Ugly racial litmus tests
By Ruben Navarrette
Are we post-racial yet? Not so much.
Recently, there have been some ugly racial skirmishes. And we're not talking about the hate crimes, ethnic harassment and racial discrimination that get so much publicity. Sometimes, the harshest attacks are intraracial. They occur within the family. More....
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Latino students targeted by Georgia colleges
Georgia colleges recruit growing population of Latino students
By Laura Diamond, AJC
If Georgia’s public colleges are to succeed -- and the state’s economy is to flourish -- during the next couple of decades, recruiters must learn how to convince a growing group of students, and their families, that higher education is a good deal.
Already they are trying out new tactics to recruit Latino students, a group that will soon make up nearly one in four of Georgia’s college-age residents. Sheer numbers make this an increasingly desirable demographic for colleges and for the state’s economic well-being.
But reaching these students can be daunting. Recruiters and students face several obstacles financial and cultural, including language barriers, teens’ desires to support their families, a lack of knowledge about college and concerns over how to pay for it — especially if they are undocumented.
That means recruiters have to do more than just hang up posters in high school guidance offices. Instead, having learned the crucial role family plays, they go where students and their relatives are — churches, festivals, sporting events and other community gatherings.
Last month, Georgia Perimeter College recruiter Eric Cuevas waited until people walked up to his booth at Fiesta Georgia, one of the state’s largest Latino festivals. Then he approached them, talked about the two-year college and put fliers in their hands.
“If you want to get the students, you have to win over the ‘abuelas,’” Cuevas said, highlighting the Spanish word for grandmothers. “Part of recruiting these students is reassuring the mom, grandmother, uncle and everyone in the student’s life that college is the right next step.”
Enrollments will depend on how well they recruit these students, many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, experts said. Dozens of recruiters are expected at the National Hispanic College Fair taking place Wednesday at Meadowcreek High in Norcross.
Beyond college enrollment, leaders say the students' success is crucial for Georgia's economic standing.
"We are talking about our future students, but we're also talking about Georgia's future workforce," said Lisa Rossbacher, president of Southern Polytechnic State University. "It is critical to everyone that these students receive a college education. We've all had to look at how to recruit and support these students and that conversation must include the whole family."
Rossbacher chaired a task force in the late 1990s looking at how the University System of Georgia should address the growing population. In 1994, Latinos made up 1.6 percent of the enrollment at the state's public colleges and universities. Last year, Latinos made up 3.5 percent -- or 9,874 students out of the state's total enrollment of 282,978.
But in just 15 years, nearly one in four college-age students in the U.S. will be Latino, a national statistic that mirrors what is happening even more quickly in Georgia. Latinos comprised 4 percent of the state’s high school graduates in 2005, but they are projected to be 24 percent by 2022.
In response to the changing demographics, colleges hired bilingual recruiters and printed admissions and financial aid brochures in Spanish. Southern Polytechnic, Georgia State University and others set up mentoring and scholarship programs for Latino students. Georgia State, the University of Georgia and others hold special recruiting programs tailored for Latino students and their families.
Yet challenges remain. While 89 percent of Latinos questioned say college is important, only 48 percent plan to get a degree, according to a national survey released this month by the Pew Hispanic Center.
“I see so many students who are torn over whether they should go to college,” said Kim Stewart, a graduation coach at North Gwinnett High in Suwanee. “Whether it is a real need or a perception, so many feel obligated to support their families financially. And then we have some parents who didn’t get an advanced education here or in their home countries and don’t understand the need for college.”
About 75 percent of Latino students who cut their education short do so because of family obligations, according to the Pew survey.
Mauricio Chavez, a sophomore at Newton High School, filled out a postcard at last month's Fiesta Georgia to get more information about Georgia Perimeter. He completed the form in English, speaking to relatives in Spanish.
“Of course I want to go to college, but I need to take care of my family, too,” he said.
Margarita Munoz, director of GSU’s Office of Latino Student Services and Outreach, said many students lack motivation and knowledge about college. To help, her office started a program that pairs college students with high school students to help teens understand that going to college is possible, she said.
Colleges often rely on current students in other ways to help with recruiting.
"I was just like them," said Justin Fraley, 19, a student at Georgia Perimeter. "A lot of them look up to the people they see on their street. If they don’t have a doctor or lawyer or someone with a college degree on their street, how do they know they can do it?"
Fraley tells high school students about the Hispanic Connection club, which serves as a support network for Latino students and allows members to organize culture events for the entire college.
Cuevas, the Georgia Perimeter recruiter, takes care to assure families of the support in place for their children. At Fiesta Georgia he spoke with a mother and grandmother confused about the college letters their boy, a high school senior, received. None were written in Spanish.
The conversation followed a pattern that Cuevas said is typical for Latinos. While other families frequently ask about admission requirements first, he said many Latinos first ask about cost and whether the campus is safe. Then they ask if there are people who speak Spanish and who will help their child if they struggle. Only after those concerns are appeased do they ask about admission, he said.
Cuevas said many Latino families are reluctant to take on debt to pay for college. He explained spending money on college now will help students earn higher salaries later.
Undocumented students have more financial obstacles. They can attend a public college but they must pay out-of-state tuition, even if they graduated from a Georgia high school. Out-of-state tuition can be triple what state residents pay.
While the state doesn't track how many undocumented students pay out-of-state tuition, it's clear their higher costs make college much less affordable. These students are not eligible for the state's academic HOPE scholarship and their immigration status means they cannot apply for government grants or low-cost loans.
Some scholarships are available and there are foundations that award scholarships without requiring proof of citizenship. Even so, the majority of Latinos in college enroll part-time and work at the same time, according to Excelencia in Education, a national nonprofit that works to improve Latino success in college.
For his part, Georgia Perimeter's Cuevas tells parents their children will work hard and see benefits later in life. Families make him promise to protect their children, he said.
"I've had parents call me if their child gets a parking ticket," Cuevas said. "I basically hold students' and their families' hands from the first time I meet them in high school until they show up in college."
By Laura Diamond, AJC
If Georgia’s public colleges are to succeed -- and the state’s economy is to flourish -- during the next couple of decades, recruiters must learn how to convince a growing group of students, and their families, that higher education is a good deal.
Already they are trying out new tactics to recruit Latino students, a group that will soon make up nearly one in four of Georgia’s college-age residents. Sheer numbers make this an increasingly desirable demographic for colleges and for the state’s economic well-being.
But reaching these students can be daunting. Recruiters and students face several obstacles financial and cultural, including language barriers, teens’ desires to support their families, a lack of knowledge about college and concerns over how to pay for it — especially if they are undocumented.
That means recruiters have to do more than just hang up posters in high school guidance offices. Instead, having learned the crucial role family plays, they go where students and their relatives are — churches, festivals, sporting events and other community gatherings.
Last month, Georgia Perimeter College recruiter Eric Cuevas waited until people walked up to his booth at Fiesta Georgia, one of the state’s largest Latino festivals. Then he approached them, talked about the two-year college and put fliers in their hands.
“If you want to get the students, you have to win over the ‘abuelas,’” Cuevas said, highlighting the Spanish word for grandmothers. “Part of recruiting these students is reassuring the mom, grandmother, uncle and everyone in the student’s life that college is the right next step.”
Enrollments will depend on how well they recruit these students, many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, experts said. Dozens of recruiters are expected at the National Hispanic College Fair taking place Wednesday at Meadowcreek High in Norcross.
Beyond college enrollment, leaders say the students' success is crucial for Georgia's economic standing.
"We are talking about our future students, but we're also talking about Georgia's future workforce," said Lisa Rossbacher, president of Southern Polytechnic State University. "It is critical to everyone that these students receive a college education. We've all had to look at how to recruit and support these students and that conversation must include the whole family."
Rossbacher chaired a task force in the late 1990s looking at how the University System of Georgia should address the growing population. In 1994, Latinos made up 1.6 percent of the enrollment at the state's public colleges and universities. Last year, Latinos made up 3.5 percent -- or 9,874 students out of the state's total enrollment of 282,978.
But in just 15 years, nearly one in four college-age students in the U.S. will be Latino, a national statistic that mirrors what is happening even more quickly in Georgia. Latinos comprised 4 percent of the state’s high school graduates in 2005, but they are projected to be 24 percent by 2022.
In response to the changing demographics, colleges hired bilingual recruiters and printed admissions and financial aid brochures in Spanish. Southern Polytechnic, Georgia State University and others set up mentoring and scholarship programs for Latino students. Georgia State, the University of Georgia and others hold special recruiting programs tailored for Latino students and their families.
Yet challenges remain. While 89 percent of Latinos questioned say college is important, only 48 percent plan to get a degree, according to a national survey released this month by the Pew Hispanic Center.
“I see so many students who are torn over whether they should go to college,” said Kim Stewart, a graduation coach at North Gwinnett High in Suwanee. “Whether it is a real need or a perception, so many feel obligated to support their families financially. And then we have some parents who didn’t get an advanced education here or in their home countries and don’t understand the need for college.”
About 75 percent of Latino students who cut their education short do so because of family obligations, according to the Pew survey.
Mauricio Chavez, a sophomore at Newton High School, filled out a postcard at last month's Fiesta Georgia to get more information about Georgia Perimeter. He completed the form in English, speaking to relatives in Spanish.
“Of course I want to go to college, but I need to take care of my family, too,” he said.
Margarita Munoz, director of GSU’s Office of Latino Student Services and Outreach, said many students lack motivation and knowledge about college. To help, her office started a program that pairs college students with high school students to help teens understand that going to college is possible, she said.
Colleges often rely on current students in other ways to help with recruiting.
"I was just like them," said Justin Fraley, 19, a student at Georgia Perimeter. "A lot of them look up to the people they see on their street. If they don’t have a doctor or lawyer or someone with a college degree on their street, how do they know they can do it?"
Fraley tells high school students about the Hispanic Connection club, which serves as a support network for Latino students and allows members to organize culture events for the entire college.
Cuevas, the Georgia Perimeter recruiter, takes care to assure families of the support in place for their children. At Fiesta Georgia he spoke with a mother and grandmother confused about the college letters their boy, a high school senior, received. None were written in Spanish.
The conversation followed a pattern that Cuevas said is typical for Latinos. While other families frequently ask about admission requirements first, he said many Latinos first ask about cost and whether the campus is safe. Then they ask if there are people who speak Spanish and who will help their child if they struggle. Only after those concerns are appeased do they ask about admission, he said.
Cuevas said many Latino families are reluctant to take on debt to pay for college. He explained spending money on college now will help students earn higher salaries later.
Undocumented students have more financial obstacles. They can attend a public college but they must pay out-of-state tuition, even if they graduated from a Georgia high school. Out-of-state tuition can be triple what state residents pay.
While the state doesn't track how many undocumented students pay out-of-state tuition, it's clear their higher costs make college much less affordable. These students are not eligible for the state's academic HOPE scholarship and their immigration status means they cannot apply for government grants or low-cost loans.
Some scholarships are available and there are foundations that award scholarships without requiring proof of citizenship. Even so, the majority of Latinos in college enroll part-time and work at the same time, according to Excelencia in Education, a national nonprofit that works to improve Latino success in college.
For his part, Georgia Perimeter's Cuevas tells parents their children will work hard and see benefits later in life. Families make him promise to protect their children, he said.
"I've had parents call me if their child gets a parking ticket," Cuevas said. "I basically hold students' and their families' hands from the first time I meet them in high school until they show up in college."
Police Chiefs call for immigration reform
Police Leaders from Across the Country Call For Immigration Reform
The Latino Journal E-News Weekly, Vol. 2, Issue 3
Washington, DC – Leading police executives from states as diverse as California, Iowa and Texas joined a growing chorus of law enforcement officials calling for comprehensive immigration reform. The law enforcement leaders, who discussed the issue during a telephonic press conference, described how the broken immigration system damages public trust and harms public safety. They stressed the importance of getting input from state and local law enforcement as Congress prepares to take up immigration reform in early 2010.
The speakers called for reform legislation that would strengthen border security, restore the rule of law, and legalize undocumented workers in order to build relationships of trust between all residents and the police and enhance public safety.
One of the participants in the press call, Chief of Police Rick Braziel of Sacramento, CA, stated, “Our city is one of the most diverse and integrated cities in America. We celebrate our cultural heritage and differences and strive to be inclusive. We can’t afford to have a group of residents be afraid of reporting crime because they believe we may report them for deportation. To allow that fear to exist in the minds of victims or witnesses endangers them and the rest of the community and lets criminals off the hook. Without comprehensive immigration reform, we place our communities and our nation at risk. It is time for Congress to take action on immigration reform to increase public safety and encourage full civic participation from all members of our community.”
“We can’t have an officer on every corner so that we may feel safe, but we can expect every citizen to be our eyes and ears. When members of the community are afraid of the police, it is counterproductive to our mission of public safety and national security. Not calling the police because of a fear of deportation allows further victimization and harms public safety. Washington needs to address our failed immigration policies and needs to enact a comprehensive immigration reform immediately,” added Arturo Venegas, the retired Chief of Police from Sacramento and now the Project Director of the Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative (LEEI).
Sheriff Bill McCarthy of Polk County, Iowa said, “In my county we have immigrants working hard and contributing to the economy. They are part of the fabric of our communities. As we’ve seen following the government’s raid in Postville, the lack of comprehensive immigration reform is hurting local economies, breaking up families, and compromising community trust. We need to be sure that every person living here knows that they can talk to the police and report crimes. Law enforcement needs to stay focused on its mission of preventing and investigating crimes, not checking immigration status. Comprehensive immigration reform is overdue and needed from a law enforcement perspective.”
Deputy Chief Kim Lemaux of Arlington, Texas spoke about her police department’s participation in a year-long study conducted by the Police Foundation. “Here in Arlington, we came to the conclusion that the issue of immigration needs to remain the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies. Local police agencies are already tasked with enforcing state, local and traffic laws and we need all of our resources directed at those responsibilities.” The Police Foundation’s study culminated in a report, released in April, which highlighted the fact that civil immigration enforcement diverts local police departments from core priorities and harms their ability to work with members of the immigrant community to identify and solve crimes. Deputy Chief Lemaux added, “The Arlington Police Department operates under a community-policing strategy, working to keep all of our residents vested in the safety of their community. If a group of residents fear the police, then they will not turn to officers for help, making them more viable victims. It is imperative that we are able to reach residents in every community in order for local law enforcement to focus on its core mission, fighting crime. As Congress considers the future of immigration and possible reform in the upcoming session, it is important that the needs and abilities of local law enforcement be a part of the discussion.”
The Latino Journal E-News Weekly, Vol. 2, Issue 3
Washington, DC – Leading police executives from states as diverse as California, Iowa and Texas joined a growing chorus of law enforcement officials calling for comprehensive immigration reform. The law enforcement leaders, who discussed the issue during a telephonic press conference, described how the broken immigration system damages public trust and harms public safety. They stressed the importance of getting input from state and local law enforcement as Congress prepares to take up immigration reform in early 2010.
The speakers called for reform legislation that would strengthen border security, restore the rule of law, and legalize undocumented workers in order to build relationships of trust between all residents and the police and enhance public safety.
One of the participants in the press call, Chief of Police Rick Braziel of Sacramento, CA, stated, “Our city is one of the most diverse and integrated cities in America. We celebrate our cultural heritage and differences and strive to be inclusive. We can’t afford to have a group of residents be afraid of reporting crime because they believe we may report them for deportation. To allow that fear to exist in the minds of victims or witnesses endangers them and the rest of the community and lets criminals off the hook. Without comprehensive immigration reform, we place our communities and our nation at risk. It is time for Congress to take action on immigration reform to increase public safety and encourage full civic participation from all members of our community.”
“We can’t have an officer on every corner so that we may feel safe, but we can expect every citizen to be our eyes and ears. When members of the community are afraid of the police, it is counterproductive to our mission of public safety and national security. Not calling the police because of a fear of deportation allows further victimization and harms public safety. Washington needs to address our failed immigration policies and needs to enact a comprehensive immigration reform immediately,” added Arturo Venegas, the retired Chief of Police from Sacramento and now the Project Director of the Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative (LEEI).
Sheriff Bill McCarthy of Polk County, Iowa said, “In my county we have immigrants working hard and contributing to the economy. They are part of the fabric of our communities. As we’ve seen following the government’s raid in Postville, the lack of comprehensive immigration reform is hurting local economies, breaking up families, and compromising community trust. We need to be sure that every person living here knows that they can talk to the police and report crimes. Law enforcement needs to stay focused on its mission of preventing and investigating crimes, not checking immigration status. Comprehensive immigration reform is overdue and needed from a law enforcement perspective.”
Deputy Chief Kim Lemaux of Arlington, Texas spoke about her police department’s participation in a year-long study conducted by the Police Foundation. “Here in Arlington, we came to the conclusion that the issue of immigration needs to remain the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies. Local police agencies are already tasked with enforcing state, local and traffic laws and we need all of our resources directed at those responsibilities.” The Police Foundation’s study culminated in a report, released in April, which highlighted the fact that civil immigration enforcement diverts local police departments from core priorities and harms their ability to work with members of the immigrant community to identify and solve crimes. Deputy Chief Lemaux added, “The Arlington Police Department operates under a community-policing strategy, working to keep all of our residents vested in the safety of their community. If a group of residents fear the police, then they will not turn to officers for help, making them more viable victims. It is imperative that we are able to reach residents in every community in order for local law enforcement to focus on its core mission, fighting crime. As Congress considers the future of immigration and possible reform in the upcoming session, it is important that the needs and abilities of local law enforcement be a part of the discussion.”
NY Senator gets Latino support on immigration
Rep. Crowley and Members of Congress to President: We Need Immigration Reform Now
The Latino Journal E-News Weekly, Vol. 2, Issue 3
Washington, DC – Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) stressed the urgency for action on a comprehensive solution to our dysfunctional immigration system during a telephonic briefing with New York and national immigrant advocates. Rep. Crowley recently led 111 Democrats from the House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Obama to express their support and willingness to work with the President to make comprehensive immigration reform a legislative reality. The call was organized by the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.
"We need to maintain the momentum for comprehensive immigration reform, and I'm glad that we have advocates for reform who are willing to fight for what is best for our nation," said Rep. Joe Crowley, U.S. Representative for New York's 7th District. "Through our letter, 110 of my fellow colleagues and I sent a clear message to President Obama: we need his leadership to move immigration reform forward and we stand ready to support comprehensive reform that balances our nation's security needs with a realistic and humane solution for the estimated 12 million undocumented people already living in the United States. A lot of good work is being done in Congress now, and I am looking forward to working with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Make the Road New York, and the New York Immigration Coalition, as well as advocates from across the nation, to keep the issue at the center of our work in Congress. This is a moral imperative - the time is now."
"Every day that passes without immigration reform is one more day in which our friends, neighbors, and loved ones have to live in deep worry and fear. Our community members are paying the price for our collective failure to fix this dysfunctional immigration system," said Javier Valdes, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York, an immigrant-based group with over 7,000 members in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. "But we won't stop until we achieve real reform, and we applaud Representative Crowley for his vital effort to mobilize his House colleagues in support of immigration reform for all the decent, hardworking immigrant communities throughout our nation."
"Latino and immigrant voters made their voices loud and clear during the last election: they are demanding just and humane immigration reform for their communities. These voters are growing impatient; they have high expectations for change. Delaying reforms will only harm more families and hurt us as a nation. We're proud that Congressional leaders from New York are playing pivotal roles in moving immigration reform forward, and we join them in calling for strong and decisive action from President Obama and the House and Senate leadership," said Ms. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, an advocacy group representing nearly 200 organizations in New York State.
"The demand for reform is growing and the political muscle behind it is getting stronger", said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. "Across the country, communities are energized and increasingly engaged in immigration reform advocacy efforts. Diverse constituencies including labor, business, faith and civil rights and immigrant rights groups understand the fierce urgency of revamping our immigration system so it restores the rule of law, upholds our nation's values, treats immigrants with dignity, and responds to our nation's economic and labor needs."
A copy of the letter, including endorsing Members of Congress is available at tinyurl.com/CIR-letter-to-POTUS.
The Latino Journal E-News Weekly, Vol. 2, Issue 3
Washington, DC – Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) stressed the urgency for action on a comprehensive solution to our dysfunctional immigration system during a telephonic briefing with New York and national immigrant advocates. Rep. Crowley recently led 111 Democrats from the House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Obama to express their support and willingness to work with the President to make comprehensive immigration reform a legislative reality. The call was organized by the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.
"We need to maintain the momentum for comprehensive immigration reform, and I'm glad that we have advocates for reform who are willing to fight for what is best for our nation," said Rep. Joe Crowley, U.S. Representative for New York's 7th District. "Through our letter, 110 of my fellow colleagues and I sent a clear message to President Obama: we need his leadership to move immigration reform forward and we stand ready to support comprehensive reform that balances our nation's security needs with a realistic and humane solution for the estimated 12 million undocumented people already living in the United States. A lot of good work is being done in Congress now, and I am looking forward to working with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Make the Road New York, and the New York Immigration Coalition, as well as advocates from across the nation, to keep the issue at the center of our work in Congress. This is a moral imperative - the time is now."
"Every day that passes without immigration reform is one more day in which our friends, neighbors, and loved ones have to live in deep worry and fear. Our community members are paying the price for our collective failure to fix this dysfunctional immigration system," said Javier Valdes, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York, an immigrant-based group with over 7,000 members in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. "But we won't stop until we achieve real reform, and we applaud Representative Crowley for his vital effort to mobilize his House colleagues in support of immigration reform for all the decent, hardworking immigrant communities throughout our nation."
"Latino and immigrant voters made their voices loud and clear during the last election: they are demanding just and humane immigration reform for their communities. These voters are growing impatient; they have high expectations for change. Delaying reforms will only harm more families and hurt us as a nation. We're proud that Congressional leaders from New York are playing pivotal roles in moving immigration reform forward, and we join them in calling for strong and decisive action from President Obama and the House and Senate leadership," said Ms. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, an advocacy group representing nearly 200 organizations in New York State.
"The demand for reform is growing and the political muscle behind it is getting stronger", said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. "Across the country, communities are energized and increasingly engaged in immigration reform advocacy efforts. Diverse constituencies including labor, business, faith and civil rights and immigrant rights groups understand the fierce urgency of revamping our immigration system so it restores the rule of law, upholds our nation's values, treats immigrants with dignity, and responds to our nation's economic and labor needs."
A copy of the letter, including endorsing Members of Congress is available at tinyurl.com/CIR-letter-to-POTUS.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Hispanic like Regalado in Miami mayoral race
Poll: Regalado leads Miami race
BY JUAN CARLOS CHAVEZ, El Nuevo Herald
Just days before the Miami mayoral election, a Florida International University poll gives Tomás Regalado a commanding lead but also finds a huge segment of potential voters undecided.
The poll found that 40 of respondents favored Regalado, with 18 percent supporting his opponent, Joe Sanchez. The remaining 42 percent of voters were undecided.
“It's encouraging,'' Regalado said.
Darío Moreno, director of FIU's Metropolitan Center, which conducted the telephone survey this past week, sampling 405 likely voters, said non-Hispanics are, for the moment, far less engaged in the race than Hispanics.
Indeed, the percentage of undecideds among white non-Hispanics was 50 percent -- and 67 percent among blacks.
The analysis found that Regalado enjoyed equal support -- 52 percent -- among Cuban American voters and Hispanics who are not Cuban.
Regalado, 62, is the longest-serving commissioner in the City of Miami and is known for his decades of work on Spanish-language radio and television in Spanish.
“The fundamental issues we have carried in my campaign and in recent years, such as the concern about the waste of government funds, has given me credibility in all the communities,'' Regalado said.
Sanchez, a former policeman who serves on the commission with Regalado, said the poll is far from the last word and that his political campaign will surprise many at the polls.
“The only number that counts is November 3rd's,'' said Sanchez, 44. “That's the survey we are waiting for.''
Moreno said Hispanics may be more engaged because both candidates have invested more time and money campaigning in Spanish and in the Hispanic community.
“[Otherwise] we would not see these numbers,'' said Moreno.
Alejandro, Barrerra, a community activist and an expert on local politics, called it a “very traditional, Miami-style'' campaign.
Sanchez denied focusing his efforts on any particular group of voters.
“We have a campaign that is representing an entire city,'' he said. “That's what will give us the victory.''
Regalado, too, emphasized that he has devoted time to every neighborhood and said he has a more prominent presence in the African-American community than does Sanchez.
The poll found that Regalado base of support tended to be older voters while Sanchez was favored a bit more by those 44 and under.
Despite the significant margin among voters with a preference, political analyst Fabio predicted a close race in the end because Regalado does not have more than 50 percent.
He added: “The key in the coming days is to not make mistakes and stand by their proposals.''
BY JUAN CARLOS CHAVEZ, El Nuevo Herald
Just days before the Miami mayoral election, a Florida International University poll gives Tomás Regalado a commanding lead but also finds a huge segment of potential voters undecided.
The poll found that 40 of respondents favored Regalado, with 18 percent supporting his opponent, Joe Sanchez. The remaining 42 percent of voters were undecided.
“It's encouraging,'' Regalado said.
Darío Moreno, director of FIU's Metropolitan Center, which conducted the telephone survey this past week, sampling 405 likely voters, said non-Hispanics are, for the moment, far less engaged in the race than Hispanics.
Indeed, the percentage of undecideds among white non-Hispanics was 50 percent -- and 67 percent among blacks.
The analysis found that Regalado enjoyed equal support -- 52 percent -- among Cuban American voters and Hispanics who are not Cuban.
Regalado, 62, is the longest-serving commissioner in the City of Miami and is known for his decades of work on Spanish-language radio and television in Spanish.
“The fundamental issues we have carried in my campaign and in recent years, such as the concern about the waste of government funds, has given me credibility in all the communities,'' Regalado said.
Sanchez, a former policeman who serves on the commission with Regalado, said the poll is far from the last word and that his political campaign will surprise many at the polls.
“The only number that counts is November 3rd's,'' said Sanchez, 44. “That's the survey we are waiting for.''
Moreno said Hispanics may be more engaged because both candidates have invested more time and money campaigning in Spanish and in the Hispanic community.
“[Otherwise] we would not see these numbers,'' said Moreno.
Alejandro, Barrerra, a community activist and an expert on local politics, called it a “very traditional, Miami-style'' campaign.
Sanchez denied focusing his efforts on any particular group of voters.
“We have a campaign that is representing an entire city,'' he said. “That's what will give us the victory.''
Regalado, too, emphasized that he has devoted time to every neighborhood and said he has a more prominent presence in the African-American community than does Sanchez.
The poll found that Regalado base of support tended to be older voters while Sanchez was favored a bit more by those 44 and under.
Despite the significant margin among voters with a preference, political analyst Fabio predicted a close race in the end because Regalado does not have more than 50 percent.
He added: “The key in the coming days is to not make mistakes and stand by their proposals.''
Special on Latinos stokes debate over Dobbs
CNN Special on Latinos Stokes Debate Over Dobbs
Robert Caplin for The New York Times
By BRIAN STELTER, NY Times, October 23, 2009
Instead of being simply a draw for Hispanic viewers, CNN’s four-hour documentary, “Latino in America,” turned into a political rallying cry for activist groups who are calling on the cable news channel to fire Lou Dobbs, a veteran anchor with well-known views on immigration.
An array of minorities held small protests in New York and other cities on Wednesday, the first night of CNN’s presentation. They are trying to highlight what they say are years of lies about immigration by Mr. Dobbs, who anchors the 7 p.m. hour on CNN.
CNN, a unit of Time Warner, has not commented on the protests or covered them on its news programs. One of the activists featured in the documentary said she tried to raise what she called Mr. Dobbs’s “hatred” on one of the channel’s news programs Wednesday, but her remarks were cut from the interview.
