“Documenting the Undocumented” Thank you very much!

“Documenting the Undocumented” Thank you very much!

Last night was the opening reception for our exhibit “Coming Out of the Shadows: Documenting the Undocumented”. Although the show is still opened until April 26^th, this reception marked the zenith in of the work we put these months to get this show together. The reception was a success, counting with most of the participant artists, media coverage by AP and Mundo Hispanico, and a great audience from GSU, Agnes Scott University and the community at large. All of this despite the nasty weather we had last evening. Huge thanks to all of you artists that graciously borrowed your hard work to make this exhibit possible. Special mention to:

• to the dream team of GLAHR, who not only created a piece that encompasses the essence of being an immigrant GLAHDIADOR in their collective “Aves Migratorias”, but also were able to ignore the exhaustion of organizing a huge march just the day before, and joined us in big numbers at our reception last night;
• to Ingrid Cruz, whose work with Freedom University and for immigrant rights is so present throughout the Southeast, who took a bus from Mississippi all the way to Atlanta just to be with us;
• to Juan Macias, Ricardo Ortiz, and Angel Alonso, whose pieces full of raw emotion and wild intensity enriched our show, who sacrificed family and working time to join us in times the economy suggests otherwise;
• to Yehimi Cambron, who not only gifted the walls of our exhibit with her skill and prolificacy, but also worked long hours at the most disparate times to make it possible.
• to Rodrigo Cervantes “Cascajo”, Luis Castañeda, Viviana González, Rubi G. González, Carolina Valdivia, and Diana Valdivia, whose beautiful work completed our exhibit.
• to Georgia State University for its facilities, and to the chapter of Amnesty International for sponsoring this whole event and for working to the wire to make this event happening, and to all of you whose presence and support made this evening the success it was.

The exhibit is still going to be open until Friday April 26^th. Do not miss the opportunity to visit it, you will not regret it.

One of the albums of the exhibit here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200916262968192.1073741840.1213930115&type=1

Information related to the show: undocuart@gmail.com

Day 40: Sine Die. An amended SB160 passed the GA Capitol. Urge Governor Deal to veto SB160. Gun Bill SB101 did not make it out of Conference Committee.

Day 40: Sine Die. An amended SB160 passed the GA Capitol. Urge Governor Deal to veto SB160. Gun Bill SB101 did not make it out of Conference Committee. 

Thursday 03/28/2013. Sine Die, last day of the Georgia Legislative Session 2013. After a slow session compared with other ones, Sine Die ended in long day with hectic last 4 hours. Among the bills that we were campaigning against, an amended version of SB160 passed both chambers less than 30 minutes from midnight, after being discussed in an informal Conference Committee, between votes and other bills, which lasted more than 4 hours. The only questioning against SB160 in the House came once again from the relentless voice of Rep. Pedro Marin, and the bill just went straight to vote in the Senate, with not even an option to questioning by the Lt. Governor. SB160 was voted Y=113 N=54 in the House and Y=43 N=9 in the Senate. As the time I am writing this, the final language of SB160 is not online yet. However, we can check on the hardcopy that we got that the final language of SB160 does not prevent DACA recipients of getting Driver Licenses. This new version also removed the problem with Homestead Exception, and Tax Credits. It did keep the language referred to the passports. The next step is to get the analysis of the full bill by our attorney friends, and to draft the veto campaign.

So for starters, we need to contact governor Deal. It is true that Gov. Deal has a story of supporting immigration bills like this. Nonetheless, we cannot allow that attacks like this go without resistance; it would only encourage them to produce more bills like this in the future.

Gov. Nathan Deal

Phone (404) 656-1776

Email http://gov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-governor-domestic-form
Message: “VETO SB160”

Thanks for your hard work. More updates regarding the veto campaign coming.

In a happier note, the SB101, a bill that got attached several parts of the HB512, did not make it out of Conference Committee. Congratulations to the friends that worked on that campaign.

Day 39: MESSAGE FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW: “OPPOSE SB160”

Day 39: MESSAGE FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW: “OPPOSE SB160”

Tuesday 03/26/2013. Thirty-Ninth Day at the Georgia Legislative Session. Last day before Sine Die this Thursday. So in preparation for the final day of session, there were several bills both passed by the House and the Senate that are going to go to Conference Committee. Thanks to your calls and resilient work, we are down to only one bill, SB160. As we mentioned, the House passed a version an amended version of SB160, in which added the harmful language of HB125 referred to block Driver Licenses for DACA recipients, invalidate the use of international passports as IDs unless they have a I94, and requires full immigration status for Homestead exemption tax benefits. As we expected, the Senate rebate this amended version, so SB160 goes to a Conference Committee to come out with the last definitive version of the bill the last day of the session, tomorrow Thursday 03/28.

