Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)

Summary (posts follow):

Far-left, strongly pro-illegal immigration group whose president sits on an advisory council to the Mexican government and which is closely linked in to Illinois politics.

In the Chicago area, they've conducted citizenship and voter registration drives and have been involved in pro-illegal immigration marches. They're also linked into leftwing blogs: this and this. They sued Arizona over an attempt to stop fraudulent wire transfers that were sent via Western Union. The ICIRR had received grants from that company and admitted that some of the information used in their suit came from that company, but they said it was a "completely independent action by the ICIRR".

For the full summary, see this.

Last modified Aug 25, 2009

Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

Tides Foundation awards three advocates for illegal immigration; two links to the Mexican government - 9/01/2009

... Arreola, political director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Both he and the president of that organization serve on the board of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory council to Mexico's president. He's also helped organize illegal immigration marches. Current or former activist for the Service Employees International Union; the SEIU paid his base s...

Joshua Hoyt of ICIRR misleads about healthcare for illegal aliens (Mark Kirk) - 8/31/2009

Josh Hoyt - director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights whose president is linked to the Mexican government - offers "Congressman Kirk's Immigrant Blind Spot May Cost Him Dearly" (huffingtonpost.com/joshua-hoyt/congressman-kirks-immigra_b_272713.html). He's very "concerned" (as in the type of troll) about Rep. Mark Kirk's stance on immigra...

"Reform Immigration For America": business, labor, CAP, NCLR, CHIRLA begin new push; summit, townhall meeting; John Quigley - 6/01/2009

A new group called "Reform Immigration For America" recently launched in order to push for comprehensive immigration reform, aka amnesty. They're a coalition of business, labor, and far-left/racial power groups; see their slick site here: reformimmigrationforamerica.org. A surprising variety of amnesty hacks this side of raving extremist (or thereabouts) is involved with their organ...

Mexico-linked ICIRR claims citizenship, registration drive cost Waukegan mayor his job (maybe not) - 4/08/2009

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - whose president sits on an advisory board to the Mexican government - is trying to claim (icirr.org/en/node/3698) that a citizenship and voter registration drive that was conducted in Waukegan, Illinois was the decisive factor in that city's mayor recently being voted out of office. That city is part of the 287g program, and they try t...

Joshua Hoyt challenges Rosanna Pulido petition signatures; now he supports our laws - 1/28/2009

... Josh Hoyt from the Mexico-linked Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights now saying (link): "We are a nation of laws... and certainly our election processes should be a place where the rules are respected. If Ms. Pulido cannot follow our election laws and collect even 319 valid signatures then she should not be allowed to be on the ballot. We expect to conduct a vigorous petition...

"Latino Voting in the 2008 Election: Part of a Broader Electoral Movement" - 1/28/2009

... Sharry's America's Voice, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and others and may have been designed to show what those groups wanted them to show. The IPC fact sheet also doesn't address general election trends. UPDATE 2: The CIS author responds to his critics here.

Rights Working Group wants immigration enforcement moratorium and much more (ACLU, NCLR, 248 others) - 1/09/2009

The Asian American Justice Center runs the Rights Working Group, a coalition of over 250 leftwing groups, and they have a petition calling on Barack Obama to in effect not do immigration enforcement. They want a "moratorium" while the subject of raids and the like is "studied", but everyone knows what that means. Since there are so many groups, the full roster is here. The main...

Mexico-linked ICIRR conducting voter drive in Chicago - 10/09/2008

From this: During the next four weeks, Immigration activists plan to swarm through nearly 700 Chicago-area neighborhoods, visiting some homes several times in a $1 million effort to pull at least 140,000 voters into the polls for the Nov.

Chicago City Council passes pro-illegal immigration resolution - 10/09/2008

Back in June we offered Chicago Aldmn Cardenas, Flores introduce anti-"hate speech" resolution; Mexico-linked ICIRR cheers. The usual suspects are back: Chicago lawmakers added their [unanimous] voices Wednesday to the call for a moratorium on raids and deportations, an action they hope will lead to comprehensive immigration reform. ..."Immigrants are being uprooted, they are be...

Nicole Gaouette/LAT: leftwing groups on the "lookout for immigration raids" - 9/14/2008

Criminal enterprises that have fixed locations usually employ lookouts in the neighborhood where they operate who warn them of impending police raids and they frequently pay off local officials or cops.

DailyKos' Netroots Nation has Mexican government-linked group - 7/15/2008

All rightthinking comrades will be in Austin, Texas this weekend for DailyKos' Netroots Nation, a convention formerly known as YearlyKos. A search of the site shows just one session relating to immigration, called nutrootsily enough "How to Win the Immigration Debate and Beat Back ICE's Emerging Police State" (netrootsnation.org/node/864).

