New Mexico Taxation Injustices

On April 12^th, 2016, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, MALDEF announced that the state legislators have filed a joint lawsuit in attempts to stop the continuation of the unlawful withholding of millions of US dollars from immigrant taxpayers that use ITINs, short for federal Individual Tax Identification numbers, to file their reports. Their lawsuit is against the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department (“TRD”), which is the department responsible for withholding this money and this discriminatory policy.

MALDEF believes that, “The Taxation and Revenue Department has usurped the authority of New Mexico lawmakers by creating a discriminatory policy never reviewed or approved by the legislature.” Southwest Regional Counsel, Marisa Bono states, “We look forward to representing these elected officials as they seek to restore balance to the separation of powers.”

MALDEF is ethical in their stance to represent the three New Mexico state legislators who are filing this case against the department, due to the fact that this department is overstepping their boundaries and essentially imposing their own rules without proper government approval. According to Democratic Sen. Gerald Ortiz, given the same documents, the federal government gave them (the immigrants) the refund back without any issues. Before 2012, New Mexico was also providing these refunds, then all of the sudden they decided that there was, “something wrong with giving refunds back to people who are undocumented.”

This discrimination that is felt towards the Latino population, especially immigrants, is what brings about unification and fuels the fire to fight to bring an end to it. Eric Hoffer, in his book, “The True Believer,” notes that unification is, “more a process of diminution than of addition. In order for a person to be assimilated into the collective medium, a person has to be stripped of his individual distinctness.” This is exactly what this New Mexico department is doing as they make immigrants feel like lesser individuals when they deprive them of this right, in addition to others. The federal government provides these rights, while the own state in which these immigrants reside in does not. This message and discriminatory action simply rallies the Latino population together, unifying them as they ask for a call to action. Now they are receiving a reaction to this request of theirs as three state legislatures, with the help of MALDEF, seek to restore justice and bring an end to this New Mexico policy.

 

Citations:

Alikhani, L. (2016, April 13). Santa Fe judge considering injunction filed by MALDEF. Retrieved April 21, 2016, from http://www.koat.com/news/santa-fe-judge-considering-injunction-filed-by-maldef/38995372

THREE STATE LEGISLATORS SEEK TO JOIN LAWSUIT AGAINST NEW MEXICO TAXATION AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/2016_04-12_Three_State_Legislators_Seek_To_Join_Lawsuit_Against_NM_Tax_Department/

 

Equality and Clarity in Law

On April 5^th, 2016 MALDEF decided to file a lawsuit against Bruce Rauner, Govenor of Illinois. They are demanding that the court ask him to release information on the appointees to state board of commissions, which includes their gender, ethnicity, and disability status. This is a direct publication that is required from the governor based off of the statements in the Illinois Gubernatorial Boards and Commissions Act (AKA “The Act”). Governor Rauner should have submitted the information of the people he himself appointed back in October 2015, but he unfortunately failed to do so.

The governor has clearly violated the law and MALDEF believes that this should be dealt with accordingly. Their goal is to make sure that Governor Rauner complies with the law and releases this data, and in addition, they are requesting that this information be required for all of the applicants of the position.

Although not all laws are ethical and some may seem , I believe that it is ethical for MALDEF (and the plaintiff) to file this lawsuit for a number of reasons.

• They want the Governor to handle his job seriously and obey the laws. As a citizen of Illinois, the plaintiff has a clear right to have a Governor that behaves in the manner that is asked of him by the state law. If the defendant (governor) does not carry out his duty, then he is essentially violating the rights of not only the plaintiff, but of all the citizens of the state of Illinois. His failure to do so not only undermines the authority of the state law but also the overall purpose behind this Act.

• In addition, by not providing this basic information, the Governor is withholding qualities about the appointees that he made which can lead to employment issues of discrimination. MALDEF attempts to make the workplace, and place of law, discrimination free. They attempt to end this specifically for the ethnicity of Latinos, but in this case, the discrimination they are fighting against include race and disabilities, in addition to ethnicity.

