Army extends immigrant recruiting

Recruiting offices from the pilot program will begin taking applications from some foreigners who are here on temporary visas or who have been granted asylum. Offices are looking for recruits with special language and medical skills and once accepted will get an expedited path to citizenship in return for their service.

Jesse

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-immigrant-recruits4-2009may04,0,5003914.story

Leaders join together to encourage Latinos to prepare for and run for public office Esteban

Lulac plans to hold conferences across the nation to bolster the amount of Latinos participating in politics. They are working alongside grassroots organizations to convince Latino elected officials to run for office. This call to action occurd because although the amount of elected officials did increase, there are still not enough to accomodate the Latino population.

Here's the Link
http://www.lulac.org/advocacy/press/2009/latinosunited.html

Immigration activists plan May Day rallies

Tens of thousands are expected to protest for reform, such as legalization, though policy differences push groups to separate their events into seven marches. Four will be held in downtown L.A.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rallies1-2009may01,0,7459575.story

BROAD COALITION URGES SWIFT PASSAGE OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT ON THE EVE OF EXPECTED HOUSE VOTE Esteban

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act will cause local law enforcement to take hate crimes more seriously. The federal government will become involved in hate crime cases if they feel the local law enforcement is not able to deal with it adequately. This act will also urge victims to report any hate crimes to law enforcement.
http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/57028/

A chance for the U.S. to renew ties to Mexico

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090415_A_chance_for_the_U_S__to_renew_ties_to_Mexico.html


By Eric Zolov
President Obama's visit to Mexico tomorrow is an opportune moment for a new strategic vision of U.S.-Mexican relations. As Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's ambassador to the United States, recently put it, "It's time for the U.S. and Mexico to stop playing checkers and start playing chess."

That will require more American honesty about our role in issues such as immigration, as well as acknowledgment of Mexico's strengths as a newly vibrant democracy.

From 1938 to 1968, the United States and Mexico built what proved to be one of the most durable partnerships in the hemisphere. It began with the Mexican expropriation of foreign oil companies in 1938, which prompted a cry for U.S. intervention from Standard Oil and other American business interests. But President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized that broader strategic interests - namely, retaining Mexico as an ally on the eve of war in Europe - trumped the narrower interests of big business.

.................................

Anabel Arrazola

Border arrests drop to 1970s levels

With the economy in tatters and security beefed up at the U.S.-Mexico border, fewer people are willing to cross illegally. Arrests in the last five months are down 24% from the same period last year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-border8-2009mar08,0,5387682.story

New program encourages low-income L.A. residents to open bank accounts

The initiative aims to help 10,000 people end their dependence on check-cashing outlets before the end of the year by reducing the cost and simplifying the process of banking.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-payday25-2009mar25,0,6022311.story

Huntington Beach girl can stay in U.S. during custody dispute

Federal panel overturns a district court decision that would have sent her from her mother to live with her father in Mexico. None of the three is a U.S. citizen

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-immigrant-custody19-2009mar19,0,1679933.story

Thomas Perez Will Bring Needed Leadership as Head of Civil Rights Division at U.S. Department of Justice

Obama selected a Latino to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Maryland's secretary of labor, Thomas Perez is awaiting approval by the senate for his nomination. He has strong support from MALDEF.

Here's the Article: http://maldef.org/news/releases/civilrights_031909/

National Coalition Launches Unprecedented Campaign to Ensure Census Achieves Accurate Count of Second-Largest U.S. Population Group.

Since the US Census Bureau has had trouble in the past keeping track of the growing Latino community, LULAC is teaming up with many Organizations to launch a campaign Ya Es Hora iHagase Contar!. This campaign is a community education initiative that will use various froms of media to get the information to the Latino Community regarding the census.

Here's the article
http://www.lulac.org/advocacy/press/2009/census.html

"U.S. Supreme Court Decision Creates New Barriers to Election of Latinos"

The decision in the Supreme Court case Bartlett v Strickalnd weakens minority groups' ability to use the voting rights act to change election districts. In order for the a minority to change the county, the minority voting age population must surpass 50% of the total population in a district.

http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/bartlett_030909/

"ON IMMIGRATION, WE NEED CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN"

http://nclr.org/content/news/detail/56039/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb 25, 2009

ON IMMIGRATION, WE NEED CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN

Washington, DC—On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a workplace in Bellingham, Washington, reportedly arresting 28 people. This is the first major workplace raid since President Obama took office. The following is a statement by Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

“We are better than this, and our nation deserves better than the continuation of a failed immigration policy that contradicts American values and civil liberties. Our community understands the federal government's pursuit of hardened, dangerous criminals and our country’s need to protect its borders. But the systematic demonization, detention, and deportation of peaceful immigrant workers and parents under the pretense of homeland security is an assault on our values as a country. At a time when messages of change and hope abound, we are left to wonder how change will come to these failed policies.

