News & Commentary

When I met Milagro* and her toddlers, they were facing imminent deportation to Honduras – a near certain death sentence in light of the extreme violence they would face there. But now they have hope.

In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill to that allows all eligible Californians to apply for a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status. AB 60 means that our friends, brothers, sisters, parents, and neighbors will be able to drive without fear of having their cars impounded, being ticketed, or left stranded by the side of the road for not having a license.

Immigration as a legal issue is so complicated in and of itself. But when you add people’s real-life experiences, it becomes even more so. So I think it is worthwhile for us to explore the answer to one of the most complicated questions: should I apply for an AB 60 license?

The mass detention of families is cruel, unnecessary, and unconstitutional. The Obama administration should stop using families as pawns and restore basic due process so that no mother or child is locked up arbitrarily.

Last month President Obama announced his decision to shelter certain immigrants from deportation through executive action. This was a step in the right direction and a win for advocates and the immigrant community. But while we welcome President Obama’s move, we’re still concerned by the countless problems that continue to plague our immigration system.

Nydia already had asylum in the United States when she was twice deported by border officers back to the danger she fled from. A transgender woman from Mexico, Nydia told officers she had status and had been raped and attacked in Mexico when she returned for her mother's funeral.

On the heels of the president’s executive action, the decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end the deeply-flawed Secure Communities program is a step in the right direction. But with a new program in its place that will target “enforcement priorities,” we are cautious.

As the 2014 California legislative session came to an end, you may have seen headlines about California passing a “first-in-the-nation law.” While these headlines covered issues such as the statewide plastic-bag ban, they also applied to landmark civil liberties and civil rights legislation sponsored by the ACLU of California.

California leaders have concluded another legislative session bringing significant new rights and opportunities to the state's 10 million immigrants.