Latino Action Network Denounces Muslim Ban and Wall of Hate along the Mexican Border

Latino Action Network Denounces Muslim Ban and 

Wall of Hate along the Mexican Border

 

Actions are “anti-democratic”

 

For Immediate Release: January 31, 2017

Contact:

Christian Estevez, President – 973-418-7012

 

The Latino Action Network [LAN] today denounced the discriminatory policies of the Trump Administration and pledged to support efforts to challenge the partial ban on Muslims entering the country. The religious ban coupled with the recent proposal to construct a wall of hate along the southern border are “anti-democratic and undermine the core principles of our nation.”

 

“The Trump Administration is sowing seeds of hate and division across the nation,” said LAN President Christian Estevez. “We will do all we can in the months and years ahead to support our Muslim and Mexican sisters and brothers. The LAN pledges to take part in all efforts in the courts and in the streets to oppose our hateful and narcissistic president.”

 

President Trump signed an executive order on January 25 promoting the construction of a wall along the Mexican border as part of his ongoing smear campaign against the Latino community who at various times he has linked to rapists and criminals. It is important to note that for the first time in 20 years there are no Latinos in the federal cabinet.

 

The border wall executive order was followed on January 27 by the equally offensive order imposing a partial Muslim entry ban from seven different nations. It is important to note that countries where Trump owns properties were not included in the list of Muslim nations in the executive order. 

 

“Trump represents the greatest threat to American democracy since the Nixon Administration,” Estevez continued. “He is a narcissist and a racist and we will not sit idly by and watch him dismantle our democratic traditions.”

 

LAN is a broad, statewide coalition of Latino organizations dedicated to political empowerment, the promotion of civil rights, and the elimination of disparities in the areas of education, health, and employment. It was founded in 2009.

 

LATINO ACTION NETWORK - POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT OF HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

 

LATINO ACTION NETWORK - POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT OF HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

For Immediate Release: September 22, 2016

Christian Estevez, Chair, LAN-PAC – 973-418-7012

Javier Robles, LAN-PAC Member – 732-887-8722

 

Newark, NJ – The Latino Action Network - Political Action Committee [LAN-PAC] today announced its support for Hillary Clinton for President of the United States of America and urged Latinos to vote in the upcoming presidential election in November.

The Latino Action Network Political Action Committee was established in 2012 to promote candidates working on behalf of the issues of greatest importance to the Latino Community on the national level.  

Citing her extensive experience as a U.S. Senator (D-NY) and Secretary of State, Christian Estevez, Chair of LAN-PAC said that, “Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate running and we must do everything we can to elect her as our next President”.  

“Hillary Clinton has a realistic plan to create new jobs starting with a major initiative to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure that will put thousands to work right away”, continued Estevez.   “She has a balanced approach to taxes that will ask the wealthy to contribute more to help create opportunities for all through job development and education.  Her approach will particularly help Latinos who are struggling to become a vital part of the middle class.”

“The stakes could not be higher for Latinos in the United States given the hateful pronouncements being made on the campaign trail by the Republican nominee Donald Trump,” added Estevez. “Besides his preposterous promise to build a giant wall along the southern border with Mexico and his anti-Latino rhetoric, including his attacks against Mexican-American Judge Gonzalo Curiel, Donald Trump represents a real threat to Latino communities throughout the United States due to his support for racist and xenophobic policies like 287g and the creation of a ‘deportation Taskforce’”.

Estevez also cited the U.S. Supreme Court as a reason that Latinos must take this election seriously.  “With the current vacancy on our highest court and more potential vacancies to occur during the next term it is scary to think who Donald Trump would appoint”, said Estevez.  “If Trump were allowed to stack the U.S. Supreme Court with people that are as racist and hateful as he is, he could set back civil rights in this country by over 100 years.”

Javier Robles, who also serves on the board of the LAN-PACcautioned that low turnout in November amongst Latino voters could favor Trump. “It is imperative that Latinos register to vote and turn out in high numbers in November if we hope to have a president in the White House that we can work with to promote policies that embrace Latinos and other immigrant groups as integral to the success of our nation”, said Robles.  “A win for Trump would be disastrous for our community.”