The anti-Dobbs campaign has, however, drawn considerable attention in the Spanish-language press; the Thursday front page of the New York newspaper El Diario featured a red slash mark through Mr. Dobbs’s face and the word “hipocresia,” Spanish for “hypocrisy,” atop the illustration.
The hypocrisy, critics say, lies in CNN’s decision to woo Hispanic viewers with a prime-time documentary while still giving Mr. Dobbs a nightly forum. Roberto Lovato, a founding member of Presente.org, a Latino advocacy group, said in a statement, “We won’t allow the network to court us as viewers while, at the same time, they allow Dobbs to spread lies and misinformation about us each night.”
Separately, Mr. Dobbs is also the target of a “Drop Dobbs” campaign by the progressive groups NDN, Media Matters for America, and others. That effort started after Mr. Dobbs repeatedly raised questions about President Obama’s birth certificate.
There is no indication that the campaigns are affecting CNN’s revenue, but they are highlighting Mr. Dobbs’s status as an outlier at the channel, which has sought to position itself as a middle ground of sorts in the fractious cable news arena. Mr. Dobbs is known to be exploring an exit from CNN, and he is viewed as a potential hire for the Fox Business Network, an upstart channel owned by the News Corporation.
The Latino campaign’s Web site, BastaDobbs.com, features a video compilation of past comments by the CNN anchor, including his claim in October 2006 that “about a third of the prison population in this country is estimated to be illegal aliens.” He was apparently referring to federal prisoners, and he later acknowledged the claim was made multiple times in error.
As the timing of the prison comment indicates, there is nothing new about Mr. Dobbs’s controversial stance toward immigration, and CNN executives have argued that his hourlong evening program hews more closely to a newscast.
Privately, when some executives are asked about the Dobbs complaints, they sometimes cite the production of “Latino in America,” with the implication being that the channel presents many points of view. The documentary, which drew an average of about 900,000 viewers on Wednesday and Thursday, follows two editions of “Black in America.” It presented Hispanic activists with a new rallying point this fall.
Isabel Garcia, a civil rights lawyer who was featured in “Latino in America” and organized an anti-Dobbs protest in Tucson on Wednesday, said that CNN edited her comments about the anchor out of an interview.
She had expected a 15-minute conversation about immigration opposite Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., and a staunch supporter in immigration enforcement, on the prime-time program “Anderson Cooper 360.” During the taped interview Wednesday, she said she made several unprompted comments about Mr. Dobbs.
She said she called Mr. Arpaio and Mr. Dobbs “the two most dangerous men to our communities,” and said that “because of them, our communities are being terrorized in a real way.” She also asserted that CNN was “promoting lies and hate about our community” by broadcasting Mr. Dobbs’s program. The comments were not included when the interview was shown Wednesday night.
“They heavily deleted what I did get to say,” she said.
CNN said the segment in question was tied to “Latino in America.”
“As with all pre-taped interviews, they are edited for time and relevance to the topic of discussion,” a spokeswoman said. “The debate between Isabel Garcia and Joe Arpaio was no exception.”
Robert Caplin for The New York Times
By BRIAN STELTER, NY Times, October 23, 2009
Instead of being simply a draw for Hispanic viewers, CNN’s four-hour documentary, “Latino in America,” turned into a political rallying cry for activist groups who are calling on the cable news channel to fire Lou Dobbs, a veteran anchor with well-known views on immigration.
An array of minorities held small protests in New York and other cities on Wednesday, the first night of CNN’s presentation. They are trying to highlight what they say are years of lies about immigration by Mr. Dobbs, who anchors the 7 p.m. hour on CNN.
CNN, a unit of Time Warner, has not commented on the protests or covered them on its news programs. One of the activists featured in the documentary said she tried to raise what she called Mr. Dobbs’s “hatred” on one of the channel’s news programs Wednesday, but her remarks were cut from the interview.
The anti-Dobbs campaign has, however, drawn considerable attention in the Spanish-language press; the Thursday front page of the New York newspaper El Diario featured a red slash mark through Mr. Dobbs’s face and the word “hipocresia,” Spanish for “hypocrisy,” atop the illustration.
The hypocrisy, critics say, lies in CNN’s decision to woo Hispanic viewers with a prime-time documentary while still giving Mr. Dobbs a nightly forum. Roberto Lovato, a founding member of Presente.org, a Latino advocacy group, said in a statement, “We won’t allow the network to court us as viewers while, at the same time, they allow Dobbs to spread lies and misinformation about us each night.”
Separately, Mr. Dobbs is also the target of a “Drop Dobbs” campaign by the progressive groups NDN, Media Matters for America, and others. That effort started after Mr. Dobbs repeatedly raised questions about President Obama’s birth certificate.
There is no indication that the campaigns are affecting CNN’s revenue, but they are highlighting Mr. Dobbs’s status as an outlier at the channel, which has sought to position itself as a middle ground of sorts in the fractious cable news arena. Mr. Dobbs is known to be exploring an exit from CNN, and he is viewed as a potential hire for the Fox Business Network, an upstart channel owned by the News Corporation.
The Latino campaign’s Web site, BastaDobbs.com, features a video compilation of past comments by the CNN anchor, including his claim in October 2006 that “about a third of the prison population in this country is estimated to be illegal aliens.” He was apparently referring to federal prisoners, and he later acknowledged the claim was made multiple times in error.
As the timing of the prison comment indicates, there is nothing new about Mr. Dobbs’s controversial stance toward immigration, and CNN executives have argued that his hourlong evening program hews more closely to a newscast.
Privately, when some executives are asked about the Dobbs complaints, they sometimes cite the production of “Latino in America,” with the implication being that the channel presents many points of view. The documentary, which drew an average of about 900,000 viewers on Wednesday and Thursday, follows two editions of “Black in America.” It presented Hispanic activists with a new rallying point this fall.
Isabel Garcia, a civil rights lawyer who was featured in “Latino in America” and organized an anti-Dobbs protest in Tucson on Wednesday, said that CNN edited her comments about the anchor out of an interview.
She had expected a 15-minute conversation about immigration opposite Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., and a staunch supporter in immigration enforcement, on the prime-time program “Anderson Cooper 360.” During the taped interview Wednesday, she said she made several unprompted comments about Mr. Dobbs.
She said she called Mr. Arpaio and Mr. Dobbs “the two most dangerous men to our communities,” and said that “because of them, our communities are being terrorized in a real way.” She also asserted that CNN was “promoting lies and hate about our community” by broadcasting Mr. Dobbs’s program. The comments were not included when the interview was shown Wednesday night.
“They heavily deleted what I did get to say,” she said.
CNN said the segment in question was tied to “Latino in America.”
“As with all pre-taped interviews, they are edited for time and relevance to the topic of discussion,” a spokeswoman said. “The debate between Isabel Garcia and Joe Arpaio was no exception.”
Illinois Gov appoints Hispanics
Governor Quinn Makes Appointments To Latino Family Commission
Three Community Advocates Appointed as Key Advisors
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO – October 25, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today made three appointments, including chairperson, to the Latino Family Commission. The Commission will advise the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly on issues and opportunities for Latino families.
“These three dedicated community leaders bring professionalism and integrity to this commission that is vital to ensuring the voice of the Latino community is heard in Illinois,” Governor Quinn said.
The Commission, which was established in 2007 but has never met, will also work directly with State agencies to improve and expand existing policies, services, programs and opportunities for Latino families.
The newly appointed members are:
Maria Esther Lopez – Lopez, of Cook County, is the Director of Institutional Advancement for El Valor, which supports urban families to achieve excellence and participate fully in community life. Lopez is a member of the Chicago Latino Network and Latinos in Development. She has presented in forums including the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. Lopez holds a bachelors degree from DePaul University and is in the process of completing an Executive MBA at National-Louis University.
Henry H. Martinez, Chair – Martinez, of Cook County, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mexican Community Committee, which aims to reduce crime and gang activity in the South-East Community of Chicago. He is also the Founder and Director of Latino Resource Institute of Illinois. He currently serves as Senior Supervisor at The Chicago Area Project, which addresses juvenile delinquency in some of the poorest communities of the city.
Marisol Morales – Morales, of Cook County, is the Associate Director of DePaul University’s Steans Center and a workshop facilitator with L.J. Frame, LLC. A licensed teacher who spent three years in the classroom, Morales developed high school curricula that met state standards in Puerto Rican History, Puerto Rican Literature and Latin American Studies. Morales has a Bachelors Degree in Latin American Studies and a Masters Degree in International Public Service Management from DePaul University. She also holds certificates from Harvard University and Loyola University.
For more information on Illinois Boards and Commissions, please visit Appointments.Illinois.gov.
Three Community Advocates Appointed as Key Advisors
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO – October 25, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today made three appointments, including chairperson, to the Latino Family Commission. The Commission will advise the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly on issues and opportunities for Latino families.
“These three dedicated community leaders bring professionalism and integrity to this commission that is vital to ensuring the voice of the Latino community is heard in Illinois,” Governor Quinn said.
The Commission, which was established in 2007 but has never met, will also work directly with State agencies to improve and expand existing policies, services, programs and opportunities for Latino families.
The newly appointed members are:
Maria Esther Lopez – Lopez, of Cook County, is the Director of Institutional Advancement for El Valor, which supports urban families to achieve excellence and participate fully in community life. Lopez is a member of the Chicago Latino Network and Latinos in Development. She has presented in forums including the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. Lopez holds a bachelors degree from DePaul University and is in the process of completing an Executive MBA at National-Louis University.
Henry H. Martinez, Chair – Martinez, of Cook County, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mexican Community Committee, which aims to reduce crime and gang activity in the South-East Community of Chicago. He is also the Founder and Director of Latino Resource Institute of Illinois. He currently serves as Senior Supervisor at The Chicago Area Project, which addresses juvenile delinquency in some of the poorest communities of the city.
Marisol Morales – Morales, of Cook County, is the Associate Director of DePaul University’s Steans Center and a workshop facilitator with L.J. Frame, LLC. A licensed teacher who spent three years in the classroom, Morales developed high school curricula that met state standards in Puerto Rican History, Puerto Rican Literature and Latin American Studies. Morales has a Bachelors Degree in Latin American Studies and a Masters Degree in International Public Service Management from DePaul University. She also holds certificates from Harvard University and Loyola University.
For more information on Illinois Boards and Commissions, please visit Appointments.Illinois.gov.
Virginia Hispanics courted for vote
Deeds seeks to shore up Hispanic vote
By: David Sherfinski, Washington Examiner, October 25, 2009
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds sought to rally Latina voters on Saturday as his campaign gears up for the final sprint to the Nov. 3 election.
Deeds' campaign organized a handful of events across the state billed as opportunities for Latinas to rally support for the Democratic candidate. Anne Holton, First Lady of Virginia, was among the volunteers cheering on campaign workers at Caribbean Breeze restaurant in Arlington Saturday morning.
The differences between Deeds and his opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, "could not be more stark," Holton told a group of supporters in Arlington.
"There's nothing [done] about this election yet," she said. "Work, work, work - 10 days!"
The Hispanic population is one of the fastest-growing groups in the Commonwealth, and President Obama won nearly two-thirds of the state's Hispanic vote in the 2008 presidential election, according to exit polls. Deeds recently picked up the endorsement of the Washington Hispanic, the biggest Hispanic newspaper serving D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
One issue on which Deeds and his opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, differ is immigration - a hot topic for Latino voters. McDonnell told Examiner editors and reporters last month that he would support expanding a federal immigration enforcement program currently used by Prince William and Loudoun counties statewide.
The program, known as 287(g), deputizes local law enforcement officials to enforce certain federal immigration laws.
Deeds spokesman Jared Leopold said Deeds would oppose a statewide program that would force local governments to pay for what he said was a federal responsibility.
Deeds himself was scheduled to spend Saturday with Va. Senator Mark Warner at campaign stops in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Radford and Blacksburg. The state senator is also set for a make-or-break Tuesday appearance with President Obama at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
dsherfinski@washingtonexaminer.com
By: David Sherfinski, Washington Examiner, October 25, 2009
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds sought to rally Latina voters on Saturday as his campaign gears up for the final sprint to the Nov. 3 election.
Deeds' campaign organized a handful of events across the state billed as opportunities for Latinas to rally support for the Democratic candidate. Anne Holton, First Lady of Virginia, was among the volunteers cheering on campaign workers at Caribbean Breeze restaurant in Arlington Saturday morning.
The differences between Deeds and his opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, "could not be more stark," Holton told a group of supporters in Arlington.
"There's nothing [done] about this election yet," she said. "Work, work, work - 10 days!"
The Hispanic population is one of the fastest-growing groups in the Commonwealth, and President Obama won nearly two-thirds of the state's Hispanic vote in the 2008 presidential election, according to exit polls. Deeds recently picked up the endorsement of the Washington Hispanic, the biggest Hispanic newspaper serving D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
One issue on which Deeds and his opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, differ is immigration - a hot topic for Latino voters. McDonnell told Examiner editors and reporters last month that he would support expanding a federal immigration enforcement program currently used by Prince William and Loudoun counties statewide.
The program, known as 287(g), deputizes local law enforcement officials to enforce certain federal immigration laws.
Deeds spokesman Jared Leopold said Deeds would oppose a statewide program that would force local governments to pay for what he said was a federal responsibility.
Deeds himself was scheduled to spend Saturday with Va. Senator Mark Warner at campaign stops in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Radford and Blacksburg. The state senator is also set for a make-or-break Tuesday appearance with President Obama at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
dsherfinski@washingtonexaminer.com
Sunday, October 25, 2009
School program expands to Latino boys
VISTA: Local schools expand program for Latino boys
Encuentros lessons now at five campuses
By STACY BRANDT, NC Times, October 23, 2009
In a push to encourage more Latino boys to stay in school and move on to college, school officials in Vista have expanded a motivational after-school program this year.
The Encuentros program was designed by a local nonprofit group to help Latino boys better define who they are, what they want out of life and how they can get it.
"I think we're just planting the seed for success," said David Prieto, who teaches the Encuentros class at Rancho Minerva Middle School. "We're here to build leaders."
This year, four of Vista Unified School District's six middle schools are offering the Encuentros classes this year, up from only two last year: Rancho Minerva, Washington Middle School, Madison Middle School and Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
Rancho Buena Vista High School also has an after-school club that focuses on a similar curriculum. Officials with the district and nonprofit Encuentros group had hoped to start for-credit classes at the district's two main high schools two years ago, but are still waiting to make sure the class will qualify for college transfer credit. They say they expect to start those classes next fall.
The classes and clubs discuss Latino culture, relationship building, career preparation and role models. They are intended for Latino boys, but are open to anybody.
It's important for the students to see themselves in school textbooks, and Latino boys often don't, said Joaquin Aganza, a psychologist at Rancho Minerva.
"This is really the missing piece that we need to engage Latino males," he said. "It tells them, 'School likes you, and it's OK for you to like school.'"
The classes aim to inspire the students with an array of successful Latino guest speakers.
Latino boys have the highest dropout rate of any ethnic groups, with a countywide dropout rate of roughly 50 percent, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, an independent group that focuses on research about the nation's Latinos.
Students who drop out in high school often begin to fall behind in middle school or earlier, which is why it's important to address underlying issues as early as possible, said Matt Doyle, director of curriculum and instruction for Vista Unified.
"We're doing it proactively," he said. "We're not trying to correct something after the fact."
Last year's pilot program at two middle schools included students who were struggling academically or were having behavior problems. Those students showed dramatic improvement in their grades, attendance and discipline issues, Doyle said.
The class that was offered before school at Rancho Minerva last year was so popular that a second one had to be opened after school.
Martin Caudillo, a seventh-grader at the school started attending the class last year with his cousin. He said the lessons have inspired him to bring up his grades and stay out of trouble.
"I want to be someone in life," he said. "I'm going to get there by studying and not giving up."
Eventually, he said he hopes to attend Harvard Law School and become a lawyer.
Principal Steve Riehle credits the class as one of several opportunities at the school that helped boost test scores this year and encourage students to think more about college.
"Encuentros is huge for our kids, to let them know that 'You can go to college,'" he said.
Call staff writer Stacy Brandt at 760-901-4009.
Encuentros lessons now at five campuses
By STACY BRANDT, NC Times, October 23, 2009
In a push to encourage more Latino boys to stay in school and move on to college, school officials in Vista have expanded a motivational after-school program this year.
The Encuentros program was designed by a local nonprofit group to help Latino boys better define who they are, what they want out of life and how they can get it.
"I think we're just planting the seed for success," said David Prieto, who teaches the Encuentros class at Rancho Minerva Middle School. "We're here to build leaders."
This year, four of Vista Unified School District's six middle schools are offering the Encuentros classes this year, up from only two last year: Rancho Minerva, Washington Middle School, Madison Middle School and Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
Rancho Buena Vista High School also has an after-school club that focuses on a similar curriculum. Officials with the district and nonprofit Encuentros group had hoped to start for-credit classes at the district's two main high schools two years ago, but are still waiting to make sure the class will qualify for college transfer credit. They say they expect to start those classes next fall.
The classes and clubs discuss Latino culture, relationship building, career preparation and role models. They are intended for Latino boys, but are open to anybody.
It's important for the students to see themselves in school textbooks, and Latino boys often don't, said Joaquin Aganza, a psychologist at Rancho Minerva.
"This is really the missing piece that we need to engage Latino males," he said. "It tells them, 'School likes you, and it's OK for you to like school.'"
The classes aim to inspire the students with an array of successful Latino guest speakers.
Latino boys have the highest dropout rate of any ethnic groups, with a countywide dropout rate of roughly 50 percent, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, an independent group that focuses on research about the nation's Latinos.
Students who drop out in high school often begin to fall behind in middle school or earlier, which is why it's important to address underlying issues as early as possible, said Matt Doyle, director of curriculum and instruction for Vista Unified.
"We're doing it proactively," he said. "We're not trying to correct something after the fact."
Last year's pilot program at two middle schools included students who were struggling academically or were having behavior problems. Those students showed dramatic improvement in their grades, attendance and discipline issues, Doyle said.
The class that was offered before school at Rancho Minerva last year was so popular that a second one had to be opened after school.
Martin Caudillo, a seventh-grader at the school started attending the class last year with his cousin. He said the lessons have inspired him to bring up his grades and stay out of trouble.
"I want to be someone in life," he said. "I'm going to get there by studying and not giving up."
Eventually, he said he hopes to attend Harvard Law School and become a lawyer.
Principal Steve Riehle credits the class as one of several opportunities at the school that helped boost test scores this year and encourage students to think more about college.
"Encuentros is huge for our kids, to let them know that 'You can go to college,'" he said.
Call staff writer Stacy Brandt at 760-901-4009.
Immigration query would diminish Hispanic, state's clout
New census query on immigration status would diminish state’s clout
By Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, Oct. 23, 2009
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, tacked an amendment onto an appropriations bill this month that, if passed, would greatly affect Nevada because of its relatively large Hispanic population.
The amendment would add an 11th question to next spring’s census, a question about “citizenship and immigration status.”
The two senators are trying to ensure that people who aren’t citizens are excluded from figures used for allocating congressional seats, a process that occurs every 10 years, after the census.
Nevada’s growth over the past decade would almost certainly result in the state’s gaining at least one representative in Congress. That growth includes 230,000 illegal immigrants, giving the state the 13th-largest such population in the nation, according to a 2008 Pew Hispanic Center estimate.
Two of the most visible opponents of the amendment are Southern Nevadans in and out of Congress — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Andres Ramirez, senior vice president of NDN, a Washington, D.C., think tank and advocacy group.
Reid tried to use a parliamentary procedure Oct. 13 to prevent the Senate from voting on the measure, but fell short on support.
Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for Republican Sen. John Ensign, said the senator has no position on the amendment.
Reid’s spokesman, Jon Summers, said the amendment is “a partisan tactic designed to delay the passage of an important bill.”
Vitter countered on a conservative radio talk show that Reid “wants illegals counted in the census, wants illegals (counted) in the reapportionment of the House,” according to the The Hill, a Beltway publication.
Meanwhile, Ramirez held a news conference Tuesday of 10 national groups opposed to the amendment, including the Hispanic National Bar Association and the NAACP.
In an interview afterward, Ramirez said the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions make clear that congressional seats must be based on a state’s population. He noted that such a question could cause illegal immigrants and their family members to avoid participating in the census for fear that information about them would reach other government agencies.
The result would be an undercount, which not only affects future political representation, but federal funding for roads, schools and other public expenditures, not to mention private sector planning.
An undercount would affect Nevada in particular because a quarter of the state’s population is Hispanic, said David Byerman, Nevada’s chief representative for the Census Bureau. Nevada also has hundreds of thousands of people in so-called mixed-status families, meaning some of their relatives are in the country legally and others aren’t.
But Nevada and other states with large Hispanic populations may wind up not being hurt by the Vitter-Bennett amendment because “it’s too late to shift gears,” Byerman said.
Two congressionally mandated deadlines have come and gone — April 1, 2007, when the agency outlined what subjects the census would cover, and the same date a year later, when the agency released the survey’s 10 questions. “We met both deadlines,” Byerman said.
And the feds have printed 300 million forms. So printing new ones, not to mention reprogramming computers and retraining staff, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Byerman said.
Even if Congress wanted to spend additional money, the result would be “the failure of our operation,” he said. “We could not meet statutory deadlines.” One of those is Dec. 31, 2010, the date by which the agency has to submit data to the White House.
To achieve this, the agency needs to get its initial mailing out in late March, followed by a second mailing a month later and door-to-door visits starting May 1, lasting up to eight weeks.
Ramirez noted that census-takers in Nevada have another reason “to be ready to start on time” — higher-than-normal transiency rates as a result of tops-in-the-nation foreclosure rates.
By Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, Oct. 23, 2009
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, tacked an amendment onto an appropriations bill this month that, if passed, would greatly affect Nevada because of its relatively large Hispanic population.
The amendment would add an 11th question to next spring’s census, a question about “citizenship and immigration status.”
The two senators are trying to ensure that people who aren’t citizens are excluded from figures used for allocating congressional seats, a process that occurs every 10 years, after the census.
Nevada’s growth over the past decade would almost certainly result in the state’s gaining at least one representative in Congress. That growth includes 230,000 illegal immigrants, giving the state the 13th-largest such population in the nation, according to a 2008 Pew Hispanic Center estimate.
Two of the most visible opponents of the amendment are Southern Nevadans in and out of Congress — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Andres Ramirez, senior vice president of NDN, a Washington, D.C., think tank and advocacy group.
Reid tried to use a parliamentary procedure Oct. 13 to prevent the Senate from voting on the measure, but fell short on support.
Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for Republican Sen. John Ensign, said the senator has no position on the amendment.
Reid’s spokesman, Jon Summers, said the amendment is “a partisan tactic designed to delay the passage of an important bill.”
Vitter countered on a conservative radio talk show that Reid “wants illegals counted in the census, wants illegals (counted) in the reapportionment of the House,” according to the The Hill, a Beltway publication.
Meanwhile, Ramirez held a news conference Tuesday of 10 national groups opposed to the amendment, including the Hispanic National Bar Association and the NAACP.
In an interview afterward, Ramirez said the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions make clear that congressional seats must be based on a state’s population. He noted that such a question could cause illegal immigrants and their family members to avoid participating in the census for fear that information about them would reach other government agencies.
The result would be an undercount, which not only affects future political representation, but federal funding for roads, schools and other public expenditures, not to mention private sector planning.
An undercount would affect Nevada in particular because a quarter of the state’s population is Hispanic, said David Byerman, Nevada’s chief representative for the Census Bureau. Nevada also has hundreds of thousands of people in so-called mixed-status families, meaning some of their relatives are in the country legally and others aren’t.
But Nevada and other states with large Hispanic populations may wind up not being hurt by the Vitter-Bennett amendment because “it’s too late to shift gears,” Byerman said.
Two congressionally mandated deadlines have come and gone — April 1, 2007, when the agency outlined what subjects the census would cover, and the same date a year later, when the agency released the survey’s 10 questions. “We met both deadlines,” Byerman said.
And the feds have printed 300 million forms. So printing new ones, not to mention reprogramming computers and retraining staff, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Byerman said.
Even if Congress wanted to spend additional money, the result would be “the failure of our operation,” he said. “We could not meet statutory deadlines.” One of those is Dec. 31, 2010, the date by which the agency has to submit data to the White House.
To achieve this, the agency needs to get its initial mailing out in late March, followed by a second mailing a month later and door-to-door visits starting May 1, lasting up to eight weeks.
Ramirez noted that census-takers in Nevada have another reason “to be ready to start on time” — higher-than-normal transiency rates as a result of tops-in-the-nation foreclosure rates.
Austin aims to improve Hispanic quality of life
Initiative aims to improve Hispanic quality of life
By Kelsey Wilkinson, Impact News, 23 October 2009
Nearly half a million Hispanics live in the greater Austin area, and with newly obtained information, city officials are trying to determine the best way to serve Austin’s largest minority group. Data collected for the Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative, established in May 2008 to identify areas of improvement for the Hispanic population, was released to the city council in late August. Recommendations in the report could lead to new partnerships between the city and outside organizations.
“We know that to be successful with the community, we have to partner with other groups whose primary mission is to address those other needs,” said Rudy Garza, Austin assistant city manager and one of the principal organizers of the initiative. “When we advertise the City of Austin, we promote it as a great city, which it is, but there is a big group that does not get to enjoy the same quality of life.”
The initiative was inspired by a 2005 city resolution that concentrated on improving the quality of life for African-Americans. City officials are still in the process of implementing the recommended changes identified through that initiative, but in spring 2008 they turned their efforts toward the Hispanic community as well.
Delivering the data
Nearly 1,800 people from Austin’s Hispanic population contributed to the study by completing an extensive survey and participating in community forums. The forums included topics covering health care, education, economic development/housing and cultural arts. Participants were also asked to prioritize the most pressing issues.
The city contracted consulting firm Adelante Solutions Inc. to collect and analyze data. Based on the forums, Adelante reported that 34 percent of Hispanics rated the overall quality of life in Austin good to very good, while 37 percent said it was adequate and 29 percent rated it poor to very poor.
Adelante, led by former Austin Chief of Staff Paul Saldaña, made recommendations to the council that ranged from minor, budget-friendly policy changes to greater ones, such as offering more services in Spanish and establishing new programs.
“Some of the recommendations are still general recommendations,” Saldaña said. “Not all of our recommendations have budget implications.”
Education
Arguably the biggest issue affecting the Hispanic population is education. The Texas Education Agency reports that only 68.5 percent of Austin ISD’s Hispanic students complete high school, compared with 87.8 percent of white students.
Paul Cruz, chief of school operations for Austin ISD, said he attributes dropping out to poor grades and a lack of investment in the school. He said the district works with the city to bring attention to the issue, but there is still progress to be made.
“The first thing, which we do work with the city on, is to make sure that people are aware of the high drop out rate,” Cruz said. “We know that the dropout rate has been at that level for a few years, and working together with the city, we can eliminate that.”
The city is currently involved in a program that offers students access to computers and the internet, but Garza said he believes the city should go further and make efforts to partner with AISD across several categories.
“What we do believe is that in Austin, we have a role as being a partner to help the school districts and help the kids,” Garza said. “There may be some opportunities for the city to help with tutoring programs. And knowing we are reaching a point where 40 percent of our community is Hispanic, and many come from a background where English is a second language, we need to have programs so people can communicate with educators.”
Education of the Hispanic community is crucial not only to the Hispanic population but to the city’s infrastructure as a whole.
“Latino communities are the spark plug of America’s economic engine,” Saldaña said., “but [Latinos] haven’t learned to link that with education and be self sustaining and just have more economic progress.”