Given it is literally the last day, the clerks are going to be getting many calls regarding several different bills. Ergo, we keep our message short and simple for Wednesday and Thursday. Call these three party leaders, as they have power to influence the turn out of the Conference Committee:

Call:
Gov. Deal (404) 656-1776
Lt. Governor Cagle (404) 656-5030
Speaker David Ralston (404) 656-5020
Message: “OPPOSE SB160”

Session ends tomorrow. We have a shot to stop the nonsense. Please spread the word. Home stretch you all.

Day 38: Conference Committee for SB160

Day 38: Conference Committee for SB160

Monday 03/25/2013. Thirty-Eighth Day at the Georgia Legislative Session. The plenary of the House passed the amended SB160. Once again, Rep. Pedro Marin was the single voice in the well in opposition to this anti-immigrant legislation. Remember that when you come to the Capitol to celebrate heritage days. Now the process continues with the bill returning to the Senate for agree or disagree to the changes made. We are hoping and expecting the Senate to disagree. And next will come the appointment of the Conference Committee since the chambers do not agree. We still need leadership to help shape the compromise that would come out of the Conference Committee. So for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the message and the people we need to call remain the same:

Call:
Gov. Deal (404) 656-1776
Lt. Governor Cagle (404) 656-5030
Speaker David Ralston (404) 656-5020
Message: “Please support ONLY the original versions of HB 125 and SB 160. Let’s not divide Georgia again by debating anti-immigrant proposals.”

The 2013 session end this Thursday. 3 more calendar days.

Pic by Jason Getz from the AJC.

Day 37: “Support ONLY the original versions of HB125 and SB160”

Day 37: “Support ONLY the original versions of HB125 and SB160”

Friday 03/22/2013. Thirty-Seventh Day at the Georgia Legislative Session. While Larry is working in the strategy for the final week at the Capitol, I had the opportunity to be in Washington DC and do some lobbying for a national comprehensive immigration reform. As we mentioned in the previously, keep calling:

Governor Nathan Deal (404) 656-1776
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle (404) 656-5030
House Speaker David Ralston (404) 656-5020

“Support ONLY the original versions of HB 125 and SB 160. Let’s not divide Georgia again by debating anti-immigrant proposals.”

Day 36: Now HB125 is SB160 and SB160 is HB125

Day 36: Now HB125 is SB160 and SB160 is HB125

Thursday 03/21/2013. Thirty-Sixth Day at the Georgia Legislative Session. New mess at the Georgia Capitol. As we mentioned, the Senate repealed the version of HB125 that came from the House, and converted pretty much in their SB160, in other words, the current version of HB125 (LC 29 5674ERS) fixes the problem of the Secretary of State, and it is pretty much as good bill. Everything good until now.

However, also as we mentioned, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee took SB160. Sadly, they just did what we expected too, they added changes to SB160 (LC 29 5682S), and converted it pretty much in HB125.

So now, in their current versions, HB125 (LC 29 5674ERS) is good and SB160 (LC 29 5682S) is bad. What comes now is a back-and-forth between the House and the Senate to make a version they both agree upon, in which leadership is going to take a crucial part on it. Most likely there is going to be very different versions of both bills from now all the way to the end of Sine Die. Ergo, this is our message for lawmakers’ leadership:

Governor Nathan Deal (404) 656-1776
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle (404) 656-5030
House Speaker David Ralston (404) 656-5020

“Please support ONLY the original versions of HB 125 and SB 160. Let’s not divide Georgia again by debating anti-immigrant proposals.”

One more week. End of session is this Thursday 28^th. Home stretch now.

Day 35: anti-immigrant HB125 rejected in the Senate. SB160 scheduled to be in House Committee Thursday March 21st 1:30pm CLOB 415

Day 35: anti-immigrant HB125 rejected in the Senate. SB160 scheduled to be in House Committee Thursday March 21^st 1:30pm CLOB 415

Wednesday 03/20/2013. Thirty-Fifth Day at the Georgia Legislative Session. Today, the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee of the Senate rejected HB125, which was added to the agenda of the committee late yesterday as we mentioned, giving clear preference to its SB160 as an alternative to fix the dreadful paperwork created for the HB87 two years ago. This is direct result of your calls, emails, petitions, and work in general to persuade the Senate to oppose HB125 in support of SB160. Congratulations for such a successful effort. However, the session is not over yet. As we mentioned before, now SB160 is on the hands of the same committee that altered HB125, and made it the dreadful bill we fought for these past weeks. An announcement for a meeting by this very same committee was released as soon as its Senate counterpart was done with HB125. As it can be imagined, SB160 is on the agenda. There is a no brainier that this is a direct reaction of the reject to HB125. The meeting is at 1:30pm at CLOB 415. Be ready for updates and upcoming calls of action of what comes out of this committee.

In case you are available, there is a press conference tomorrow Thursday 21st at 10am in Opposition to anti-immigrant Legislation in Georgia in the steps of the Capitol at Washington Street. Then you can have lunch and heat to the hearing of the House. Great job everybody, just 5 more legislative days, keep it up.