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Christie Hypocrisy on Display: New Jersey Joins Lawsuit to Block Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Mitt Romney during 2012 presidential campaign stop.  Romney at the time took the position that the United States should make life so hard on immigrants that they would deport themselves.

Christie Hypocrisy on Display

New Jersey Joins Lawsuit to Block Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2015

Contacts:

Frank Argote-Freyre, President – 908-670-0552

Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President – 973-418-7012

Rudy Rodas, Co-Chair, Immigration Committee – 201-381-1819

Statement of the Latino Action Network Steering Committee

            Governor Christie yesterday, in a cynical political ploy, entered New Jersey into a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking an executive order by President Obama allowing some undocumented immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation. The move underlies the hypocrisy Governor Christie has always displayed towards the Latino community. To national audiences he has proclaimed himself a candidate with appeal in the Latino community while guarding any details about his national policies on immigration. New Jersey’s entry into the lawsuit, although nearly 20 percent of the state’s population are Latinos, should serve as a wake-up call to anyone in the community that considers him a friend.

Christie’s efforts to secure the Republican presidential nomination have led him to undermine one of the most significant bills he signed into law during his tenure as the State’s Chief Executive. When Christie signed the In-State Tuition Equality bill in 2013 at Union City High School, he essentially articulated the need for immigration reform as the basis of his support of undocumented students. The Governor said at the time:  “Even if you're cold-hearted about this, you can agree with the common sense of the economics.” “[O]ur job, I believe, as a government, is to give every one of these children, who we have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in, an opportunity to maximize that investment.”

By fighting against the expansion of executive programs that would give undocumented students permission to work legally in the United States, Christie is hindering these students’ ability to pay for their college education.

President Obama announced the executive order last year after Congress failed again to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Photo Album: Latino Action Network's 2015 Legislative Conference

The Latino Action Network thanks all of the Latino activists, speakers and presenters who attended the Latino Action Network's 2015 Legislative Conference. The conference was a great success because of your participation.  We have posted photos from our 2015 Legislative Conference to our Facebook page.  Please click on the link below to view the full photo album:

LAN 2015 LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE PHOTO ALBUM

Post by Latino Action Network.

N.J. correctional facilities should stop honoring ICE detainers: Opinion

The following Op-Ed was written on behalf of the Latino Action Network by LAN Steering Committee member John P. Leschak, Esq. and appeared in today's Star-Ledger. 

N.J. correctional facilities should stop honoring ICE detainers: Opinion

Star-Ledger

December 15, 2014

By John P. Leschak

For many years, we have had two systems of justice in New Jersey and in other parts of the nation: One for immigrants and another for everybody else.

At the heart of this unjust system are the detainers placed on suspected undocumented immigrants by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency of the Department of Homeland Security. A detainer is a legal request by ICE to hold an individual, most often picked up for minor offenses, even after they have posted bail. These detainers can lead to the incarceration of individuals for weeks and months without a proper hearing on the charges against them.

As President Obama forcefully stated in his recent national address, we need to move away from a deportation policy that breaks up families. The current detainer policy is a vestige of a flawed system.

These detainers are immoral, unjust and most likely illegal, according to a federal appeals court, that ruled earlier this year that they violate the U.S. Constitution. The court found that the federal government cannot force states and municipalities to honor these detainer requests and unjustly jail immigrants.

To be clear, before a court releases anyone charged with a criminal offense, an assessment of flight risk must be made and an appropriate bail set. It is important to note that a person charged with a crime – a minor or major offense – is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. This same legal protection extends to everyone. In addition, immigration matters fall under a separate area of the law and a determination of status in this country follows a very different legal process.

Given these facts, the Latino Action Network calls on all New Jersey correctional institutions to stop honoring ICE detainers. We echo the call of the American Civil Liberties Union that has already begun to champion this effort. Currently five New Jersey counties have decided to stop honoring ICE detainers. (Middlesex, Ocean, Union, Burlington, and Camden).

If the injustice of illegal detention were not enough, the economics of improperly detaining immigrants should give local and county governments pause to question their current policies. State, county and local correctional institutions are not reimbursed for detaining these individuals and, therefore, the cost falls solely on local taxpayers.

Furthermore, holding immigrants for federal immigration authorities exposes local governments to lawsuits. Our Constitution protects any person from being deprived of liberty without probable cause, and without due process of law. Because ICE detainer requests are not supported by a judicial warrant, jails act illegally when they detain people based on them.

