Diversity in Brief - June 12 Edition
Texas GOP adopts revamped immigration stance; two states consider giving law licenses to illegal immigrants and more.
Texas GOP Adopts Revamped Immigration Stance
Texas Republicans approved a new party platform that includes support for a temporary worker program and new ways to secure the U.S. border, signaling an attempt by the party to attract conservative Hispanic voters who may have been swayed otherwise. The previous party platform, which gets updated every two years, originally took a harder line against immigration, including strict penalties for employers and denial of health care coverage except for emergencies.
Some party members are concerned that the more lenient approach may turn off staunch conservatives, but others maintain the platform is a good middle line that offers solutions while attracting an essential voter base.
Read more here.
Law Licenses for Illegal Immigrants?
Officials in California and Florida are considering separate appeals by two illegal immigrants who want to legally be lawyers. Both who were brought to the U.S. when they were children and graduated from law school in the U.S.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners is debating whether Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, an undocumented law student who did pass the bar, would be eligible for a license. In California, Sergio C. Garcia's immigration status was brought into question after he was sworn in as a lawyer and inquiries began to surface about him.
Legal experts say that it's unlikely the two will get a pass, the Wall Street Journal reports, because it's illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Read more here.
Immigrants Claim Activist Posed as Lawyer, Scammed Them
Ten undocumented immigrants are filing a civil lawsuit against Margaret Carrasco, a prominent immigration activist, alleging that she fraudulently claimed to be an immigration lawyer, but did not show up to court proceedings after they paid her. The most recent complaint involves as 19-year-old undocumented woman who was under deportation proceedings and allegedly paid Carrasco to represent her in court.
A Chicago Reporter investigation from 2011 found that Carrasco was listed as the attorney in 40 immigration cases between March 2010 and June 2011.
Read more here.
Texas GOP Adopts Revamped Immigration Stance
Texas Republicans approved a new party platform that includes support for a temporary worker program and new ways to secure the U.S. border, signaling an attempt by the party to attract conservative Hispanic voters who may have been swayed otherwise. The previous party platform, which gets updated every two years, originally took a harder line against immigration, including strict penalties for employers and denial of health care coverage except for emergencies.
Some party members are concerned that the more lenient approach may turn off staunch conservatives, but others maintain the platform is a good middle line that offers solutions while attracting an essential voter base.
Read more here.
Law Licenses for Illegal Immigrants?
Officials in California and Florida are considering separate appeals by two illegal immigrants who want to legally be lawyers. Both who were brought to the U.S. when they were children and graduated from law school in the U.S.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners is debating whether Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, an undocumented law student who did pass the bar, would be eligible for a license. In California, Sergio C. Garcia's immigration status was brought into question after he was sworn in as a lawyer and inquiries began to surface about him.
Legal experts say that it's unlikely the two will get a pass, the Wall Street Journal reports, because it's illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Read more here.
Immigrants Claim Activist Posed as Lawyer, Scammed Them
Ten undocumented immigrants are filing a civil lawsuit against Margaret Carrasco, a prominent immigration activist, alleging that she fraudulently claimed to be an immigration lawyer, but did not show up to court proceedings after they paid her. The most recent complaint involves as 19-year-old undocumented woman who was under deportation proceedings and allegedly paid Carrasco to represent her in court.
A Chicago Reporter investigation from 2011 found that Carrasco was listed as the attorney in 40 immigration cases between March 2010 and June 2011.
Read more here.