The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of prisoners at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility, describing the for-profit prison as a filthy, dangerous facility “operating in a perpetual state of crisis” where prisoners are at “grave risk of death and loss of limbs” and often resort to setting fires to receive medical attention. 

As lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue the mark-up of Senate bill 744 – otherwise known as comprehensive immigration reform – there has been the usual beltway chatter that comes with high-profile legislation. Everyone loves to play armchair quarterback – or armchair senator – analyzing what each amendment means for the fate of this bill. But political junkies and lawmakers need to see beyond the usual political games and talking points.

Registration is now open for the 12th annual National Mix It Up at Lunch Day event, sponsored by the SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance program. More than 5,000 schools across the country are expected to take part in the event, set for Oct. 29.

Several plans to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, including Senate Bill 744, contain important protections for U.S. and foreign workers that must be preserved as the legislation moves through Congress. But they lack critical protections to prevent foreign workers from enduring the kind of exploitation prevalent in the current H-2 guest worker program.