By fighting for this law and bringing to light this violation that Governor Rauner committed, MALDEF is stressing the importance of following the laws of society and avoiding loopholes that bring discrimination. According to his book, “Ethical Arguments,” Hugh Mercer Curtler argues that justification “is the process of combining factual evidence, strong argumentation, and the ethical principles to establish that an action was the right thing to do.” As an organization that fights for the rights through litigation, justification is something MALDEF is constantly using and appealing to in the courts. They justify each of their claims and have to support what they say with ethical arguments and facts. This is the basis of MALDEF’s core for bringing about change, and this is what they use even in this case when filing a lawsuit over a violation, that to others, may not seem large enough for MALDEF go after. MALDEF values ethics and the ethical fight that comes with bringing an end to discrimination. They do this with all of their actions and at the end of the day they simply want clarity and equality- the exact objective of this specific lawsuit against Governor Bruce Rauner.

 

Citations:

MALDEF SUES TO ENFORCE TRANSPARENCY IN ILLINOIS GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER’S APPOINTMENTS TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/2016_04-05_MALDEF_Sues_To_Enforce_Transparency_In_Illinois_Appointments/

Curtler, H. M. (2004). Ethical argument: Critical thinking in ethics. New York: Oxford University Press.

Latino Voting Power

This past Monday, on April 4^th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that upheld the practice of equalizing electoral districts based off of the total population. This ruling came from the specific case, Evenwel v. Abbott, which challenged the “one person, one vote,” doctrine and the use of total population under this specific document. What really triggered the notion that the electoral districts, both at the state and local, level needed to be redrawn after each Census, was the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection doctrine.

In response to this decision, MALDEF’s Thomas A. Saenz, said, “In a tremendous victory for democratic representation that recognizes that all constituents count, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the plaintiffs’ fatally flawed argument that states should count only voters in drawing districts. Moreover, a strong majority opinion makes it clear that the weight of history and experience are strongly against departing from the use of anything other than total population in drawing districts within a state. Any state that seeks to use some measure of less than total population does so at great constitutional peril. The bottom line is that this distracting string of cases, funded by the far right, has reached its ignominious end.”

MALDEF represented the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus and the Texas House Mexican American Legislative Caucus whenever they filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, advising the court of relevant, additional information and arguments that they believe the court should to consider. Specifically, the Supreme Court ended up citing some of the maps that MALDEF provided that included a Texas redistricting plan. Additionally, they included maps that MALDEF provided that revealed the negative consequences of changing the apportionment base.

MALDEF understands the importance of having all voices heard and this decision that was reached really does protect the rights of all people within this nation to not only be represented by their officials but to also be counted when ever the electoral maps are drawn. MALDEF was so passionate that they even gave evidence and suggestions to the Supreme Court as to why there is a necessity to end this “assault” on Latino voting power. They called on rights based rhetoric, like they normally do within the legal setting, to stress the importance of having equality within voting. This really hits their missions of protecting Latino voters at all levels of government, and the fact that they even deal with the Supreme Court emphasizes the kind of power and influence that MALDEF yields.

Citation:

“MALDEF ACCLAIMS SUPREME COURT DECISION ENDING RIGHT-WING ASSAULT ON LATINO VOTING POWER.” MALDEF ACCLAIMS SUPREME COURT DECISION ENDING RIGHT-WING ASSAULT ON LATINO VOTING POWER. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

 

MALDEF fights for Educational Rights

On March 9^th, 2016 the Mexican American Defense and Educational Fund sued the University system of Georgia for denying immigrants with deportation deferrals the right to pay in-state tuition. Their lawsuit argues that this Georgia State practice violates clauses of the Constitution, such as the Supremacy and Equal Protections clause. Additionally, MALDEF argues that they are violating U.S. law that anyone present with legal permission is entitled to in-state tuition. The university system’s board of regents disagrees, however, and believes that students awarded deportation deferrals through the 2012 DACA act, the Deferred Action through Childhood Arrivals program, are not lawfully present. This is why Georgia has decided to refuse in-state tuition and why MALDEF is now stepping in.

MALDEF believes that the ideas and regulations being instituted here are having terrible effects on the Latino community in the United States, but especially within Georgia. President and General Counsel, Thomas Saenz, spoke on this subject suggesting, “In an era when too many purported leaders maliciously target hardworking immigrants prepared to contribute to our nation’s future success, this Georgia university policy is antithetical to the state’s own interests.” He then continues to argue how unlawful the policy is and how MALDEF’s lawsuit, “promises to reopen the doors of higher education to some of the state’s best and brightest students.” Georgia is essentially telling well-qualified students, mostly from the Latino Community, that they are not in-state students even though they have lived in the state for most of their lives. Victor Viramontes, MALDEF National Senior Counsel steps in commenting “These state educators are effectively making it harder for Georgia’s students to become educated, and they are violating federal constitutional guarantees in executing their destructive educational policies.”

