News Clips Feb. 9, 2010

Latino voters will be a force in midterm elections, report argues

How potent will the immigration issue be for Latino voters in 2010?

Advocacy groups representing the community predict it will remain a “litmus test” in key mid-term races.

In a report out Monday, the immigration reform advocacy group America’s Voice outlined 40 mid-term races where Hispanic voters could have a significant impact on the outcome.

“Most politicians understand the importance of the Latino vote in presidential years, but what we’re saying is that Latino voters will have a huge impact in the mid-term elections,” Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, said on a conference call with reporters Monday. “The number of voters coming of age and registering continues to grow. You have seen growth even when a presidential race isn’t at the top of the ticket.”

Nearly one in five Congressional Districts has a Latino population that is at least a quarter of the district.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/latino-voters-will-be-a-force.html?wprss=44

Lawyers Back Creating New Immigration Courts

Responding to pleas from immigration judges and lawyers who say the nation’s immigration courts are faltering under a crushing caseload, the American Bar Association called Monday for Congress to scrap the current system and create a new, independent court for immigration cases.

In a vote at its semiannual meeting in Orlando, Fla., the lawyers’ organization endorsed a recommendation for a separate immigration court system that would be similar to federal courts that decide tax cases.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/09immig.html

Immigration overhaul called a vital issue

A group that supports an immigration policy overhaul said candidates could lose the Latino vote if they don’t support it.

WASHINGTON — Failing to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, currently a back burner issue for Congress and President Barack Obama, could play a pivotal role in key mid-term election in November, according to a new study on Latino voting patterns.

The report by America’s Voice, which supports comprehensive new immigration policies, says revising the laws is the defining issue for Latino voters. The report says that progress — or the lack thereof — in revamping immigration laws and regulations could affect as many as 40 congressional races in areas with sizable Latino populations, including the reelection bids of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just two years ago his party’s presidential candidate.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1470014.html

Sheriff: Big Change in Immigration Enforcement

PHOENIX — Sheriff Joe Arpaio held a press conference Monday afternoon to announce some big changes in the way he enforces immigration laws.

The sheriff is under investigation by the Justice Department for racial profiling, and has taken heat for his crime suppression sweeps. But Arpaio still says he won’t back down, despite the fact the government has stripped some of his power from him.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/immigration-enforcement-change-2-8-2010

MCSO deputies will undergo training to target illegal immigrants

PHOENIX – When the federal government stripped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies of their power to enforce federal immigration laws on the streets, the sheriff repeatedly said nothing would change.

Nevertheless, something did change on Monday. The sheriff raised the stakes in his battle against illegal immigration. The sheriff said that starting Monday every one of his deputies will go through training to specifically target illegal immigrants.

Sheriff Joe says, “I have been saying over and over again that my deputies can enforce the illegal immigration laws.”

http://www.azfamily.com/news/MCSO-deputies-to-undergo-training-to-target-illegal-immigrants-83850037.html

SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Obama can’t duck immigration

PRAYING FOR SANTA CLARITA

WASHINGTON —- The Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita has long served as a backlot for Hollywood films, but for the last three weeks it has been a live stand-in for America.

Bob Kellar, a city councilman and former mayor, spoke at a rally against unauthorized immigrants where he repeated Theodore Roosevelt’s admonition that the United States has a place for only one flag and one language. After some accused Kellar of being racist, he responded that if believing in America causes people to think he is one, then “I’m a proud racist.”

His remarks were posted on YouTube and provoked a firestorm on the Web and in Santa Clarita, where a tumultuous town hall meeting last week was marked by opposing protesters, angry speeches and tears. But no apology from Kellar.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/schumacher-matos/article_d7df6669-0190-5aec-8001-c287fac98df1.html

Managing the 2010 Census and planning for 2020

The 2010 decennial census is just getting underway, but Daniel Weinberg is already thinking about 2020 and how the Internet might be used to collect the nation’s population data.

Weinberg, the assistant director for the Decennial Census and American Community Survey, spends his time in two primary areas: helping make sure everything is in order for the 2010 census and coming up with ways to improve the massive undertaking 10 years from now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020801404.html

Census Bureau Super Bowl Ad: “Spot On” Or “Waste Of Money”?

Buffalo, NY- Should the US Census Bureau have spent $2.5 million taxpayer dollars on a thirty second commercial which aired during the Super Bowl?

It’s a debate which may continue well after the excitement over the big game ebbs.