This legal liability is real. A Pennsylvania county recently paid $95,000 in damages for illegally detaining Ernesto Galarza, a U.S. citizen, for three days. All of this money had to come from the county coffers since the federal government told them they did not cover it. Also, in Oregon, a county paid $30,000 to Maria Miranda-Olivares, who was held in detention 19 hours after her criminal case concluded.

In the aftermath of these lawsuits, more than 250 jurisdictions, across the nation, have stopped complying with ICE detainer requests. It is time that all of our county jails and state prisons follow suit and decline to detain immigrants in the absence of a warrant issued by a U.S. magistrate.

Rejecting immigration detainers is morally right and has the added benefit of making good economic sense.

John P. Leschak, Esq., is a member of the Latino Action Network Steering Committee.

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/12/nj_correctional_facilities_should_stop_honoring_ice_detainers_opinion.html

Latino Action Network and Coalition Partners Reach Agreement with Christie Administration to Set Aside Additional Sandy Relief Funds for Working Poor Families

Latino Action Network and Coalition Partners Reach Agreement with Christie Administration to Set Aside Additional Sandy Relief Funds for Working Poor Families

For Immediate Release: May 30, 2014

Contacts:

Frank Argote-Freyre, President – 908-670-0552

Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President – 973-418-7012

The Latino Action Network announced today that it has settled a fair housing complaint that it jointly filed with the NJ NAACP and Fair Share Housing Center challenging the State of New Jersey’s distribution of federal disaster recovery funds. The agreement reached with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the State of New Jersey requires significant changes to the use of federal funds for Hurricane Sandy recovery. The agreement is available on the Latino Action Network’s website here : LAN Hurricane Sandy Agreement

“This settlement will help Spanish-speaking New Jerseyans and others who are still out of their homes get information that wasn’t provided to them before, said Frank Argote-Freyre, President of the Latino Action Network.  “Spanish-speaking staff will be available at every recovery center and homeowners and renters will be given the chance to live in or closer to their homes that were damaged. We have one more chance to get this right, and I am hopeful that this agreement will help the state do a better job.” 

The agreement requires changes to the recovery effort which address the needs of Latinos, African-American and working poor families impacted by Sandy that have not been addressed to date. In response to erroneous information on the State’s website that had incorrect deadlines, the State is required to make its Sandy website fully bilingual, and provide equal access for people whose primary language is not English from the first day of applications for new programs. In response to findings that Latinos and African-Americans were rejected from the State’s main homeowner rebuilding program, the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, and Mitigation [RREM] program, significantly more often than white non-Latino applicants, the State will reexamine all applications to make sure that applicants were not unfairly rejected. In response to a lower share of resources to renters displaced by Sandy, who are disproportionately Latino and African-American, the State will dedicate at least $240 million in additional immediate help and longer-term rebuilding funds to renters impacted by Sandy.

“Working poor families impacted by Sandy should have the same rights as everyone else to rebuild their homes and lives,” said Christian Estevez, Executive Vice-President of the Latino Action Network. “This agreement will help make the Sandy recovery more fair and inclusive.”

Key terms of the agreement include:

• Provides a minimum of $215 million in addition to $379 million previously allocated to build replacement homes for people impacted by Sandy, and for the first time sets firm targets for prioritizing the most impacted communities in New Jersey, especially the three most impacted counties, Ocean, Monmouth, and Atlantic, to ensure that people are not forced to leave their communities permanently as a result of the storm;
• Establishes a $15 million pool for immediate help for renters who are still displaced from Sandy, which can be used for up to two years while replacement homes are being built;
• Requires a re-review of the applications of everyone rejected from the RREM program, responding to information that nearly 80 percent of rejected applicants whose applications were reviewed were incorrectly rejected, with rejection rates 2.5x higher for African-Americans and 1.5x higher for Latinos;
•  Requires the State to provide equal access to non-English speakers for all programs funded with HUD’s disaster recovery funds and to build a bilingual website for all programs;
• Provides that as new programs open, there must be equal access for applicants whose primary language is not English from day one;
• Requires compliance with Section 3 requirements, which provide a preference for local contractors to do federally funded work and access the job opportunities over out of state contractors;
• Provides an additional $10 million in addition to $50 million previously allocated to help people with special needs impacted by Sandy;
• Provides enhanced outreach to low- and moderate-income communities that have been underserved by the recovery to date, including enhanced partnerships with community groups and housing counseling to help people who are facing financial distress in recovering from Sandy, and integrates outreach to Spanish and Portuguese speaking communities into this outreach process;
• Provides a minimum of $10 million to help people in manufactured homes recover from Sandy and rebuild or replace their homes, including the heavily Latino portions of Moonachie impacted by Sandy;
• Allows applicants to get funds without a substantial damage letter previously required by the state, which has been a particular problem for Latinos in the Ironbound section of Newark and elsewhere, and allows both renters and owners to show concrete proof of damage through other means such as home inspections if FEMA calculated damage incorrectly;  
• Requires the State to comply with the Open Public Records Requests related to Sandy in a timely fashion and to provide more public information to make sure Sandy funds are being distributed fairly.