MALDEF has a very strong case and this lawsuit fits right in to their mission to provide better educational opportunities for Latinos through litigation. Additionally, they are implementing strategies that call on basic rights laid out in the United States Constitution. This therefore suggests ethical appeals of logic and Americanism.

In the book, “Persuasion and Social Movements,” Stewart, Smith, and Denton dive into some of the difficulties that are faced with social movements as they try to change societal norms or values, which is essentially what MALDEF is attempting to achieve here. They stress that although movements have been classified as a struggle for either, in reality, they affect both norms and values. This is due to the fact that you cannot truly change one without causing an affect on the other. They argue that social movements that strive to enhance values of equality and justice ultimately result in legislative and court decisions. These are examples of normative changes within our society, and by fighting Georgia in this case MALDEF is attempting to emphasize values of equality and impact legal changes to make this possible.

 

Citations:

MALDEF FILES SUIT AGAINST UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA FOR DENYING DEFERRED ACTION STUDENTS IN-STATE TUITION.” 9 Mar. 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

Stewart, Charles J., Craig Allen Smith, and Robert E. Denton. Persuasion and Social Movements. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1984. Print.

 

 

Impacts at a Community Level

In their news release on February 10^th, MALDEF announced that they reached a settlement agreement with Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD ) in San Diego, California. This agreement focused on changing the election system that is currently an at-large process to a by-district system for all five of the positions for the Board of Directors of FPUD. MALDEF has been tackling this issue since last summer when they initially filed a lawsuit as they argued that the current system violated the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. They believed that the at-large system discriminated against the Latino minority votes of the area because it prevented Latinos from electing the candidates they favored. President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz emphasized, “like many special districts, FPUD has a tremendous impact on the lives of its residents, so it is critical that the FPUD Board represent all of its residents… This settlement protects the rights of Latino voters and places the district on track for a more robust and inclusive future.”

With over 44% of the overall population being represented by the Latinos, it is important to add diversity to the board, which hasn’t seen a Latino serve in more than two decades. This settlement will help ensure there is a greater opportunity for Latinos to elect their desired candidate and MALDEF has also committed to personally help Fallbrook in order to make sure the community is being heard in the FPUD election system.

MALDEF’s strategies of remaining persistent and using the strong supporting argument of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 paid off as they were able to settle with FPUD instead of having to enter the complete trial phase of the legal system. Curtler emphasizes in his book, “Ethical Arguments, Critical Thinking in EthicS,” that it is important that, “we learn how to construct and deconstruct and what it makes them good (strong) or bad (weak).” (PG. 84) By bringing the California Voting Rights Act MALDEF is bringing in what Curtler calls “strict implication” as “they obey rules and implied premises” of the past with the voting rights act. This makes their argument structure strong and definitely aided their case.

Additionally, the messages they are sending through this complaint with the Fallbrook Public Utility District emphasizes their importance of making the Latino voice heard. Their commitment to help Fallbrook reveals how MALDEF cares about personal communities, making strong impacts, and having victories in a vast range of locations and legal settings. Although MALDEF is a large civic advocacy group that has impacts at the national and Supreme Court level, cases such as these really showcase MALDEF’s desire to affect people on a personal level. They want to show communities that they represent their individual issues and needs.

MALDEF’S decision to settle here is an ethical one because they are ultimately defending the voice of Latinos. This is at the root of their mission and their willingness to help shows their commitment to social change by helping communities by recommending concepts and community behavior regarding what is right and wrong.

 

 

Citations:

Curtler, H. M. (2004). Ethical argument: Critical thinking in ethics. New York: Oxford University Press.

News Releases. (2016, February 10). Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/index.html

Confronting Employment Discrimination

In their news release on January 26^th , 2016 MALDEF announced that they defeated yet another effort by the national airline cleaning company Gate Gourmet, Inc to avoid a trial in court for employment discrimination. This third-party contractor for Delta Airlines, which cleans and stocks planes in between flights, implemented a rule where they forbade their employees from speaking Spanish while also enforcing an “English Only” policy. Gate Gourmet, Inc has attempted numerous times to get this case dismissed, however the Court has officially decided to move forward due to MALDEF’s persistence and string argument, and they are now looking forward to fighting for justice.

This case definitely suits what MALDEF is attempting to change at the national level in terms of incorporating the Latin culture into the American culture. By focusing on how Latinos communicate in this legal setting, they are emphasizing how all of the elements, even the language of the culture, need to be accepted by the United States, not just certain ones. Eliminating workplace discrimination on the basis of language is, after all, a key vision of MALDEF and by fighting for this right to speak Spanish, they emphasize the power and importance they see in communication. With these Spanish-speaking employees of Gate Gourmet, MALDEF is simply trying to seek justice for the right to work without harassment and the right to implement the Latino culture into everyday life.

Another reason this is an important case for MALDEF and for their advancement of Latino equality, is because the Spanish language is one of the greatest and most obvious characteristics of the Latin culture. If a company is prohibiting the use of Spanish, then they are essentially portraying the message that they prohibit the Latin culture and its people. If they end up being successful, this case will prove to be an accomplishment for their overarching theme of ending discrimination. Although this case does not involve litigation for education, immigrant, or voting rights, I think it is a very clever strategy for progressing MALDEF’s ultimate goals. The decision to take this case and defend these Spanish- Speaking employees showcases their great desire to further Latino participation and inclusion within life here in the U.S., and speaking strategically, I think it is a very smart move on their behalf as the goal resonates completely with the social change they are attempting to accomplish.

 

Citation:

“MALDEF DEFEATS REPEATED EFFORTS BY NATIONAL AIRLINE CLEANING COMPANY TO AVOID TRIAL IN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CASE.” MALDEF DEFEATS REPEATED EFFORTS BY NATIONAL AIRLINE CLEANING COMPANY TO AVOID TRIAL IN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CASE. N.p., 26 Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

MALDEF Files Against Texas HB 11 Bill

Recently I have been focusing on things that MALDEF has accomplished and changed in the past. But what are they doing to advance Latino equality today?

On January 25^th, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas, MALDEF filed a lawsuit against the Texas House Bill 11’s immigration law that implements border security initiatives and was signed nearly a year ago by Governor Greg Abott. MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, argues that the “HB 11 accomplishes nothing but to embroil Texas in litigation and to divide the state in the name of political gamesmanship… Moreover, the law targets humanitarian service providers and property owners simply conducting business with other Texans.”

The plaintiffs in this case include the Executive director of RAICES, which is an organization that helps find shelter and provide legal advice to undocumented immigrants in the United States, and two different landlords that do not ask their tenants to provide their immigration status in order to rent from them. The main issue that MALDEF is focusing on under this HB 11 is that these individuals are now targeted because anyone who “encourages or induces an individual to enter or remain in this country is in violation of federal law by concealing, harboring, or shielding that person from detection,” with a felony charge.

MALDEF is fighting this case because they argue “Texas already has enough laws to protect us from human smuggling without targeting religious and non-profit organizations that care for immigrants.” Nina Perales, the Vice President of Litigation of MALDEF also continues to state that, “The U.S. Supreme Court, as well as federal courts in Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina have all struck down, as unconstitutional, state-enacted immigrant harboring laws like the one in HB 11.”

MALDEF is hard at work fighting this case and has sent out an official legal complaint questioning the constitutionality of this law. Only a day later, the local media picked up this story and began to write about it and spread the word of what was occurring. As we now live in a new, digital age that is cluttered by mass media, this platform has power unlike ever before. The media helps inform audiences, provide information and entertainment, generate political ideas, structure policies and agendas, and most importantly for MALDEF, the media helps mobilize and spread the messages of political and social change organizations, figures, and events.

The complicated issues that surround media that MALDEF needs to be aware of are that media can either be used positively in order to further a cause or it can be used to oppose a cause. Sometimes media looks for the “drama” that is attached with stories of these groups and won’t pick up their messages because they don’t feel inclined to do so. In addition, the media can prove to be harmful at times as they display inaccurate representation of facts. Mobilization and support heavily depend on the media and how the media decides to portray the news is the key to both public persuasion and sentiments. MALDEF will have to keep an eye on the media as this complaint they filed progresses, and realize that their actions have implications not only in the legal scene but also the within media and society.