Business
The area’s further economic success hinges on keeping the Hispanic population active in the city’s economic engine. Nationally, the purchasing power of Hispanic businesses totals nearly $9 billion every year.
Garza said he hopes to initiate programs focused on job training, which will also turn the engine. The city already works with organizations like the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but members of that partnering organization are eager to see more city involvement.
“We are in partnership with the City of Austin Housing Authority, and they have been supportive from a visibility point of view,” GAHCC President Andy Martinez said about a Hispanic business incubator program that the chamber operates. “They haven’t invested into it financially. We want to get some investment from the city and hire more instructors because we have people on a waitlist right now. A lot of people think now is the time to start a business. Those are the kinds of things that I hope will come out of this initiative. Let’s not reinvent the wheel; let’s just work smarter.”
Cost to the city
City staff members are optimistic about the changes that will take place as a result of the initiative but said they did not set aside a predetermined budget to see the changes go into effect.
“It will be irresponsible for us to come up with a dollar value up front because then we’ve limited ourselves,” Garza said. “Much of the improvements we will be able to make will have no to very little dollars involved.”
The improvements that fall under the city’s umbrella may only involve reorganizing programs, altering the way Austin markets itself to the Hispanic community. Other costs may fall with the partnering organizations. But proponents of the initiative are preparing to respond to critics who believe a heavy focus on the Hispanic population is an inefficient use of taxpayer money during a recession.
“Hispanics will soon be the minority majority,” Saldaña said. “Because of the growing number of Hispanic businesses and because what affects the Hispanic community affects the overall quality of life, we need to make sure that kids are not dropping out of school. If Austin wants to remain competitive in business, then they need to focus on that. What affects the Hispanic community affects Austin. Hispanics are here, and they are not going away. We should have started doing this work a long time ago.”
By Kelsey Wilkinson, Impact News, 23 October 2009
Nearly half a million Hispanics live in the greater Austin area, and with newly obtained information, city officials are trying to determine the best way to serve Austin’s largest minority group. Data collected for the Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative, established in May 2008 to identify areas of improvement for the Hispanic population, was released to the city council in late August. Recommendations in the report could lead to new partnerships between the city and outside organizations.
“We know that to be successful with the community, we have to partner with other groups whose primary mission is to address those other needs,” said Rudy Garza, Austin assistant city manager and one of the principal organizers of the initiative. “When we advertise the City of Austin, we promote it as a great city, which it is, but there is a big group that does not get to enjoy the same quality of life.”
The initiative was inspired by a 2005 city resolution that concentrated on improving the quality of life for African-Americans. City officials are still in the process of implementing the recommended changes identified through that initiative, but in spring 2008 they turned their efforts toward the Hispanic community as well.
Delivering the data
Nearly 1,800 people from Austin’s Hispanic population contributed to the study by completing an extensive survey and participating in community forums. The forums included topics covering health care, education, economic development/housing and cultural arts. Participants were also asked to prioritize the most pressing issues.
The city contracted consulting firm Adelante Solutions Inc. to collect and analyze data. Based on the forums, Adelante reported that 34 percent of Hispanics rated the overall quality of life in Austin good to very good, while 37 percent said it was adequate and 29 percent rated it poor to very poor.
Adelante, led by former Austin Chief of Staff Paul Saldaña, made recommendations to the council that ranged from minor, budget-friendly policy changes to greater ones, such as offering more services in Spanish and establishing new programs.
“Some of the recommendations are still general recommendations,” Saldaña said. “Not all of our recommendations have budget implications.”
Education
Arguably the biggest issue affecting the Hispanic population is education. The Texas Education Agency reports that only 68.5 percent of Austin ISD’s Hispanic students complete high school, compared with 87.8 percent of white students.
Paul Cruz, chief of school operations for Austin ISD, said he attributes dropping out to poor grades and a lack of investment in the school. He said the district works with the city to bring attention to the issue, but there is still progress to be made.
“The first thing, which we do work with the city on, is to make sure that people are aware of the high drop out rate,” Cruz said. “We know that the dropout rate has been at that level for a few years, and working together with the city, we can eliminate that.”
The city is currently involved in a program that offers students access to computers and the internet, but Garza said he believes the city should go further and make efforts to partner with AISD across several categories.
“What we do believe is that in Austin, we have a role as being a partner to help the school districts and help the kids,” Garza said. “There may be some opportunities for the city to help with tutoring programs. And knowing we are reaching a point where 40 percent of our community is Hispanic, and many come from a background where English is a second language, we need to have programs so people can communicate with educators.”
Education of the Hispanic community is crucial not only to the Hispanic population but to the city’s infrastructure as a whole.
“Latino communities are the spark plug of America’s economic engine,” Saldaña said., “but [Latinos] haven’t learned to link that with education and be self sustaining and just have more economic progress.”
Business
The area’s further economic success hinges on keeping the Hispanic population active in the city’s economic engine. Nationally, the purchasing power of Hispanic businesses totals nearly $9 billion every year.
Garza said he hopes to initiate programs focused on job training, which will also turn the engine. The city already works with organizations like the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but members of that partnering organization are eager to see more city involvement.
“We are in partnership with the City of Austin Housing Authority, and they have been supportive from a visibility point of view,” GAHCC President Andy Martinez said about a Hispanic business incubator program that the chamber operates. “They haven’t invested into it financially. We want to get some investment from the city and hire more instructors because we have people on a waitlist right now. A lot of people think now is the time to start a business. Those are the kinds of things that I hope will come out of this initiative. Let’s not reinvent the wheel; let’s just work smarter.”
Cost to the city
City staff members are optimistic about the changes that will take place as a result of the initiative but said they did not set aside a predetermined budget to see the changes go into effect.
“It will be irresponsible for us to come up with a dollar value up front because then we’ve limited ourselves,” Garza said. “Much of the improvements we will be able to make will have no to very little dollars involved.”
The improvements that fall under the city’s umbrella may only involve reorganizing programs, altering the way Austin markets itself to the Hispanic community. Other costs may fall with the partnering organizations. But proponents of the initiative are preparing to respond to critics who believe a heavy focus on the Hispanic population is an inefficient use of taxpayer money during a recession.
“Hispanics will soon be the minority majority,” Saldaña said. “Because of the growing number of Hispanic businesses and because what affects the Hispanic community affects the overall quality of life, we need to make sure that kids are not dropping out of school. If Austin wants to remain competitive in business, then they need to focus on that. What affects the Hispanic community affects Austin. Hispanics are here, and they are not going away. We should have started doing this work a long time ago.”
Hispanic leader calls for senator's resignation
NY Hispanic leader calls for senator's resignation
Associated Press - October 22, 2009
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A Hispanic assemblyman says Sen. Hiram Monserrate's assault conviction makes him unable to serve Latinos and he should resign.
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat of Manhattan says Monserrate, a fellow Democrat from Queens, should step aside because he no longer can effectively serve his constituents.
The call comes hours after the Senate appointed a private attorney to lead a committee investigating possible sanctions against Monserrate following his misdemeanor conviction.
Daniel Alonso will, for free, help the nine senators examine evidence and the law to ensure proper procedures and a fair investigation. Any work by his associate, however, will cost the Senate up to $350 an hour.
Monserrate faces sentencing Dec. 4 for dragging his girlfriend through his building.
Associated Press - October 22, 2009
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A Hispanic assemblyman says Sen. Hiram Monserrate's assault conviction makes him unable to serve Latinos and he should resign.
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat of Manhattan says Monserrate, a fellow Democrat from Queens, should step aside because he no longer can effectively serve his constituents.
The call comes hours after the Senate appointed a private attorney to lead a committee investigating possible sanctions against Monserrate following his misdemeanor conviction.
Daniel Alonso will, for free, help the nine senators examine evidence and the law to ensure proper procedures and a fair investigation. Any work by his associate, however, will cost the Senate up to $350 an hour.
Monserrate faces sentencing Dec. 4 for dragging his girlfriend through his building.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Americans more familiar with Latinos
Americans more familiar with Latinos, poll finds
CNN, October 21, 2009
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Latinos were once unfamiliar to more than half of all Americans, but a new poll indicates that two-thirds of those surveyed now say they have at least some contact with Latinos where they live, work or shop.
Sixty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday say they have some or a lot of contact with Latinos. That's up 15 points from 1990.
"The jump in contact is a result of the growing number of Latinos and their growing presence in all 50 states," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "But familiarity is not the same as knowledge."
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that roughly six in 10 U.S. Latinos were born in the United States. Video Watch how Latinos are gaining clout »
"But nearly half of people we questioned said they assume that Latinos who they have never met are immigrants, and one in five believe they are illegal immigrants," added Holland.
That may be one reason why nearly nine in 10 surveyed believe that census workers should ask people whether they are in the country legally when they go door to door next April.
According to the poll, 57 percent of all Americans say that Latinos face a lot or some discrimination that hurts their chances to get good jobs. That's down nine points from two decades ago, but is slightly higher than the 53 percent who now feel that way about job discrimination against African-Americans.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted October 16-18, with 1,038 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
CNN, October 21, 2009
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Latinos were once unfamiliar to more than half of all Americans, but a new poll indicates that two-thirds of those surveyed now say they have at least some contact with Latinos where they live, work or shop.
Sixty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday say they have some or a lot of contact with Latinos. That's up 15 points from 1990.
"The jump in contact is a result of the growing number of Latinos and their growing presence in all 50 states," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "But familiarity is not the same as knowledge."
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that roughly six in 10 U.S. Latinos were born in the United States. Video Watch how Latinos are gaining clout »
"But nearly half of people we questioned said they assume that Latinos who they have never met are immigrants, and one in five believe they are illegal immigrants," added Holland.
That may be one reason why nearly nine in 10 surveyed believe that census workers should ask people whether they are in the country legally when they go door to door next April.
According to the poll, 57 percent of all Americans say that Latinos face a lot or some discrimination that hurts their chances to get good jobs. That's down nine points from two decades ago, but is slightly higher than the 53 percent who now feel that way about job discrimination against African-Americans.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted October 16-18, with 1,038 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Latino in America: Resources
Latino in America: Resources
CNN, October 22, 2009
(CNN) -- The following is a list of local and national organizations and programs designed to address many of the issues raised in "CNN Presents: Latino in America". Some of the people or guests featured in the programs are involved in some of these organizations.
CNN does not endorse any organization, and information is provided only as a resource and inspiration to help people explore the many local and national organizations involved in these areas.
Night One: The Garcias
• Isabel Garcia | Coalición de Derechos Humanos
• Lorena Garcia | Big Chef Little, Chef program
• Cindy Garcia | LAUSD Dropout Prevention Program
• Bill & Betty Garcia | Latin American Coalition of Charlotte
• Noelle Garcia | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Tel 1-800-273-TALK (8255) | en Español (1-888-628-9454)
For Hearing and Speech Impaired with TTY Equipment: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)
• Pedro Moreno Garcia | U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops | Pew Forum
• Eva Longoria Parker | "I Am Hope"
• George Lopez | National Kidney Foundation Golf Classic
Night Two: Chasing the Dream
Miami
• Pedro Pan
• Florida Immigration Advocacy Center
• Department of Health and Human Services: Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
• Willy and Lissette Chirino Foundation
Shenandoah
• Downtown Shenandoah Inc.
• Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society
• Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs
• FBI Hate Crime
• Northeastern University Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence
• Northeastern University Institute on Race and Justice
Pico Rivera
• Pico Rivera Sherriff's Office
• City of Pico Rivera
• Pride Gang Prevention Program
Orlando
• Valencia Community College
• M-PACT Sports
• Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
General
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Pew Hispanic Center
• Urban Institute
• NSHMBA
• Center of Immigration Studies
• Selig Center for Economic Growth
• National Council of La Raza
• Latin American Association
• United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• National Hispanic Media Coalition
CNN, October 22, 2009
(CNN) -- The following is a list of local and national organizations and programs designed to address many of the issues raised in "CNN Presents: Latino in America". Some of the people or guests featured in the programs are involved in some of these organizations.
CNN does not endorse any organization, and information is provided only as a resource and inspiration to help people explore the many local and national organizations involved in these areas.
Night One: The Garcias
• Isabel Garcia | Coalición de Derechos Humanos
• Lorena Garcia | Big Chef Little, Chef program
• Cindy Garcia | LAUSD Dropout Prevention Program
• Bill & Betty Garcia | Latin American Coalition of Charlotte
• Noelle Garcia | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Tel 1-800-273-TALK (8255) | en Español (1-888-628-9454)
For Hearing and Speech Impaired with TTY Equipment: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)
• Pedro Moreno Garcia | U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops | Pew Forum
• Eva Longoria Parker | "I Am Hope"
• George Lopez | National Kidney Foundation Golf Classic
Night Two: Chasing the Dream
Miami
• Pedro Pan
• Florida Immigration Advocacy Center
• Department of Health and Human Services: Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
• Willy and Lissette Chirino Foundation
Shenandoah
• Downtown Shenandoah Inc.
• Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society
• Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs
• FBI Hate Crime
• Northeastern University Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence
• Northeastern University Institute on Race and Justice
Pico Rivera
• Pico Rivera Sherriff's Office
• City of Pico Rivera
• Pride Gang Prevention Program
Orlando
• Valencia Community College
• M-PACT Sports
• Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
General
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Pew Hispanic Center
• Urban Institute
• NSHMBA
• Center of Immigration Studies
• Selig Center for Economic Growth
• National Council of La Raza
• Latin American Association
• United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• National Hispanic Media Coalition
Latinos drawn into military
Incentives drawing more Latinos to military, Rand study finds
By Laurie Ure, CNN, October 22, 2009
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Though the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. military remains lower than the percentage in the general population, gains are being made in efforts to increase diversity in the military, a recent study shows.
In 2007, the percentage of Army recruits who were Hispanic was 11.4 percent, up from just 6.6 percent in 1994, according to the study by the Rand Corporation. For the Navy, the percentage of recruits who were Latino rose to 15 percent from 8.9 percent.
That success can be directly related to specific signing incentives, the study found.
Martin Enriquez of Los Angeles, California, said he was inspired to enlist in part because of the signing bonus but even more because of the education benefits.
"They gave me a thousand dollars for my enlistment bonus, but they gave me $71,600 for my school," he said.
The lure of a higher education has proven to be a strong incentive for the Latino population.
The Rand research shows that Latinos with high school education and above-average test scores respond well to Army educational benefits and salaries, but are less motivated by Army enlistment bonuses. Rand estimates that a 10 percent increase military salaries is associated with about a 24 percent increase in Hispanic Army enlistments, whereas a 10 percent increase in signing bonuses yielded a little over a 1 percent increase.
"Hispanic young adults are very responsive to incentives, particularly educational benefits, for example, as well as military pay, and both have increased substantially over the last seven and eight years," said Beth Asch, the Rand study's author.
Comparable black Army applicants, meanwhile, respond better to salary and bonus incentives, according to the study, whereas white enlistments are more responsive to military pay and recruiters than to educational benefits and bonuses.
Karen Liliana Barrientos, 17, said she joined the Army to advance her education.
"That $81,000 is the GI bill, for me to go attend college after my four years [in the military]," the high school senior told CNN. "After I'm done, while I'm in the Army I could transfer that money to somebody else in my family."
Barrientos' mother signed the parental consent form so her daughter could enlist.
"Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to join because I would see the commercials and be like, 'Oh, that looks so cool,' " the younger Barrientos said. "I know the training is not going to be a walk in the park, but I'm ready for it."
Matching Latino recruiters with prospective Latino recruits makes a difference as well, the Rand study found.
"When you targeted, say, a Hispanic recruiter to Hispanic applicants, or to youth, it was much more effective than just having any old recruiter," Asch said.
Speaking Spanish and relating to the recruit's family is a huge plus, a recruiter said.
"If you can't connect with the family as a whole in the Latino community, you're not going to get through to that person," said Staff Sgt. Robert Hernandez, a Los Angeles-based recruiter. Hernandez told CNN that when he enlisted in the Army, although it was ultimately his decision, he consulted his entire family and strongly considered their input before signing.
While advanced education tops most Latino recruiting incentives, there's another draw that has proven effective.
Hernandez said that joining the military can put first-generation Latinos on a path to U.S. citizenship.
"Somebody who's, let's say, a resident, and is having [difficulty] dealing with the issue of becoming a citizen. They can get that in the Army," he told CNN.
Victor Dennis was born in Honduras and immigrated to Alexandria, Virginia, eight years ago. He spoke no English initially.
"When I started school, I couldn't even tell people I needed to go to the bathroom," he said.
Dennis joined the Army this year for career opportunities and a chance to become an American citizen, he said.
"They're helping me out with giving me so much benefits," he explained. "They're giving me a job, and they're going to also try to give me my citizenship. I said, 'That's awesome! That sounds great. That makes it better for me.' "
The Defense Department recognizes the need to make the armed forces proportionately reflect the population that the U.S. military defends. While pleased with some of the most recent numbers, officials admit work remains to be done in the officer ranks.
High unemployment rates helped military recruitment efforts in recent months, so much so that the Army estimates it's spending more money than necessary per recruit. So in 2010, the budget will be trimmed 11 percent, according to Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel.
"We fight the good fight to be sure that the adjustment is no more than it should be in order to achieve the goals," Carr said.
The Rand study looked at what might happen with budget cuts.
"Cutting of bonuses would have a more negative effect on black enlistments," Asch said.
"On the other hand if they cut military pay, which I doubt they'd do, but what they might do is let military pay grow at a slower rate than civilian pay. That would tend to have a more negative effect on Hispanic recruits."
By Laurie Ure, CNN, October 22, 2009
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Though the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. military remains lower than the percentage in the general population, gains are being made in efforts to increase diversity in the military, a recent study shows.
In 2007, the percentage of Army recruits who were Hispanic was 11.4 percent, up from just 6.6 percent in 1994, according to the study by the Rand Corporation. For the Navy, the percentage of recruits who were Latino rose to 15 percent from 8.9 percent.
That success can be directly related to specific signing incentives, the study found.
Martin Enriquez of Los Angeles, California, said he was inspired to enlist in part because of the signing bonus but even more because of the education benefits.
"They gave me a thousand dollars for my enlistment bonus, but they gave me $71,600 for my school," he said.
The lure of a higher education has proven to be a strong incentive for the Latino population.
The Rand research shows that Latinos with high school education and above-average test scores respond well to Army educational benefits and salaries, but are less motivated by Army enlistment bonuses. Rand estimates that a 10 percent increase military salaries is associated with about a 24 percent increase in Hispanic Army enlistments, whereas a 10 percent increase in signing bonuses yielded a little over a 1 percent increase.
"Hispanic young adults are very responsive to incentives, particularly educational benefits, for example, as well as military pay, and both have increased substantially over the last seven and eight years," said Beth Asch, the Rand study's author.
Comparable black Army applicants, meanwhile, respond better to salary and bonus incentives, according to the study, whereas white enlistments are more responsive to military pay and recruiters than to educational benefits and bonuses.
Karen Liliana Barrientos, 17, said she joined the Army to advance her education.
"That $81,000 is the GI bill, for me to go attend college after my four years [in the military]," the high school senior told CNN. "After I'm done, while I'm in the Army I could transfer that money to somebody else in my family."
Barrientos' mother signed the parental consent form so her daughter could enlist.
"Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to join because I would see the commercials and be like, 'Oh, that looks so cool,' " the younger Barrientos said. "I know the training is not going to be a walk in the park, but I'm ready for it."
Matching Latino recruiters with prospective Latino recruits makes a difference as well, the Rand study found.
"When you targeted, say, a Hispanic recruiter to Hispanic applicants, or to youth, it was much more effective than just having any old recruiter," Asch said.
Speaking Spanish and relating to the recruit's family is a huge plus, a recruiter said.
"If you can't connect with the family as a whole in the Latino community, you're not going to get through to that person," said Staff Sgt. Robert Hernandez, a Los Angeles-based recruiter. Hernandez told CNN that when he enlisted in the Army, although it was ultimately his decision, he consulted his entire family and strongly considered their input before signing.
While advanced education tops most Latino recruiting incentives, there's another draw that has proven effective.
Hernandez said that joining the military can put first-generation Latinos on a path to U.S. citizenship.
"Somebody who's, let's say, a resident, and is having [difficulty] dealing with the issue of becoming a citizen. They can get that in the Army," he told CNN.
Victor Dennis was born in Honduras and immigrated to Alexandria, Virginia, eight years ago. He spoke no English initially.
"When I started school, I couldn't even tell people I needed to go to the bathroom," he said.
Dennis joined the Army this year for career opportunities and a chance to become an American citizen, he said.
"They're helping me out with giving me so much benefits," he explained. "They're giving me a job, and they're going to also try to give me my citizenship. I said, 'That's awesome! That sounds great. That makes it better for me.' "
The Defense Department recognizes the need to make the armed forces proportionately reflect the population that the U.S. military defends. While pleased with some of the most recent numbers, officials admit work remains to be done in the officer ranks.
High unemployment rates helped military recruitment efforts in recent months, so much so that the Army estimates it's spending more money than necessary per recruit. So in 2010, the budget will be trimmed 11 percent, according to Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel.
"We fight the good fight to be sure that the adjustment is no more than it should be in order to achieve the goals," Carr said.
The Rand study looked at what might happen with budget cuts.
"Cutting of bonuses would have a more negative effect on black enlistments," Asch said.
"On the other hand if they cut military pay, which I doubt they'd do, but what they might do is let military pay grow at a slower rate than civilian pay. That would tend to have a more negative effect on Hispanic recruits."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Latinos and the 2010 census
Latinos and the 2010 census
By Ruben Navarrette, Union Tribune
If Census Bureau estimates are accurate, there are about 47 million Latinos in the United States, accounting for about 15 percent of the total U.S. population. And, as comedian George Lopez explains, “those are just the ones who answer the knock at the door.” More....
By Ruben Navarrette, Union Tribune
If Census Bureau estimates are accurate, there are about 47 million Latinos in the United States, accounting for about 15 percent of the total U.S. population. And, as comedian George Lopez explains, “those are just the ones who answer the knock at the door.” More....
Latinos lead California's water plan charge
Latinos lead California's water plan charge
By Adrian Perez, Publisher, The Latino Journal
California’s Central Valley has been called the nation’s breadbasket, producing fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed by Americans and exported to nations throughout the world. This region’s agricultural activity is a key source for the state’s economic growth, and a major employer for the many Latinos who live or migrate to the region. All of this, however, is being threatened by a combination of natural and human-made laws that are pushing unemployment in this region close to 20 percent, with even farmers joining the large number of unemployed farm workers. Out of this crisis has evolved a unique, yet powerful coalition that has put Latinos at the forefront of a political power play on water, flanked by a Republican Governor and California farmers. More....
By Adrian Perez, Publisher, The Latino Journal
California’s Central Valley has been called the nation’s breadbasket, producing fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed by Americans and exported to nations throughout the world. This region’s agricultural activity is a key source for the state’s economic growth, and a major employer for the many Latinos who live or migrate to the region. All of this, however, is being threatened by a combination of natural and human-made laws that are pushing unemployment in this region close to 20 percent, with even farmers joining the large number of unemployed farm workers. Out of this crisis has evolved a unique, yet powerful coalition that has put Latinos at the forefront of a political power play on water, flanked by a Republican Governor and California farmers. More....
Special Report: A Look at Hispanic Power on Capitol Hill
Special Report: A Look at Hispanic Power on Capitol HIll
By Erick Galindo, Hispanic Link
At 5%, the number of Hispanics in the 111th Congress may be small, but with two chairs, two vice-chairs and potent subcommittee chairs, their power and influence is grand.
Five of the 28 Hispanic members of the House sit on the Committee on Appropriations, which controls the government’s purse strings. It is considered one of the House’s most important committees. Even the Appropriations subcommittees are seen as powerful. Subcommittee chairs have been called “cardinals" because of the power they wield.
Democrat José Serrano (NY-16) has jurisdiction over the Treasury, Judiciary and National Security Council, among others, as the chairmen of the influential Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government.
He is joined on Appropriations by fellow Democrats Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Ciro Rodríguez (TX-23), Ed Pastor (AZ-04) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34).
Hispanics are also spread into other top committees such as Agriculture, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Homeland Security and Armed Services.
The high-ranking Permanent Select Intelligence Committee is chaired by Silvestre Reyes (TX-16). He is joined by Nydia Velázquez (NY-12), of the fast-rising Small Business Committee, as the only other Latino committee head.
Loretta Sánchez (CA-47),of Homeland Security, is one of two Hispanics serving as vice-chairs.
On the other side of the aisle, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) is the ranking Republican on the influential Foreign Affairs committee.
Of the 28 Hispanic House legislators, 23 are Democrats, four are Republicans and one is Independent.
After the recent retirement of Mel Martínez (R-FL), Bob Menéndez (NJ-D) remains as the only Hispanic sitting on the Senate side.
Beside the committee assignments, members of the all-Democrat Congressional Hispanic Caucus are also assigned to special task forces.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Forces
Agriculture and Rural Community
Chair: Rodríguez
Members: Costa and Cardoza
Civil Rights, Veterans and Worker Protections:
Chair: González
Members: Baca, Napolitano and Rodríguez
Commerce and International Relations:
Chair: Hinojosa
Members: Cuéllar, Reyes, Roybal-Allard, Serrano and Velázquez
Communications, Technology and the Arts:
Chair: Reyes
Members: Baca and González
Corporate America:
Chair: Baca
Members: González and Pierluisi
Education and Job Training:
Chair: Grijalva
Members: Baca, Luján, Pierluisi, Reyes and Rodríguez
Green Economy and Renewable Energy:
Chair: Luján
Members: Napolitano, Salazar and Velázquez
Health and the Environment:
Chair: Roybal-Allard
Members: Grijalva, Hinojosa and Rodríguez
Immigration:
Chair: Gutiérrez
Members: Baca, Napolitano, Pierluisi, Reyes, Sablan, Sánchez and Velázquez
Infrastructure and Housing:
Chair: Napolitano
Members: Cardoza, Costa, Cuéllar, Ortiz and Serrano
By Erick Galindo, Hispanic Link
At 5%, the number of Hispanics in the 111th Congress may be small, but with two chairs, two vice-chairs and potent subcommittee chairs, their power and influence is grand.
Five of the 28 Hispanic members of the House sit on the Committee on Appropriations, which controls the government’s purse strings. It is considered one of the House’s most important committees. Even the Appropriations subcommittees are seen as powerful. Subcommittee chairs have been called “cardinals" because of the power they wield.
Democrat José Serrano (NY-16) has jurisdiction over the Treasury, Judiciary and National Security Council, among others, as the chairmen of the influential Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government.
He is joined on Appropriations by fellow Democrats Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Ciro Rodríguez (TX-23), Ed Pastor (AZ-04) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34).
Hispanics are also spread into other top committees such as Agriculture, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Homeland Security and Armed Services.
The high-ranking Permanent Select Intelligence Committee is chaired by Silvestre Reyes (TX-16). He is joined by Nydia Velázquez (NY-12), of the fast-rising Small Business Committee, as the only other Latino committee head.
Loretta Sánchez (CA-47),of Homeland Security, is one of two Hispanics serving as vice-chairs.
On the other side of the aisle, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) is the ranking Republican on the influential Foreign Affairs committee.
Of the 28 Hispanic House legislators, 23 are Democrats, four are Republicans and one is Independent.
After the recent retirement of Mel Martínez (R-FL), Bob Menéndez (NJ-D) remains as the only Hispanic sitting on the Senate side.
