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Two Dialogues on Immigration
Friday July 27 in New York City
Saturday July 28 in Montclair, NJ
(see below for details)

Join us for a participatory dialogue on immigration, with the authors of the newly released book from Monthly Review Press, "The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers," Jane Guskin and David Wilson.

The dialogues aim to encourage a deeper and broader look at the realities and causes of immigration, and to discuss possible courses of action.

Have you heard an anti-immigrant argument that you feel is wrong, but need the facts to contest? (For example: "Immigrants are a drain on social services.") Do you have your own fear or concern about the issue? (For example: "Are the lowest-paid US-born workers really hurt by immigration? ") Bring these arguments and concerns to the dialogue, and we'll work together to develop responses using facts, rational reasoning and personal experiences.

"The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers" will be available for purchase at both events, signed by the authors, at a discounted price of $10. David Wilson and Jane Guskin have been co-editors since 1990 of Weekly News Update on the Americas, a weekly bulletin covering news from Latin America. Guskin also edits Immigration News Briefs. Both have been active for over a decade in support of the immigrant rights and workers' justice movements.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 7 pm

"Responding to Immigration Concerns: A Participatory Dialogue"

At A.J. Muste Room
339 Lafayette Street, buzzer 11
New York, NY (at Bleecker Street, take the 6 train to Bleecker
Street or B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette)

Free. Sponsored by Weekly News Update and Immigration News Briefs.
For more information, call 212-674-9499 or write
thepoliticsofimmigration*at*gmail.com

Saturday, July 28, 2007, 2:30 pm

"Dialogue on the Politics of Immigration"
Moderated by Greg Pason of Residents Against Racism.

At Montclair Public Library Auditorium
50 South Fullerton Ave
Montclair, NJ

Free and open to the public

Sponsored by Residents Against Racism-New Jersey For more information and directions, call Greg Pason at 201-803-7574, write RAR at info*at*residentsagainstracism.net or visit http://residentsagainstracism.net/july28immigrationdialog.html

THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION
Questions and Answers
by Jane Guskin and David Wilson

"We desperately need to put aside false information about immigrants, to see them as we see ourselves with honesty and compassion. This book gives powerful meaning to the slogan 'No Human Being is Illegal.' I hope it will be widely read."

- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"As the immigrant rights movement grows in size and energy, we need quick facts and deep history. This book gives us both."

- Aarti Shahani, co-director, Families for Freedom

"Guskin and Wilson have identified the hot-button points in the national immigration debate, and have set out to undo the stereotypes, misinformation and prejudice that paralyze rational thought on the subject. This book is a great reality check, a good teaching tool, and a powerful weapon against racism."

- David Bacon, author of Communities Without Borders: Images and Voices from the World of Migration

To order the book, call 800-670-9499 or visit:
http://monthlyreview.org/politicsof immigration.htm

Posted by Konrad at 07:00 PM | Permalink

I filed a Freedom of Information/Privacy Act request (commonly known as a FOIA) for the FBI's files on Farouk in March 2006. The first stirrings of a response started coming in December, when I got a voice mail message from Peggy Jackson in the FOIA office in Washington, D.C. She said they were having delays in finding the files because of his name. The gist was that these Arabic names all get mixed up with each other. How reassuring in the midst of the alleged "War on Terror." This is despite the fact that I gave his eight-digit "Alien Number" and loads of other information and dates in my request.

But in March and April of 2007 my FOIA leaped ahead. Peggy handed me off to a Loren Shaver, and a two-week session of phone tag ensued. One of Shaver's voice mails mentioned "issues" with my request. I googled his name and found it on the website for the support of Leonard Peltier. It was satisfying to know that Farouk and I were in good company. But it was sobering to read that the government had been withholding "100 thousand" documents on Peltier from his defense team since 2001. In the ongoing battle for the Peltier files, Shaver has essentially played the role of the FBI's FOIA guardsman, a supplier of pretexts to deny the release of documents.

In the case of Leonard Peltier, Shaver had told the defense team that there were too many documents to produce and that he would provide summaries instead, which turned out to be useless. Great, so if the FBI decides to watch you like a bug under a microscope, it can claim it has too much information on you to tell you about.