 

CITATIONS

“MALDEF Sues Texas Over Immigrant Harboring Law.” San Antonio Current. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

“MALDEF FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TEXAS IMMIGRANT HARBORING LAW.” MALDEF FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TEXAS IMMIGRANT HARBORING LAW. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

Immigration in Politics Today

Continuing on the topic of Latino immigration, in this post I will be focusing on the current political climate, how the issue of immigration is gaining momentum within this climate, and what MALDEF is doing in order to advocate for the preservation of rights for immigrants who have come to the U.S. for matters regarding personal and economic freedoms.

In mid June of 2015, reality television host and acclaimed businessman Donald Trump gave an official presidential candidacy announcement. He stated, “we are going to make our country great again” and discussed some key points he wanted to focus on throughout his campaign. He proceeded to give his speech for his presidential campaign launch and focused on the issue of immigration, specifically immigration from Mexico. He then openly expressed that our country has a serious problem and that, “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems.” He then continues and explains, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” He openly degraded Latinos in his speech for Presidency of the United States and insulted all of us, not just Mexicans.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition after hearing these claims did not stand back. They ended up commenting on these defamations and called Trump out after for his “bigoted, racist, anti-Latino rant.” Donald Trump did not like these comments they made towards him and threatened to face them with a lawsuit if they did not put a stop to their advocacy efforts as an organization. Donald took these strong remarks they made, after he arguably did the same, if not worse, as he broadcasted the original racist comments that sparked their response.

This is where MALDEF stepped in.

They communicated that the National Hispanic Media Coalition would not render their defense of the Latino community to Trump and the outrageous comments he made during his Presidential announcement. Trump wanted a legal fight and the NHMC was prepared to give it to him with the aid of MALDEF. Tom Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) agreed to defend them against any and all litigation menaces. They were aware that Donald Trump was a major opponent, but MALDEF, like their defendant the NHCMC, was prepared to tackle this battle. This legal stance never ended up occurring as tensions eventually eased, however, MALDEF was prepared to follow through with their legal expertise and uphold their reputation as the “legal firm of the Latino community.”

Donald Trump represents the exact opposite of what MALDEF is trying to achieve as a civil rights advocacy group. Trump is spreading Latino hate, increasing anti-immigration state sentiments, providing legal and factual inaccuracies, and creating cultural divisions. Despite all of these treacherous statements, Trump has actually gained popularity. Although it is difficult to believe, the reason why he is gaining popularity is because of his ability to manipulate communication strategies, enhance the power of fear, and “other-ise” Latinos.

Many parallels can be seen with Trump and the techniques and strategies that were being implemented with McCarthyism during the Red Scare. Senator McCarthy cared little about the accuracy and consequences of the charges he was making and took advantage of intimidation and persuasiveness with suggestions. These same communication strategies of the past are now being used by Trump today. The bullying tactics and exaggeration of both politicians prey on the American fear of the “other. In McCarthy’s era it was the fear of communism. Today, Trump is making the “other” Mexican immigrants who are here to threaten American way of life much like communism did back in the day. MALDEF strives to minimize these feelings by making immigration reform at the state, local, and federal levels one of their top priorities. They publicly support and fight for sensible, effective changes to U.S. immigration policy and Donald Trump is a figure that is a threat for the more inclusive America that MALDEF is actively trying to progress.

 

Citations:

Bennett, Anita. “Donald Trump Threatens to Sue National Hispanic Media Coalition.” N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.

“Here’s Donald Trump’s Presidential Announcement Speech.” Time. Time, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.

“MALDEF.” MALDEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.

Wall, Wendy. “Anti-Communism in the 1950s.” (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

 

Immigration

People from all around the world immigrate to the United States in search for a better life, new start, and fresh opportunity. The American dream of working hard and building from the ground up appeals to all people, which is why immigration affects almost every aspect, institution, city, and state within the United States. It is, after all, what our national identity is based upon and a core principle of the American culture.