Beside the committee assignments, members of the all-Democrat Congressional Hispanic Caucus are also assigned to special task forces.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Forces
Agriculture and Rural Community
Chair: Rodríguez
Members: Costa and Cardoza
Civil Rights, Veterans and Worker Protections:
Chair: González
Members: Baca, Napolitano and Rodríguez
Commerce and International Relations:
Chair: Hinojosa
Members: Cuéllar, Reyes, Roybal-Allard, Serrano and Velázquez
Communications, Technology and the Arts:
Chair: Reyes
Members: Baca and González
Corporate America:
Chair: Baca
Members: González and Pierluisi
Education and Job Training:
Chair: Grijalva
Members: Baca, Luján, Pierluisi, Reyes and Rodríguez
Green Economy and Renewable Energy:
Chair: Luján
Members: Napolitano, Salazar and Velázquez
Health and the Environment:
Chair: Roybal-Allard
Members: Grijalva, Hinojosa and Rodríguez
Immigration:
Chair: Gutiérrez
Members: Baca, Napolitano, Pierluisi, Reyes, Sablan, Sánchez and Velázquez
Infrastructure and Housing:
Chair: Napolitano
Members: Cardoza, Costa, Cuéllar, Ortiz and Serrano
NALEO Educational Fund Condemns Vitter-Bennett Amendment as Effort to Suppress Latino Census Count
NALEO Educational Fund Condemns Vitter-Bennett Amendment as Effort to Suppress Latino Census Count
Amendment would derail 2010 Census and the nation's democratic process
The Latino Journal E-News, Vol. 2, Issue 2
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued the following statement regarding the Vitter-Bennett amendment to the CJS appropriations bill that would require residents to answer a question on citizenship and immigration status in the 2010 Census:
"The NALEO Educational Fund strongly condemns the Vitter-Bennett amendment to the Senate legislation that will fund Census 2010 operations, because it is an unconstitutional and costly effort to suppress Latino participation in the decennial Census. Moreover, it would derail the 2010 Census and deprive our nation of timely and accurate data critical to our representative democracy. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) have proposed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies (CJS) appropriations bill that would require residents to answer a question on citizenship and immigration status as part of the 2010 Census. The Senate may take action related to the amendment in the next few legislative days.
"The proponents of the Vitter-Bennett amendment hope to exclude undocumented residents and possibly all non-citizens from being counted in Census 2010 for the purposes of apportioning Congressional seats. This would thwart the clear language in the U.S. Constitution which mandates a count of all of the nation's residents for apportionment purposes. In 1868, our nation adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that repealed the provision which only counted slaves as three-fifths of a person. The Vitter-Bennett amendment evokes this shameful legacy, and is an effort to make a fundamental change to our Constitution through appropriations legislation. It represents a reckless departure from decades of our nation's Census practices, intended to ensure that every 10 years, we have the most accurate portrait possible of America.
"By making intrusive inquiries into immigration status, the Vitter-Bennett amendment would raise concerns among all residents - both native-born and immigrant - about the confidentiality and privacy of information provided to the Census Bureau. This would deter participation in the Census count, particularly among Latino residents, which we believe is the ultimate goal of the amendment's proponents. Latinos are the nation's second largest and fastest-growing population group, and we cannot have a successful 2010 enumeration without a full count of the Latino community.
"The Vitter-Bennett amendment would also compel the Census Bureau to add a new question to 2010 Census materials, costing us billions of dollars and countless months of delay. At a time when our nation is facing serious economic challenges, it is simply irresponsible to require the government to spend valuable resources on testing and revising Census questions, changing its promotional and training materials, and rebuilding data processing software and equipment.
"Under U.S. law, the Census Bureau must submit the topics it will ask in the decennial enumeration to Congress three years before Census Day (April 1, 2010), and the actual Census questions two years prior to that date. Senators Vitter and Bennett, as well as the entire membership of Congress, had ample opportunity to raise any concerns about the scope of the Census in 2007 and 2008, when Congress enacted its required approvals. With Census Day less than six months away, the Vitter-Bennett amendment would force the Census Bureau to make massive changes in its operations that are certain to prevent the 2010 count from starting and finishing on time. The Vitter-Bennett amendment would throw these operations into chaos, creating delays that will reverberate for years to come.
"Without a timely Census count, we will not meet the deadline for reapportioning seats in Congress, or providing the data needed for state and local redistricting. Reapportionment and redistricting are critical to ensuring that our government remains responsive and accountable; the Vitter-Bennett amendment would sabotage the future of our democratic process.
"The leadership of the U.S. Senate is working to obtain a cloture vote on the CJS appropriations bill, which could lead to a ruling that the Vitter-Bennett amendment is not relevant to the bill. Under such circumstances, the amendment would not move forward. We urge the Senate to vote in favor of cloture, which would lay the foundation for halting the Vitter-Bennett amendment. If the cloture vote is not successful, we urge every Senator to oppose this unconstitutional and costly and measure if it comes to the Senate floor. We cannot afford to waste billions of dollars on an effort aimed at suppressing the Latino Census count and jeopardizing the accuracy of the most important source of data about our nation's population. We call on the White House to work with the Senate leadership to help ensure that lawmakers reject this disastrous course."
Amendment would derail 2010 Census and the nation's democratic process
The Latino Journal E-News, Vol. 2, Issue 2
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued the following statement regarding the Vitter-Bennett amendment to the CJS appropriations bill that would require residents to answer a question on citizenship and immigration status in the 2010 Census:
"The NALEO Educational Fund strongly condemns the Vitter-Bennett amendment to the Senate legislation that will fund Census 2010 operations, because it is an unconstitutional and costly effort to suppress Latino participation in the decennial Census. Moreover, it would derail the 2010 Census and deprive our nation of timely and accurate data critical to our representative democracy. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) have proposed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies (CJS) appropriations bill that would require residents to answer a question on citizenship and immigration status as part of the 2010 Census. The Senate may take action related to the amendment in the next few legislative days.
"The proponents of the Vitter-Bennett amendment hope to exclude undocumented residents and possibly all non-citizens from being counted in Census 2010 for the purposes of apportioning Congressional seats. This would thwart the clear language in the U.S. Constitution which mandates a count of all of the nation's residents for apportionment purposes. In 1868, our nation adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that repealed the provision which only counted slaves as three-fifths of a person. The Vitter-Bennett amendment evokes this shameful legacy, and is an effort to make a fundamental change to our Constitution through appropriations legislation. It represents a reckless departure from decades of our nation's Census practices, intended to ensure that every 10 years, we have the most accurate portrait possible of America.
"By making intrusive inquiries into immigration status, the Vitter-Bennett amendment would raise concerns among all residents - both native-born and immigrant - about the confidentiality and privacy of information provided to the Census Bureau. This would deter participation in the Census count, particularly among Latino residents, which we believe is the ultimate goal of the amendment's proponents. Latinos are the nation's second largest and fastest-growing population group, and we cannot have a successful 2010 enumeration without a full count of the Latino community.
"The Vitter-Bennett amendment would also compel the Census Bureau to add a new question to 2010 Census materials, costing us billions of dollars and countless months of delay. At a time when our nation is facing serious economic challenges, it is simply irresponsible to require the government to spend valuable resources on testing and revising Census questions, changing its promotional and training materials, and rebuilding data processing software and equipment.
"Under U.S. law, the Census Bureau must submit the topics it will ask in the decennial enumeration to Congress three years before Census Day (April 1, 2010), and the actual Census questions two years prior to that date. Senators Vitter and Bennett, as well as the entire membership of Congress, had ample opportunity to raise any concerns about the scope of the Census in 2007 and 2008, when Congress enacted its required approvals. With Census Day less than six months away, the Vitter-Bennett amendment would force the Census Bureau to make massive changes in its operations that are certain to prevent the 2010 count from starting and finishing on time. The Vitter-Bennett amendment would throw these operations into chaos, creating delays that will reverberate for years to come.
"Without a timely Census count, we will not meet the deadline for reapportioning seats in Congress, or providing the data needed for state and local redistricting. Reapportionment and redistricting are critical to ensuring that our government remains responsive and accountable; the Vitter-Bennett amendment would sabotage the future of our democratic process.
"The leadership of the U.S. Senate is working to obtain a cloture vote on the CJS appropriations bill, which could lead to a ruling that the Vitter-Bennett amendment is not relevant to the bill. Under such circumstances, the amendment would not move forward. We urge the Senate to vote in favor of cloture, which would lay the foundation for halting the Vitter-Bennett amendment. If the cloture vote is not successful, we urge every Senator to oppose this unconstitutional and costly and measure if it comes to the Senate floor. We cannot afford to waste billions of dollars on an effort aimed at suppressing the Latino Census count and jeopardizing the accuracy of the most important source of data about our nation's population. We call on the White House to work with the Senate leadership to help ensure that lawmakers reject this disastrous course."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Nevada school sees growth in Hispanic enrollment
COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA: School's Hispanic enrollment soars
By RICHARD LAKE, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct. 19, 2009
The trend is clear: In the past five years, Hispanic enrollment at the College of Southern Nevada has climbed more than 50 percent.
CSN HISPANIC ENROLLMENT
2004 - 17.4 percent
2005 - 17.9 percent
2006 - 20.2 percent
2007 - 20.8 percent
2008 - 22.5 percent
Soon, Hispanics could make up more than a quarter of all the college's students. That would be significant, as it probably would qualify the state's largest higher education institution as a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Such a designation would make the college eligible for a host of federal aid, including funding for research, new buildings, faculty development, equipment and community outreach.
Official enrollment numbers for this year are expected out this week, maybe as early as today. Officials said that if the college does not reach the 25 percent mark this year, it probably will soon. Between 2004 and 2008, Hispanic enrollment climbed from 6,000 at CSN to more than 9,000, a jump from 17 percent to 22 percent of overall enrollment.
Larry Mason, the interim vice president for diversity and cultural affairs, said he expects Hispanic enrollment to be about 23 to 24 percent this year. College officials estimate overall enrollment at CSN will climb to nearly 44,000, an increase of about 6 percent over last year.
"It's a good sign," Mason said of the Hispanic increase. "It will allow us to look at the possibility of it happening soon. That will give so much to the college, not only Hispanic students, but to all students."
The federal designation was created in 1992 to combat what Congress saw as the low college enrollment of Hispanics.
Since then, annual funding has increased from just a few million dollars to $93 million this year, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, an advocacy group.
Norma Zamora, the group's membership services coordinator, said Hispanic enrollment is increasing nationwide, as is the nation's Hispanic population.
The group has gone from 18 member institutions at its start in 1986 to more than 400 today, she said.
The trend is clearly evident on College of Southern Nevada's campuses, said Yarleny Roa-Dugan, who leads CSN's Latino Student Alliance.
She said there are times in class when she'll look around and realize that nearly half the students are Hispanic.
"We have people from everywhere in Latin America, everywhere in the world," Roa-Dugan said.
Roa-Dugan, 21, moved to the United States with her family from Colombia when she was 16. She graduated from Bonanza High School and started at CSN in 2006 to work on her nursing degree.
She is a full-time mother going to school part time. She hopes to graduate in 2011 and pursue a bachelor's degree at Nevada State College.
Roa-Dugan said there is a feeling at CSN that Hispanics are an emerging force. She joined the student group, because she wanted to be part of something bigger. As its president, she hopes to bring the disparate subgroups together. Colombia, after all, is a very different place from Mexico, which is very different from Cuba.
The student group also helps students out with financial aid and other potentially confusing issues by hosting seminars and sponsoring a small scholarship.
She is excited that CSN could soon become an official Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Mason said college officials are preparing data in anticipation of applying for the status in the next year or two. He noted that Clark County's Hispanic population is growing, standing at 28 percent, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures.
And the Clark County School District, the largest source of CSN's students, has a Hispanic population of more than 40 percent.
As a result, Mason said, CSN's Hispanic enrollment is likely to keep growing. "We have to be prepared for that."
Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.
By RICHARD LAKE, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct. 19, 2009
The trend is clear: In the past five years, Hispanic enrollment at the College of Southern Nevada has climbed more than 50 percent.
CSN HISPANIC ENROLLMENT
2004 - 17.4 percent
2005 - 17.9 percent
2006 - 20.2 percent
2007 - 20.8 percent
2008 - 22.5 percent
Soon, Hispanics could make up more than a quarter of all the college's students. That would be significant, as it probably would qualify the state's largest higher education institution as a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Such a designation would make the college eligible for a host of federal aid, including funding for research, new buildings, faculty development, equipment and community outreach.
Official enrollment numbers for this year are expected out this week, maybe as early as today. Officials said that if the college does not reach the 25 percent mark this year, it probably will soon. Between 2004 and 2008, Hispanic enrollment climbed from 6,000 at CSN to more than 9,000, a jump from 17 percent to 22 percent of overall enrollment.
Larry Mason, the interim vice president for diversity and cultural affairs, said he expects Hispanic enrollment to be about 23 to 24 percent this year. College officials estimate overall enrollment at CSN will climb to nearly 44,000, an increase of about 6 percent over last year.
"It's a good sign," Mason said of the Hispanic increase. "It will allow us to look at the possibility of it happening soon. That will give so much to the college, not only Hispanic students, but to all students."
The federal designation was created in 1992 to combat what Congress saw as the low college enrollment of Hispanics.
Since then, annual funding has increased from just a few million dollars to $93 million this year, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, an advocacy group.
Norma Zamora, the group's membership services coordinator, said Hispanic enrollment is increasing nationwide, as is the nation's Hispanic population.
The group has gone from 18 member institutions at its start in 1986 to more than 400 today, she said.
The trend is clearly evident on College of Southern Nevada's campuses, said Yarleny Roa-Dugan, who leads CSN's Latino Student Alliance.
She said there are times in class when she'll look around and realize that nearly half the students are Hispanic.
"We have people from everywhere in Latin America, everywhere in the world," Roa-Dugan said.
Roa-Dugan, 21, moved to the United States with her family from Colombia when she was 16. She graduated from Bonanza High School and started at CSN in 2006 to work on her nursing degree.
She is a full-time mother going to school part time. She hopes to graduate in 2011 and pursue a bachelor's degree at Nevada State College.
Roa-Dugan said there is a feeling at CSN that Hispanics are an emerging force. She joined the student group, because she wanted to be part of something bigger. As its president, she hopes to bring the disparate subgroups together. Colombia, after all, is a very different place from Mexico, which is very different from Cuba.
The student group also helps students out with financial aid and other potentially confusing issues by hosting seminars and sponsoring a small scholarship.
She is excited that CSN could soon become an official Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Mason said college officials are preparing data in anticipation of applying for the status in the next year or two. He noted that Clark County's Hispanic population is growing, standing at 28 percent, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures.
And the Clark County School District, the largest source of CSN's students, has a Hispanic population of more than 40 percent.
As a result, Mason said, CSN's Hispanic enrollment is likely to keep growing. "We have to be prepared for that."
Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.
Amendment targeted to throw off Latino count
Lawmakers Battle on Census Question
By NOMAAN MERCHANT, wsj.com, OCTOBER 19, 2009
WASHINGTON -- A measure gaining traction in Congress would require the 2010 Census to include a question about citizenship, a change that would cost millions of dollars and possibly derail a full count.
Two Republican senators, David Vitter of Louisiana and Bob Bennett of Utah, have offered an amendment to a spending bill that funds the Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau. The amendment would bar any funds from being used for the Census if it doesn't ask about a person's citizenship status. A similar measure has been introduced in the House.
If successful, the change would force the Census Bureau to reprint more than 425 million questionnaires, as it had already started printing the forms in order to have them ready for distribution in early 2010. It would require software revisions, new training materials and revised promotional campaigns. And it could fuel a boycott of the Census supported by some Latino leaders as a way to protest U.S. immigration policy.
Census statistics are used to determine the distribution of congressional seats and federal funds.
Mr. Vitter said he wants to prevent other states' numbers from being inflated by undocumented immigrants. "Certainly, Louisiana is directly impacted," Mr. Vitter said in an interview. "We lost a seat in 2000."
In the House, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) has co-sponsored similar legislation. Utah has argued it missed an additional House seat in 2000 because the Census Bureau doesn't count Mormon missionaries abroad, and Utah claimed 11,000 at the time.
A motion to force a Senate vote on the spending bill -- which in addition to Commerce funds the Justice Department and science programs for the year that began Oct. 1 -- failed Tuesday because of disagreements over amendments. It is expected to come up again for a vote this week.
An aide for Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.), the spending bill's floor manager, said it is unclear how much support there is for the citizenship amendment.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) criticized the Vitter amendment and a floor speech Mr. Vitter made on Wednesday. "His delusional rant...is a perfect example of why today's Republican Party has transformed itself into a fringe party that only seeks to pander to its increasingly radical base," Mr. Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley, said in a statement.
The Census Bureau has touted next year's survey as nonintrusive and, at just 10 questions, among the shortest in history. It collects more details -- including statistics on citizenship -- in a smaller, annual survey.
The bureau submitted its final questions to Congress in April 2008. Adding another question without proper vetting could damage the final data, the Commerce Department said in a statement. It would also make it impossible to deliver population numbers to determine House seats by next December's deadline, it said.
Some Latino leaders who have already called for a census boycott said they supported the Vitter amendment. Rev. Miguel Rivera, head of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, said the measure could pressure Democrats to overhaul immigration policy sooner. "In some ways, Sen. Vitter's amendment is indirectly helping us achieve and accomplish our purpose," because it could pressure Democrats to overhaul immigration policy, Mr. Rivera said.
Another Latino leader, Arturo Vargas, who heads the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, disagreed with the boycott but said the Vitter amendment, even if it isn't enacted, would achieve the same result. "The more doubt you introduce into the debate, the more likely you are to scare people away from the census," he said.
Write to Nomaan Merchant at nomaan.merchant@wsj.com
By NOMAAN MERCHANT, wsj.com, OCTOBER 19, 2009
WASHINGTON -- A measure gaining traction in Congress would require the 2010 Census to include a question about citizenship, a change that would cost millions of dollars and possibly derail a full count.
Two Republican senators, David Vitter of Louisiana and Bob Bennett of Utah, have offered an amendment to a spending bill that funds the Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau. The amendment would bar any funds from being used for the Census if it doesn't ask about a person's citizenship status. A similar measure has been introduced in the House.
If successful, the change would force the Census Bureau to reprint more than 425 million questionnaires, as it had already started printing the forms in order to have them ready for distribution in early 2010. It would require software revisions, new training materials and revised promotional campaigns. And it could fuel a boycott of the Census supported by some Latino leaders as a way to protest U.S. immigration policy.
Census statistics are used to determine the distribution of congressional seats and federal funds.
Mr. Vitter said he wants to prevent other states' numbers from being inflated by undocumented immigrants. "Certainly, Louisiana is directly impacted," Mr. Vitter said in an interview. "We lost a seat in 2000."
In the House, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) has co-sponsored similar legislation. Utah has argued it missed an additional House seat in 2000 because the Census Bureau doesn't count Mormon missionaries abroad, and Utah claimed 11,000 at the time.
A motion to force a Senate vote on the spending bill -- which in addition to Commerce funds the Justice Department and science programs for the year that began Oct. 1 -- failed Tuesday because of disagreements over amendments. It is expected to come up again for a vote this week.
An aide for Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.), the spending bill's floor manager, said it is unclear how much support there is for the citizenship amendment.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) criticized the Vitter amendment and a floor speech Mr. Vitter made on Wednesday. "His delusional rant...is a perfect example of why today's Republican Party has transformed itself into a fringe party that only seeks to pander to its increasingly radical base," Mr. Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley, said in a statement.
The Census Bureau has touted next year's survey as nonintrusive and, at just 10 questions, among the shortest in history. It collects more details -- including statistics on citizenship -- in a smaller, annual survey.
The bureau submitted its final questions to Congress in April 2008. Adding another question without proper vetting could damage the final data, the Commerce Department said in a statement. It would also make it impossible to deliver population numbers to determine House seats by next December's deadline, it said.
Some Latino leaders who have already called for a census boycott said they supported the Vitter amendment. Rev. Miguel Rivera, head of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, said the measure could pressure Democrats to overhaul immigration policy sooner. "In some ways, Sen. Vitter's amendment is indirectly helping us achieve and accomplish our purpose," because it could pressure Democrats to overhaul immigration policy, Mr. Rivera said.
Another Latino leader, Arturo Vargas, who heads the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, disagreed with the boycott but said the Vitter amendment, even if it isn't enacted, would achieve the same result. "The more doubt you introduce into the debate, the more likely you are to scare people away from the census," he said.
Write to Nomaan Merchant at nomaan.merchant@wsj.com
Texas wants more Latinos in college
Texas wants more Latinos in college
Associated Press, 10/18/2009
A plan to improve the number of Latinos attending college will be considered later this month by the state higher education board.
A recent report from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicates Hispanics are the least likely group to attend college and are "well below" meeting improvement goals, The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.
State figures also indicate male college graduates also lag behind women across all races.
A University of Texas educator, Victor Saenz, says it's common for Hispanic males to make sacrifices over the needs of the family.
Starting a pilot program to increase the number of counselors at certain high schools along with reaching out to more Spanish-speaking parents are among the ideas the board is considering.
Associated Press, 10/18/2009
A plan to improve the number of Latinos attending college will be considered later this month by the state higher education board.
A recent report from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicates Hispanics are the least likely group to attend college and are "well below" meeting improvement goals, The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.
State figures also indicate male college graduates also lag behind women across all races.
A University of Texas educator, Victor Saenz, says it's common for Hispanic males to make sacrifices over the needs of the family.
Starting a pilot program to increase the number of counselors at certain high schools along with reaching out to more Spanish-speaking parents are among the ideas the board is considering.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hispanics could gain with immigration enforcement change
DHS Reshapes Its Immigration Enforcement Program
By Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, October 16, 2009
A controversial federal program that deputizes state and local law enforcement agents to catch illegal immigrants is expanding under the Obama administration, despite changes announced this summer intended to curb alleged racial profiling and other police abuses.
The Department of Homeland Security is expected to report Friday morning that a small number of the 66 participating agencies have dropped out because of the new federal requirements, officials said. And those losses are offset by applications from 13 additional police and sheriff's departments, a federal official said, speaking on condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.
In the Washington area, sheriff's offices in Frederick, Loudoun and Prince William counties intend to continue to participate, according to local officials.
Nationwide, the program identified about 60,000 illegal immigrants for deportation over the past year, the highest number since the program was expanded nationwide in 2006. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in July said agencies that receive federal grants and training under the program would have 90 days to agree to new terms aimed at ending controversial police practices identified by congressional auditors and civil rights groups. Critics cited cases in which police conducted roadside stops and neighborhood sweeps aimed at Latinos and other ethnic groups, often arresting minorities for traffic and other minor offenses in pursuit of illegal immigrants.
Changed Focus
Instead of scaling back the program, as its critics wanted, DHS has reshaped it. The agency has reined in local police units that target illegal immigrants at large, directing the units instead to focus on those who commit major drug offenses or violent crimes, especially those already incarcerated. Most prominently, the agency cut back authority it had given to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, according to Arpaio. His operations in the Phoenix metropolitan area had led to charges of racial profiling and three federal investigations.
Although those and similar tactics had drawn the most controversy, they accounted for a small fraction of the 135,389 illegal immigrants caught under the program, according to new federal data obtained by The Washington Post. The vast majority -- 94 percent -- were found by checks at local and state jails. DHS is moving to expand jail checks, adding such agreements with eight new agencies, a federal official said.
"We've refocused the program on identifying and removing serious criminal offenders, whether in jail or on the street," said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because final decisions had not been made. The official said the new rules show that the Obama administration is intent on enforcing immigration laws against dangerous illegal immigrants and upholding civil rights.
DHS has determined that in Maricopa County, for example, the program to identify illegal immigrants already in jail -- accounting for nearly 90 percent of the county's total arrests under the program -- may continue, the sheriff said. But the agency found that the county's task force aimed at finding illegal immigrants in the community was not being operated "in a manner consistent with our law enforcement policies," the U.S. official said.
ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel declined to comment on the status of any participating agency.
Critics on Both Sides
Jessica Vaughan, an analyst with the Center for Immigration Statistics, which seeks greater immigration restrictions, said the administration needs local agencies to be satisfied with the new federal rules to maintain its credibility over immigration enforcement. Nevertheless, the changes did not please the most vocal critics on either side.
Supporters of tougher enforcement have championed Arpaio.
"This unbelievable move by the Obama administration represents a politicized attempt to hinder one of our most effective illegal immigration enforcement mechanisms," Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
Arpaio, whose, 4,000-employee department has caught more illegal immigrants under the program than any other agency -- more than 20 percent of the nationwide total -- vowed to defy the new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rules and continue arrests in the community. He said deputies will conduct another "crime suppression" raid Friday and turn over illegal immigrants found violating traffic laws or other civil offenses to federal authorities. If ICE refuses to take them, Arpaio said, he will take them to the next closest federal agency, probably the U.S. Border Patrol at the Mexican border.
"I can't understand why they are bullying this law enforcement agency for political reasons when we've been so successful," Arpaio said in an interview. "We're going to go out again [Friday] -- the same way we've been doing it."
A coalition of more than 500 local and national civil liberties and immigrant groups have opposed the federal program, saying it hampers public safety by intimidating immigrant communities from reporting crimes to the police and diverting police from investigating more serious crimes.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) wrote President Obama last month on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, calling on the White House to terminate the program.
Omar C. Jadwat, staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, cited a report last month by the University of California at Berkeley School of Law as evidence that the administration's shift to jail checks would encourage some local police to arrest and book more minorities so their immigration status could be determined once they were behind bars. That study found that police in Irving, Tex., working with a separate ICE program, increased arrests of Hispanics for minor offenses by nearly 150 percent between April and September 2007.
"Focusing on jail programs as opposed to these [investigative] task force programs doesn't eliminate the serious problems we've seen with profiling," Jadwat said.
By Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, October 16, 2009
A controversial federal program that deputizes state and local law enforcement agents to catch illegal immigrants is expanding under the Obama administration, despite changes announced this summer intended to curb alleged racial profiling and other police abuses.
The Department of Homeland Security is expected to report Friday morning that a small number of the 66 participating agencies have dropped out because of the new federal requirements, officials said. And those losses are offset by applications from 13 additional police and sheriff's departments, a federal official said, speaking on condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.
In the Washington area, sheriff's offices in Frederick, Loudoun and Prince William counties intend to continue to participate, according to local officials.
Nationwide, the program identified about 60,000 illegal immigrants for deportation over the past year, the highest number since the program was expanded nationwide in 2006. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in July said agencies that receive federal grants and training under the program would have 90 days to agree to new terms aimed at ending controversial police practices identified by congressional auditors and civil rights groups. Critics cited cases in which police conducted roadside stops and neighborhood sweeps aimed at Latinos and other ethnic groups, often arresting minorities for traffic and other minor offenses in pursuit of illegal immigrants.
Changed Focus
Instead of scaling back the program, as its critics wanted, DHS has reshaped it. The agency has reined in local police units that target illegal immigrants at large, directing the units instead to focus on those who commit major drug offenses or violent crimes, especially those already incarcerated. Most prominently, the agency cut back authority it had given to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, according to Arpaio. His operations in the Phoenix metropolitan area had led to charges of racial profiling and three federal investigations.
Although those and similar tactics had drawn the most controversy, they accounted for a small fraction of the 135,389 illegal immigrants caught under the program, according to new federal data obtained by The Washington Post. The vast majority -- 94 percent -- were found by checks at local and state jails. DHS is moving to expand jail checks, adding such agreements with eight new agencies, a federal official said.
"We've refocused the program on identifying and removing serious criminal offenders, whether in jail or on the street," said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because final decisions had not been made. The official said the new rules show that the Obama administration is intent on enforcing immigration laws against dangerous illegal immigrants and upholding civil rights.
DHS has determined that in Maricopa County, for example, the program to identify illegal immigrants already in jail -- accounting for nearly 90 percent of the county's total arrests under the program -- may continue, the sheriff said. But the agency found that the county's task force aimed at finding illegal immigrants in the community was not being operated "in a manner consistent with our law enforcement policies," the U.S. official said.
ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel declined to comment on the status of any participating agency.
Critics on Both Sides
Jessica Vaughan, an analyst with the Center for Immigration Statistics, which seeks greater immigration restrictions, said the administration needs local agencies to be satisfied with the new federal rules to maintain its credibility over immigration enforcement. Nevertheless, the changes did not please the most vocal critics on either side.
Supporters of tougher enforcement have championed Arpaio.
"This unbelievable move by the Obama administration represents a politicized attempt to hinder one of our most effective illegal immigration enforcement mechanisms," Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
Arpaio, whose, 4,000-employee department has caught more illegal immigrants under the program than any other agency -- more than 20 percent of the nationwide total -- vowed to defy the new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rules and continue arrests in the community. He said deputies will conduct another "crime suppression" raid Friday and turn over illegal immigrants found violating traffic laws or other civil offenses to federal authorities. If ICE refuses to take them, Arpaio said, he will take them to the next closest federal agency, probably the U.S. Border Patrol at the Mexican border.
"I can't understand why they are bullying this law enforcement agency for political reasons when we've been so successful," Arpaio said in an interview. "We're going to go out again [Friday] -- the same way we've been doing it."
A coalition of more than 500 local and national civil liberties and immigrant groups have opposed the federal program, saying it hampers public safety by intimidating immigrant communities from reporting crimes to the police and diverting police from investigating more serious crimes.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) wrote President Obama last month on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, calling on the White House to terminate the program.
Omar C. Jadwat, staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, cited a report last month by the University of California at Berkeley School of Law as evidence that the administration's shift to jail checks would encourage some local police to arrest and book more minorities so their immigration status could be determined once they were behind bars. That study found that police in Irving, Tex., working with a separate ICE program, increased arrests of Hispanics for minor offenses by nearly 150 percent between April and September 2007.
"Focusing on jail programs as opposed to these [investigative] task force programs doesn't eliminate the serious problems we've seen with profiling," Jadwat said.
Hispanics allege discrimination by Ohio state agency
Hispanics allege discrimination by Ohio state agency
NBC4i.com, October 16, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Members of Central Ohio’s Hispanic community say they are the victim of racial profiling by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The BMV sent out 47,457 letters last week to vehicle owners that do no have Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers or state identification numbers attached to their vehicle registrations.
Owners receiving the letter were told they have 60 days to produce identification or their registration will be canceled. The letter follows a change in policy that closed a legal loophole allowing undocumented immigrants without insurance or a drivers license to register a vehicle using the power of attorney process.
Stripped of their valid vehicle registration, undocumented workers could be pulled over, arrested and deported back to their home country if caught driving unregistered vehicles.
“This is nothing else but racial profiling,“ said a Columbus resident who received one of the letters this week and wished to remain anonymous. The man stated he is an American citizen and an Ohio resident for 26 years. “Nobody else got a letter, only the Spanish people.“
BMV spokesperson Lindsay Komlanc said the BMV did not look at drivers’ last names or use racial profiling in sending the letters. Komlanc said the BMV is not assuming that those receiving letters acted fraudulently, but she acknowledges the BMV is being aggressive in enforcing the law.
“The only way the scan was run was by people who did not have a social security number, drivers license number, or identification card number,“ Komlanc said. “At the end of the 60 days, anyone who has not provided the additional documentation will have their vehicle registration canceled.“
Ohio Hispanic Coalition president Joseph Mas said he and other attorneys are reviewing legal options, including the possibility of challenging the constitutionality of the BMVs actions.
“Why not wait until those vehicles come up for renewal, renewal of the plates, and then on a gradual basis begin to address that,“ Mas said. “And, of course, if we’re lucky it’s possible that the federal
government by that time would have already advanced immigration reform.“
NBC4i.com, October 16, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Members of Central Ohio’s Hispanic community say they are the victim of racial profiling by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The BMV sent out 47,457 letters last week to vehicle owners that do no have Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers or state identification numbers attached to their vehicle registrations.
Owners receiving the letter were told they have 60 days to produce identification or their registration will be canceled. The letter follows a change in policy that closed a legal loophole allowing undocumented immigrants without insurance or a drivers license to register a vehicle using the power of attorney process.
Stripped of their valid vehicle registration, undocumented workers could be pulled over, arrested and deported back to their home country if caught driving unregistered vehicles.
“This is nothing else but racial profiling,“ said a Columbus resident who received one of the letters this week and wished to remain anonymous. The man stated he is an American citizen and an Ohio resident for 26 years. “Nobody else got a letter, only the Spanish people.“
BMV spokesperson Lindsay Komlanc said the BMV did not look at drivers’ last names or use racial profiling in sending the letters. Komlanc said the BMV is not assuming that those receiving letters acted fraudulently, but she acknowledges the BMV is being aggressive in enforcing the law.
“The only way the scan was run was by people who did not have a social security number, drivers license number, or identification card number,“ Komlanc said. “At the end of the 60 days, anyone who has not provided the additional documentation will have their vehicle registration canceled.“
Ohio Hispanic Coalition president Joseph Mas said he and other attorneys are reviewing legal options, including the possibility of challenging the constitutionality of the BMVs actions.
“Why not wait until those vehicles come up for renewal, renewal of the plates, and then on a gradual basis begin to address that,“ Mas said. “And, of course, if we’re lucky it’s possible that the federal
government by that time would have already advanced immigration reform.“
Hispanics remain target for Arpaio
Arizona sheriff conducts migrant sweeps despite curb
By David Schwartz, Reuters, Oct 17, 2009
PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona sheriff known for cracking down on undocumented migrants is conducting an immigration and crime sweep around Phoenix, less than a day after federal authorities curbed his powers to make immigration arrests.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio dispatched deputies on a two-day "crime suppression" operation in the western Phoenix valley on Friday, stopping and arresting at least eight people for minor offenses who could not prove that they were in Arizona legally.
Arpaio, whose sweeps have led to allegations of racial profiling, said he is carrying out the operations under Arizona state laws targeting smugglers and another federal law he says allows him to detain illegal immigrants.
"Nothing has changed," Arpaio said while overseeing the operation in a suburb northwest of Phoenix. "We're still going to be doing what we've been doing tonight and during the last two and a half years. I don't take orders from anyone."
Arpaio had carried out the sweeps in a partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that gave select state and local police authority to make immigration arrests.
His deputies lost powers to enforce immigration laws on the streets under a revamp to the ICE program announced on Friday, but they are still allowed to determine the immigration status of detainees held in county lockups.
Arpaio has held office since 1992 and has been criticized by Hispanic activists, civic authorities and civil rights leader Al Sharpton. They say the Phoenix sweeps in areas with significant Latino populations amount to racial profiling.
He denies it. "This is not racial profiling," he said. "We treat everyone the same."
Immigration, particularly what to do with almost 12 million illegal immigrants living and working in the shadows, is a divisive issue in the United States.
President Barack Obama has pledged to seek support in Congress to overhaul the system and supports offering illegal immigrants in good standing the chance to pay a fine and become citizens. However he also supports cracking down on lawbreakers and tightening workplace and border enforcement.
(Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor; editing by Chris Wilson)
By David Schwartz, Reuters, Oct 17, 2009
PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona sheriff known for cracking down on undocumented migrants is conducting an immigration and crime sweep around Phoenix, less than a day after federal authorities curbed his powers to make immigration arrests.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio dispatched deputies on a two-day "crime suppression" operation in the western Phoenix valley on Friday, stopping and arresting at least eight people for minor offenses who could not prove that they were in Arizona legally.
Arpaio, whose sweeps have led to allegations of racial profiling, said he is carrying out the operations under Arizona state laws targeting smugglers and another federal law he says allows him to detain illegal immigrants.
"Nothing has changed," Arpaio said while overseeing the operation in a suburb northwest of Phoenix. "We're still going to be doing what we've been doing tonight and during the last two and a half years. I don't take orders from anyone."
Arpaio had carried out the sweeps in a partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that gave select state and local police authority to make immigration arrests.
His deputies lost powers to enforce immigration laws on the streets under a revamp to the ICE program announced on Friday, but they are still allowed to determine the immigration status of detainees held in county lockups.
Arpaio has held office since 1992 and has been criticized by Hispanic activists, civic authorities and civil rights leader Al Sharpton. They say the Phoenix sweeps in areas with significant Latino populations amount to racial profiling.
He denies it. "This is not racial profiling," he said. "We treat everyone the same."
Immigration, particularly what to do with almost 12 million illegal immigrants living and working in the shadows, is a divisive issue in the United States.
President Barack Obama has pledged to seek support in Congress to overhaul the system and supports offering illegal immigrants in good standing the chance to pay a fine and become citizens. However he also supports cracking down on lawbreakers and tightening workplace and border enforcement.
(Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor; editing by Chris Wilson)
Hispanic students in Texas beat national average
Here's how to interpret Texas' NAEP math scores
William McKenzie, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Oct 15, 2009
Here's what's exciting about Texas' most recent scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math exam, the best benchmarking of student achievement in any subject:
Texas minority students outpaced their peers nationwide. Blacks in fourth and eighth grade finished third and first, respectively, on the math exam. Latinos finished eighth and fourth, respectively. In both cases, their average scores beat the national average for African-American and Hispanic students.
Anglo students in fourth and eighth grades also beat their peers nationally. Whites in the fourth and eighth grades finished fifth and fourth, respectively, on the math exam. Their average scores also trumped the national average for Anglo students.
In a populous, diverse state like Texas, those scores are not something to wave off. They show that peer group-to-peer group, our students are holding their own.
Here, though, is the troubling part, which Terry Stutz reports on in today's story about the NAEP results:
Texas still has a significant "achievement gap" between Anglo and minority students. Among fourth graders, Anglos in Texas scored 23 points higher than blacks in Texas and 21 points higher than Latinos in Texas. Among Texas eighth graders, Anglos scored 29 points higher than African-Americans and 24 points higher than Hispanics..
That gap is particularly depressing when you consider what UT education expert Edward Fuller told Terry: Scores for black and Latino fourth-grade students in Texas are now where Anglo students in Texas were in 1992. And Texas scores for black and Latino eighth-graders are where whites were in 1990.
We've talked here before about the achievement gap and why it's especially important to see more progress among Latino students, who make up about half the Texas public school student body. We'll keep talking about the best strategies, including getting more parents involved in their child's education.
For the moment, though, let's both cheer and gulp. Texas still has a lot of work to do with its schools.
William McKenzie, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Oct 15, 2009
Here's what's exciting about Texas' most recent scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math exam, the best benchmarking of student achievement in any subject:
Texas minority students outpaced their peers nationwide. Blacks in fourth and eighth grade finished third and first, respectively, on the math exam. Latinos finished eighth and fourth, respectively. In both cases, their average scores beat the national average for African-American and Hispanic students.
Anglo students in fourth and eighth grades also beat their peers nationally. Whites in the fourth and eighth grades finished fifth and fourth, respectively, on the math exam. Their average scores also trumped the national average for Anglo students.
In a populous, diverse state like Texas, those scores are not something to wave off. They show that peer group-to-peer group, our students are holding their own.
Here, though, is the troubling part, which Terry Stutz reports on in today's story about the NAEP results:
Texas still has a significant "achievement gap" between Anglo and minority students. Among fourth graders, Anglos in Texas scored 23 points higher than blacks in Texas and 21 points higher than Latinos in Texas. Among Texas eighth graders, Anglos scored 29 points higher than African-Americans and 24 points higher than Hispanics..
That gap is particularly depressing when you consider what UT education expert Edward Fuller told Terry: Scores for black and Latino fourth-grade students in Texas are now where Anglo students in Texas were in 1992. And Texas scores for black and Latino eighth-graders are where whites were in 1990.
We've talked here before about the achievement gap and why it's especially important to see more progress among Latino students, who make up about half the Texas public school student body. We'll keep talking about the best strategies, including getting more parents involved in their child's education.
For the moment, though, let's both cheer and gulp. Texas still has a lot of work to do with its schools.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hispanic students encouraged to register for ACT
Register Now for December ACT Test
PRESS RELEASE
Iowa City, IA — Registration is now open for the December 12, 2009 ACT achievement test. This date is a great time for seniors to take the ACT before submitting college applications. Students who wish to take the college admission and placement exam must register before November 6, 2009.
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam. It tests what students have actually learned in school, not their aptitude for learning. The ACT also measures what students need to know to be ready for entry-level college-credit courses based on ACT College Readiness Standards™. Every student’s results can be tied directly to these consistent standards.
The ACT has four sections — English, mathematics, reading and science — and takes about three hours to complete. Students who take the ACT Plus Writing complete an optional writing test that requires an additional 30 minutes. Unlike other exams, students are not penalized for guessing or answering all the questions on each test section. In fact, it is beneficial for test takers to answer all questions within the time allowed.
During registration, students may select up to four universities to receive their score reports. ACT scores are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities across the United States. ACT reports scores only when requested to do so by the student. Additional score reports are available for a small fee.
All students complete a detailed inventory of questions during ACT registration. Each test taker receives an ACT score report that includes a wide variety of information to assist with high school course selection, college readiness, career planning, and college admissions.
The cost for the ACT test without writing is $32. When combined with the optional ACT Writing Test, the total cost is $47. Students who qualify may apply for a fee waiver through their high school counselor.
The ACT website, www.actstudent.org, has helpful information, free sample items, and options to order inexpensive test prep materials to assist test takers get ready for the exam. However, the best preparation is to take rigorous core courses in school, study hard, and learn the academic skills needed in college.
Most students register online at www.actstudent.org. Students may also pick up registration forms from their high school counseling offices; these forms must be postmarked by November 6, 2009. Late registration is available until November 20, 2009 for an extra $21 fee.
PRESS RELEASE
Iowa City, IA — Registration is now open for the December 12, 2009 ACT achievement test. This date is a great time for seniors to take the ACT before submitting college applications. Students who wish to take the college admission and placement exam must register before November 6, 2009.
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam. It tests what students have actually learned in school, not their aptitude for learning. The ACT also measures what students need to know to be ready for entry-level college-credit courses based on ACT College Readiness Standards™. Every student’s results can be tied directly to these consistent standards.
The ACT has four sections — English, mathematics, reading and science — and takes about three hours to complete. Students who take the ACT Plus Writing complete an optional writing test that requires an additional 30 minutes. Unlike other exams, students are not penalized for guessing or answering all the questions on each test section. In fact, it is beneficial for test takers to answer all questions within the time allowed.
During registration, students may select up to four universities to receive their score reports. ACT scores are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities across the United States. ACT reports scores only when requested to do so by the student. Additional score reports are available for a small fee.
All students complete a detailed inventory of questions during ACT registration. Each test taker receives an ACT score report that includes a wide variety of information to assist with high school course selection, college readiness, career planning, and college admissions.
The cost for the ACT test without writing is $32. When combined with the optional ACT Writing Test, the total cost is $47. Students who qualify may apply for a fee waiver through their high school counselor.
The ACT website, www.actstudent.org, has helpful information, free sample items, and options to order inexpensive test prep materials to assist test takers get ready for the exam. However, the best preparation is to take rigorous core courses in school, study hard, and learn the academic skills needed in college.
Most students register online at www.actstudent.org. Students may also pick up registration forms from their high school counseling offices; these forms must be postmarked by November 6, 2009. Late registration is available until November 20, 2009 for an extra $21 fee.
Recruiting Hispanics to the GOP in her terms
GOP Hispanic Organizer Renounces GOP to Recruit for GOP
Dawn Teo, HUFFINGTON POST, October 14, 2009
PHOENIX, AZ -- DeeDee Blase founded "Somos Republicans" to recruit to Arizona Hispanics to the Repubican Party, but not the official state party or the official local party. Somos Republicans (which translates to "we are Repubicans") deliberately distances itself from all official Republican Party entities, citing the dissatisfaction of Hispanics with Republican leaders.
According to the Arizona Republic, Blase believes that it "helps her cause to not be associated with either the state or county GOP." Arizona state and local Republican Party leaders are, according to Blase, "a huge turnoff" to the Hispanic community that Somos Republicans targets with its outreach efforts.
"The people I want to come over to the conservative movement, they don't know what a Republican or a Democrat is, but they know Joe Arpaio," Blase told the Republic.
Blase says associating her outreach efforts with prominent local GOP leaders like Sheriff Joe Arpaio (known for immigration "sweeps" in Hispanic neighborhoods), Senator Russell Pearce (infamous for advocating "Operation Wetback"), and Arizona Republican Party Chair Randy Pullen (a long-time immigration control advocate) are nonstarters in the Arizonan Hispanic community. Though Blase is careful not to use the word 'racist,' Political Latino, a local blog recruiting for Somos Repubicans, is more straightforward,
Are you pro-life? Do you like business/jobs in your community? Will high taxes help keep companies in your city or town? Does Joe Arpio need to go? Latinos from other countries come to the US to run from Socialism not to Socialism Mr. Obama! right?
yes, yes, no, Hell YES!, right! : If these were all your answers to the questions above you are a Conservative my friend. Better yet a Business minded Republican. As far as Joe Arpio he is a racist and that is that.
Ironically, Blase wants the U.S. to allow "law-abiding immigrants" to stay in the U.S., and she was motivated to form Somos Republicans by her disappointment that Obama has not tackled immigration reform just nine months into his presidency, "Obama sold Latinos down the river. It's my mission to call him out on this."
Arizona's Republican leaders reacted to the formation of Somos Republicans:
Party spokesman Matt Roberts said the state GOP was only vaguely aware of the group, but that the party welcomes it as part of the Republicans' "big tent" philosophy.
"I think that just speaks to the diversity of our party," Roberts said.
Tom Husband, executive director of the Maricopa County Republican Party, said he hasn't noted any influx of new applications. He hadn't heard of Somos Republicans. But like Roberts, Husband said he welcomed the group and its efforts to expand the GOP base.
Arpaio said Blase was trying to agitate groups of people who don't like his stance on illegal immigration. But he said he doesn't believe it's fair to blame the entire Republican Party.
"I'll take the heat if she doesn't like what I'm doing," he said. "But let's not bring the political labels into the mix because I don't see everyday Republican politicians - especially the congressional delegation - standing next to me defending me."
According to Blase, Somos Republicans is working independently from the party structure to register Hispanics as Repubican voters, recruit Hispanics to fill vacant Republican precinct committeeperson slots, and recruit more Hispanic candidates to run on the Republican ticket.
Blase says her group has about 200 members.
Dawn Teo, HUFFINGTON POST, October 14, 2009
PHOENIX, AZ -- DeeDee Blase founded "Somos Republicans" to recruit to Arizona Hispanics to the Repubican Party, but not the official state party or the official local party. Somos Republicans (which translates to "we are Repubicans") deliberately distances itself from all official Republican Party entities, citing the dissatisfaction of Hispanics with Republican leaders.
According to the Arizona Republic, Blase believes that it "helps her cause to not be associated with either the state or county GOP." Arizona state and local Republican Party leaders are, according to Blase, "a huge turnoff" to the Hispanic community that Somos Republicans targets with its outreach efforts.
"The people I want to come over to the conservative movement, they don't know what a Republican or a Democrat is, but they know Joe Arpaio," Blase told the Republic.
Blase says associating her outreach efforts with prominent local GOP leaders like Sheriff Joe Arpaio (known for immigration "sweeps" in Hispanic neighborhoods), Senator Russell Pearce (infamous for advocating "Operation Wetback"), and Arizona Republican Party Chair Randy Pullen (a long-time immigration control advocate) are nonstarters in the Arizonan Hispanic community. Though Blase is careful not to use the word 'racist,' Political Latino, a local blog recruiting for Somos Repubicans, is more straightforward,
Are you pro-life? Do you like business/jobs in your community? Will high taxes help keep companies in your city or town? Does Joe Arpio need to go? Latinos from other countries come to the US to run from Socialism not to Socialism Mr. Obama! right?
yes, yes, no, Hell YES!, right! : If these were all your answers to the questions above you are a Conservative my friend. Better yet a Business minded Republican. As far as Joe Arpio he is a racist and that is that.
Ironically, Blase wants the U.S. to allow "law-abiding immigrants" to stay in the U.S., and she was motivated to form Somos Republicans by her disappointment that Obama has not tackled immigration reform just nine months into his presidency, "Obama sold Latinos down the river. It's my mission to call him out on this."
Arizona's Republican leaders reacted to the formation of Somos Republicans:
Party spokesman Matt Roberts said the state GOP was only vaguely aware of the group, but that the party welcomes it as part of the Republicans' "big tent" philosophy.
"I think that just speaks to the diversity of our party," Roberts said.
Tom Husband, executive director of the Maricopa County Republican Party, said he hasn't noted any influx of new applications. He hadn't heard of Somos Republicans. But like Roberts, Husband said he welcomed the group and its efforts to expand the GOP base.
Arpaio said Blase was trying to agitate groups of people who don't like his stance on illegal immigration. But he said he doesn't believe it's fair to blame the entire Republican Party.
"I'll take the heat if she doesn't like what I'm doing," he said. "But let's not bring the political labels into the mix because I don't see everyday Republican politicians - especially the congressional delegation - standing next to me defending me."
According to Blase, Somos Republicans is working independently from the party structure to register Hispanics as Repubican voters, recruit Hispanics to fill vacant Republican precinct committeeperson slots, and recruit more Hispanic candidates to run on the Republican ticket.
Blase says her group has about 200 members.
The risky business of immigration reform
The risky business of immigration reform
Brownsville Heralds, October 12, 2009
Undaunted by vigorous debates over heath care and energy legislation, the Obama administration will soon push Congress to add immigration reform to its already full plate. In the coming months, Obama has promised to offer a plan very similar to that of his predecessor, George W. Bush, which coupled enhanced border enforcement with a controversial guest worker program.
In considering this issue, the administration and lawmakers should seek immigration policies that facilitate private sector enforcement of immigration laws without unduly punishing business owners or choking productivity. Enacted in 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act for the first time prohibited employers from hiring illegal immigrants. This legislation rightly sought to reduce the economic incentive for illegal immigration, but compliance has proven challenging.
Even the most recent innovation demonstrates that a foolproof solution remains elusive. Effective Sept. 8, all businesses that contract with the federal government or receive stimulus funds are required to participate in E-Verify, an online program for checking whether an employee is in the United States legally. In addition, 15 states require government contractors to use E-Verify; Arizona, South Carolina, and Mississippi require all businesses to use the system. However, it is not a panacea for the challenges employers face in enforcing federal law.
Twenty-seven different types of documents may be used to establish eligibility to work. Forgeries and identity theft are rampant. In a recent two-year period, there were 3,500 federal investigations in which some 78,000 fraudulent documents were used to obtain employment for 50,000 illegal immigrants.
Additionally, a Social Security Administration report concluded that 17.8 million out of 435 million records are inaccurate, resulting in incorrect feedback when submitted through E-Verify. The primary reason that citizens or legal residents’ status cannot be verified is that they have changed addresses and not reported the move to the SSA.
Employers face serious consequences if they run afoul of federal immigration law. Prison sentences for employing illegal immigrants range from six months to five years. In the last few years, business owners in the restaurant, fishing and construction industries have been sentenced to prison for hiring illegal immigrants.
Business owners who knowingly hire illegal immigrants should be held accountable, particularly through civil penalties. However, courts have interpreted IRCA in a way that permits business owners who unwittingly hired an illegal immigrant to be convicted and even imprisoned. First, courts have ruled that "constructive knowledge" is sufficient, which means a business owner’s knowledge of an employee’s immigration status can be inferred from the circumstances. Second, the knowledge of managers has been found sufficient to convict business owners.
Additionally, IRCA’s prohibition on harboring illegal immigrants has been applied to landlords, who have been the subject of several recent prosecutions. This is problematic because renters, unlike employees, are not legally required to submit documentation to landlords, and landlords cannot reasonably be expected to follow up with each resident to check whether their visa may have expired.
At the other end of the immigration spectrum, companies, particularly those in the high technology sector, continue to face difficulties obtaining visas for high-skilled workers. Scientists and engineers face an average of a five-year delay to obtain a visa, even with a sponsor that will hire them. Since the sponsor must prove it cannot find an American to fill the position, expediting this process would not come at the expense of current citizens.
Furthermore, arbitrary country caps on these permanent visas have excluded immigrants from China and India who are in demand by U.S technology companies. As a result, some companies simply offshore these jobs. For example, Google recently moved 30 high-tech positions overseas because visas could not be obtained. Outsourcing visa processing to licensed private companies and repealing the country caps would alleviate this problem.
As American businesses navigate a challenging economy, it is imperative that any immigration reform legislation balance the private sector’s appropriate role in enforcing immigration laws with the need for greater fairness, predictability and efficiency.
Marc A. Levin is director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a nonprofit, free-market research institute based in Austin.
Brownsville Heralds, October 12, 2009
Undaunted by vigorous debates over heath care and energy legislation, the Obama administration will soon push Congress to add immigration reform to its already full plate. In the coming months, Obama has promised to offer a plan very similar to that of his predecessor, George W. Bush, which coupled enhanced border enforcement with a controversial guest worker program.
In considering this issue, the administration and lawmakers should seek immigration policies that facilitate private sector enforcement of immigration laws without unduly punishing business owners or choking productivity. Enacted in 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act for the first time prohibited employers from hiring illegal immigrants. This legislation rightly sought to reduce the economic incentive for illegal immigration, but compliance has proven challenging.
Even the most recent innovation demonstrates that a foolproof solution remains elusive. Effective Sept. 8, all businesses that contract with the federal government or receive stimulus funds are required to participate in E-Verify, an online program for checking whether an employee is in the United States legally. In addition, 15 states require government contractors to use E-Verify; Arizona, South Carolina, and Mississippi require all businesses to use the system. However, it is not a panacea for the challenges employers face in enforcing federal law.
Twenty-seven different types of documents may be used to establish eligibility to work. Forgeries and identity theft are rampant. In a recent two-year period, there were 3,500 federal investigations in which some 78,000 fraudulent documents were used to obtain employment for 50,000 illegal immigrants.
Additionally, a Social Security Administration report concluded that 17.8 million out of 435 million records are inaccurate, resulting in incorrect feedback when submitted through E-Verify. The primary reason that citizens or legal residents’ status cannot be verified is that they have changed addresses and not reported the move to the SSA.
Employers face serious consequences if they run afoul of federal immigration law. Prison sentences for employing illegal immigrants range from six months to five years. In the last few years, business owners in the restaurant, fishing and construction industries have been sentenced to prison for hiring illegal immigrants.
Business owners who knowingly hire illegal immigrants should be held accountable, particularly through civil penalties. However, courts have interpreted IRCA in a way that permits business owners who unwittingly hired an illegal immigrant to be convicted and even imprisoned. First, courts have ruled that "constructive knowledge" is sufficient, which means a business owner’s knowledge of an employee’s immigration status can be inferred from the circumstances. Second, the knowledge of managers has been found sufficient to convict business owners.
Additionally, IRCA’s prohibition on harboring illegal immigrants has been applied to landlords, who have been the subject of several recent prosecutions. This is problematic because renters, unlike employees, are not legally required to submit documentation to landlords, and landlords cannot reasonably be expected to follow up with each resident to check whether their visa may have expired.
At the other end of the immigration spectrum, companies, particularly those in the high technology sector, continue to face difficulties obtaining visas for high-skilled workers. Scientists and engineers face an average of a five-year delay to obtain a visa, even with a sponsor that will hire them. Since the sponsor must prove it cannot find an American to fill the position, expediting this process would not come at the expense of current citizens.
Furthermore, arbitrary country caps on these permanent visas have excluded immigrants from China and India who are in demand by U.S technology companies. As a result, some companies simply offshore these jobs. For example, Google recently moved 30 high-tech positions overseas because visas could not be obtained. Outsourcing visa processing to licensed private companies and repealing the country caps would alleviate this problem.
As American businesses navigate a challenging economy, it is imperative that any immigration reform legislation balance the private sector’s appropriate role in enforcing immigration laws with the need for greater fairness, predictability and efficiency.
Marc A. Levin is director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a nonprofit, free-market research institute based in Austin.
Arpaio can longer target Hispanics
ICE-local immigration partnership to remain
But federal authorities promise more oversight of the 287(g) program, and less authority for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona -- its most controversial participant.
By Anna Gorman, LA Times, October 17, 2009
Despite continuing criticism about the program, authorities announced Friday that 67 local and state law enforcement agencies across the country would continue enforcing immigration law under special agreements with the federal government, but that they would be subject to more oversight.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also limited the authority of the most controversial participant, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., who is under investigation by the Department of Justice for possible civil rights violations. Arpaio can still identify illegal immigrants in the jails but can no longer conduct immigration sweeps in his community under the federal program known as 287(g).
ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said Arpaio's sweeps were "not consistent" with the agency's priorities.
Morton announced in July that the program, which has drawn criticism about racial profiling and civil rights violations, would continue but that every agency wanting to participate would have to sign a new agreement by this week. Under the revised guidelines, the police agencies would have to focus on serious criminals and would be bound by civil rights and constitutional laws.
"The new 287(g) very clearly lays out the priorities for the program and the intention for ICE and the partnering agencies to focus on serious criminal offenders," Morton said.
Since 287(g) began, more than 1,000 local officers have been trained to enforce immigration law. More than 130,000 illegal immigrants have been identified under it, according to officials. In 2009, roughly 24,000 illegal immigrants identified have been deported.
In California, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has reached an agreement to continue screening for illegal immigrants at the jails but is awaiting approval by county supervisors. Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside county sheriff's departments are still negotiating their agreements with the federal government.
Of the 67 agreements announced Friday, 55 have been confirmed and 12 are awaiting approval by local agencies, federal authorities said. Ten new agencies are participating, and six elected to drop out.
The proposed agreement in Los Angeles County would give the sheriff's department more responsibility in processing illegal immigrants for possible deportation, according to a recent report by Merrick Bobb, special advisor to the supervisors. The additional responsibilities would require that the custody assistants begin the screening process before inmates are convicted, rather than after conviction, contrary to the supervisors' original direction to the sheriff's department, Bobb said.
Carl Bergquist, a policy advocate at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said immigration officials will have to prove that the oversight is sufficient throughout the nation.
"I think it's definitely wait and see," he said. "There was supposed to be some kind of oversight under the old program. That was never the case."
anna.gorman@latimes.com
But federal authorities promise more oversight of the 287(g) program, and less authority for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona -- its most controversial participant.
By Anna Gorman, LA Times, October 17, 2009
Despite continuing criticism about the program, authorities announced Friday that 67 local and state law enforcement agencies across the country would continue enforcing immigration law under special agreements with the federal government, but that they would be subject to more oversight.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also limited the authority of the most controversial participant, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., who is under investigation by the Department of Justice for possible civil rights violations. Arpaio can still identify illegal immigrants in the jails but can no longer conduct immigration sweeps in his community under the federal program known as 287(g).
ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said Arpaio's sweeps were "not consistent" with the agency's priorities.
Morton announced in July that the program, which has drawn criticism about racial profiling and civil rights violations, would continue but that every agency wanting to participate would have to sign a new agreement by this week. Under the revised guidelines, the police agencies would have to focus on serious criminals and would be bound by civil rights and constitutional laws.
"The new 287(g) very clearly lays out the priorities for the program and the intention for ICE and the partnering agencies to focus on serious criminal offenders," Morton said.
Since 287(g) began, more than 1,000 local officers have been trained to enforce immigration law. More than 130,000 illegal immigrants have been identified under it, according to officials. In 2009, roughly 24,000 illegal immigrants identified have been deported.
In California, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has reached an agreement to continue screening for illegal immigrants at the jails but is awaiting approval by county supervisors. Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside county sheriff's departments are still negotiating their agreements with the federal government.
Of the 67 agreements announced Friday, 55 have been confirmed and 12 are awaiting approval by local agencies, federal authorities said. Ten new agencies are participating, and six elected to drop out.
The proposed agreement in Los Angeles County would give the sheriff's department more responsibility in processing illegal immigrants for possible deportation, according to a recent report by Merrick Bobb, special advisor to the supervisors. The additional responsibilities would require that the custody assistants begin the screening process before inmates are convicted, rather than after conviction, contrary to the supervisors' original direction to the sheriff's department, Bobb said.
Carl Bergquist, a policy advocate at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said immigration officials will have to prove that the oversight is sufficient throughout the nation.
"I think it's definitely wait and see," he said. "There was supposed to be some kind of oversight under the old program. That was never the case."
anna.gorman@latimes.com
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tougher rules help Hispanic immigrants
Tougher rules on policing illegal immigrants
Local agencies helping with deportations must keep their focus on major crimes.
By Anna Gorman, LA Times, October 14, 2009
Reporting from Raleigh, N.C. - Luz Maria Diaz knew what happened to illegal immigrants at the Wake County jail. But her teenage daughters didn't.
So when the girls were arrested after fighting on their high school campus in September, they freely admitted that they were born in Mexico. Detention officers at the jail checked their immigration status and promptly handed them over to federal authorities.
Now Diana, 16, and her sister, Yolanda, 18, are battling to stay in the country.
"I never thought this could happen . . . for a simple fight," their mother said. "I was in shock."
The Wake County Sheriff's Department is one of eight local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and 66 across the nation authorized by the federal government to identify illegal immigrants and process them for possible deportation under a program known as 287(g). Virginia is the only other state with more participating agencies. There are four such agreements in California, including one with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Immigrant advocates and some lawmakers have been highly critical of the program because of reports of racial profiling and civil rights violations. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has called for an end to the program.
Responding to concerns, the Obama administration announced in July that participating agencies would be subject to federal supervision and required to focus their efforts primarily on serious and violent criminals. Police agencies must sign new agreements by today. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials are still in negotiations but expect to continue immigration screening in the jails.
If police agencies fail to follow the new rules, they risk losing their enforcement authority, said Alonzo Pena, deputy assistant secretary at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
One high-profile participant, Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, who is being investigated by the Department of Justice, said last week that federal authorities are stripping him of his authority to make immigration arrests on the streets.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, who joined the federal program in June 2008 and signed a new agreement Tuesday, said his deputies would continue arresting people in minor crimes, including traffic violations, if they fail to provide valid identification, and would continue checking the immigration status of foreign-born people taken to his jail. As of Oct. 1, the sheriff's staff had interviewed about 3,760 foreign-born inmates and processed about 2,650 for possible removal.
Whether immigration authorities move forward with deportation is up to them, Harrison said.
"That's an ICE problem," he said. "We're going to continue to do our job."
Wanting a better life
Diaz led her daughters across the border more than 10 years ago to seek a better life for them. If her daughters are ordered deported to Mexico, Diaz, 35, said, the whole family -- including her U.S.-born son -- will go too. She can't imagine sending her daughters alone to Mexico, a country they don't really know.
Yolanda Diaz, who was arrested on a charge of simple assault, said the arrest has dashed her plans of going to college in the United States. Her sister, Diana, arrested on a disorderly conduct charge, said she just wants to graduate from her high school.
"It's not fair," she said. "Other people have done much worse things than this."
Their attorney, Marty Rosenbluth with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said the government's 287(g) program wasn't designed to pick up illegal immigrants like the Diaz sisters. "I appreciate that they are saying they are prioritizing dangerous criminal aliens," he said. "That is not what we are seeing."
Another one of his clients, Luis Cruz Millan, 30, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was ordered to report to an immigration officer after being arrested last month for allegedly listening to music too loudly in a car outside the Raleigh house where he was living.
He and his fiancee, Belinda Masterman, a U.S. citizen, had gotten into an argument, so Cruz went to the car to calm down. A neighbor called police, who arrested Cruz. Masterman said she begged them not to take Cruz to jail. Cruz said he believes that illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes should be deported. But, he said, "I never imagined I would be deported for listening to music."
One night last month, immigration attorney Jim Melo stood in front of a class of about 20 immigrants in Durham and explained how 287(g) worked and advised them what to do if stopped by police. "Outside of showing your identification, it's not necessary to answer their questions," he said.
He also warned them that different areas in North Carolina apply the law differently.
"In Wake County, if they arrest you for whatever reason -- speeding, driving without a license -- boom. There's immigration," he said.
When he was finished speaking, the audience peppered him with questions: When do you ask to see an immigration judge? Is it a crime to drive without a license? If you are arrested for driving without a license, are you in danger of deportation?
Demographic shifts
Drawn by jobs in agriculture, the textile industry and more recently construction, Latino immigrants began settling in large numbers throughout North Carolina in the 1990s, dramatically changing the demographics of the state.
Between 2005 and 2007, the state's Latino population was estimated at 596,000, up from 77,000 in 1990, according to U.S. Census data. In some areas, including Alamance County, the large influx of immigrants created tension with longtime residents.
Many new Latino residents moved into the towns of Burlington and Graham, finding jobs, starting families and opening businesses. But along with those immigrants looking for work, Sheriff Terry Johnson said, other new arrivals began committing crimes. And because the federal government wasn't enforcing immigration law, Johnson said, he had to.
Since the county joined the 287(g) program in 2007 and many illegal-immigrant drug traffickers and gang members have been arrested and deported, Johnson said, violent crime has dropped. "Immigrants know if you come to Alamance County for the purpose of committing crime, we are going to get you," he said.
One day last month, occupants of the Alamance County Jail -- which also holds ICE detainees from other counties awaiting deportation -- included a man who had been deported three times and another illegal immigrant who said he had served time for killing a person in a car accident.
Johnson acknowledged that not all illegal immigrants taken to the jail are suspected of violent crimes. Many are arrested on minor charges, such as driving without a license. If the traffic or criminal case is dismissed, illegal immigrants are turned over to ICE for possible deportation.
The sheriff's decision to sign up for the federal program earned him respect from longtime residents but created a sense of fear among immigrants.
Galvanized by several high-profile arrests and deportations, several activists formed a group called Fairness Alamance to challenge the sheriff and county officials over 287(g). They accused the sheriff of racial profiling and using the law to get illegal immigrants accused of committing minor crimes out of the country.
"The law became a weapon in the hands of law enforcement," said Blanca Zendejas Nienhaus, a teacher and member of the group. Now, Zendejas Nienhaus said she and others are pushing for the county to abide by the federal government's new rules and target only violent criminals.
"Time and goodwill will tell if they are going to make any change," she said.
anna.gorman@latimes.com
Local agencies helping with deportations must keep their focus on major crimes.
By Anna Gorman, LA Times, October 14, 2009
Reporting from Raleigh, N.C. - Luz Maria Diaz knew what happened to illegal immigrants at the Wake County jail. But her teenage daughters didn't.
So when the girls were arrested after fighting on their high school campus in September, they freely admitted that they were born in Mexico. Detention officers at the jail checked their immigration status and promptly handed them over to federal authorities.
Now Diana, 16, and her sister, Yolanda, 18, are battling to stay in the country.
"I never thought this could happen . . . for a simple fight," their mother said. "I was in shock."
The Wake County Sheriff's Department is one of eight local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and 66 across the nation authorized by the federal government to identify illegal immigrants and process them for possible deportation under a program known as 287(g). Virginia is the only other state with more participating agencies. There are four such agreements in California, including one with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Immigrant advocates and some lawmakers have been highly critical of the program because of reports of racial profiling and civil rights violations. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has called for an end to the program.
Responding to concerns, the Obama administration announced in July that participating agencies would be subject to federal supervision and required to focus their efforts primarily on serious and violent criminals. Police agencies must sign new agreements by today. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials are still in negotiations but expect to continue immigration screening in the jails.
If police agencies fail to follow the new rules, they risk losing their enforcement authority, said Alonzo Pena, deputy assistant secretary at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
One high-profile participant, Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, who is being investigated by the Department of Justice, said last week that federal authorities are stripping him of his authority to make immigration arrests on the streets.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, who joined the federal program in June 2008 and signed a new agreement Tuesday, said his deputies would continue arresting people in minor crimes, including traffic violations, if they fail to provide valid identification, and would continue checking the immigration status of foreign-born people taken to his jail. As of Oct. 1, the sheriff's staff had interviewed about 3,760 foreign-born inmates and processed about 2,650 for possible removal.
Whether immigration authorities move forward with deportation is up to them, Harrison said.
"That's an ICE problem," he said. "We're going to continue to do our job."
Wanting a better life
Diaz led her daughters across the border more than 10 years ago to seek a better life for them. If her daughters are ordered deported to Mexico, Diaz, 35, said, the whole family -- including her U.S.-born son -- will go too. She can't imagine sending her daughters alone to Mexico, a country they don't really know.
Yolanda Diaz, who was arrested on a charge of simple assault, said the arrest has dashed her plans of going to college in the United States. Her sister, Diana, arrested on a disorderly conduct charge, said she just wants to graduate from her high school.
"It's not fair," she said. "Other people have done much worse things than this."
Their attorney, Marty Rosenbluth with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said the government's 287(g) program wasn't designed to pick up illegal immigrants like the Diaz sisters. "I appreciate that they are saying they are prioritizing dangerous criminal aliens," he said. "That is not what we are seeing."
Another one of his clients, Luis Cruz Millan, 30, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was ordered to report to an immigration officer after being arrested last month for allegedly listening to music too loudly in a car outside the Raleigh house where he was living.
He and his fiancee, Belinda Masterman, a U.S. citizen, had gotten into an argument, so Cruz went to the car to calm down. A neighbor called police, who arrested Cruz. Masterman said she begged them not to take Cruz to jail. Cruz said he believes that illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes should be deported. But, he said, "I never imagined I would be deported for listening to music."
One night last month, immigration attorney Jim Melo stood in front of a class of about 20 immigrants in Durham and explained how 287(g) worked and advised them what to do if stopped by police. "Outside of showing your identification, it's not necessary to answer their questions," he said.
He also warned them that different areas in North Carolina apply the law differently.
"In Wake County, if they arrest you for whatever reason -- speeding, driving without a license -- boom. There's immigration," he said.
When he was finished speaking, the audience peppered him with questions: When do you ask to see an immigration judge? Is it a crime to drive without a license? If you are arrested for driving without a license, are you in danger of deportation?
Demographic shifts
Drawn by jobs in agriculture, the textile industry and more recently construction, Latino immigrants began settling in large numbers throughout North Carolina in the 1990s, dramatically changing the demographics of the state.
Between 2005 and 2007, the state's Latino population was estimated at 596,000, up from 77,000 in 1990, according to U.S. Census data. In some areas, including Alamance County, the large influx of immigrants created tension with longtime residents.
Many new Latino residents moved into the towns of Burlington and Graham, finding jobs, starting families and opening businesses. But along with those immigrants looking for work, Sheriff Terry Johnson said, other new arrivals began committing crimes. And because the federal government wasn't enforcing immigration law, Johnson said, he had to.
Since the county joined the 287(g) program in 2007 and many illegal-immigrant drug traffickers and gang members have been arrested and deported, Johnson said, violent crime has dropped. "Immigrants know if you come to Alamance County for the purpose of committing crime, we are going to get you," he said.
One day last month, occupants of the Alamance County Jail -- which also holds ICE detainees from other counties awaiting deportation -- included a man who had been deported three times and another illegal immigrant who said he had served time for killing a person in a car accident.
Johnson acknowledged that not all illegal immigrants taken to the jail are suspected of violent crimes. Many are arrested on minor charges, such as driving without a license. If the traffic or criminal case is dismissed, illegal immigrants are turned over to ICE for possible deportation.
The sheriff's decision to sign up for the federal program earned him respect from longtime residents but created a sense of fear among immigrants.
Galvanized by several high-profile arrests and deportations, several activists formed a group called Fairness Alamance to challenge the sheriff and county officials over 287(g). They accused the sheriff of racial profiling and using the law to get illegal immigrants accused of committing minor crimes out of the country.
"The law became a weapon in the hands of law enforcement," said Blanca Zendejas Nienhaus, a teacher and member of the group. Now, Zendejas Nienhaus said she and others are pushing for the county to abide by the federal government's new rules and target only violent criminals.
"Time and goodwill will tell if they are going to make any change," she said.
anna.gorman@latimes.com
City sued by Latino community
Court Reinstates Latino Lawsuit Against Modesto
By ANNIE YOUDERIAN, Courthouse News
(CN) - The 9th Circuit revived parts of a lawsuit accusing Modesto, Calif., of refusing to annex four predominantly Latino neighborhoods, leaving the communities without proper city infrastructure such as sewer and police services.
The neighborhoods of Bret-Harte, Hatch-Midway, Robertson Road and Rouse Colorado lie outside the city's borders, but remain in its "sphere of influence," according to the ruling.
These urban developments were built in the 1940s, before builders were required to include infrastructure such as sewers, street lights, sidewalks curbs and gutters.
By 2000, all four neighborhoods were majority Latino.
Two community organizations, on behalf of the four neighborhoods, filed suit in 2004, claiming the city and Stanislaus County failed to annex the neighborhoods into their municipal systems because the residents are mostly Latino.
The district court dismissed the case in its entirety, saying the county's actions "can be explained by a myriad of community and planning concerns having nothing to do with ethnicity."
The San Francisco-based appellate panel disagreed with several aspects of the lower court's decision.
Though it affirmed dismissal of the plaintiffs' equal protection claims over sewer access and infrastructure, it noted that police officers took a full minute longer to respond to the Latino neighborhoods.
"This court cannot agree that ... a difference of one minute can be characterized as not making a 'meaningful difference' when one is waiting at one's home for law-enforcement or emergency personnel to arrive," Judge Pollak wrote, referring to a defense expert's opinion that the response delay didn't matter.
The court reversed and remanded the issue for a jury to decide.
The three-judge panel also concluded that defendants may have discriminated by excluding the Latino neighborhoods from a master tax-sharing agreement used to outline how the city and county would split taxes from annexed communities.
The neighborhoods claimed that their exclusion "creates a disincentive" for the county to build infrastructure in those neighborhoods, because the county's not sure if the city will annex the neighborhoods and agree to share the taxes in those areas.
A reasonable juror could find that this exclusion "is indeed a barrier to annexation" that other neighborhoods don't face, the court concluded.
And because it overturned parts of the lower court's ruling, the appeals court vacated a more than $36,000 cost award for the defendants.
By ANNIE YOUDERIAN, Courthouse News
(CN) - The 9th Circuit revived parts of a lawsuit accusing Modesto, Calif., of refusing to annex four predominantly Latino neighborhoods, leaving the communities without proper city infrastructure such as sewer and police services.
The neighborhoods of Bret-Harte, Hatch-Midway, Robertson Road and Rouse Colorado lie outside the city's borders, but remain in its "sphere of influence," according to the ruling.
These urban developments were built in the 1940s, before builders were required to include infrastructure such as sewers, street lights, sidewalks curbs and gutters.
By 2000, all four neighborhoods were majority Latino.
Two community organizations, on behalf of the four neighborhoods, filed suit in 2004, claiming the city and Stanislaus County failed to annex the neighborhoods into their municipal systems because the residents are mostly Latino.
The district court dismissed the case in its entirety, saying the county's actions "can be explained by a myriad of community and planning concerns having nothing to do with ethnicity."
The San Francisco-based appellate panel disagreed with several aspects of the lower court's decision.
Though it affirmed dismissal of the plaintiffs' equal protection claims over sewer access and infrastructure, it noted that police officers took a full minute longer to respond to the Latino neighborhoods.
"This court cannot agree that ... a difference of one minute can be characterized as not making a 'meaningful difference' when one is waiting at one's home for law-enforcement or emergency personnel to arrive," Judge Pollak wrote, referring to a defense expert's opinion that the response delay didn't matter.
The court reversed and remanded the issue for a jury to decide.
The three-judge panel also concluded that defendants may have discriminated by excluding the Latino neighborhoods from a master tax-sharing agreement used to outline how the city and county would split taxes from annexed communities.
The neighborhoods claimed that their exclusion "creates a disincentive" for the county to build infrastructure in those neighborhoods, because the county's not sure if the city will annex the neighborhoods and agree to share the taxes in those areas.
A reasonable juror could find that this exclusion "is indeed a barrier to annexation" that other neighborhoods don't face, the court concluded.
And because it overturned parts of the lower court's ruling, the appeals court vacated a more than $36,000 cost award for the defendants.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Senate confirms Tom Perez
Senate Confirms Tom Perez
USHLI.org
The U.S. Senate finally voted last week to confirm Tom Perez to be the Associate Attorney General for Civil Rights. The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) led a strong effort calling upon Senators Harry Reid (D) and Mitch McConnell (R), the Democratic and Republican leaders, respectively, to move on his confirmation.
NHLA is a coalition of 30 national and regional organizations that has been working closely with the Obama administration to identify and recommend highly qualified Latinos for presidential appointments. NHLA has also submitted an agenda to the administration on public policy issues pertaining to education, health, employment, immigration, civil rights, economic empowerment, and government accountability.
USHLI.org
The U.S. Senate finally voted last week to confirm Tom Perez to be the Associate Attorney General for Civil Rights. The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) led a strong effort calling upon Senators Harry Reid (D) and Mitch McConnell (R), the Democratic and Republican leaders, respectively, to move on his confirmation.
NHLA is a coalition of 30 national and regional organizations that has been working closely with the Obama administration to identify and recommend highly qualified Latinos for presidential appointments. NHLA has also submitted an agenda to the administration on public policy issues pertaining to education, health, employment, immigration, civil rights, economic empowerment, and government accountability.
Renewed push for comprehensive immigration reform
Renewed Push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
The Latino Journal E-News, Vol 2, Issue 1
Washington, DC - Capping a day of religious ceremonies and processions, visits with lawmakers, and testimonials from families who are being split up or kept apart by U.S. immigration policies, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) joined other key immigration reform allies on Capitol Hill to outline legislation they hope will move forward in the House and Senate this fall towards passage early next year.
The lawmakers - including Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Member Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and other House Democrats - called for comprehensive immigration reform as a way of keeping families together, protecting the rights of immigrant and non-immigrant workers, and strengthening the U.S. economy.
More than 750 people came to Washington on busses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for a late afternoon program that featuring the stories of families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation. The event was led by clergy, local media celebrities, and immigrant community leaders and was sponsored by the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, the National Capital Immigration Coalition, and Families United/Familias Unidas.
Rep. Gutierrez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, helped organize the Families United/Familias Unidas tour earlier this year, a series of vigils and community gatherings to highlight how families are affected by U.S. immigration laws. The bill Rep. Gutierrez is preparing will be designed to address the problems faced by families attending today's event in Washington.
Specifically, the forthcoming immigration reform legislation will:
- Include a rational and humane approach to the undocumented population;
- Protect U.S. and immigrant workers;
- Allocate sufficient visas to close unlawful migration channels;
- Enhance our nation's security and safety;
- Establish a strategic border enforcement policy that reflects American values;
- Keep American families together;
- Promote immigrant integration;
- Include the DREAM Act and AgJOBS; and
- Protect fundamental rights for all.
President Obama has expressed his support for comprehensive immigration reform and news reports indicate bills are in some stage of development in the House and Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Immigration. However, while a number of hearings have been held, no comprehensive immigration reform bill has yet received formal consideration in a committee.
"We need a bill that says if you come here to hurt our communities, we will not support you; but if you are here to work hard and to make a better life for your family, you will have the opportunity to earn your citizenship. We need a law that says it is un-American for a mother to be torn from her child, and it is unacceptable to undermine our workforce by driving the most vulnerable among us further into the shadows."
"We have a broken immigration system that is taking a toll on our families, communities and congregations. Faith and fundamental principles of justice call upon all of us to respond. From communities across the country, we call upon President Obama and congressional leaders to lead this country to comprehensive immigration reform," said Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
"Immigrant communities have heard the promises and the campaign speeches, but now we want action to go with the words. Representative Gutierrez and the other Members of Congress who are standing up with him get it. The community will support those who support us as we seek our piece of the American Dream. We are here to help make that dream a reality," said Most Reverend Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area, Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church Representative.
"Immigration reform is too often discounted as just another political issue by some in Washington, but to immigrants and millions more who share this country with them, it a deeply personal issue of keeping families together. Congress must respond in a manner that holds true to our values as a nation. Today, several important Members of Congress have laid down a path toward getting this done. Expectations that President Obama and Congress will fix what is broken about our current immigration system run high and time is ticking until the next election. Congressional leaders who step up and craft bills to move us forward understand the urgency for action and the need to uncork the gridlock that has prevented progress for years,” said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director, CASA de Maryland, Inc.
"The immigration system needs to be changed so that other families never go through what I am going through. My husband's wishes of having our child raised in the U.S. are being denied by a broken system. The pain I have been going through is no way to honor my husband for all he did for his country," said Ali Noorani, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum, one of the groups leading the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org
The Latino Journal E-News, Vol 2, Issue 1
Washington, DC - Capping a day of religious ceremonies and processions, visits with lawmakers, and testimonials from families who are being split up or kept apart by U.S. immigration policies, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) joined other key immigration reform allies on Capitol Hill to outline legislation they hope will move forward in the House and Senate this fall towards passage early next year.
The lawmakers - including Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Member Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and other House Democrats - called for comprehensive immigration reform as a way of keeping families together, protecting the rights of immigrant and non-immigrant workers, and strengthening the U.S. economy.
More than 750 people came to Washington on busses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for a late afternoon program that featuring the stories of families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation. The event was led by clergy, local media celebrities, and immigrant community leaders and was sponsored by the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, the National Capital Immigration Coalition, and Families United/Familias Unidas.
Rep. Gutierrez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, helped organize the Families United/Familias Unidas tour earlier this year, a series of vigils and community gatherings to highlight how families are affected by U.S. immigration laws. The bill Rep. Gutierrez is preparing will be designed to address the problems faced by families attending today's event in Washington.
Specifically, the forthcoming immigration reform legislation will:
- Include a rational and humane approach to the undocumented population;
- Protect U.S. and immigrant workers;
- Allocate sufficient visas to close unlawful migration channels;
- Enhance our nation's security and safety;
- Establish a strategic border enforcement policy that reflects American values;
- Keep American families together;
- Promote immigrant integration;
- Include the DREAM Act and AgJOBS; and
- Protect fundamental rights for all.
President Obama has expressed his support for comprehensive immigration reform and news reports indicate bills are in some stage of development in the House and Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Immigration. However, while a number of hearings have been held, no comprehensive immigration reform bill has yet received formal consideration in a committee.
"We need a bill that says if you come here to hurt our communities, we will not support you; but if you are here to work hard and to make a better life for your family, you will have the opportunity to earn your citizenship. We need a law that says it is un-American for a mother to be torn from her child, and it is unacceptable to undermine our workforce by driving the most vulnerable among us further into the shadows."
"We have a broken immigration system that is taking a toll on our families, communities and congregations. Faith and fundamental principles of justice call upon all of us to respond. From communities across the country, we call upon President Obama and congressional leaders to lead this country to comprehensive immigration reform," said Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
"Immigrant communities have heard the promises and the campaign speeches, but now we want action to go with the words. Representative Gutierrez and the other Members of Congress who are standing up with him get it. The community will support those who support us as we seek our piece of the American Dream. We are here to help make that dream a reality," said Most Reverend Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area, Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church Representative.
"Immigration reform is too often discounted as just another political issue by some in Washington, but to immigrants and millions more who share this country with them, it a deeply personal issue of keeping families together. Congress must respond in a manner that holds true to our values as a nation. Today, several important Members of Congress have laid down a path toward getting this done. Expectations that President Obama and Congress will fix what is broken about our current immigration system run high and time is ticking until the next election. Congressional leaders who step up and craft bills to move us forward understand the urgency for action and the need to uncork the gridlock that has prevented progress for years,” said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director, CASA de Maryland, Inc.