The Latino Action Network and other complainants were represented by Kevin D. Walsh and Adam M. Gordon of Fair Share Housing Center based in Cherry Hill, NJ and Michael Allen of the civil rights firm Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC, based in Washington, D.C.

LAN FYI: Announcing the 2013 NJALL Scholarships

Announcing the 2013 NJALL Scholarships


Now's the time! Please encourage eligible adult students to apply!

NJALL will award scholarships in June 2013 to two adults who have earned a NJ High School Diploma through a NJ adult education program by attending GED preparation classes or completing Adult HS requirements.The NJALL Scholarship provides up to $500 per semester for full-time enrollment in higher education, to a maximum of $4000.
Scholarship applications are open to anyone regardless of gender, race, color, religion, age, or disabling condition.

Eligibility and Application

The Committee will judge applicants based on demonstrated ability to meet educational and life challenges, motivation, need, realistic goals, and potential for success in higher education.

To Qualify an Applicant Must:

Be a resident of New Jersey.

Have earned a NJ High School Diploma through an adult education program in NJ by attending GED preparation classes or completing Adult HS requirements.

Have been accepted to an accredited post-secondary institution.

Complete and sign the application and include ALL required documents:

a. Copies of GED scores & HS Diploma OR Adult HS transcript and HS Diploma.

b. Proof of acceptance to an accredited post-secondary institution.

i. If currently attending, please include transcripts of your grades.

c. Two (2) letters of recommendation addressing ability to meet educational and life challenges, motivation, goals and potential for success in higher education.

Note: At least one of the letters must be completed using the "Educational Recommendation" form included in the application.

SUBMIT the completed signed application and all required supporting materials by US Mail, postmarked no later than April 30, 2013.

Applications postmarked after April 30, 2013 will not be considered.
Visit www.njall.org for eligibility information and application.

Click here for the application form.

For more information, email us at njall@njall.org.

LAN FYI: APPLICATION DEADLINE - January 25, 2013 - Bank of America Student Leaders Program - 8 week internship

BANK OF AMERICA'S STUDENT LEADERS® PROGRAM

APPLICATION DEADLINE - January 25, 2013 - Bank of America Student Leaders Program - 8 week internship

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's Student Leaders® Program is accepting applications for the 2013 program. We are asking for your help to identify outstanding young people who are passionate about making a difference in our community.

Since its inception in 2004, the Bank of America Student Leaders Program has recognized more than 1,800 exemplary high school juniors and seniors who have a passion for improving their communities. The program helps students gain a greater understanding of how nonprofits create impact in the community and helps develop them as the next generation of community leaders through two components:

* A summer eight-week paid internship with a nonprofit organization selected by the bank. This internship is designed to provide opportunities for the students to develop and apply leadership skills through hands-on work experience, while raising their awareness of community issues addressed by their Host Organization.

* The week-long, all-expense paid Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. from July 8-12, 2013. Conducted in partnership with the Close Up Foundation, the Summit introduces students to aspects of civic, social and business leadership and provides them with knowledge and skills they will use throughout their life to create positive community change.

Students can apply for the program by going to www.bankofamerica.com/studentleaders, or for more information on the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation or feel free to contact us. Please note the application deadline of January 25, 2013.

THIS OPPORTUNITY IS OPEN TO JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS