African Union force to step up hunt for Kony

ENTEBBE, Uganda (AP) -- The African Union says it will send 5,000 soldiers tojoin the hunt for notorious rebel leader Joseph Kony, a new mission that comes amid a wildly popular Internet campaign targeting the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

The mission is to be launched in South Sudan on Saturday and will last until Kony is caught, United Nations and African Union officials said at a news conference in Uganda.

"We need to stop Kony with hardware - with military hardware in this case," said Francisco Madeira, the African Union's special envoy on the LRA, on Friday. "We are on a mission to stop him."

Friday's announcement comes the same month an Internet movie campaign by the U.S.-based advocacy group Invisible Children sought to make Kony "famous" so that policymakers would make it a priority to remove him. The video has been viewed more than 100 million times.

Abou Moussa, head of the U.N.'s office in Central Africa, said soaring international interest in Kony had spurred regional efforts to eliminate the LRA.

"The awareness has been useful, very important," he said.

The hunt for Kony has primarily been carried out by troops from Uganda, who received a boost last year when President Barack Obama deployed 100 U.S. forces to help regional governments in the mission. American soldiers are now based in Uganda, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Congo.

The LRA is responsible for 2,600 civilian deaths since 2008, according to the African Union.

The African Union mission, to be led by a Ugandan commander, will comprise troops from Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo, countries where Kony's reign of terror has been felt over the years.

The African Union's most prominent military mission is in Somalia, where 17,700 troops - primarily from Uganda, Kenya and Burundi - are fighting al-Shabab militants. The force has made strong gains over the last year, pushing insurgents out of Somalia's capital.

The AU's new focus on Kony dovetails with the Ugandan military's stance that catching or killing Kony would mean the end of the LRA. His forces were ousted from Ugandan territory in 2005.

The officials meeting in Uganda on Friday did not say where the funding for the mission was coming from but acknowledged thatfinding money was a problem.

Madeira said the coordinated deployment of African troops would "neutralize Kony" and isolate the LRA, whose men have split into in small groups. The LRA is thought to have only 200 to 300 soldiers in it. The group has forced many children to become child soldiers and porters and women and girls to become sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is believed to be hiding in the Central African Republic.

Kony has stopped using technology like telephones, making it hard to track him down. Ugandan troops operating in the Central African Republic have recently encountered small outfits of the LRA, including a confrontation in which an LRA captain was injured and captured on March 8, according to Col. Joseph Balikuddembe, the top Ugandan commander there.

With 19% of votes counted, Romney is projected as the winner in Illinois

CANDIDATE		VOTES	PERCENT
	Mitt Romney	57,937	55.7%
	Rick Santorum	28,403	27.3
	Ron Paul	9,843	9.5
	Newt Gingrich	6,984	6.7
	Others	871	0.8
Full Results »19% reporting

KONY 2012

Height of Hypocrisy: South Carolina’s Harsh Ant-immigrant Law Exempts Jobs Often Held by Immigrants | America’s Voice | America's Voice

Height of Hypocrisy: South Carolina’s Harsh Ant-immigrant Law Exempts Jobs Often Held by Immigrants | America’s Voice | America's Voice

Supreme Court Brief on SB 1070: Arizona Seeking Confrontation, not Cooperation

• Constitution,
• Courts,
• Immigration Blog,
• SB 1070,
• State and Local Immigration Law,
• Supreme Court

by Ben Winograd

When Arizona Governor Jan Brewer wagged her finger in President Obama’s face at a Phoenix airport earlier this year, she may have been seeking to score political points with the White House’s ideological opponents. What the governor may not have realized, however, is that she was giving the Obama administration the photographic equivalent of its closing argument in the legal challenge to SB 1070—namely, that Arizona is more interested in confronting the federal government than cooperating with it.

Filed approximately one month before oral arguments on April 25, the administration’s brief powerfully argues that SB 1070 represents a simple disagreement with federal immigration policy, not a good faith attempt to assist federal immigration authorities. As the brief bluntly puts it, “Arizona’s attempt to set its own policy for enforcement of federal immigration law is not cooperation; it is confrontation.” The brief said that while the federal government welcomes “genuine cooperation” from the local authorities, measures like SB 1070 create irreconcilable conflicts with federal immigration enforcement. For example:

• By requiring state and local officers to investigate the immigration status of all stopped persons where “reasonable suspicion” exists that they are in the country unlawfully, SB 1070 may result in prolonged detention of both U.S.citizens and immigrants with federal permission to be or remain in theUnited States.
• Even though federal law does not make unlawful presence a criminal offense, undocumented immigrants may be imprisoned under SB 1070 for failing to carry “registration” papers from the federal government.
• While Congress deliberately decided to impose only civil penalties (i.e. deportation) on foreign visitors who work without authorization, SB 1070 permits such immigrants to be imprisoned for up to six months simply for soliciting work.
• By allowing law enforcement agents to unilaterally arrest persons convicted of “removable” offenses, SB 1070 will allow local police to harass or punish legal immigrants and other individuals with federal permission to remain in the country.

