PUBLISHED: SANTIAGO-RODRIGUEZ v. HOLDER

On December 8, 2010, Attorneys Michael Friedberg and Mathew Ho of the Law Office of Friedberg & Trombi represented Julio Cesar Santiago-Rodriguez and successfully argued for him in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.


Mr. Santiago, a legal resident, was charged with smuggling his wife and brother into the United States. He was subsequently ordered to be deported back to Mexico. Fortunately, The Law Office of Friedberg & Trombi fought for him and Mr. Santiago was granted a second chance at life here in the U.S.

Click here to view the published decision.

Alabama Passes Anti-Immigration Law, ACLU Responds

Gov. Robert Bentley, R-AL, signs H.B. 56 into law.
(Source: State of AL/CNN)

“This law is an outrageous throw-back to the pre-Civil Rights era, going beyond the discriminatory and unconstitutional police practices that we’ve seen in other states. It blocks the schoolhouse doors to children, will result in people being turned away when they try to rent a home, and places burdens on people of color at the voting booth. By signing this bill into law, Gov. Bentley has codified official discrimination in the State of Alabama.” – Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project

 Late last Thursday, Alabama’s legislature passed HB 56, a law that, among other things, bars undocumented students from enrolling in public colleges, requires children to show proof of citizenship when enrolling in public kindergarten and grade school, and requires police to demand proof of citizenship from those they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. during a stop.

In addition, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly rent housing to an undocumented immigrant and makes it illegal for an undocumented immigrant to apply for a job.  It stops cities from passing legislation that defends undocumented persons, and calls for the use of E-Verify by all Alabama employers to determine the legal status of their employees.

Yesterday, The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alabama announced that they will file, in association with other civil rights groups, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of HB 56.  Olivia Turner, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, had this to say:

"By signing this bill into law, Gov. Bentley is willing to sacrifice the civil liberties of all Alabamans, eroding the rights of millions of people living and working in this state. This law undermines core American values of fairness and equality, subjecting both citizens and non-citizens alike to unlawful racial profiling, and does nothing to ensure the safety and economic security of Alabama.”

Yesterday, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed the bill, and it is expected to go into effect September 1st.

Sources: ACLU, New York Times, Immigration Impact

Texas Senate Blocks Anti-immigration Bill

On May 24, Senate Democrats voted to keep the controversial Texas HB 12 from moving to the floor.  In the same vein as the Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB 1070, Rep. Burt Soloman’s HB 12 would prevent counties, cities, and other governmental entities or special districts from implementing policies that prohibit law enforcement from asking the immigration status of individuals who are arrested or lawfully detained.  Click here to view the bill.

On May 10, hours after the House passed the bill on to the Senate, State Rep. Ana Hernandez Luna gave a speech on her own story as an undocumented immigrant:

Source: AILA InfoNet (members only), My San Antonio.

Immigration: Myth and Facts

Over the years there have been many studies and numerous statistical reports that summarize the positive effects of immigration.  Still, misinformation about the impact of immigration abound.   

On May 4, 2011, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a pamphlet that refutes seven of the most common myths about immigrants coming to our country.   The pamphlet shows “that immigrants significantly benefit the U.S. economy by creating new jobs, and complementing the skills of the U.S. native workforce, with a net positive impact on wage rates overall.”

Some of the myths and their corresponding facts include:

o       Myth:  Immigrants drive down the wages of American workers.

o       Fact:    Immigrants give a slight boost to the wages of most Americans by increasing                              their productivity and stimulating investment.

o       Myth:  Immigrants will “over-populate” the United States.

o       Fact:    Immigrants will replenish the U.S. labor force as the Baby Boomers retire.

o       Myth:  Immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than U.S. natives.

o       Fact:    Immigration does not cause crime rates to rise and immigrants have lower                      incarceration rates than native-born Americans.

To view a copy of the pamphlet click here.