By Miriam Raftery

October 3, 2018 (San Francisco) – U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco has temporarily blocked an order by the Trump Administration to revoke the legal status of over 300,000 immigrants who had been granted temporary protection in the U.S.  after fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Some have lived in the U.S. for over 20 years.  The order also protects children who are U.S. citizens, whose parents have been ordered deported.

A La Mesa writer finds a way to help families released from ICE detention

By Mimi Pollack

Photo:  Honduran man and his two sons

August 1, 2018 (San Diego) -- Helping others is not political. It is good for the soul. When you help others, you forget about your own problems for awhile. In addition, nobody should make you feel bad about who you decide to help. In my case, as a writer, I have interviewed many good folks assisting others -- be they two legged or four legged recipients – and ended up also giving to many charitable human and animal organizations.

By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2018 (San Diego) – U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego issued a ruling Tuesday ordering the Trump administration to end separation of parents from children at the border and to reunite families already separated, except in limited circumstances.

By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2018 (San Diego) – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, visiting border communities in San Diego and Arizona in the past week, affirmed a zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting anyone who crosses the border illegally. He also made clear that no compassion will be shown to parents seeking a safe haven in America for their children, stating, “If you’re smuggling a child, then we’re going to prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you, probably, as required by law. If you don’t want your child separated, then don’t bring them across the border illegally.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Rhododendrites

February 14, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – Two federal judges have issued rulings to temporarily protect young immigrants known as “Dreamers” registered with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

May 20, 2017 (San Diego) – Mollie Moon, author of the novel Five Wishes,  sat down for an exclusive interview with Reina Menasche, host of the Bookshelf segment on East County Magazine’s Show on KNSJ radio.  Hear the full interview by clicking the audio link eand read highlights below.

Her novel tracks the journey of a teen girl escaping a shanty town in Honduras in hopes of finding a better life in America .  Her journey includes living on  city streets and falling prey to a human trafficker, nightmares that befall far too many immigrants coming to America. A German immigrant, Moon has empathy with immigrants around the world in today’s political climate.

By Miriam Raftery

March 6, 2017 (San Diego) – The Mexican government has announced that it is creating a network of help centers for Mexican immigrants at all consulates in the U.S.

The action aims to help Mexican citizens amid “fear and uncertainty” over President Donald Trump’s executive orders ramping up deportation and construction of a border wall, says Consul General Marcela Celorio in San Diego. 

By Miriam Raftery

August 2, 2016 (San Diego) -- A bill by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) aims to assure that an injured person in California receives fair compensation for future income loss and future medical costs regardless of their immigration status.  It was approved by the State Senate on a bipartisan 28-11 vote yesterday and next goes to the Governor for signature.

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2016 (San Diego) – The San Diego City Council has proclaimed 2016 as the Year of Inclusion.  The proclamation notes that immigrants comprise 23 percent of the population in our region, with over 100 languages spoken by San Diego residents from around the world.

The proclamation recognizes organizations in San Diego dedicated to helping s build a “culture of civic participation among new generations” that empower leadership and activism. The city's welcoming gesture toward immigrants comes at a time when anti-immigrant has been on the rise nationally and among some prominent political figures, most notably Republican presidential frontrunner candidate Donald Trump.

East County News Service

November 10, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – The Obama administration is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect immigrant families after a 5^th circuit appellate court decision blocked implementation of the President’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, or DACA.  The president’s executive order would grant work permits to up to 5 million immigrants and protect most from deportation.

By Miriam Raftery

November 23, 2014 (San Diego) – Families who no longer need to live in fear of separation or deportation have much to be thankful for following President Barack Obama’s immigration reforms announced last week. Locally, immigration activists are sharing their reactions, including Border Angels founder Enrique Morones, who was with President Obama during his historic executive action speech at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas.

“It was wonderful to join old friends that have fought and continue to be with us in the struggle for humane immigration policies, and as we discussed, we still have a long ways to go,” Morones wrote in a letter thanking supporters.  “As I told President Obama, `Gracias, this executive action is why many of us voted for you,” Morones added. “We have much more work to do, more to be included, Si Se Puede!’”

By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- For the first time, the United States government will offer legal counsel to immigrant detainees with mental disabilities facing deportation hearings. This is the first expansion of the right to counsel in 30 years – the result of an ACLU lawsuit. Before to last week's federal court ruling, these individuals were not guaranteed legal representation  even though they clearly demonstrated tremendous difficulty in representing themselves in the complicated legal proceedings against them.

José Gonzalezis a 33-year-old man who doesn't know his own age and, in many aspects of his life, has the cognitive ability of a two-year-old. Both his parents are lawful permanent residents of the United States, and José had a pending petition for residency. Until last week's historic ruling, the government expected José to represent himself in a deportation hearing – after holding him for five years in a detention facility.

• Supreme Court weighs all or nothing on healthcare law (Reuters)
• Jobs bill clears Congress despite warnings (Los Angeles Times)
• Trayvon Martin: confronting the problem of enduring racism (Forbes)
• A job at what cost? When employers log in to dig in (NPR)
• Gingrich scales back his presidential bid (USA Today)
• Cooking school spreads immigrant skills and ethnic recipes (NPR)

• Very high radiation, little water in remaining Japanese reactor (UT San Diego)
• Japan left with one nuclear reactor after shutdown (BBC)
• Syrian authorizes are targeting children, says UN rights chief (BBC)

By Dilkhwaz Ahmed