In addition to citing SB 1070’s numerous conflicts with federal immigration law, the administration’s brief also refuted the contention in Arizona’s brief that it should have greater leeway to create its own immigration policies by virtue of its status as a border state. In a clever legal tactic aimed at conservatives like Justice Antonin Scalia, the government cited an argument in one of the Federalist Papers—articles written by the Framers in defense of the Constitution—that the federal government should have exclusive power over international affairs precisely because states along the border would otherwise be free to incite conflicts with other nations.

While states may be justifiably frustrated with Congress’ failure to reform the immigration laws, the administration’s brief makes clear why they should not be free to create their own immigration policies. No matter their intentions, state politicians like Governor Brewer are powerless to solve the underlying problems of our immigration predicament—problems that only Congress can solve. Even if passed in the name of “cooperation,” laws like SB 1070 only add an additional layer of dysfunction to a system that is already broken.

States Continue to Propose Tuition Equity for Undocumented Immigrants

• Children,
• Immigration Blog,
• Integration,
• State and Local Immigration Law,
• Uncategorized,
• Undocumented Immigration

by Seth Hoy

While some state lawmakers continue to push extreme “get tough” immigration enforcement measures through their state houses, others are contemplating the benefits of having more highly educated students in their state. In Indiana, for example, one Republican lawmaker recently amended an education bill to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students already enrolled in state schools, asking “if they’re going to be living here anyway, why not let them be productive members of Indiana society?” Lawmakers in other states, including Colorado and New York, are also pushing for better access to higher education for qualifying undocumented students.

Indiana lawmakers successfully banned undocumented students from receiving in-tuition rates last year when they passed their Arizona copycat law, SB 590. This year, however, Republican Sen. Jean Leising of Oldenburg included an amendment to an education bill (HB 1326) that would restore in-state tuition for undocumented students who enrolled in universities on or before July 2011. State Sen. Leising, who called it “a matter of fairness,” had strong support from Senate education committee members when adding the amendment. Unfortunately, the Senate held the entire bill due to opposition to the amendment.

In Colorado, lawmakers are considering SB 15 (or ASSET), a tuition equity bill that would provide a “standard” tuition rate (higher than in-state tuition, but lower than out-of-state) to qualifying students regardless of their immigration status. The bill, which has been preliminarily approved by Colorado’s Democratic Senate, now goes to the Republican House where it awaits further committee assignment. Last year, a tuition equity measure died in the House Judiciary Committee.

According to Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb:

Undocumented students are part of our economy, and educating them — and not branding them for speaking other languages — creates an environment for them to be contributing members of our society. I truly believe that access to education for all of our children will not only benefit them personally but also benefit everyone who lives here.

And in New York, where undocumented students already have access to in-state tuition rates, lawmakers are still considering the New York DREAM Act (S 4179). Introduced in March 2012, the New York DREAM Actwould allow qualifying undocumented students to apply for private and public financial assistance, like the state’s Tuition Assistance Program. The bill has been backed by Senator Gillibrand, Mayor Bloomberg, the State and City University systems and the New York Board of Regents. According to a recent Fiscal Policy Institute analysis, “there are strong fiscal and economic benefits to the state when the labor force is better educated.” For example, “increasing the education level of workers also increases their productivity, and the more highly educated a state’s labor force, the more attractive is that state as a place to locate businesses.”

According to the National Immigration Law Center:

“Twelve states currently have laws permitting certain undocumented students who have attended and graduated from their primary and secondary schools to pay the same tuition as their classmates at public institutions of higher education. The states are California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington. In addition, Rhode Island’s Board of Governors for Higher Education voted unanimously to provide access to in-state tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities to certain students, regardless of their immigration status, beginning in 2012.”

It’s also worth nothing that Minnesota provides a “flat” tuition rate in some of its college systems.

For a complete list of state bills addressing access to education for immigrant students check out the National Immigration Law Center’s website.

Where are the Latinos in the US?

A report from the Pew Hispanic Center today analyzed Census data and released some interesting findings. Here’s a portion of the release:

• The 10 states with the largest Hispanic populations are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia.
• The 10 states in which the Hispanic share of the population is highest are New Mexico, Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Colorado, New Jersey, New York and Illinois.
• Nearly half (47%) of all Hispanics live in California (14.1 million) or Texas (9.5 million), down from 50% in 2000.
• California has 5.4 million Hispanic immigrants, more than any other state. California is followed by Texas, with 2.9 million Hispanics immigrants, and Florida with 2.1 million Hispanic immigrants.
• Slightly more than half of Hispanics in Maryland (54%), the District of Columbia (52%) and Alabama (51%) are foreign born, the highest foreign born shares among Hispanics in the U.S.

