During the progressive conference Netroots Nation 2010 in Las Vegas, a group of immigration reform activists set up a mock Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) checkpoint outside the conference luncheon. Dressing as ICE agents, they stopped people suspected of possibly being an “Illegal European immigrants.” They were asked to produce the proper papers to be in the Americas before they were allowed in to hear the panel on Civil Rights in the Modern Era. Those people who could not produce identification had to take a retinal scan to enter the conference luncheon. The idea was inspired by the video Immigration Check Point by Josh on the Street.

The people from Sum of Change were there to film the “incident.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fellow bloggero, Carlos A. Quiroz, of Carlos in DC, interviewed two of the organizers, Lizbeth Mateo and Yahaira Carrillo of TheDreamisComing.com, where they provide the reasons for this action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While this was just a mock checkpoint, the purpose of this exercise is to show how heightened penalties like these, imposed on the basis of ID-based status determinations, highlight the danger that any kind of checkpoint can be converted overnight from a “mere” ID check to an ID-based control point.

As of now, the fate of the bill is in the court’s hand. As of this writing, it is just a matter of hours the courts will decide the future of 1.4 million American Latinos living in Arizona.

Media and Blog Coverage:

Carlos in DC: Fake ICE Checkpoint at Netroots Nation 2010: Only White People Asked for IDs and Some Progressives got Offended [VIDEOS] Organizers Respond
Change.org: Immigration Enforcement Targets Illegal European Invaders in Vegas
Chicanisima: How can you tell if someone is “illegal?”
Daily Caller: Papers, Please: Activists jokingly demand white bloggers show ID before getting lunch
Daily Kos: ICE Checkpoint @ Netroots Nation…
Firedoglake’s La Figa: “Where Are Your Papers!?” Latino Activists Stage “Raid” at Netroots
Friends Committee on National Legislation: It’s Our Community: Immigration News
Immigration Law Link: Making a Mockery of Arizona Immigration Law
Joe.My.God.: PAPERS PLEASE: Immigration Checkpoint At Netroots Nation
L.A. Progressive: Turning the Tables at Netroots Nation: ICE Checkpoint Forces Participants to Think about Profiling
Sum of Change: ICE Checkpoint @ Netroots Nation…
Vivir Latino: ICE checkpoints at Net Roots Nation
Vivir Latino: More from the Netroots Nation 2010 Mock ICE Checkpoint : Considering Assault at the Fronteras
VozMob: Teatro Popular

Crimmigration Under Obama: Pushing Back Against the “Enforcement-only” Immigration Regime

Description: Immigration enforcement under the Obama administration has continued almost unchanged from the “enforcement-only” regime perfected by the Bus…h administration, applying criminal enforcement tactics to the civil immigration system. While Department of Homeland Security officials have promised to reform the immigration detention system after dozens of deaths in detention, the effort has been cosmetic and designed to forestall more rigorous oversight. Despite moving away from massive workplace raids, the agency has continued home and business raids under the radar, with the result that overall levels of deportation have actually increased under Obama. Meanwhile, legislative reform is stalled in Congress and the White House has not shown leadership. Join advocates and activists in a discussion of recent direct action pushing back against the Obama administration’s enforcement policy.

Speakers:
Yahaira Carrillo, DREAM activist
Madhuri Mohindar, Breakthrough
Edmundo Rocha, Xicano Power/ The XP Report
Vince Warren, Center for Constitutional Rights
Moderator: Will Coley, Aquifer Media

We plan to raise concerns about immigration enforcement throughout the conference and we’re planning an action related to SB1070 in Arizona.

If you are also attending Netroots, my panel will be on Saturday, July 24th, 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM in Miranda 3-4. Thanks to the wonders of social media, you can follow the discussion on Twitter by following the #NN10 and #StopICE hashtags.

My co-panelists this year are Kety Esquivel of NCLR, David Bennion of Change.org, Dee Perez-Scott from Immigration Talk with a Mexican-American, and the Prerna of DreamActivist.org.

To be honest, I am a bit nervous because I don’t feel I ready for this panel like I was for NCLR. The move from Houston to San Antonio along with a few bumps on the road trying to settle in has really eaten a lot of my time. However, I will get a chance to meet other pro-migrant and progressive bloggers.

If you are also attending Netroots, see over there.

Dos Centavos Session

And so it begins? After two years of blogging, I have finally made my way into the belly of the beast. To some, I know this comes as a surprise. I never talked about, nor have I ever mentioned my interest in being part of the Netroots Nation in crowd. And now that I am going, does this mean I have given up the fight for a drink of the Kos kool-aid. In other words sell-out.

Truthfully some people did know and didn’t really want to make a big deal about considering the what occurred last year. It really is hard being a tempered radical trying to walk that fine line between working for change and not selling your soul to fit in.

What occurred last year was awful and it took a toll on a dear friend of mine, Nezua. I saw how the back biting and the whisper campaign nearly wiped him our emotionally. It was a good thing I did not take the advice of una amiga, I decided to write him an email because I felt he needed a friend at that time. I told him straight up, whether he liked it or not, he was thrown into a leadership and activist role. And why not, he is widely read and very charismatic. No matter what you do or say, the crabs in the buckets were going to still drag you down. The truth is, there are natural born leaders and then there are those who happen to be at the right place at the right time. I would like to think it was the former for my friend and not the other way around.

A year has gone by and this time I was asked by the Texas Progressive Alliance to be part of a panel discussion con Stace Medellin of Dos Centavos (sadly, he won’t be there) on, Friday at 1:30 titled “Our ‘Dos Centavos’: Strategies For Latino Bloggers”. Joining me on this panel is blogamiga Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista and Founder and Editor of The Sanctuary.

Following that session, she will be joining fellow Sanctuarian, Duke 1676 of Migra Matters, at 3:00 in a panel discussion titled, How to Win the Immigration Debate and Beat Back ICE’s Emerging Police State led by Josh Holland of AlterNet and Live blogging it the session is another fellow Sanctuarian Man Eegee of Latino Politico. What they don’t know, I will be filming it the session and well as mine.

Fear not, soy el mero mero for the Latino Caucus.

Ya vez, yo Edmundo Rocha, el XicanoPwr did invade el Netroots Nations. ¡Ay te watch-o, cucarachos!