Chicago Aldmn Cardenas, Flores introduce anti-"hate speech" resolution; Mexico-linked ICIRR cheers - 6/25/2008

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is linked to the Mexican government, and they have some involvement in a resolution introduced today by two Chicago aldermen (George Cardenas and Manny Flores) condemning "hate speech" (i.e, the facts) supposedly directed at "immigrants" (i.e., illegal aliens) [1]. The resolution also comes out in favor of legalizations of...

Agriprocessors meat packing raid, Postville, Iowa (kosher, UFCW) - 5/12/2008

Somewhere from a few hundred to 700 or more persons were arrested in Postville, Iowa earlier today as part of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid of the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in the town. That plant produces kosher meat and is owned by the Rubashkin family, Hasidic Jews from New York; this page has more details on the culture clash after the bought the plant and seem to h...

Felipe Calderon to meet with IME advisory board in Dallas (+Alfredo Corchado's pro-Mexico spin) - 4/21/2008

On Tuesday, Felipe Calderon will be attending a meeting of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad/Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior advisory board to the Mexican government (www.ime.gob.mx). The board has about 125 members, some of whom are U.S. citizens, all of whom have divided loyalties, and some or most of whom have some influence on U.S. politics. One member is even an Illinois state senat...

Did someone try (and fail) to setup Lou Dobbs? (ICIRR, Citizen Orange) - 3/19/2008

Back on November 28, 2007 Lou Dobbs spoke at the Barnes & Noble in Chicago, and one of the audience members interrupted his speech with what could have been a semi-deranged outburst. Or, it could have been a braindead attempt by an illegal immigration supporter to provoke Dobbs, thinking he - or the audience - would say something noteworthy. If it was the latter, the provocateur failed.

Henry Fernandez lies about Jim Oberweis to support illegal immigration (libel?) - 3/10/2008

Henry Fernandez - a Senior Fellow at the Center For American Progress Action Fund who's also part of the Mexican government's "extended network" - offers "Anti-Immigrant Zealots Lose Hastert's Seat For Conservatives" (thinkprogress.org/2008/03/10/oberweis-immigration) about the recent Illinois House race in which Jim Oberweis lost to Bill Foster.

Bill Foster beats Jim Oberweis for Hastert seat (smear by Mexico-linked ICIRR helped) - 3/09/2008

Democrat Bill Foster beat Republican Jim Oberweis 53% to 47% in a special election for Dennis Hastert's former House seat in Illinois (link). Foster will only serve until the end of the year; a new election will take place in November for the full term.

United Nations "Committee on the Elimination of Racism" chides U.S. over treatment of immigrants - 2/24/2008

... Mexico-linked Juan Salgado of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Obviously, the OHCHR is far-left, and considered only the input of far-left groups without seeking input from, for instance, crime victims of illegal aliens. And, without realizing that enforcing our immigration laws would end many of the abuses they pretend to be concerned about. Related: Jorge Bustaman...

Mark Pera: help from Mexico-linked ICIRR, money from immigration lawyers (Illinois) - 1/30/2008

Mark Pera is trying to unseat incumbent and fellow Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski (link) (D-IL) in Illinois' 3rd district. I strongly urge voting for anyone other than Pera, due to his links to a few interesting groups. While Lipinski might have his problems (link), I doubt whether they rise to Pera's issues.

Flor Crisostomo: the new Elvira Arellano (sanctuary at Adalberto United Methodist Church) - 1/27/2008

Via this we learn that Reverend Walter "Slim" Coleman's Adalberto United Methodist Church continues the struggle for in effect open borders with the announcement that they'll be giving "sanctuary" to another illegal alien, Flor Crisostomo.

Western Union store owner indicted on money laundering (human smuggling) - 1/23/2008

From this: A Scottsdale man who ran four Western Union stores in Phoenix and Mesa was indicted Tuesday on 80 counts of money laundering and other crimes that are suspected of financing human smugglers and drug dealers [in a] ...four-year-old, $56.8 million money-laundering scheme...

Felipe Calderon explicitly wants Mexican consuls to meddle in U.S. immigration debate (non-profits) - 12/07/2007

The only thing shocking about this is that he'd openly admit it: [Today, Mexican president Felipe Calderon] asked his diplomatic representatives in the U.S. to participate in the public debate on immigration by appearing at public events, talking more to the media and working with nonprofit groups to promote Mexican immigrants' role in supporting the U.S.

NYT almost follows the money on Western Union (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ken Salazar) - 11/24/2007

Jason DeParle almost follows the money on Western Union, a company that makes almost a billion dollars per year off legal and illegal immigrants sending money home ("remittances"): link. While it's a much better job than, for instance, Jill Capuzzo of that paper would have done, he doesn't go as far as he could.

Nutroots: Blue America PAC joins with Mexico-linked group to support illegal immigration (anti-Rahm Emanuel) - 11/14/2007

... Blue America is joining with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, a group whose president is linked to the Mexican government. I've left a total of three comments (one on FDL, two on DWT) pointing that link out, so clearly the fact that those bloggers are now in turn indirectly linked to the Mexican government isn't considered that big of an issue. I suggest pointing...