Although he had nothing to do with creating or placing the ad, the Regional Office Manager for the Census Bureau in Buffalo believes it was a wise use of taxpayer money because the Census Bureau was able to convey a message to 100 million people at an average cost of 25 cents per viewer — which is far less than the cost of a postage stamp.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/investigative/youpaidforit/story.aspx?storyid=74312&catid=220

Daniel Weinberg, the man behind the nation’s census

American Community Survey and Decennial Census, U.S. Census Bureau

Best known for: Playing a key management role in 2010 Census count while also planning for the 2020 Census, which will make greater use of the Internet in collecting the nation’s population and household data. Weinberg also supervises the American Community Survey Office, which collects and produces population and housing information every year, and has gained recognition for improving the measurements of poverty to help policymakers make more informed decisions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020803801.html

Immigration activists concerned about anti-Latino sentiment at Tea Party Convention

This weekend’s Tea Party Convention in Nashville featured a speech by former Congressman Tom Tancredo. He suggested President Obama was elected by folks who couldn’t spell “vote” or say it in English. Immigration activists say they’re watching the growth of the Tea Party movement closely.
Immigration reform advocates say they are concerned that an anti-Latino sentiment could grow within the Tea Party crowd.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/02/08/immigration-activists-concerned-about-anti-latino-/

News Clips Feb. 8, 2010

Climate could be right for GOP’s Sandoval to capture Hispanic vote

Republican Brian Sandoval could capture the attention of the Hispanic community, thanks in part to Democrats’ inability to hold that voting bloc on issues such as health care, but on immigration …

When Republican Party leaders engaged last summer in a vitriolic attack on then-Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, calling her a “racist” and a member of the “Latino KKK” and questioning her credentials despite her elite schooling, it seemed to be a final nail, driven home with gusto, into the coffin of GOP outreach to Hispanic voters.

It was a swift and dramatic alienation from the fastest growing bloc of voters in the entire electorate.

President George W. Bush won at least 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004 with the help of his conservative social policies, his support of immigration reform, and his abiding popularity in the heavily Hispanic Texas and his occasional use of the Spanish language.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/07/hispanic-voters-may-feel-alienated/

ACLU attorney debunks immigration ‘lies, myths and urban legends’

Misconceptions about immigration — both legal and illegal — continue to cause problems in a system that produces more questions than answers, according to attorney Philip Berns.

Berns spoke in the fourth-floor cafeteria of the Government Center on Sunday morning, and he tried to impress upon the 15 people gathered the “Catch-22″ nature of immigration at the event, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Fairfield County.

“We have to commit to learning immigration law,” Berns said. “The two most complex areas of U.S. law are tax law and immigration law. When someone makes a mistake in an immigration case, it can have lifelong effects. Being deported means exile to a country that’s changed since (those affected) were there.”

http://www.thehour.com/story/481871

Prospects for Immigration Reform Legislation

Given the jockeying that goes on to get mentioned in a State of the Union speech, it is not surprising that insiders pushing the immigration reform agenda celebrated success. Their issue made it into the speech, reaffirming that the president’s commitment remains alive and well.

Outsiders, however, were disappointed and displeased because the call “to continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system” fell far short of the rallying cry they wanted to hear. The blogosphere kicked into high gear, mostly pronouncing immigration legislation dead for 2010.

That a single sentence at a precarious political moment could be seen so differently is a fitting metaphor for assessing the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. This latest round has again delivered a glass-half-full, half-empty outlook.

On the half-full side, there is the new importance of bipartisanship as the platform for progress in the wake of the Republican Senate election victory in Massachusetts. Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) continue work on a bill that they hope to introduce as a bipartisan measure for their colleagues to take up.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ae169357660bcd9b46d907e7c3f15030

Up for the count: Effort encourages Berks County Latinos to take part in census

Latinos in poor communities are among those who stand to benefit the most from the 2010 Census, and yet they are the group that is least likely to participate.

So local census volunteers and community activists are attempting to educate Latinos about the census, what it means to them and why they should participate.

The message, simply put, is that funding for social services and other government programs that benefit Latinos will be hurt if fewer Latinos are counted.

Many of those programs receive funding based on population.

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=193949

Census chief works to calm deportation fears

Laredo, Texas (CNN) — The hardened dirt road turns off Highway 359 and runs under a simple iron archway. It’s an easily forgettable entryway into one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, the San Carlos “colonia” on the outskirts of this Texas border town.

When you cross, it’s like entering a different world.

Anabeli Rendon, a 14-year-old high school freshman, stands outside a dilipated orange cinder-block shed where she lived with her mother and young sister just a couple years ago. They had to run an extension cord from a nearby house to get electricity.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/02/census.poor.communities/?hpt=C2

Obama Plans Bipartisan Summit on Health Care

WASHINGTON — President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse.
Mr. Obama made the announcement in an interview on CBS during the Super Bowl pre-game show, capitalizing on a vast television audience. He set out a plan that would put Republicans on the spot to offer their own ideas on health care and show whether both sides are willing to work together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html

President Obama Grilled on Superbowl Sunday

Obama Addresses Health Care, Economy and National Security in Wide-Ranging Interview
The Indianapolis Colts and New Orlean Saints weren’t the only ones under pressure on Superbowl Sunday.
President Obama, wearing a casual blue button-down shirt and tan khakis, was grilled in a live, pre-game interview by CBS’s Katie Couric on issues ranging from health care reform, national-deficit reduction, and national security.

The president defended his push for health care reform, saying health insurance premiums would “keep on beating down families, small businesses, large businesses — it’s going to be a huge drain on the economy. We’re going to have to do something about it. I think we can.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-discusses-health-care-economy-national-security/story?id=9773410

News Clips Feb. 5, 2010

Sanctions for Ariz. law force?