Among all of the ethnicities that immigrate to the United States, Latinos are in fact the fastest growing ethic population. Due to this, MALDEF’s actions and aspirations could not be more important. They are a major part of the fight to not only create but also preserve the rights of all of these individuals that have come to the United States in search for economic and personal freedom. In order to curb the anti-immigration and anti- Latino sentiments and stereotypes that are found in the political and public stages of the last 10 years, MALDEF has created the Truth in Immigration project. The main objective of this project is to argue against legal and factual errors about immigrants and Latinos through media channels of television and the Internet. For example, their YouTube channel, although a little older, (link provided at the bottom) has garnered thousands of views as they dispel some of these discriminatory comments that public and authority figures have voiced. They feel that the inaccuracies being broadcasted and shared increase violence, prejudice, and intolerance in addition to threatening the safety of everyone. MALDEF also stresses that these consequences affect reasonableness and negatively affect immigration reform as well as other key issues.

MALDEF cares immensely about the rights and treatment of immigrants, which is something we saw surface in this week’s discussion. As we took a closer look at the Labor Movement, one of the major influencers of this time was Cesar Chavez, a Mexican American farm worker who became a powerful labor leader and eventual co-founder the National Farm Workers Association. Cesar Chavez not only wanted to change the treatment, working conditions, and safety standards of the farm workers, he also wanted to lessen the discrimination and advance the civil rights of Latinos across the United States. Chavez became one of the best Latino American civil rights activists and he did so while also successfully promoting the American Labor Movement. He leveraged both of the issues he was passionate about progressing, and each proved to be beneficial for the advancement of the other. Many of MALDEF’s key values can also be seen in Cesar Chavez’s work as both promote social change for Latino community. Cesar Chavez brought up the original issues, and now MALDEF is expanding them and being the legal voice for all of the injustices experienced today.

Link to youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TruthInImmigration

Citations

“MALDEF: About.” MALDEF: About. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

MALDEF’s Legal Accomplishments

For my opening blog posts I want to stress the importance and analyze the impact that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund has had on Latinos in the U.S with some of their most significant legal accomplishments from the past. If it were not for this national civil rights group’s passion to end oppression and their abilities to act on these passions, the Latino population and the rights that we currently have today would not be the same. In this blog post, I will mainly be focusing on what is arguably one of MALDEF’s biggest strides to end discrimination and level the playing field in education with their involvement in U.S. Supreme Court Case, Plyler v. Doe.

In the year 1982, MALDEF received a major legal victory as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Texas law that involved charging undocumented immigrants tuition for their children’s education. The Supreme Court ruled that this Texas law was unconstitutional and stated that public schools could not deny immigrant students access to public education. The Court governed that undocumented students had the same right to free education as United States residents, and that students were obligated to attend school until they reached a specific age decided by the state. This victory, based on the 14^th Amendment’s due-process and equal protection clause, opened schools to all students equally, no matter the immigration status or ethnicity. MALDEF’s fight and eventual victory in the Plyler v. Doe case raised key issues of civil rights to the Supreme Court level and cemented constitutional principles of education and equal opportunity throughout the nation.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund stands for the advancement of social, political, and economic equality for Latinos in the United States. As can be seen from their mission and work in this court case, many parallels can be drawn between them and the goals and ambitions of the African American Civil Rights Movement that lasted from 1919 to the 1960s. Both advocate for equal access, equal opportunities, and call for end to discrimination within the United States as they fight for similar issues, such as education.

For example, Freedom Summer, a pro-African American campaign during the Civil Rights Movement, focused on many issues of equality between the races, but one of their most pressing agendas was empowerment through education. They created dozens of “Freedom Schools” which provided collaborative education to African Americans that had been denied the right to proper schooling in the past. They focused on their culture’s history, politics, and literacy, completely free of charge to adults and children. In a way, this is the same goal that MALDEF was focusing on and attempting to advance in the Plyler v. Roe case. MALDEF argued (and continues to do so today) that the right to equal education opportunity is a civil liberty that cannot be taken away. Education is the key to success and integration within society and MALDEF as well as Freedom Summer knew this importance. No matter the income, ethnicity, or language, everyone has a fundamental to right to education. This is something MALDEF has advanced for not only Latinos but for all nationalities within the U.S.

 

Citations:

“Providing Access to a Quality Education.” MALDEF:. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Freedom Summer (June–August 1964) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed.” Freedom Summer (June–August 1964) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Summary – Plyler vs. Doe – 1982.” Summary – Plyler vs. Doe – 1982. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.