PRI's the World provides an in-depth audio story on immigrant workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Immigrants Expected to do the Heavy Lifting in Post-Sandy Reconstruction.

Latino Fox News also profiles immigrant workers: After Hurricane Sandy, Day Laborers Play Central Role in Cleanup, Rebuilding.

FILED UNDER: Day Laborers

From NDLON:

Any day now the Department of Homeland Security will announce a second round of "reforms" to the disgraced "Secure Communities" program. Since its inception S-Comm has been marked by secrecy, mismanagement, and lies. After intense public scrutiny following the release of thousands of internal documents, it became clear the Department of Homeland Security had misled local law makers, Congress, and the American public on the scope, impact, and policies of the program.

FILED UNDER: Day Laborers | DHS/ICE | Immigrant Workers | Immigration

PHOENIX, AZ – A federal district court today enjoined provisions of SB 1070 that criminalized the solicitation of day labor work.  The court found that the provisions likely violated day laborers’ First Amendment free speech right to solicit work on public streets.Read the district court's order here.

"Not only is the exercise of free speech a crucial civil right," declared the court, "Plaintiffs have shown that they and their members are being chilled from soliciting employment by the threat of enforcement" of the anti-day labor provisions.

FILED UNDER: Day Laborers | Immigrant Workers | Immigration | Legislation

This year, on Hollywood’s biggest night, we have an extraordinary opportunity to learn about low-wage workers’ struggles in times past and present, through two extraordinary movies.  Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are nominated for best actress awards in “The Help.”  The movie is up for best picture.  Demián Bichir is nominated for best actor in his role as a Los Angeles day laborer for “A Better Life.”  We celebrate the actors and the films they made, and congratulate Hollywood for its portrayals.  At the same time, we compare the Hollywood versions with the real lives of real low-wage workers in today’s economy.

FILED UNDER: Caregivers | Day Laborers | Domestic/Homecare Workers | Immigrant Workers | Labor | Legislation | Local Campaigns | Worker Centers

Day Laborers Prevail Against Anti-Solicitation Ordinance

Day laborers celebrated a huge victory earlier this week when the Supreme Court rejected the City of Redondo Beach’s petition for certiorari in Comite de Jornaleros de Redondo Beach v. City of Redondo Beach. By doing so, the Supreme Court let stand the Ninth Circuit’s en banc decision overturning Redondo Beach’s anti-solicitation ordinance, which, in practice, largely targeted the efforts of day laborers to find work. In a 9-2 decision, the Ninth Circuit had concluded that the Redondo Beach ordinance violated First Amendment protections of free speech.

Congratulations to the National Day Labor Organizing Network, MALDEF, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights! NELP’s Immigrant Worker Justice Project also filed an amicus brief in support of the day laborers. See our prior article on the ACS blog for more background on the case.

FILED UNDER: Day Laborers | Immigrant Workers | Litigation | Worker Centers