CUNY Radio Podcasts » Citizenship Now! with Allan Wernick

Bigger, Better: Immigrant Heritage Week Kicks Off April 14

mboutros — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:52:00 +0000

City Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Guillermo Linares shares upcoming highlights of the 5th Immigrant Heritage Week which begins April 14th. A celebration of immigrant pride–New York style, the festivities and educational events for this 2008 edition have “more than doubled,” according to the commissioner, “from 50 to 131 events throughout the city, with 111 partners and sponsors, including CUNY.”
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Study Shows Immigration Lowers Crime Rates

mboutros — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:43:20 +0000

A seven-year study by a Harvard University sociologist showed that areas undergoing immigration are associated with lower violence, not higher crime rates, contrary to popular belief. Allan Wernick talks about why he’s not surprised by these findings, but would like to see the results used more in the immigration reform movement. “There seem to be a lot of these studies, but they don’t seem to be moving along the debate,” says Prof. Wernick.
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Sen. Barack Obama and Immigration

mboutros — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:17:54 +0000

As a child of an immigrant father, presidential hopeful Barack Obama knows firsthand what it’s like to straddle two cultures. Allan Wernick explains how a Obama presidency might impact the issue of immigration if his run for the White House is successful. “It will be very hard for people to bash immigrants if you have a president with that kind of background,” observes Prof. Wernick.
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Immigration and the 2008 Campaign

mboutros — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:43:42 +0000

Despite a strong showing by the Republican voters in California who named immigration as their number one issue, Senator John McCain won a decisive victory over Mitt Romney on Super Tuesday. Allan Wernick discusses the results of the primary and why he feels that immigration will play a lesser role in the 2008 presidential race, especially now that former Gov. Romney has decided to end his campaign.
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NYC: Immigrants Still Welcome

mboutros — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:52:39 +0000

A report by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington found that foreign-born New Yorkers are better off than immigrants in the rest of the country. Allan Wernick explains why New York continues to be a beacon for immigrants and also how the 2008 presidential race has kept the issue of immigration on the front burner.
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Dream Act Dies in the Senate

mboutros — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:21:55 +0000

The Dream Act — federal legislation which would have granted legal status to undocumented immigrants who graduated from high school and either went on to college or served in the military — failed recently to get the votes to advance in the Senate. Allan Wernick, who had predicted its demise, explains why and what it will mean for other immigration measures, like the AgJobs bill.
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Crime Against the Undocumented Goes Unreported

mboutros — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:19:24 +0000

Muggers are increasingly targeting undocumented immigrants workers who return home at night carrying their wages in cash. According to a story in The New York Times, these cash-carrying immigrants, known as “walking ATMs,” rarely complain to the police because of their immigration status. Allan Wernick talks about why this is such a painful fact of life for undocumented immigrants and what their employers can do to help them become less of a target.
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License Issue in National Spotlight

mboutros — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:08:04 +0000

Gov. Spitzer's now abandoned plan to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants is also playing out on the national stage. Allan Wernick discusses comments made by Sen. Hillary Clinton and other presidential candidates on immigration during a recent national debate. Listen Now

No-Match Letter On Hold

mboutros — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:07:39 +0000

A federal court judge has stalled a new rule by the Social Security Administration -- known as the no-match letter -- that would use SSA records for immigration enforcement. Allan Wernick talks about what happened. Prof. Wernick also weighs in on whether the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' citizenship test was worth its $6.5 million price tag. Listen Now

Immigrants File Lawsuit

mboutros — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:36:15 +0000

In response to a wave of armed raids on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, fifteen Hispanic men and women — including seven U.S. citizens — in the New York City area filed a federal lawsuit accusing immigration officials of violating their civil rights. Allan Wernick discusses the tactics being used by ICE and whether complaints from the Nassau County Police Department over their techniques will have an impact.
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