Reading in Spanglish

Parts of Alabama Immigration law in effect

Image: Fibonacci Blue http://www.flickr.com/photos/fibonacciblue/4556659182/

I live in Alabama, a state that passed the harshest anti-immigration law recently. It was challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice, various church leaders and civil rights groups. Today, a judge finally made a decision on the challenges and shockingly ordered that most of the law should go into effect after previously enjoining the law (temporarily stopping it so it won’t go into effect). Here’s a summary of my understanding of the ruling, as the local coverage is slightly confusing.

This is what is changing:

*Contracts knowingly entered into with undocumented workers will be nullified

*It is a felony for an undocumented worker to apply for a license plate, driver’s license, or business license

*Law enforcement must determine immigration status during traffic stops

*Drivers must produce their license; if they don’t and the officer can’t verify they have a valid license, they will be arrested. Law enforcement then has 48 hours to determine citizenship through federal agencies; if the person is undocumented “the person shall be considered a flight risk and shall be detained until prosecution or until handed over to federal immigration authorities.”

These parts didn’t go into effect:

*The state cannot stop workers without authorization from seeking employment.

*The state cannot prosecute those who help undocumented workers.

*The state cannot stop businesses from deducting the wages they pay to unauthorized workers.

*The state cannot create a new class of protected workers (the law sought to punish employers who either don’t hire or fire citizens or authorized workers while also employing an undocumented worker).

*The state cannot bar undocumented workers from enrolling in public universities.

A press release from the driver’s license division forwarded to me indicates that a system called AlVerify will be used in verifying whether a person is here legally in processing license tag renewals.

It is my understanding, though local coverage didn’t mention anything, that businesses will now be required to use E-verify for new employees.I actually went to a meeting with a representative of the DOJ (I do volunteer work here for the Hispanic community) and he clarified that E-verify should only be used for new workers – if it is used on existing workers, they should notify the DOJ of discrimination.

Local businesses and farmers are already complaining of not having enough workers to plant spring crops, and probably won’t have the manpower to harvest them in the springtime, either.

I’m a little too shocked and angry about this to editorialize right now, so I’m just giving you the facts. Que barbara!

Sources:

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/09/federal_judge_throws_out_xxxx.html

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-what-the-judge-struck-down-alabamas-immigration-law-20110928,0,832227.story

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-what-the-judge-upheld-alabamas-immigration-law-20110928,0,6889304.story

The Latino List airs on HBO today

Author Sandra Cisneros (one of my favorites!) will be featured on The Latino List, an HBO documentary featuring successful Latinos today, September 28 and 29, 2011. The list does include several actors and music stars, but I was pleased to see at least one author (Cisneros) and several other non-celebrities! ¡Que orgullo! Check it out here.

Two Mami Blogs

Image: healingdream @ http://bit.ly/o7vx3c

When my daughter was born, the Internet saved me. I worried over every little thing and had a tough time breastfeeding. I was constantly on websites like BabyCenter and La Leche League. But mostly, it was the mommy blogs that gave me some reprieve from those tough early days. It was a great escape to read them for advice on fashion, raising kids, home decorating, sewing — these internet moms are savvy in just about everything and are willing to share their expertise. What’s even better is when you find a mami blog with a little cultura. So today I want to showcase just two of the many mami blogs written from a Latina perspective.

Mamá Latina Tips by Silvia Martinez features a little bit of everything having to do with being a busy mom in today’s world. She is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico and shares articles on Mexican culture accompanied by beautiful photographs. The best thing about this blog is that it is bilingual! One of the best ways for me to improve my Spanish vocabulary is by reading – and bilingual books and websites are great for this. For adults, Spanish readers are great, and there are tons of bilingual books for las criaturas, too.

Mami’s Time Out is exactly that – a bit of fun relief for your day. This blog is a little more fashion and pop culture driven. Jai, a Dominican from New York, also features a hilarious Wordless Wednesday column and a recap of the latest telenovelas! This blog is a little different because you read posts in separate categories – I prefer to read them in chronological order so I can see everything (hmmm, maybe I’m a blog stalker?).

Both of these websites are a lot of fun to read and feature a bunch of giveaways. Check them out!