"The immigration system needs to be changed so that other families never go through what I am going through. My husband's wishes of having our child raised in the U.S. are being denied by a broken system. The pain I have been going through is no way to honor my husband for all he did for his country," said Ali Noorani, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum, one of the groups leading the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org
Hispanics push to travel to Cuba
U.S.-Cuba travel picking up steam
Bills in Congress to allow all travel to Cuba are increasingly drawing support among U.S. lawmakers and the public -- but they still face an uncertain future.
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO, El Nuevo Herald
WASHINGTON -- A powerful campaign to allow all Americans to travel to Cuba is rumbling through Congress, with both backers and opponents predicting eventual victory and a Cuban-American Senator holding a key vote.
Approval of the measures would have a profound impact on U.S.-Cuba relations, unleashing an estimated one million American tourists to visit the island and undermining White House control of policy toward Havana.
“There would be an explosion of contacts between Americans and Cubans . . . that would almost overshadow what the two governments are doing,'' said Phil Peters, a Cuba expert with the Lexington Institute think tank in suburban Washington.
Proponents say the measures still have not received active support from the White House and the Democratic leadership in both chambers.
Cuban officials have told recent U.S. visitors that while President Barack Obama's policy changes so far have been too timid to require a Havana reply, ending the U.S. travel ban would be significant enough to require some sort of Havana concession.
Even opponents of the free-travel bills in the House and Senate admit the campaign for approval is powerful. “I have never seen a stronger effort,'' said Mauricio Claver-Carone of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy political action committee.
Backing the change has been the U.S. travel industry -- Orbitz says it has 100,000 signatures on a petition -- and dozens of newspaper editorials, large agricultural companies, former Secretary of State George Shultz, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and groups that traditionally oppose U.S. sanctions on the island.
“Our goals should be to get rid of the travel ban in the next six months,'' Richardson said Friday during a speech to the National Democratic Network in Washington. “This is a step in the right direction,'' Shultz declared last month.
Polls show 60-70 percent of all Americans favor lifting the travel restrictions, and one House bill championed by Massachusetts Democrat Bill Delahunt has gathered 180 sponsors -- 38 short of the 218 votes required for passage.
Obama ended all restrictions on Cuban-Americans' travel to the island on Sept. 3. But other U.S. citizens and residents can travel only under special permits for groups such as churches, academics and business -- not for tourism. That was allowed, however, from 1977 to 1982 under former President Jimmy Carter's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba.
Most of the public attention has been focused on the House bill backed by Delahunt and Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif. Farr, noting that U.S agricultural sales to Cuba are allowed but not tourism, has repeated several variations of the line that “We can send American potatoes to Cuba, but not American people.''
But a lesser-known version has a better chance of passing because it also eases restrictions on U.S. agricultural and medical sales to Cuba, in hopes of gathering support from those lobbies, said a Senate Republican staffer monitoring the progress of the travel bills.
The main Senate version of the measure -- with 25 co-sponsors from both parties at last count -- is being championed by Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Michael Enzi, R-Wyo. and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
But backers of the changes say the bills have not moved forward through the congressional maze so far because of the lack of active support from the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership in both chambers.
“The Obama people are showing timidity. They are sitting on their hands,'' said a Senate aide whose Democratic boss favors lifting all travel restrictions. He asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.
Administration officials say lifting all travel restrictions would be too drastic and perhaps chaotic, and the the president prefers a more measured warming of relations. They stop short of saying whether Obama would sign or veto the bill if passed by Congress.
“At the end of the day this is a leadership issue,'' said the Senate Republican aide, who also asked for anonymity. “Do the Democrats have the will to bring this up [for a vote] with all the other issues -- healthcare, Afghanistan, etc.''
Most of Washington's Cuba watchers agree the full Congress is probably going to pass some bills easing Cuba sanctions, most likely one re-defining the requirement that Havana pay “cash in advance'' for U.S. food purchases. The change would allow Cuba to pay when the shipments reach Havana, not before they leave U.S. ports as now required.
But the future of the “Free Travel to Cuba'' initiatives is far more uncertain, with most of those monitoring the struggle saying that some version will likely pass the House, but all will almost certainly die in the Senate.
Delahunt “has a pretty impressive list of sponsors. That bill looks good in the House,'' said a former Bush administration Cuba expert. “Delahunt will pass the House,'' added an Obama administration official. Both asked for anonymity so they could speak frankly about the topic.
But most supporters as well as opponents say the travel measures are unlikely to pass the Senate, where the Democrats have a smaller majority and the bills face stiff opposition from Bob Menendez, a powerful Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey and Florida's Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and George LeMieux, a Republican.
Menendez and Nelson have strongly opposed easing the ban on U.S. tourism. LeMieux, who replaced Sen. Mel Martinez, is expected to also oppose easing the travel restrictions.
“This is a battle of perceptions. The pro-travel groups are claiming they will win, in the hope of creating the sense of movement and victory,'' said Claver-Carone. “But in the end, the Senate will be tough, if not impossible.''
Juan Tamayo can be reached at jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com.
Bills in Congress to allow all travel to Cuba are increasingly drawing support among U.S. lawmakers and the public -- but they still face an uncertain future.
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO, El Nuevo Herald
WASHINGTON -- A powerful campaign to allow all Americans to travel to Cuba is rumbling through Congress, with both backers and opponents predicting eventual victory and a Cuban-American Senator holding a key vote.
Approval of the measures would have a profound impact on U.S.-Cuba relations, unleashing an estimated one million American tourists to visit the island and undermining White House control of policy toward Havana.
“There would be an explosion of contacts between Americans and Cubans . . . that would almost overshadow what the two governments are doing,'' said Phil Peters, a Cuba expert with the Lexington Institute think tank in suburban Washington.
Proponents say the measures still have not received active support from the White House and the Democratic leadership in both chambers.
Cuban officials have told recent U.S. visitors that while President Barack Obama's policy changes so far have been too timid to require a Havana reply, ending the U.S. travel ban would be significant enough to require some sort of Havana concession.
Even opponents of the free-travel bills in the House and Senate admit the campaign for approval is powerful. “I have never seen a stronger effort,'' said Mauricio Claver-Carone of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy political action committee.
Backing the change has been the U.S. travel industry -- Orbitz says it has 100,000 signatures on a petition -- and dozens of newspaper editorials, large agricultural companies, former Secretary of State George Shultz, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and groups that traditionally oppose U.S. sanctions on the island.
“Our goals should be to get rid of the travel ban in the next six months,'' Richardson said Friday during a speech to the National Democratic Network in Washington. “This is a step in the right direction,'' Shultz declared last month.
Polls show 60-70 percent of all Americans favor lifting the travel restrictions, and one House bill championed by Massachusetts Democrat Bill Delahunt has gathered 180 sponsors -- 38 short of the 218 votes required for passage.
Obama ended all restrictions on Cuban-Americans' travel to the island on Sept. 3. But other U.S. citizens and residents can travel only under special permits for groups such as churches, academics and business -- not for tourism. That was allowed, however, from 1977 to 1982 under former President Jimmy Carter's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba.
Most of the public attention has been focused on the House bill backed by Delahunt and Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif. Farr, noting that U.S agricultural sales to Cuba are allowed but not tourism, has repeated several variations of the line that “We can send American potatoes to Cuba, but not American people.''
But a lesser-known version has a better chance of passing because it also eases restrictions on U.S. agricultural and medical sales to Cuba, in hopes of gathering support from those lobbies, said a Senate Republican staffer monitoring the progress of the travel bills.
The main Senate version of the measure -- with 25 co-sponsors from both parties at last count -- is being championed by Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Michael Enzi, R-Wyo. and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
But backers of the changes say the bills have not moved forward through the congressional maze so far because of the lack of active support from the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership in both chambers.
“The Obama people are showing timidity. They are sitting on their hands,'' said a Senate aide whose Democratic boss favors lifting all travel restrictions. He asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.
Administration officials say lifting all travel restrictions would be too drastic and perhaps chaotic, and the the president prefers a more measured warming of relations. They stop short of saying whether Obama would sign or veto the bill if passed by Congress.
“At the end of the day this is a leadership issue,'' said the Senate Republican aide, who also asked for anonymity. “Do the Democrats have the will to bring this up [for a vote] with all the other issues -- healthcare, Afghanistan, etc.''
Most of Washington's Cuba watchers agree the full Congress is probably going to pass some bills easing Cuba sanctions, most likely one re-defining the requirement that Havana pay “cash in advance'' for U.S. food purchases. The change would allow Cuba to pay when the shipments reach Havana, not before they leave U.S. ports as now required.
But the future of the “Free Travel to Cuba'' initiatives is far more uncertain, with most of those monitoring the struggle saying that some version will likely pass the House, but all will almost certainly die in the Senate.
Delahunt “has a pretty impressive list of sponsors. That bill looks good in the House,'' said a former Bush administration Cuba expert. “Delahunt will pass the House,'' added an Obama administration official. Both asked for anonymity so they could speak frankly about the topic.
But most supporters as well as opponents say the travel measures are unlikely to pass the Senate, where the Democrats have a smaller majority and the bills face stiff opposition from Bob Menendez, a powerful Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey and Florida's Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and George LeMieux, a Republican.
Menendez and Nelson have strongly opposed easing the ban on U.S. tourism. LeMieux, who replaced Sen. Mel Martinez, is expected to also oppose easing the travel restrictions.
“This is a battle of perceptions. The pro-travel groups are claiming they will win, in the hope of creating the sense of movement and victory,'' said Claver-Carone. “But in the end, the Senate will be tough, if not impossible.''
Juan Tamayo can be reached at jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com.
Latinos march for immigration reform
Latinos march in Indio for immigration reform
Kate McGinty • The Desert Sun • October 11, 2009
President Barack Obama has one more campaign promise to fulfill before he can say he's really earned his Nobel Peace Prize, if Comité Latino has anything to say about it.
About 80 members of the group marched through Indio Saturday afternoon, waving flags and banners with messages for the president.
They urged Obama — who was awarded the prestigious Nobel prize on Friday — to take action on immigration policies.
“I think he still has a lot of work to do,” Teresa Quintanar, 38, of Indio, said. “I hope he fulfills his promises to make it (the Nobel prize) something he earned.”
The energetic group gathered in the Kmart parking lot, 81-691 Highway 111 in Indio, and waved American flags for nearly an hour.
They then took off on a 1.2-mile march to the Larson Justice Center, 46-200 Oasis St., also in Indio.
It was a walk that leaders called a symbolic journey.
They paraded massive banners that urged Obama to “not separate me from my parents” and boasting “no human being is illegal.”
Jose Valdez, 40, of Indio, has been a regular at previous marches since Comité Latino began organizing them in 2006.
“We want legalization for everybody. We want the privilege of green cards for everybody,” he said. “We want to stay in this country and support the economy for all the country.”
The turnout was much smaller than the 1,000 people leaders hoped would attend. Comité Latino competed against a busy weekend in the valley that included the Phoenix Suns-Golden State Warriors exhibition game, a festival in downtown Indio and the Art Under the Umbrellas festival in La Quinta.
Still, Comité Latino sent a message to the public on Saturday, according to Carlos Galaviz, 25, one of the group's organizers. “This country was founded by immigrants. We're all immigrations, not just us,” he said. “This is it. This is my country here.”
Kate McGinty • The Desert Sun • October 11, 2009
President Barack Obama has one more campaign promise to fulfill before he can say he's really earned his Nobel Peace Prize, if Comité Latino has anything to say about it.
About 80 members of the group marched through Indio Saturday afternoon, waving flags and banners with messages for the president.
They urged Obama — who was awarded the prestigious Nobel prize on Friday — to take action on immigration policies.
“I think he still has a lot of work to do,” Teresa Quintanar, 38, of Indio, said. “I hope he fulfills his promises to make it (the Nobel prize) something he earned.”
The energetic group gathered in the Kmart parking lot, 81-691 Highway 111 in Indio, and waved American flags for nearly an hour.
They then took off on a 1.2-mile march to the Larson Justice Center, 46-200 Oasis St., also in Indio.
It was a walk that leaders called a symbolic journey.
They paraded massive banners that urged Obama to “not separate me from my parents” and boasting “no human being is illegal.”
Jose Valdez, 40, of Indio, has been a regular at previous marches since Comité Latino began organizing them in 2006.
“We want legalization for everybody. We want the privilege of green cards for everybody,” he said. “We want to stay in this country and support the economy for all the country.”
The turnout was much smaller than the 1,000 people leaders hoped would attend. Comité Latino competed against a busy weekend in the valley that included the Phoenix Suns-Golden State Warriors exhibition game, a festival in downtown Indio and the Art Under the Umbrellas festival in La Quinta.
Still, Comité Latino sent a message to the public on Saturday, according to Carlos Galaviz, 25, one of the group's organizers. “This country was founded by immigrants. We're all immigrations, not just us,” he said. “This is it. This is my country here.”
Hispanic history will be highlighted in Illinois schools
Quinn signs law to highlight Hispanic history
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is drumming up awareness of a new state law that's aimed at highlighting Hispanic history in public schools.
Quinn attended a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 1557 at a suburban Chicago high school.
Senate Bill 1557 amends the state's School Code to include an emphasis on Hispanics.
The code currently requires U.S. History to be taught in public schools and outlines that the curriculum has to include the role and contributions of various ethnic groups.
Quinn says the law ensures that history is taught accurately to students.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. William Delgado of Chicago and Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero.
The law takes effect on Jan. 1.
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is drumming up awareness of a new state law that's aimed at highlighting Hispanic history in public schools.
Quinn attended a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 1557 at a suburban Chicago high school.
Senate Bill 1557 amends the state's School Code to include an emphasis on Hispanics.
The code currently requires U.S. History to be taught in public schools and outlines that the curriculum has to include the role and contributions of various ethnic groups.
Quinn says the law ensures that history is taught accurately to students.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. William Delgado of Chicago and Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero.
The law takes effect on Jan. 1.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Latinos get mixed message on census
Latinos get mixed message on census
'Make yourself count,' Latino officials urge; not until we're legal, say immigration activists
By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS, Monterey Herald, 10/03/2009
A coalition of Latino organizations is urging all Latinos to stand up and be counted.
In response to efforts by immigration-reform activists to boycott the 2010 census unless Congress approves new immigration laws, the National Association for Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) wants all Latinos to participate in the decennial count, regardless of their immigration status.
On Thursday, the association and its media partners, Univision and ImpreMedia, launched the campaign "Ya Es Hora — H gase Contar" ("It's Time — Make Yourself Count"), aimed at dispelling fears in the immigrant community about possible repercussions for participating in the census.
"We have the enormous challenge of convincing everyone in the country to participate in the national count, regardless of race, ethnicity or citizenship status," Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said at a news conference in Los Angeles. "We are counting on community-based initiatives like Ya Es Hora to partner with us in spreading the word that the 2010 census is easy, important and safe."
The campaign includes public service announcements on Univision and Telemundo, the largest Spanish-language networks in the United States, and a call to all Latino elected officials to promote the count in their communities.
It has always been a challenge for the Census Bureau to reach underserved groups, such as the poor and recent immigrants. Census workers are sworn to keep the information they gather confidential and, even though they ask what country the respondents were born in, they are not supposed to ask for their immigration status under census regulations.
But this year, the challenge appears to have grown. A campaign to boycott the census unless Congress approves some form of legalization for the country's estimated 12million undocumented workers is in full force.
"Why should we cooperate with a government that does not cooperate with us, but continues to prosecute us and, under the Obama administration, we have enforcement only, rather than immigration reform?" said Nativo Lopez, president of Hermandad Mexicana and a prominent immigration-rights activist. "In the past, we've promoted the census, but now we're ardent promoters of 'Antes de contar, tienes que legalizar.' Until you legalize me, don't count me."
A full count of the population every 10 years is mandated by the Constitution, but Latino-rights advocates say that fear of being deported prevented about 1million Latinos from being counted in 2000. Population data gathered by the Census Bureau is used not only to draw district lines at local, state and national levels, but is also used to allocate more than $400billion in federal funds annually to communities through Medicare, child care and school lunch programs, and children's health insurance. But promoters of the boycott, including the Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, argue that undocumented immigrants should not answer the census because they're not entitled to the benefits it provides. They also say lawmakers who have retained or gained their seats based on the Latino population increase have not come out in defense of immigrant communities and pushed harder for immigration reform.
"With the census comes redistricting and electing more Latinos to office, and these are the same political leaders at the local and federal level not speaking out, not proposing the changes we need," Lopez said.
Ironically, calling for a boycott of the census aligns immigrant-rights promoters with anti-immigrant organizations, which seek to deny representation for people who are illegally in the country.
"It's our tactic that demands something from the government, it's their tactic to exclude immigrants from civil society," Lopez said. "While there is some coincidence in that both sides are calling for the government not to count the immigrants, we're calling on immigrants not to comply with federal law and refuse to participate in the process."
It's not that NALEO and other Latino organizations are turning their back on the need for immigration reform; but the census is a tool of representation that should not be ignored, they said.
"We know there's a need for immigration reform, and that process is being developed. ... But separate from that, the need to make sure our community is informed is the best way to achieve reform. The census is confidential and we want to make sure the community hears that," said Erica Bernal, NALEO's director of communication.
For Monterey County immigrant-rights advocate Sabino Lopez, the idea of boycotting the census is misguided, even if its purpose is to pressure Congress into legalizing undocumented immigrants.
"These people are contributing to the economy. Even if they don't receive services, they pay sales taxes; when they purchase something they're contributing to the country's economy," Sabino Lopez said. "We can't, even if some want to, be invisible. This has also been part of the struggle, to stop being invisible. To be seen with respect."
Claudia Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or cmelendez@montereyherald.com.
'Make yourself count,' Latino officials urge; not until we're legal, say immigration activists
By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS, Monterey Herald, 10/03/2009
A coalition of Latino organizations is urging all Latinos to stand up and be counted.
In response to efforts by immigration-reform activists to boycott the 2010 census unless Congress approves new immigration laws, the National Association for Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) wants all Latinos to participate in the decennial count, regardless of their immigration status.
On Thursday, the association and its media partners, Univision and ImpreMedia, launched the campaign "Ya Es Hora — H gase Contar" ("It's Time — Make Yourself Count"), aimed at dispelling fears in the immigrant community about possible repercussions for participating in the census.
"We have the enormous challenge of convincing everyone in the country to participate in the national count, regardless of race, ethnicity or citizenship status," Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said at a news conference in Los Angeles. "We are counting on community-based initiatives like Ya Es Hora to partner with us in spreading the word that the 2010 census is easy, important and safe."
The campaign includes public service announcements on Univision and Telemundo, the largest Spanish-language networks in the United States, and a call to all Latino elected officials to promote the count in their communities.
It has always been a challenge for the Census Bureau to reach underserved groups, such as the poor and recent immigrants. Census workers are sworn to keep the information they gather confidential and, even though they ask what country the respondents were born in, they are not supposed to ask for their immigration status under census regulations.
But this year, the challenge appears to have grown. A campaign to boycott the census unless Congress approves some form of legalization for the country's estimated 12million undocumented workers is in full force.
"Why should we cooperate with a government that does not cooperate with us, but continues to prosecute us and, under the Obama administration, we have enforcement only, rather than immigration reform?" said Nativo Lopez, president of Hermandad Mexicana and a prominent immigration-rights activist. "In the past, we've promoted the census, but now we're ardent promoters of 'Antes de contar, tienes que legalizar.' Until you legalize me, don't count me."
A full count of the population every 10 years is mandated by the Constitution, but Latino-rights advocates say that fear of being deported prevented about 1million Latinos from being counted in 2000. Population data gathered by the Census Bureau is used not only to draw district lines at local, state and national levels, but is also used to allocate more than $400billion in federal funds annually to communities through Medicare, child care and school lunch programs, and children's health insurance. But promoters of the boycott, including the Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, argue that undocumented immigrants should not answer the census because they're not entitled to the benefits it provides. They also say lawmakers who have retained or gained their seats based on the Latino population increase have not come out in defense of immigrant communities and pushed harder for immigration reform.
"With the census comes redistricting and electing more Latinos to office, and these are the same political leaders at the local and federal level not speaking out, not proposing the changes we need," Lopez said.
Ironically, calling for a boycott of the census aligns immigrant-rights promoters with anti-immigrant organizations, which seek to deny representation for people who are illegally in the country.
"It's our tactic that demands something from the government, it's their tactic to exclude immigrants from civil society," Lopez said. "While there is some coincidence in that both sides are calling for the government not to count the immigrants, we're calling on immigrants not to comply with federal law and refuse to participate in the process."
It's not that NALEO and other Latino organizations are turning their back on the need for immigration reform; but the census is a tool of representation that should not be ignored, they said.
"We know there's a need for immigration reform, and that process is being developed. ... But separate from that, the need to make sure our community is informed is the best way to achieve reform. The census is confidential and we want to make sure the community hears that," said Erica Bernal, NALEO's director of communication.
For Monterey County immigrant-rights advocate Sabino Lopez, the idea of boycotting the census is misguided, even if its purpose is to pressure Congress into legalizing undocumented immigrants.
"These people are contributing to the economy. Even if they don't receive services, they pay sales taxes; when they purchase something they're contributing to the country's economy," Sabino Lopez said. "We can't, even if some want to, be invisible. This has also been part of the struggle, to stop being invisible. To be seen with respect."
Claudia Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or cmelendez@montereyherald.com.
Hispanics given 'Hero' awards
Four given Hispanic heroes awards
By Leonel Sanchez, Union-Tribune, October 3, 2009
One is the principal at San Diego's school for homeless children. Another is a court advocate for neglected children. Two are local business leaders.
All have been recognized with Hispanic Heritage Month Local Hero Awards.
The four were honored Wednesday at the 12th annual Local Heroes Awards at the KPBS Copley Telecommunications Center at San Diego State University. KPBS and Union Bank sponsored the event. The recipients are:
•Ruben Barrales of Carmel Valley, president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. He's the son of Mexican immigrants.
•Sarita Fuentes, a former high school dropout, who is principal of the Monarch School for homeless and at-risk children. She lives in Chula Vista.
•Catalina Valencia of Point Loma, executive vice president and general counsel for Aero Financial, a private equity company. She is the oldest of 10 children.
•Jorge Valerdi of Chula Vista, a court-appointed volunteer special advocate for children who have suffered physical and emotional neglect.
“Once a child looks at you and says ‘Thank you,’ that is the reward,” Valerdi said in one of the video profiles of the honorees.
Union-Tribune
Leonel Sanchez: (619) 542-4568;
By Leonel Sanchez, Union-Tribune, October 3, 2009
One is the principal at San Diego's school for homeless children. Another is a court advocate for neglected children. Two are local business leaders.
All have been recognized with Hispanic Heritage Month Local Hero Awards.
The four were honored Wednesday at the 12th annual Local Heroes Awards at the KPBS Copley Telecommunications Center at San Diego State University. KPBS and Union Bank sponsored the event. The recipients are:
•Ruben Barrales of Carmel Valley, president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. He's the son of Mexican immigrants.
•Sarita Fuentes, a former high school dropout, who is principal of the Monarch School for homeless and at-risk children. She lives in Chula Vista.
•Catalina Valencia of Point Loma, executive vice president and general counsel for Aero Financial, a private equity company. She is the oldest of 10 children.
•Jorge Valerdi of Chula Vista, a court-appointed volunteer special advocate for children who have suffered physical and emotional neglect.
“Once a child looks at you and says ‘Thank you,’ that is the reward,” Valerdi said in one of the video profiles of the honorees.
Union-Tribune
Leonel Sanchez: (619) 542-4568;
Oregonlive.com promotes hate against Hispanic immigrants
Illegal immigrants burden Portland-area schools
By Richard F. LaMountain, Oregonlive.com, October 03, 2009
In 1982, in its Plyler v. Doe ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court obligated America's public elementary and secondary schools to educate children who are illegal immigrants. Since then, Americans have doled out untold billions to this end.
With a new school year recently begun, let's look at what Plyler costs taxpayers in one Portland-area school district: No. 48 in Beaverton. As children from Latin America comprise the great majority of students here illegally, we'll start by examining some national statistics regarding Hispanics and work our way down to the local level.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 34 percent of the more than 45 million Hispanics residing in America are under 18. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that Mexico and its southern neighbors contribute four-fifths of our illegal immigrants (commonly believed to number 12 million to 20 million); the Federation for American Immigration Reform, that some 15 percent of illegal immigrants are school-aged children. However sensitive the fact may be, what all this means is that between 9.4 percent and 15.6 percent of Hispanic children in America are here illegally.
From these figures, how many Hispanic illegal-immigrant students can we estimate are enrolled in the Beaverton School District?
In the most-recently completed (2008-09) school year, according to the district's Website, student enrollment was 37,552; 7,702 of the students were Hispanic. Between 724 and 1,202 of those Hispanic students -- 9.4 percent to 15.6 percent of their total number -- likely were here illegally.
What did they cost taxpayers?
According to the district, in 2008-09 Beaverton schools' base per-student expenditure was some $8,400 (the general-fund operating budget of $315.6 million divided by student enrollment of 37,552). Each English-language learner -- which, by very conservative estimate, likely included half, or between 362 and 601, of the district's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students -- cost taxpayers another $3,000.
More, each child participating in the free- and reduced-lunch program got a federal subsidy of some $260. Washington County's Hispanic children, according to the county's Commission on Children and Families, are four times more likely to live in poverty than its white children; possibly three-quarters of the district's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students, then, received taxpayer-subsidized lunches.
So the total estimated cost of Beaverton School District's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students in the 2008-09 school year: between $7.3 million and $12.1 million. Add the estimated one-fifth of illegal-immigrant students who are other than Hispanic, and taxpayers likely spent between $9.1 million and $15.2 million educating and feeding all the district's illegal-immigrant students -- an amount equal to 2.8 percent to 4.8 percent of the general-fund operating budget.
Now, to counter recession-induced budget shortfalls, in the past year Portland-area schools have reduced teaching staffs, increased classroom sizes, and slashed extracurricular activities. It must be asked: If not for illegal-immigrant students, how many new teachers could have been hired and existing ones retained? How much more attention could teachers devote to their other students? How many arts and athletic programs could be saved or expanded?
The bottom line is this: Americans do not owe educations to illegal immigrants. Our first, foremost, and most sacred responsibility is to our own children. And we beggar our children's education -- and future -- when we spend scarce tax dollars on those who are in our nation illegally.
Portland-area school boards should lobby Oregon's Congressional delegation to introduce legislation to overturn Plyler, and to allow America's school districts to require proof of U.S. citizenship or legal U.S. residence from their students.
Richard F. LaMountain is a former assistant editor of Conservative Digest magazine. He lives in Cedar Mill.
By Richard F. LaMountain, Oregonlive.com, October 03, 2009
In 1982, in its Plyler v. Doe ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court obligated America's public elementary and secondary schools to educate children who are illegal immigrants. Since then, Americans have doled out untold billions to this end.
With a new school year recently begun, let's look at what Plyler costs taxpayers in one Portland-area school district: No. 48 in Beaverton. As children from Latin America comprise the great majority of students here illegally, we'll start by examining some national statistics regarding Hispanics and work our way down to the local level.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 34 percent of the more than 45 million Hispanics residing in America are under 18. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that Mexico and its southern neighbors contribute four-fifths of our illegal immigrants (commonly believed to number 12 million to 20 million); the Federation for American Immigration Reform, that some 15 percent of illegal immigrants are school-aged children. However sensitive the fact may be, what all this means is that between 9.4 percent and 15.6 percent of Hispanic children in America are here illegally.