Among the key findings from the county database:

• Los Angeles County, California, has the nation’s largest Hispanic population—-nearly 4.7 million.
• More than 95% of the populations in the Texas counties of Webb, Starr and Maverick are Hispanic—-the highest Hispanic population shares in the nation.
• The Hispanic population is more dispersed today than in 2000. Then, the 50 counties with the largest Hispanic populations had two-thirds (64%) of the nation’s Hispanic population. In 2010, those same counties contained 59% of all Hispanics.
• Only four counties had a decrease of more than 1,000 people in their Hispanic population between 2000 and 2010—-New York County, NY; Arlington County, VA; Rio Arriba County, NM; and Duval County, TX.

GOP Primary Update: Delegate Count to date

Republican Delegate Tally

Delegate totals are from The Associated Press, and include the preferences of superdelegates, Republican party leaders who are free to support any candidate.

LAST UPDATED: 11:18 AM ET

521

Mitt
Romney

253

Rick
Santorum

136

Newt
Gingrich

50

Ron
Paul

1144 delegates needed towin nomination

1324

Delegates

Romney, after Puerto Rico victory, says he can lure Latino voters

Romney, after Puerto Rico victory, says he can lure Latino voters

Open Letter to Mr. Romney

Dear Mr. Romney:

My name is Melisa Valentin. I have been following your campaign and how you have been competing in this primary. There have been many ups and downs during this competition. It is probably not going to get any easier. The reason why I am writing this public letter is because, personally, I have had it with your campaign’s portrayal and dismissive attitude towards Latinos.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I am originally from Puerto Rico. I am a 34 year-old mother of a 2-year old, married to a wonderful person who immigrated to this country the hard way. I have a graduate degree from Brigham Young University located in Provo, Utah. In case you were wondering, yes, I am a Mormon. I have dedicated the last 11 years of my life to work with immigrants from all over the world. Of course, I have paid special attention to Latinos because I am one. I lived in New York City as a child. While I lived there, I quickly learned what racism and discrimination was. I also learned what is was to be white, yellow, black or Puertorican. Despite all life experiences, in our family, we are true and real independents.

The reason why I am sharing all this is to let you know that my opinion does not come from a place of ignorance or lack of experience.

The first time you talked about self-deportation, I bet a lot of the people around you thought it was brilliant. For those of us that know that the current immigration laws allows you to “return home whenever you want to go” it sounded horrible and made it evident that you did not know what you were talking about. It's called voluntary departure. The harsh position regarding immigration and immigrants has been too much. Everyone that has followed you over the years knows of the fluctuation in opinion that has been labeled as flip flopping. We are also aware that your campaign managers and assistants are trying to stay away from anything that sounds like flip flopping. We also know that you are worried about what the ultra-conservatives will think or how to attract women voters and independents...everyone knows all this. Now, since this is public knowledge, could you please stop the harsh rhetoric against immigration and immigrants. It is tiring and it has gotten old for those of us who know better. Let's face it! You need my vote. You need people like me to vote for you so that you can get your nomination. Stop making it hard to even look at your ads! Specially, the ad released against Santorum last week. Why was it significant that Santorum supported Judge Sotomayor? Let's see...is it because she is Latino? She's a woman nominated by a Democratic President? What is wrong with his support? Does this have any relationship with his stand on immigration? I mean, it's not like he supported someone who was unqualified for the job. The woman is an icon within the legal system of this country! For people like me, it is refreshing to see someone who can cross party lines and go with real world qualifications.

As a Puertorrican, I am offended that you picked on the support for Sotomayor. As a woman, I am mad that in the year 2012, there are still people looking through those “shades”. Would you have felt better if it would have been a man? As a Latino, I am sick of it! Would it have been ok if it would have been a white woman?

Let's be real. You cannot relate to the average citizen. You cannot build bridges with those that are different from you. You are unable to accept the reality of a broken legal system. But you do want us to believe that you can lead a country, when 99% of the country is not like you. How is it that a one-percenter that has shown no ability to relate to the 99 serve MY best interest? How? We believe you are a brilliant business person...but your brilliance and Harvard degree has not taught you to relate to others, to be personable, to be compassionate! My goodness! Help us see the humanity that will complement the business brilliance. Prove that you understand that place of birth does not determine if you are treated like a person or an object. Help us see that you do not determine who has the right to human dignity based on what your passport says...