Howie Klein/FireDogLake promotes Josh Hoyt/ICIRR - 11/10/2007

... executive director of the ICIRR (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights) to discuss matters with their visitors [1]. That group is a virulent supporter of illegal immigration, and they and their president Juan Salgado helped organize the major Chicago illegal immigration marches last year.

Esther J. Cepeda: towns enforcing immigration laws could lead to "neighborhood lynchings" - 7/05/2007

The column here ("Beginning of the end?/Towns across America are taking illegal immigration control into their own hands a

Progressives: urge Clinton, Obama, Richardson, Edwards to support Elvira Arellano's "campaign of resistance" - 7/02/2007

Dear fellow progressives: Elvira Arellano - the undocumented person from Mexico currently seeking sanctuary in The Right Rev. Walter "Slim" Coleman's church in Chicago to avoid being deported and separated from her U.S.-born son - has issued a call to a "campaign of resistance". I urge all fellow progressives to not only heed the call, but to encourage the Democratic ca...

Dreams Across America: all aboard the pro-illegal immigration train - 6/14/2007

"Dreams Across America" [1] is the latest stunt from supporters of a massive illegal alien amnesty, consisting of about 100 people taking a train Washington DC to lobby for "reform".

Ezra Klein, useful idiot - 5/31/2007

Pictured right is a blogad currently running on the site (ezraklein.typepad.com) of Ezra Klein of TAPPED (The American Prospect). The ad is for cirnow.org, the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I'm not going to hold someone responsible for the ads on their site...

100+ Hispanic groups send letter supporting illegal immigration, opposing raids - 5/08/2007

... immigration march), the odious Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (their president is linked to the Mexican government), Instituto del Progreso Latino (their executive director is the president of the ICIRR), the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (indirectly linked to the Mexican government). Obviously, a letter that's sent no...

Chicago: fake document raid leads to pro-illegal immigration protest - 4/25/2007

[IMPORTANT UPDATE BELOW] Rally 'round the document forgers! A federal raid against ID fraud yesterday in Chicago shows one of the dangers of failing to enforce the immigration laws: illegal activity becomes defined as a part of ethnic solidarity. In the past, Italian-American groups have complained about things like The Godfather. In this situation, ethno-centric reporters and groups are c...

Night of 1,000 Conversations (including 900 Useful Idiots) - 3/23/2007

The "Rights Working Group" is trying to organize Moveon-style house parties throughout the U.S. on Thursday, April 5, 2007, supposedly to support due process in our immigration system. In fact, it appears to be a backdoor way to promote immigration "reform", aka a massive amnesty. And, some of the organizers lined up are linked to the Mexican government.

Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform ready to push amnesty - 3/13/2007

The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform said today that they're going to push even harder for a massive amnesty for illegal aliens: "This campaign is unprecedented in the pro-immigration community," said Cecilia Munoz, senior vice president of the National Council of La Raza, in a statement.

Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007 (Barack Obama) - 3/09/2007

... linked to Mexican government) Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (president linked to Mexican government) Immigrant Legal Resource Center [2] National Immigration Forum National Immigrant Justice Center Asian American Justice Center Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Legal Momentum American Immigration Lawyers Association Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Massachusett...

Christine Newman-Ortiz: citizenship test is like the poll tax - 2/09/2007

Last week the group Fair Immigration Reform Movement held a convention (link), and one of the attendees was Christine Newman-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera of Milwaukee.

Will Rod Blagojevich pro-illegal immigration scheme violate law? - 12/13/2006

In November 2005, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich - a very strong supporter of illegal immigration - created the "New Americans Immigrant Policy Council" (press release link) to come up with ways to deal with immigrants in his state. The report from the NAIPC has been released, as has a report from a similar panel. Blago has endorsed their findings, but has not committed any money.

ICIRR in suit against Terry Goddard over Western Union wire transfers - 10/19/2006

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights ("ICIRR") is "sponsoring" a class action lawsuit against Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard over that state's program that tries to stop human smuggling by seizing Western Union wire transfers that meet certain criteria.

"Immigration Protests May Not Spur Votes" - 9/05/2006

From this: Immigration protests that drew hundreds of thousands of flag-waving demonstrators to the nation's streets last spring promised a potent political legacy a surge of new Hispanic voters. "Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote," they proclaimed. But an Associated Press review of voter registration figures from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and other major urban areas t...

El Cucuy es Raza! (Bustamante, Cedillo, NCLR, voting) - 8/02/2006

Popular Spanish-language radio host El Cucuy (real name: Renan Almendarez Coello) is on a 10 city bus tour trying to register members of his audience as voters. He kicked off the campaign in San Jose (California) on Monday, and joining him on his fun bus were Lt. Gov.

Chicago immigration "debate": ICIRR pulls out; far-lefties go nuts - 5/05/2006

... against the Blagojevich-linked Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

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