“We are a nation of immigrants, and we are indeed a nation of laws, yet when our government engages in practices that violate the very laws we hold dear, it is a clear indication that we must evaluate the course. The zeal with which federal and local law enforcement agencies have applied these policies has violated the rights and civil liberties of many in various communities, including legal residents and U.S. citizens. Latinos specifically have been racially profiled, arrested without warrant, detained without counsel, and in some cases even deported out of the country although legally present. Such policy is an abrogation of civil rights, common decency, and human dignity.
“Escalating immigration raids and local police crackdowns over the past eight years have spread indiscriminate terror among millions of people who pose no threat to the United States and who have lived peacefully and productively within our borders for years. Most have worked hard, paid taxes, lived productive lives, and been good neighbors. Many have children and spouses who are U.S. citizens. Many have served in our nation's defense. Yet over the past eight years, U.S. policies have sought to criminalize this population, raid their homes and workplaces, suspend their civil liberties, put them in chains, and ultimately deport them. In the process, families are torn apart and children are separated from their parents, despite the fact that under U.S. law, immigration violations are a civil offense.

“Billions of dollars have been allocated over the last decade to such ill-conceived tactics, yet the undocumented population has continued to grow. While some may claim that these techniques have staunched unauthorized migration, the reality is that the most powerful factor in that equation has been a slowing economy. Restoring the rule of law to our immigration system requires systematic change and smart enforcement strategies that do not blur the line between innocent workers and those who mean us harm. An urgent response is needed, and it should include a thorough examination of Department of Homeland Security practices and policies to provide a cost-benefit analysis in terms of the effectiveness, security, resource efficiency, and ethics of these operations. We also need clarification from the administration as to its plan to reform our immigration system in a manner that protects families, workers, and our nation’s ideals.

“Let us not forget that how we resolve the status of the undocumented will say much about who we are as a country. We would do better to listen to the better angels of our nature.”


NCLR Position:
NCLR recognizes the importance of upholding the nation’s immigration laws. However, it is concerned that the current enforcement strategy conflicts with other primary national policy goals, including child protection and well-being. Currently, the U.S. lacks a consistent, comprehensive standard to ensure the protection of children directly affected by immigration enforcement actions. NCLR encourages the development of new enforcement standards that work to mitigate the effects of raids on children and ensure their safety and well-being. Ultimately, NCLR advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow the U.S. to regulate its borders while simultaneously meeting its responsibility to protect its children and, therefore, its future.

SETTLEMENT FOR MAY DAY 2007 LAWSUITS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

http://www.maldef.org/news/press.cfm?ID=488

City agrees to settle all pending federal claims arising out of police misconduct against peaceful immigrants’ rights marchers

Confirmation of Hilda Solis As Our Nation’s First Latina Secretary of Labor

http://www.lulac.org/advocacy/press/2009/solis2.html

This is just a follow up to last weeks postings about Solis as our nation's first Latina Secretary of Labor and how she will play a big role in the high unemployment

Senate Committee approves Rep. Hilda Solis as President Barak Obama's nominee for Secretary of Labor

Latino Organizations and Labor Unions including LULAC, MALDEF, and the UFW are thanking the Senate health, education, labor, and pensions committee for approving Solis as Obama's Secretary of Labor. According Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW, "The senate panel’s approval brings us a step closer to protecting the working men and women who toil in the fields."

http://www.lulac.org/advocacy/press/2009/solis.html

http://www.ufw.org/_board.php?mode=view&b_code=news_press&b_no=4912&page=1&field=&key=&n=561

NCLR News: PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS CHILDREN'S HEALTH BILL, MAKES CRITICAL INVESTMENT IN LEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

http://nclr.org/content/news/detail/55763/

article on Texas laws making it harder for legal foreign workers to acquire driver license

http://www.maldef.org/news/press.cfm?ID=485

article on the possibility of an immigration detention center in Los Angeles

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ladetain3-2009feb03,0,6198295.story

Welcome to Southwest Latino Organizations Student Watch Group

In this blog, students will post links to news and blogs related to Latino organizations in the US Southwest.