Public Policy

MALDEF SUPPORTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS TO ENSURE SCHOOL FUNDING GETS TO STUDENTS IT IS SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT

Sep 2, 2016 | , ,

WASHINGTON, DC – MALDEF supports the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulation on school funding, released yesterday. The regulation would implement a school finance provision known as “supplement not supplant” in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, reauthorized in December 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Equal Ballot Access for All

Aug 24, 2016 | ,

MALDEF was a driving force behind the 1975 federal Voting Rights Act renewal that extended protections to Latinos and the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA), which made it easi-er for protected groups to prove that their votes are being diluted. We engage with community groups to keep them up to date on their voting rights.

MALDEF/ LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF STATEMENTS ON U.S. SUPREME COURT AFFIRMATION OF RACE-CONSCIOUS ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS

Jun 24, 2016 | , ,

WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, the Supreme Court affirmed the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Fisher v. University of Texas, and held that that the University of Texas at Austin’s race-conscious admission program is lawful under the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Late last year, MALDEF and LatinoJustice PRLDEF filed an amicus brief on behalf of over 20 national Latino advocacy groups supporting the race-conscious admissions program. Statements from MALDEF and LatinoJustice PRLDEF in reaction to today’s decision are below.

MALDEF DENOUNCES SUPREME COURT FAILURE TO ACT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON IMMIGRATION

Jun 24, 2016 | , ,

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 4-4 non-decision, failed to act on President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Today’s ruling creates no new law and does not decide whether DAPA and Expanded DACA are legal. Instead, it leaves in place a lower court block of the initiatives pending further litigation. As a result, the Jane Does, three undocumented Texas mothers who entered the case to defend the initiatives, will be unable to apply for temporary protection from removal. The Jane Does are represented by MALDEF, which argued in the appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court in April.

Preventing Workplace Harassment

Jun 1, 2016 | ,

As a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace, MALDEF’s president helped examine ways to establish non-discriminatory workplaces.

MALDEF PRAISES U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION ON ITS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF FAMILIES IN DETENTION CENTERS AND AN END TO CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING OF IMMIGRANT FAMILY DETENTION

Sep 19, 2015 | , ,

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Yesterday, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR), an independent and bipartisan agency that advises the President and Congress on civil rights matters, released its report on the state of civil rights at immigration detention centers in the United States. MALDEF testimony is cited throughout the report, which outlines a series of federal and constitutional violations at immigration detention facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. MALDEF and other groups filed a complaint last year with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanding the immediate investigation of and swift response to widespread allegations of sexual abuse and harassment at the detention center in Karnes City.

CALIFORNIA GOV. BROWN SIGNS MALDEF-SPONSORED BILL TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM ARBITRARY DISCRIMINATION

Sep 10, 2015 | , ,

SACRAMENTO, CA – Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 600, a bill authored by Senator Richard Pan, barring discrimination based on citizenship, language, or immigration status. MALDEF initiated and sponsored the legislation, and thanks Gov. Brown for signing it into law. The law clarifies the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and provides clear notice to business proprietors that they cannot discriminate in public accommodations.