Between summer classes, the Fourth of July, Long Beach’s annual Corgi beach party and headlines about campaign elections and email threads bombarding us from every which way, it’s easy to miss out on every news story that comes out. We’re here to keep you updated on all those stories that have fallen through the cracks, both in and out of our city.
Supreme Court Tied up on Immigration
By Antonio Henriques, Contributing Writer
In a 4-4 decision, the Supreme Court announced on June 23, it’s deadlocked on a ruling that would extend programs that currently benefit over 5 million undocumented workers.
Claudia Ramirez, a community organizer for the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, said this is a disappointment for undocumented people on a national scale.
“Over 2 million people have been deported nationally, making it the highest number of deportations under any presidential administration,” Ramirez said. “Without extending programs like [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] and giving immigrants these benefits, families will continue to remain undocumented and deportations will continue to take place.”
One of the programs mentioned, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, would have extended work permits from two to three years and potentially benefits 3.7 million immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute’s website.
Deferred Action is a discretionary decision made by immigration authorities to not deport someone from the United States for a set period of time.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, guidelines include having a child who is a lawful resident, resided in the U.S. since before 2010, were physically present in the U.S. and had no lawful status on November 20, 2014, and are not an enforcement priority.
The proposals also would expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which, since its inception in 2012, has granted legal status to about 581,000 undocumented children.
Guidelines in order to receive consideration of an initial or renewal of one’s DACA by the USCIS include arriving in the U.S before your 16th birthday, having no lawful status on June 15, 2012, and either currently enrolled in school, have obtained a general education development or are an honorably discharged veteran.
In Long Beach, reaction from local immigration groups has been swift.
Ramirez, who works with the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, said the group will be meeting with advocates and members of the community on what to do next.
Andrea Donado, a community organizer for the Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization, said she plans to meet with six other congregations within the community regarding what to do following the Supreme Court ruling.
“This is a sad time for the Latino community,” Donado said. “For now our focus will be conducting forums informing locals on what the ruling means for them and encourages participation for the upcoming election and vote for a president who is friendly to the Latino community.”
Long Beach Travel Ban
By Riva Lu, Contributing Writer
Traveling to Mississippi and North Carolina will no longer be necessary for Long Beach city employees.
The Long Beach City Council voted Tuesday June 21 to ban all non essential travel to the two states, after North Carolina and Mississippi passed discriminatory LGBT laws.
Long Beach’s human relations commission cited recent incidents of discrimination of transgender people in Long Beach, including the beating of a transgender woman in March, during the unanimous vote, according to the Long Beach Post.
“City Council’s passing of a travel ban to North Carolina and Mississippi sends a tremendous message of support to the Long Beach LGBTQ community and our nation that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated, condoned or go unquestioned,” said Porter Gilberg, Executive Director of The LGBTQ Center Long Beach.
Gilberg said that the center is incredibly proud to be a part of a city that takes issues of equality and anti-discrimination seriously.
Tim Patton, Senior Administrative Deputy from the Office of Mayor Robert Garcia, said that the travel ban was passed by the City Council of Long Beach, who disagree with the bills in question [HB-2 in North Carolina and HB- 1523 in Mississippi].
More than 20 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and four states have banned travel to these two states, Patton said.
House Bill 2, known as the North Carolina Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act or the “bathroom bill,” places limitations on which restrooms individuals can use based on the gender indicated on their birth certificates, according to the Long Beach Post.
“This law passed in North Carolina is nothing short of insidious,” Gilberg said. “Not only are transgender people subject to blatant discrimination in public accommodations, but state government has also taken away the right of local municipalities to pass local anti-discrimination ordinances.”
Gilberg said that because of this, no one can sue at the state level for discrimination anymore.
“This means all allegations of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity race, religion, and disability have no state remedy,” he said. “This law impacts so many people negatively that I’m astounded it went into effect.”
Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal told the Long Beach Post that people cannot keep hating and murdering each other because they do not agree with whom they are.
“We must continue to act out in a way that’s positive, and I believe that banning non-essential travel to North Carolina and Mississippi until they repeal their respective bills is our logical next step,” Lowenthal said to the Long Beach Post.
Patton said that this ban will not affect other government related business and relationships between Long Beach, North Carolina and Mississippi since this item only impacts non-essential travel by city employees.
“The LGBTQ community has made unprecedented social and legal advances over the last five years,” Gilberg said. “It’s absolutely wonderful to see LGBTQ people beginning to receive legal equality. The more visible we are, the more protections against discrimination available, the safer we feel in the world.”