Oregon

Francisco Aguirre, the labor activist accused of illegally reentering the U.S. after his 2000 deportation to El Salvador, is going to his home in Fairview.

The 35-year-old Fairview resident has been living at Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland since September, when congregants took him in as part of the sanctuary movement.

Aguirre's latest troubles began Aug. 9, when he was stopped for drunken driving ...

...national and local community groups -- including Voz Worker's Rights Education Project, Jobs with Justice and Migrant Workers Collective -- banded together to raise money and support for Aguirre....

Aguirre stayed in the church until November, when he headed to the Clackamas County courthouse to face the drunken-driving charge. He was briefly jailed then returned to the church. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dropped the detainer it had placed on Aguirre. He will go to trial on the illegal reentry charge in January...

"This was no mistake," Aguirre said in a statement. "Thanks to the efforts of hundreds who protest our inhumane immigration policy I can now return home. I thank each and every person who supported our campaign, and ask them to support my brothers and sisters who are not as fortunate."

  Read more about Labor activist Francisco Aguirre leaves Augustana Lutheran Church sanctuary, heads to Fairview home

A Catholic social advocacy group based in Southeast Portland is advising undocumented youths to take steps to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status before it expires or face the threat of deportation.

Alexandra Blodget, an advocate for Catholic Charities, who is professionally trained in immigration law, said, “It’s important for anyone who knows their DACA is expiring in the coming months to understand that renewal is essential.”

“Without it, people will no longer have authorization to work in the U.S. and will not be lawfully present, which does carry the risk of detention and/or deportation,” she said.

DACA is a set of administrative procedures initiated by the Obama administration in 2012. It offers two years of protection against the threat of deportation to undocumented young people who met certain criteria.

A DACA Renewal Screening Night will take place from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, at Catholic Charities, 2740 S.E. Powell Blvd. in Portland.

There will be $20 consultations provided with immigration attorneys and BIA (Board of Immigration Appeals) accredited representatives.

No appointments are necessary, and consultations will be available in English and Spanish.

Alice Lundell, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, said those who have been granted DACA and a work permit will see them expire after two years if they are not renewed.

People who received DACA in late 2012 or even 2013 need to be thinking now about renewal, she said.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is recommending that applicants should apply four to five months in advance of their status and work permit expiration, Lundell said.

In response to a demand for high-quality, low-cost legal advice about DACA renewal, a group of immigration law organizations has come together to offer help.

The screening night is a joint initiative of Immigrant Law Group, ICS, Catholic Charities, SOAR and Causa.

Renewal applicants should bring with them their work permits and copies of their original DACA applications if they have them.

Blodget said seeking advice from a qualified person is important.

“We would strongly encourage anyone planning for DACA renewal to get advice before they submit their application if they have any concerns, particularly if they’ve been arrested or convicted of an offense or had other involvement with law enforcement since first receiving DACA,” Blodget said.

“Anyone with questions can come to our event to get help,” she said.

For more information, contact Alice Lundell, Catholic Charities’ marketing and communications manager, at 503.688.2662 or alundell@catholiccharitiesoregon.org. Read more about Undocumented youths face deportation if DACA status expires

When word got out last week that unaccompanied children from Central America would be arriving in Oregon, demonstrators zeroed in on the Portland nonprofit tasked with finding them long-term placement....

Federal officials subsequently confirmed that 50 children had been placed with sponsors in the state...

Refugee Resettlement, which falls under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contracts with Morrison to temporarily house unaccompanied minors in this state. The 50 children the federal agency placed with sponsors in Oregon were among those apprehended at the border from Jan. 1 to July 7. By comparison, 211 went to Washington state, eight to Idaho and 3,150 to California during that period.

Most local officials closest to the issue have refused to talk....

But immigration experts estimate that hundreds of unaccompanied minors have been processed in the Portland area this year alone....

A review of job openings posted online last month shows that Morrison is opening a new Refugee Resettlement shelter in downtown Portland...

Morrison operates three locations for unaccompanied minors...

Morrison received nearly $3.7 million this year in federal grants to house unaccompanied immigrant children...

The Refugee Resettlement office has $868 million dedicated to unaccompanied immigrant children this year, and received an additional $44 million due to the surge.

Wait times

... In Oregon, immigrants had to wait 1,178 days on average -- or more than three years -- to get their cases resolved in court, based on data in October 2013. That was the second longest in the nation at the time, shorter only than Nebraska. Now immigration courts are speeding up hearings for the tens of thousands of Central American children caught on the U.S. border after criticism about the backlogged system, giving each child an initial court hearing within three weeks.
-- Associated Press

  Read more about Immigration: Portland agency to expand in response to surge of unaccompanied minors at Mexico border

After Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) signed the law in May, Oregonians for Immigration Reform "gathered 71,000 signatures in just a few months to refer the measure to the November 2014 ballot," and it succeeded when just over 58,000 were determined to be valid by Oregon's Secretary of State.

As Judicial Watch notes, Oregon's Senate Bill 833 allows "special driver cards" to be given to illegal immigrants so long as they pass a driving test and prove they have been an Oregon resident for a year. It also allows the "Department of Motor Vehicle offices" to "accept foreign identification cards issued by the consulates of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and South Korea" so long as they are not expired.

Kitzhaber said the measure would allow illegal immigrants to "come out of the shadows" and “contribute to our economic recovery.”

Oregon is attempting to join California, Illinois, and ten other states that have passed laws granting licenses to illegal immigrants.

"If the results of the election reverse the legislation, DMV will cancel all work on the Driver Card program, but if the election upholds the legislation, we'll launch 30 days after the results are official," an administrator said. Read more about Oregon Voters Delay Law Giving Licenses to Illegals

Read more about DMV suspends Driver Card program pending vote

Voters will weigh in next year on a bill granting “driver’s cards” to Oregonians unable to prove they are in the U.S. legally.

The Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 833 earlier this year, but opponents, led by Oregonians for Immigration Reform and Protect Oregon Driver Licenses, vowed to refer it to the ballot, hoping voters would overturn the law.

Read more about the successful SB 833 referendum petition campaign.
  Read more about Oregon driver card bill headed to the November 2014 ballot