I figured if I was about to face the dreaded Loren Shaver, I'd better get the best advice I could. I emailed the lawyer in charge of the FOIA issues for Peltier's team, Michael Kuzma. He responded right away, and after he'd generously shared his insights, I felt ready to deal with whatever mishegoss awaited me.

When I finally reached Shaver on April 26th (the fifth anniversary of Farouk's arrest), it was actually a cordial, low-key conversation. Shaver told me that they'd identified over 3,000 documents pertaining to my request, putting it in the "large" category. As Michael had explained to me, FOIA requests are fullfilled in three categories - Small (under 500 pages), Medium (500-2500 pages) and Large (over 2500 pages). (Though in the case of Leonard Peltier, there's apparently a fourth category, Too Large.) The larger the request, the more protracted the wait. "Large" entails a wait of months to a year (Too Large=Forever).

The first sign of trouble is that Shaver told me no records had turned up on Farouk dating after 1995. That would be interesting, since:

• on April 9, 2002 the FBI came to Farouk's home saying they were looking for him and, not finding him, ransacked the apartment and tried to intimidate his son and his roomate
• Farouk was questioned by an FBI agent about his Palestinian connections right after his arrest on April 26, 2002
• according to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), on July 15, 2002 Middlesex County Jail sent an informer's report on Farouk claiming that he had "knowledge of briefcase nuclear suitcases in the U.S." to the FBI for evaluation.
• on May 2, 2003 Farouk was questioned at York County Jail by an FBI agent named Sean Dowd, based in Philadelphia
• a BICE document I have reports that the FBI had Farouk under investigation in connection with the assassination of a Mossad agent, and closed that investigation administratively as of November 14, 2002

And the FBI is telling me now they have no records on any of this?

Stay tuned...

Posted by Konrad at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[A new book from Monthly Review Press, by the editors of Weekly News Update on the Americas and Immigration News Briefs; please forward widely.]

THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION
Questions and Answers
by Jane Guskin and David Wilson

"We desperately need to put aside false information about immigrants, to see them as we see ourselves with honesty and compassion. This book gives powerful meaning to the slogan 'No Human Being is Illegal.' I hope it will be widely read."

- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"As the immigrant rights movement grows in size and energy, we need quick facts and deep history. This book gives us both."

- Aarti Shahani, co-director, Families for Freedom

"Guskin and Wilson have identified the hot-button points in the national immigration debate, and have set out to undo the stereotypes, misinformation and prejudice that paralyze rational thought on the subject. This book is a great reality check, a good teaching tool, and a powerful weapon against racism."

- David Bacon, author of Communities Without Borders: Images and Voices from the World of Migration

As Congress debates immigration "reform," polls show the public increasingly divided, with the immigration debate framed as a choice between "deport them all" and "give everyone amnesty." But dialogue is possible when we dig deeper. Why are people leaving their homes? Why are they coming here? What is the impact of our current enforcement policies? What kinds of alternatives exist?

Backed with a wide range of cited sources, The Politics of Immigration tackles questions and concerns about immigration with compelling arguments and hard facts, laid out in straightforward language and an accessible question-and- answer format.

For immigrants and supporters, the book is an effective tool to confront common myths and disinformation. For teachers, it provides a useful framework on the current debate, and ample opportunities for students to reach out and explore the intersecting issues.

Those who believe immigrants steal jobs from citizens, drive down wages, strain public services, and threaten our culture will find such assumptions challenged here, while people who are undecided about immigration will find the solid data and clear reasoning they need to develop an informed opinion.

To order call: 1.800.670.9499 or visit:
http://www.monthlyreview.org/politicsofimmigration.htm
or print out the form below and send it via mail with your payment to:

MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS
146 WEST 29TH STREET, SUITE 6W, NEW YORK, NY 10001
(TEL: 212-691-2555; FAX: (212) 727-3676)

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The Politics of Immigration
176pp/ISBN: 978-1-58367- 155-9 (pbk)/$11.95 SALE PRICE: $11.00

Please send ______ copies at $11 each - add $4.00 for shipping

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Posted by Konrad at 09:43 AM | Permalink