...In fact, help us see that you understand that with or without documentation, passports, birth certificates, green cards...tomatoes get picked in Georgia and hotels get tidied up all over the nation by hard working, honest individuals who live here. Not to mention the hundreds of companies that grow based on the productivity and ingenious of teams...teams of locals and professionals that found a way to find work authorization. Give us options to stop the talent that leaks out of the US because we educate foreigners but do not make an effort to keep that talent. If this is not going to happen, please, please stop portraying the US as the best place in the world! You can't blame people that want to be here if all politicians and the media say is this is the promised land. Please help people know that, as things are right now, it is the promised land of “self-deportation”, high taxes for the middle class, no opportunity for your foreign-born children, and assured persecution and racial profiling by local police, etc.

Mr. Romney, like me, there are many that want to believe in you. But believe me, it becomes harder and harder to believe in you with the one-percenter mind set not considering the 99%. It is very attractive to me that you are successful. It gives me hope that the economy can progress. But socially, it terrifies me. It makes me think that we will be back to “pseudo concentration camps” for Latino and all that do not seem to be legal and checkpoints at every state line to show documentation. Mr. Romney, talk to me! Talk to people like me. Get in a conversation. A real, balanced conversation. No one is in favor of anarchy. But we are in favor of progress. Which progress can only come from compromise, listening, negotiation, and real world information.

Good luck to you!

Final voting results and analysis...it is not over 'til the fat lady sings...

According to exit polls, the fat lady is not singing yet!


http://www.cnn.com/

Super Tuesday, State by State

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

The closest that Americans get to a national presidential primary comes every four years when a large group of states hold their primaries and caucuses on the same day.

It’s called Super Tuesday, a phrase that dates back more than two decades. And it happens again tomorrow.

Ten states, stretching geographically more than 4,500 miles — from Alaska to Massachusetts — will hold Republican contests on Tuesday, giving the candidates a chance to accumulate delegates and prove their vote-getting abilities.

Historically speaking, Tuesday will not be the most “super.” In 2008, nearly two dozen states or territories held primary contests to choose a presidential nominee. But with 437 delegates at stake in the contests, Tuesday’s results could dramatically shape the direction of the campaign as it moves into the spring.

Here’s a brief look at the 10 states:

OHIO: Perhaps the most important state is Ohio, where Rick Santorum andMitt Romney are in a tight race. Its working class population and manufacturing economy make it a bellwether for how the Rust Belt might vote in the general election. And it will be a sign of whether Mr. Santorum’s appeal is growing or fading.

GEORGIA: It’s got more delegates — 76 — than any other Super Tuesday state. And it’s a must-win for Newt Gingrich (he says so himself), who represented the state in Congress for years. The South is an important part of the Republican Party’s winning coalition, and Mr. Gingrich is betting that Southerners will like his chances of beating President Obama.

TENNESSEE: It could be part of a string of victories for Mr. Gingrich if he does well. But it also could be a place where Mr. Romney could prove that his appeal can reach into traditionally conservative communities. Unemployment in the state is almost 9 percent, making the economy a central issue.

ALASKA: Ron Paul actually flew to Alaska over the weekend, giving the state the kind of love it rarely gets during elections. A deeply red, conservative state, it’s not much of a swing state in the general election. But Mr. Paul may see its rugged individualism as a plus in his hopes at winning a state on Tuesday.

MASSACHUSETTS: Mr. Obama is the basketball player, but this should be a slam-dunk for Mr. Romney. He served as governor in the state and remains well liked there. It’s a state that leans liberal in the general election, and with Mr. Romney on the ballot, it has not been contested by his Republican rivals during the primary.

IDAHO: The state is holding caucuses — not a primary — on Tuesday, a fact that Mr. Paul’s campaign thinks is in its favor. Mr. Paul came in second in the state in 2008, and is hoping to do better this year. Mr. Romney campaigned in the state last week, appearing before large crowds of supporters, and could also do well there.

NORTH DAKOTA: Like Idaho, North Dakota is not a state that gets much attention during the general election since it’s considered a lock for the Republicans. But Mr. Romney’s strategy of trying to win as many delegates as possible on Tuesday brought him to the state last week. In 2008, he won the state over Senator John McCain of Arizona.

OKLAHOMA: The third of three Southern states that Mr. Gingrich hopes to win, Oklahoma has plenty of delegates and a sizable conservative base. That could appeal to Mr. Santorum, who has said he might do well there. Mr. McCain won in 2008, but only after a strong challenge from Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.

VERMONT: The Northeast knows Mr. Romney the best, and Vermont is no exception. Mr. Romney’s campaign expects to do well there. (He didn’t do well in 2008, but only because he had dropped out of the race by the time the primary came around.)

VIRGINIA: The ultimate swing state, Virginia might have been the marquee contest on Super Tuesday had Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich not failed to qualify for the ballot. Mr. Paul is campaigning, but polls suggest that Mr. Romney holds a commanding lead and could snag all of the state’s delegates for himself.