From these figures, how many Hispanic illegal-immigrant students can we estimate are enrolled in the Beaverton School District?
In the most-recently completed (2008-09) school year, according to the district's Website, student enrollment was 37,552; 7,702 of the students were Hispanic. Between 724 and 1,202 of those Hispanic students -- 9.4 percent to 15.6 percent of their total number -- likely were here illegally.
What did they cost taxpayers?
According to the district, in 2008-09 Beaverton schools' base per-student expenditure was some $8,400 (the general-fund operating budget of $315.6 million divided by student enrollment of 37,552). Each English-language learner -- which, by very conservative estimate, likely included half, or between 362 and 601, of the district's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students -- cost taxpayers another $3,000.
More, each child participating in the free- and reduced-lunch program got a federal subsidy of some $260. Washington County's Hispanic children, according to the county's Commission on Children and Families, are four times more likely to live in poverty than its white children; possibly three-quarters of the district's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students, then, received taxpayer-subsidized lunches.
So the total estimated cost of Beaverton School District's Hispanic illegal-immigrant students in the 2008-09 school year: between $7.3 million and $12.1 million. Add the estimated one-fifth of illegal-immigrant students who are other than Hispanic, and taxpayers likely spent between $9.1 million and $15.2 million educating and feeding all the district's illegal-immigrant students -- an amount equal to 2.8 percent to 4.8 percent of the general-fund operating budget.
Now, to counter recession-induced budget shortfalls, in the past year Portland-area schools have reduced teaching staffs, increased classroom sizes, and slashed extracurricular activities. It must be asked: If not for illegal-immigrant students, how many new teachers could have been hired and existing ones retained? How much more attention could teachers devote to their other students? How many arts and athletic programs could be saved or expanded?
The bottom line is this: Americans do not owe educations to illegal immigrants. Our first, foremost, and most sacred responsibility is to our own children. And we beggar our children's education -- and future -- when we spend scarce tax dollars on those who are in our nation illegally.
Portland-area school boards should lobby Oregon's Congressional delegation to introduce legislation to overturn Plyler, and to allow America's school districts to require proof of U.S. citizenship or legal U.S. residence from their students.
Richard F. LaMountain is a former assistant editor of Conservative Digest magazine. He lives in Cedar Mill.
Hispanic Caucus calls for end to ICE policy
Hispanic Caucus Calls for Ending Program That Identified 100,000 Illegal Aliens, Many With Criminal Records
By Penny Starr, CNS News, October 02, 2009
(CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has asked the Obama administration to “immediately terminate” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program that has identified more than 120,000 illegal aliens over the past three years.
“On behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to ask that you immediately terminate all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) under the 287(g) program and cease to establish such agreements,” reads the letter to President Obama.
“These agreements are the subject of serious concern as local law enforcement agencies have used the new powers to target communities of color, including a disproportionate number of Latinos, for arrest,” says the letter. “The 287(g) program, which was significantly expanded throughout the Bush Administration, relinquishes the power to enforce federal immigration laws to local law enforcement and corrections agencies. … The misuse of the 287(g) program by its current participants has rendered it ineffective and dangerous to community safety.”
The program, the 287(g) section added to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, created a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security’s ICE and state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.
The Sept. 28 letter is signed by caucus leaders Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.).
The letter cites a March 2009 Government Accountability Office report that “found alarming examples of mismanagement and insufficient oversight of this controversial program.”
However, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said 287(g) has undergone a “sea change” since the “standardization” of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was announced by Secretary Janet Napolitano in July, and that the changes were designed to make the program more accountable.
“ICE takes the concerns raised about the program by the signatories to this letter very seriously,” Matthew Chandler told CNSNews.com. “The new, standardized 287(g) agreements that were announced in July strengthen ICE's oversight of the program and make our communities safer by identifying and removing criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat.”
“This new agreement supports local efforts to protect public safety by giving law enforcement the tools to identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens,” Napolitano said in a July 10 statement. “It also promotes consistency across-the-board to ensure that all of our state and local law enforcement partners are using the same standards in implementing the 287(g) program.”
The new MOA aligns 287(g) local operations with major ICE enforcement priorities, specifically, the identification and removal of criminal aliens, according to DHS.
The DHS said the new MOA also defines the objectives of the 287(g) program, outlines the immigration enforcement authorities granted by the agreement, and provides guidelines for ICE’s supervision of local agency officer operations, information reporting and tracking, complaint procedures and implementation measures.
“The 287(g) program is an essential component of DHS’s comprehensive immigration enforcement strategy,” ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said in the same July 10 statement. “The new agreement strengthens ICE’s oversight of the program and allows us to better utilize the resources and capabilities of our law enforcement partners across the nation.”
The letter from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus says state and local law enforcement “use their expanded and often unchecked powers under the 287(g) program to target immigrants and persons of color.”
“It is our opinion that no amount of reforms, no matter how well-intended, will change this disturbing reality,” the letter states.
CNSNews.com sent inquiries by e-mail and telephone to Reps. Gutierrez and Velazquez to explain how federal immigration law could be better enforced in the United States if the 287(g) is eliminated. The representatives were also asked to comment on the success of the program, which since January 2007 has identified more than 120,000 individuals as “potentially removable aliens,” most of whom are incarcerated in local jails, according to DHS.
As this story went to press, the congressional representatives had not responded. However, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) commented on the Hispanic Caucus’s letter about 287(g), telling CNSNews.com: “This is just another ploy by amnesty advocates to open our borders and stop enforcing the rule of law. This program has been an effective tool in cracking down on illegal immigration and enforcing our laws. We should make it a nationwide effort instead of shutting it down.”
To date, the Memorandum of Agreement had been signed with 66 state and local law enforcement agencies in 23 states, with more than 1,000 officers trained and certified by ICE, according to DHS.
By Penny Starr, CNS News, October 02, 2009
(CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has asked the Obama administration to “immediately terminate” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program that has identified more than 120,000 illegal aliens over the past three years.
“On behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to ask that you immediately terminate all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) under the 287(g) program and cease to establish such agreements,” reads the letter to President Obama.
“These agreements are the subject of serious concern as local law enforcement agencies have used the new powers to target communities of color, including a disproportionate number of Latinos, for arrest,” says the letter. “The 287(g) program, which was significantly expanded throughout the Bush Administration, relinquishes the power to enforce federal immigration laws to local law enforcement and corrections agencies. … The misuse of the 287(g) program by its current participants has rendered it ineffective and dangerous to community safety.”
The program, the 287(g) section added to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, created a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security’s ICE and state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.
The Sept. 28 letter is signed by caucus leaders Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.).
The letter cites a March 2009 Government Accountability Office report that “found alarming examples of mismanagement and insufficient oversight of this controversial program.”
However, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said 287(g) has undergone a “sea change” since the “standardization” of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was announced by Secretary Janet Napolitano in July, and that the changes were designed to make the program more accountable.
“ICE takes the concerns raised about the program by the signatories to this letter very seriously,” Matthew Chandler told CNSNews.com. “The new, standardized 287(g) agreements that were announced in July strengthen ICE's oversight of the program and make our communities safer by identifying and removing criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat.”
“This new agreement supports local efforts to protect public safety by giving law enforcement the tools to identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens,” Napolitano said in a July 10 statement. “It also promotes consistency across-the-board to ensure that all of our state and local law enforcement partners are using the same standards in implementing the 287(g) program.”
The new MOA aligns 287(g) local operations with major ICE enforcement priorities, specifically, the identification and removal of criminal aliens, according to DHS.
The DHS said the new MOA also defines the objectives of the 287(g) program, outlines the immigration enforcement authorities granted by the agreement, and provides guidelines for ICE’s supervision of local agency officer operations, information reporting and tracking, complaint procedures and implementation measures.
“The 287(g) program is an essential component of DHS’s comprehensive immigration enforcement strategy,” ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said in the same July 10 statement. “The new agreement strengthens ICE’s oversight of the program and allows us to better utilize the resources and capabilities of our law enforcement partners across the nation.”
The letter from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus says state and local law enforcement “use their expanded and often unchecked powers under the 287(g) program to target immigrants and persons of color.”
“It is our opinion that no amount of reforms, no matter how well-intended, will change this disturbing reality,” the letter states.
CNSNews.com sent inquiries by e-mail and telephone to Reps. Gutierrez and Velazquez to explain how federal immigration law could be better enforced in the United States if the 287(g) is eliminated. The representatives were also asked to comment on the success of the program, which since January 2007 has identified more than 120,000 individuals as “potentially removable aliens,” most of whom are incarcerated in local jails, according to DHS.
As this story went to press, the congressional representatives had not responded. However, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) commented on the Hispanic Caucus’s letter about 287(g), telling CNSNews.com: “This is just another ploy by amnesty advocates to open our borders and stop enforcing the rule of law. This program has been an effective tool in cracking down on illegal immigration and enforcing our laws. We should make it a nationwide effort instead of shutting it down.”
To date, the Memorandum of Agreement had been signed with 66 state and local law enforcement agencies in 23 states, with more than 1,000 officers trained and certified by ICE, according to DHS.
Latino and black students improve scores
Study: Minorities making up ground on Ind. exams
Associated Press, October 2, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS - A new study shows that Latino and black students in Indiana schools have made the strongest gains in statewide testing over the last several years, although no one is sure exactly what caused the improvements.
A study by the Washington-based Center on Education Policy analyzed the number of students passing ISTEP exams from 2002 through 2008. The nonpartisan organization found that more white students passed the tests, but black and Latino students made greater gains.
For example, 71 percent of white students passed the eighth-grade math test in 2002 while 80 percent passed in 2008. Black students went from 32 percent passing in 2002 to 49 percent passing in 2008. Latino students jumped from 51 percent passing in 2002 to 61 percent in 2008.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett told The Indianapolis Star that more needs to be done.
"While some improvement in closing the achievement gap is encouraging, it's not happening nearly fast enough, and Indiana has a long way to go," Bennett said. "We need to drastically alter the education system in this state to put a much greater emphasis on the achievement of all students."
Carole Craig, co-chairwoman of the local NAACP Education Committee, agreed that there's plenty of room for improvement despite the good news.
"We know the schools are all working very hard, but one of the things we're still concerned about is whether or not the schools are targeting strategies that would specifically address children of color," Craig said.
Many school districts have tried to address the achievement gap between white students and minorities. Since the efforts differ across the state, it's hard to tell what caused the statewide gains on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus exams.
Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, said similar improvements were found in many other states.
"It shows that if we as a country concentrate on something for a long enough time, we can have results," he said. "Whatever way you cut it, the gap is narrowing."
The center cautioned that its study could not determine whether the No Child Left Behind law contributed to the improvements. That law pushes schools to boost the performance of minority and poor children who often lag behind their white peers on standardized tests.
"We do see more focus on bringing up the really weak students," said Peter Kloosterman, an Indiana University professor and testing expert. "We may be making some strides there to bring up the lowest group of students, and I think that's a really good thing."
Associated Press, October 2, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS - A new study shows that Latino and black students in Indiana schools have made the strongest gains in statewide testing over the last several years, although no one is sure exactly what caused the improvements.
A study by the Washington-based Center on Education Policy analyzed the number of students passing ISTEP exams from 2002 through 2008. The nonpartisan organization found that more white students passed the tests, but black and Latino students made greater gains.
For example, 71 percent of white students passed the eighth-grade math test in 2002 while 80 percent passed in 2008. Black students went from 32 percent passing in 2002 to 49 percent passing in 2008. Latino students jumped from 51 percent passing in 2002 to 61 percent in 2008.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett told The Indianapolis Star that more needs to be done.
"While some improvement in closing the achievement gap is encouraging, it's not happening nearly fast enough, and Indiana has a long way to go," Bennett said. "We need to drastically alter the education system in this state to put a much greater emphasis on the achievement of all students."
Carole Craig, co-chairwoman of the local NAACP Education Committee, agreed that there's plenty of room for improvement despite the good news.
"We know the schools are all working very hard, but one of the things we're still concerned about is whether or not the schools are targeting strategies that would specifically address children of color," Craig said.
Many school districts have tried to address the achievement gap between white students and minorities. Since the efforts differ across the state, it's hard to tell what caused the statewide gains on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus exams.
Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, said similar improvements were found in many other states.
"It shows that if we as a country concentrate on something for a long enough time, we can have results," he said. "Whatever way you cut it, the gap is narrowing."
The center cautioned that its study could not determine whether the No Child Left Behind law contributed to the improvements. That law pushes schools to boost the performance of minority and poor children who often lag behind their white peers on standardized tests.
"We do see more focus on bringing up the really weak students," said Peter Kloosterman, an Indiana University professor and testing expert. "We may be making some strides there to bring up the lowest group of students, and I think that's a really good thing."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Latino oral history project expands
10 years later, Latino oral history project expands
Initiative will collect narratives from Korea, Vietnam in addition to World War II.
By Juan Castillo, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF, October 02, 2009
When she embarked on her quest in 1999 to fill history's missing pieces of Latino military service during World War II, Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez harbored modest ambitions. She figured that if her fledglingU.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project at the University of Texas could document the stories of 200 Hispanic veterans and their families, that would be a worthy accomplishment.
After all, the war was a turning point for the hundreds of thousands of Latinos who left the country as second-class citizens and returned — still suffering discrimination— to begin pouring the foundation for the Mexican American civil rights movement. Yet their stories and their voices — both from the battlefield and the home front — were missing from the scholarly research, historical accounts and mass media coverage of the "Greatest Generation."
"This is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be," Rivas-Rodriguez said recently, adding that she misjudged how deeply the history project would resonate with Latinos across the country.
As it celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend with a dinner and symposium — and as it expands its mission to include the Korean and Vietnam wars — the oral history project is closing in on 700 interviews with aging veterans and their families, and there is a backlog for more. The project spawned three books, educational materials, the play "Voices of Valor" and a traveling photo exhibit, all of which are used by educators around the world. Its photos have been used by the military, historical institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum for American History, and by media organizations across the country. Along the journey, Rivas-Rodriguez, a former journalist turned journalism professor, has become an advocate for the inclusion of Latinos and their contributions in the nation's historical narrative.
In 2007, she became a formidable player in the controversy that emerged after director Ken Burns completed his epic "The War" series on World War II without a mention of Hispanics. Rivas-Rodriguez launched a grass-roots protest campaign that claims to have spurred thousands of letters from veterans and their families, many of whom pointed out that public money helped fund "The War," which aired on PBS.
Burns later hired Austin-based filmmaker Hector Galán to add interviews with Hispanic veterans.
The controversy, said Rivas-Rodriguez, was "one more example of how people don't think about Latinos. They think about Americans, and they don't necessarily think of Latinos as Americans."
Some critics have suggested thatHispanic demands for inclusion amount to demands that they be singled out from other Americans.
"I find it really ironic because basically that's what we want — to be included," Rivas-Rodriguez said. "The criticism 'Why can't you just be Americans?' really doesn't understand the historic discrimination that Latinos have faced in our country."
According to historians, documenting and recovering minority histories is an ongoing national struggle carrying important sociological consequences. Omitting minorities from the historical record can leave younger generations feeling unimportant and alienated, said Jorge Mariscal, a Vietnam veteran and a professor at the University of California at San Diego.
"What does that say for society that you're not recognized — you're not part of our team?" said Ignacio Garcia Gonzales of Austin, 76, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Like many Latinos of his day, Gonzales encountered racism where he least expected it — in the military.
An amateur boxer as a teen, he first stepped aboard a Navy ship in 1952 at the age of 18. "They didn't want me," Gonzales recalls. His superiors wanted Gonzales to be a steward or cook — work he said was traditionally assigned to Hispanics and African Americans.
"I told them I came here to better myself, to be a good Navy man and to serve my country," says Gonzales, who eventually was assigned to work on the ship's deck.
Gonzales would compile a 26-year Navy career, serving in the Korean War and seeing combat in Vietnam before retiring in 1978 as a master chief petty officer. He earned a business degree from the University of Virginia while in the Navy and a master's in industrial management from Northwestern University after he left the military. He worked for Abbott Laboratories for 15 years before retiring from there.
Gonzales said that once, while wearing his Navy uniform, he was denied service at a Richmond, Va., restaurant because of his ethnicity. He said he suffers the effects of Agent Orange, and though proud of his military service, he says: "I left it. I'm moving on."
Later wars included
A one-year, $328,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services is making the oral history project's expanded work possible, Rivas-Rodriguez said. "From the beginning, people were asking us when we would tackle Vietnam. We had our hands full with World War II."
Collecting World War II histories will continue. The project has a $50,000 annual operating budget, depending heavily on grants and donations. Friday's dinner at UT is a fund-raiser; Saturday's symposium launches the expanded mission, exploring the Korea and Vietnam periods.
"We're really at the beginning of how to figure out how to tackle this," Rivas-Rodriguez said.
Initial forays will include focus groups, deciding who will be interviewed and assessing existing research.
Many scholars have noted that service members of Mexican descent served in large numbers during Vietnam and experienced the highest combat death rates.
Mariscal, who will speak at the symposium, said the project's broadened scope is important for younger generations.
"When we were college-age, World War II was 25 years away or so. For students now, Vietnam is 40 years away."
jcastillo@statesman.com; 445-3635
Initiative will collect narratives from Korea, Vietnam in addition to World War II.
By Juan Castillo, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF, October 02, 2009
When she embarked on her quest in 1999 to fill history's missing pieces of Latino military service during World War II, Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez harbored modest ambitions. She figured that if her fledglingU.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project at the University of Texas could document the stories of 200 Hispanic veterans and their families, that would be a worthy accomplishment.
After all, the war was a turning point for the hundreds of thousands of Latinos who left the country as second-class citizens and returned — still suffering discrimination— to begin pouring the foundation for the Mexican American civil rights movement. Yet their stories and their voices — both from the battlefield and the home front — were missing from the scholarly research, historical accounts and mass media coverage of the "Greatest Generation."
"This is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be," Rivas-Rodriguez said recently, adding that she misjudged how deeply the history project would resonate with Latinos across the country.
As it celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend with a dinner and symposium — and as it expands its mission to include the Korean and Vietnam wars — the oral history project is closing in on 700 interviews with aging veterans and their families, and there is a backlog for more. The project spawned three books, educational materials, the play "Voices of Valor" and a traveling photo exhibit, all of which are used by educators around the world. Its photos have been used by the military, historical institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum for American History, and by media organizations across the country. Along the journey, Rivas-Rodriguez, a former journalist turned journalism professor, has become an advocate for the inclusion of Latinos and their contributions in the nation's historical narrative.
In 2007, she became a formidable player in the controversy that emerged after director Ken Burns completed his epic "The War" series on World War II without a mention of Hispanics. Rivas-Rodriguez launched a grass-roots protest campaign that claims to have spurred thousands of letters from veterans and their families, many of whom pointed out that public money helped fund "The War," which aired on PBS.
Burns later hired Austin-based filmmaker Hector Galán to add interviews with Hispanic veterans.
The controversy, said Rivas-Rodriguez, was "one more example of how people don't think about Latinos. They think about Americans, and they don't necessarily think of Latinos as Americans."
Some critics have suggested thatHispanic demands for inclusion amount to demands that they be singled out from other Americans.
"I find it really ironic because basically that's what we want — to be included," Rivas-Rodriguez said. "The criticism 'Why can't you just be Americans?' really doesn't understand the historic discrimination that Latinos have faced in our country."
According to historians, documenting and recovering minority histories is an ongoing national struggle carrying important sociological consequences. Omitting minorities from the historical record can leave younger generations feeling unimportant and alienated, said Jorge Mariscal, a Vietnam veteran and a professor at the University of California at San Diego.
"What does that say for society that you're not recognized — you're not part of our team?" said Ignacio Garcia Gonzales of Austin, 76, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Like many Latinos of his day, Gonzales encountered racism where he least expected it — in the military.
An amateur boxer as a teen, he first stepped aboard a Navy ship in 1952 at the age of 18. "They didn't want me," Gonzales recalls. His superiors wanted Gonzales to be a steward or cook — work he said was traditionally assigned to Hispanics and African Americans.
"I told them I came here to better myself, to be a good Navy man and to serve my country," says Gonzales, who eventually was assigned to work on the ship's deck.
Gonzales would compile a 26-year Navy career, serving in the Korean War and seeing combat in Vietnam before retiring in 1978 as a master chief petty officer. He earned a business degree from the University of Virginia while in the Navy and a master's in industrial management from Northwestern University after he left the military. He worked for Abbott Laboratories for 15 years before retiring from there.
Gonzales said that once, while wearing his Navy uniform, he was denied service at a Richmond, Va., restaurant because of his ethnicity. He said he suffers the effects of Agent Orange, and though proud of his military service, he says: "I left it. I'm moving on."
Later wars included
A one-year, $328,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services is making the oral history project's expanded work possible, Rivas-Rodriguez said. "From the beginning, people were asking us when we would tackle Vietnam. We had our hands full with World War II."
Collecting World War II histories will continue. The project has a $50,000 annual operating budget, depending heavily on grants and donations. Friday's dinner at UT is a fund-raiser; Saturday's symposium launches the expanded mission, exploring the Korea and Vietnam periods.
"We're really at the beginning of how to figure out how to tackle this," Rivas-Rodriguez said.
Initial forays will include focus groups, deciding who will be interviewed and assessing existing research.
Many scholars have noted that service members of Mexican descent served in large numbers during Vietnam and experienced the highest combat death rates.
Mariscal, who will speak at the symposium, said the project's broadened scope is important for younger generations.
"When we were college-age, World War II was 25 years away or so. For students now, Vietnam is 40 years away."
jcastillo@statesman.com; 445-3635
Latino groups seek better count in census
Groups Seek Better Count of Hispanics
By MIRIAM JORDAN, WSJ.COM
A coalition of Latino groups backed by the Census Bureau will launch a campaign Thursday to pull off an elusive feat: getting an accurate count of Hispanics in the U.S.
The Hispanic population has exploded since the 2000 census, growing 33% to an estimated 47 million. But it is also one of the hardest groups to track.
Hundreds of thousands of Hispanics are migratory workers. Several million are in the country illegally and reluctant to fill out official forms. Language barriers persist, and the foreclosure crisis has left many Hispanic families without a mailing address.
A new Spanish language media spot featuring journalist Maria Elena Salinas urges Hispanics to participate in the Census.
"This is adding up to a perfect storm when it comes to the census on Latinos," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, a nonpartisan group known as Naleo, which is spearheading the campaign.
The outreach is also being led by Spanish-language media, unions and grass-roots groups. Dubbed "Ya Es Hora. Hagase Contar!" (It's Time, Make Yourself Count!), the effort is designed to encourage all Hispanics, even immigrants in the U.S. illegally, to fill out census forms.
An accurate count could bolster the swelling political clout of Hispanics. The decennial count will determine the allocation of billions in federal and state funds each year. Data from the questionnaire will also be used to determine reapportionment for congressional and state legislative districts.
The census campaign seeks to counter calls for a boycott of the tally by groups angry at President Barack Obama's inaction on legislation that could legalize about 12 million undocumented immigrants.
The coalition of Latino groups is coming off a trio of victories. Over the past couple of years, it successfully recruited many Latinos to become U.S. citizens and also orchestrated a major voter-registration drive, followed by a massive voter-turnout effort.
Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., will bombard its three television networks and its radio airwaves with public-service announcements on the census. Its reporters will weave motivational messages into news shows.
"People will be hearing about the census on their way to work, at church and at union meetings," said Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents janitorial, health-care and food-service workers. "We are going to get the word out until people are sick and tired of hearing about the census," Mr. Medina said.
The Census Bureau is coordinating with the Latino groups and separately is investing $312 million on advertising in 28 languages.
Much of the advertising will be directed at so-called "hard to count" communities, census tracts with a history of low participation that typically include immigrant enclaves. For the first time, the Census Bureau is mailing bilingual questionnaires to about 13.5 million households in areas where at least a fifth of them use Spanish as their primary language.
In the Los Angeles area alone, the Census Bureau has 300 staff dedicated to working with churches and community groups to get at hard-to-reach immigrants.
"We want to get down as low as we can go and get into these communities," said James Christy, director for the Los Angeles region.
At a Brazilian festival in Los Angeles earlier this month, Census Bureau staffer Jose Mayorga told visitors, "We don't ask about immigration status."
He distributed fact sheets in Portuguese that stated in capital letters: "CONFIDENTIALITY IS THE LAW!!!!"
One group that has called on Hispanics to boycott the census is the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders. Its leader, the Rev. Miguel Rivera, claims that data from the 2000 census indicating a surge in the Hispanic population spurred anti-immigrant politicians, particularly in states like Georgia, to crack down on illegal immigrants.
"We don't want to help such states gain seats in the House," Mr. Rivera said.
Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com
By MIRIAM JORDAN, WSJ.COM
A coalition of Latino groups backed by the Census Bureau will launch a campaign Thursday to pull off an elusive feat: getting an accurate count of Hispanics in the U.S.
The Hispanic population has exploded since the 2000 census, growing 33% to an estimated 47 million. But it is also one of the hardest groups to track.
Hundreds of thousands of Hispanics are migratory workers. Several million are in the country illegally and reluctant to fill out official forms. Language barriers persist, and the foreclosure crisis has left many Hispanic families without a mailing address.
A new Spanish language media spot featuring journalist Maria Elena Salinas urges Hispanics to participate in the Census.
"This is adding up to a perfect storm when it comes to the census on Latinos," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, a nonpartisan group known as Naleo, which is spearheading the campaign.
The outreach is also being led by Spanish-language media, unions and grass-roots groups. Dubbed "Ya Es Hora. Hagase Contar!" (It's Time, Make Yourself Count!), the effort is designed to encourage all Hispanics, even immigrants in the U.S. illegally, to fill out census forms.
An accurate count could bolster the swelling political clout of Hispanics. The decennial count will determine the allocation of billions in federal and state funds each year. Data from the questionnaire will also be used to determine reapportionment for congressional and state legislative districts.
The census campaign seeks to counter calls for a boycott of the tally by groups angry at President Barack Obama's inaction on legislation that could legalize about 12 million undocumented immigrants.
The coalition of Latino groups is coming off a trio of victories. Over the past couple of years, it successfully recruited many Latinos to become U.S. citizens and also orchestrated a major voter-registration drive, followed by a massive voter-turnout effort.
Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., will bombard its three television networks and its radio airwaves with public-service announcements on the census. Its reporters will weave motivational messages into news shows.
"People will be hearing about the census on their way to work, at church and at union meetings," said Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents janitorial, health-care and food-service workers. "We are going to get the word out until people are sick and tired of hearing about the census," Mr. Medina said.
The Census Bureau is coordinating with the Latino groups and separately is investing $312 million on advertising in 28 languages.
Much of the advertising will be directed at so-called "hard to count" communities, census tracts with a history of low participation that typically include immigrant enclaves. For the first time, the Census Bureau is mailing bilingual questionnaires to about 13.5 million households in areas where at least a fifth of them use Spanish as their primary language.
In the Los Angeles area alone, the Census Bureau has 300 staff dedicated to working with churches and community groups to get at hard-to-reach immigrants.
"We want to get down as low as we can go and get into these communities," said James Christy, director for the Los Angeles region.
At a Brazilian festival in Los Angeles earlier this month, Census Bureau staffer Jose Mayorga told visitors, "We don't ask about immigration status."
He distributed fact sheets in Portuguese that stated in capital letters: "CONFIDENTIALITY IS THE LAW!!!!"
One group that has called on Hispanics to boycott the census is the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders. Its leader, the Rev. Miguel Rivera, claims that data from the 2000 census indicating a surge in the Hispanic population spurred anti-immigrant politicians, particularly in states like Georgia, to crack down on illegal immigrants.
"We don't want to help such states gain seats in the House," Mr. Rivera said.
Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)