilled," they conclude. Thanks for reading, |