PHOENIX – A federal judge will decide whether to impose sanctions against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for its acknowledged destruction of police records in a lawsuit that accuses deputies of racially profiling countless Hispanics in immigration sweeps.

U.S. District Judge Murray Snow heard arguments yesterday over whether the law enforcement agency should be punished for throwing away and shredding officers’ records of traffic stops and for not handing over all its e-mail about the sweeps.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/83619537.html

A Latino Bronx Tale

Like a thousand other coming-of-age-in-an-ethnic-family dramas, “Falling Awake” puts good intentions and appealing performances into the balance against clichés of dead-end neighborhoods and rebellious (but sensitive) youth.
Jay (Andrew Cisneros) spends his days playing guitar for tips in City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan and his nights pumping gas closer to home, in the Bronx. His father is a doorman; his sister lives at home with her two children; and his brother is in Iraq, but you could have guessed all that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/movies/05falling.html

Tea Party Dabbles in Immigration Politics

The Tea Party movement has energized activism against President Obama’s vision for immigration reform.

The link between Tea Partiers and immigration politics developed last summer, when the impact of illegal immigration on the health care system became a prominent side issue in town hall debates.

Since then, illegal immigration has steadily gained ground on the Tea Party agenda.

Immigration “is one of our main issues in the state of North Carolina,” said David DeGerolamo, co-founder of Tea Party group NC Freedom, in a phone interview. “And what it comes down to is that the United States is a republic based on the rule of law. What part of illegal is right?”

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=b4cc03dbd6820b4b82cb77f47573dce2

News Clips Feb 4, 2010

Hispanics urged to be counted in upcoming census

Complete count of population could bring Nevada extra government funding

Hispanic residents gathered Wednesday to learn about the 2010 Census and how minorities’ participation can help improve Southern Nevada communities.

The event in front of Cardenas Market, 4421 East Bonanza Road, was part of the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour, which is scheduled to make more than 800 stops nationwide.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/04/hispanics-urged-be-counted-upcoming-census/

Will Abel Maldonado Become GOP’s First Hispanic Lt. Governor in Calif?

California State Senator Abel Maldonado is hoping to become the state’s first Hispanic Republican lieutenant governor in modern times, but Democrats aren’t sure whether to approve his nomination.

The state Senate today began its confirmation hearing on the matter.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/politics/2010/2/3/will_abel_maldonado_become_gops_first.htm

ICE agents conduct city-wide immigration bust

HOUSTON—Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided several Houston businesses Tuesday as part of a city-wide immigration bust.
Shortly after 9 a.m., ICE agents raided People’s Express in the 7200 block of Long Drive and took a number of people into custody.

http://www.khou.com/home/ICE-Agents-conduct-city-wide-immigration-bust-83355697.html

ICE and Big Business: Too Close for Comfort

Today, workers, along with immigrant and civil rights advocates, exposed evidence of a disturbing and dangerous attack on workers’ rights by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Testimony in the case David et al. v. Signal et al. has revealed that high level executives of defense contractor Signal International worked closely with ICE and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to quash organizing efforts by courageous workers from India who were allegedly caught in a human trafficking ring.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marielena-hincapie/ice-and-big-business-too_b_448277.html

Immigration reform risky for Dems

Immigration reform may seem a distant priority for a ruling party that’s made the increasingly elusive goals of job creation and health care reform its primary focus in 2010.

Nevertheless, President Barack Obama and top congressional Democrats have signaled that, as Obama said in his State of the Union address, “fixing our broken immigration system” remains at the top of their legislative To Do list before the midterm elections.

But Democrats push immigration reform legislation, which would include amnesty for illegal residents, at their own peril. With employment persisting at 10 percent, addressing immigration risks reviving the grass-roots backlashes that have thus far defined the Obama presidency.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32472.html

Latino museum wins arts excellence award

Maruca Salazar won the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2005 for past work in the Chicano art movement.

But winning it this year for the Museo de las Americas signals the work that lies ahead for the institution she has led for less than a year.

“It was a very pleasant surprise and welcome surprise,” said Salazar, who was named executive director of Museo de las Americas last May. “It will allow us to have a better standing and to recognize so many volunteers and sponsors who donated and contributed so much to (keep) this institution vibrant and alive.”

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_14329511#ixzz0eZcpoGEw

News Clips Feb. 3, 2010

Wilmer Valderrama Seeks to Bring Census Awareness to Hispanic Community

Beginning in March, Americans will receive a form in the mail to fill out and return to the U.S. Census Bureau. Every decade, many wonder why it’s so necessary to participate in the census. From alloting seats in the House of Representatives to dispersal of billions in federal spending, there are numerous reasons. But the word isn’t getting out to everyone.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/02/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6167308.shtml

Immigration-bill marchers win a nod from Rep. Brady

About 40 immigrant advocates marched to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady’s South Philadelphia office yesterday, urging the congressman to co-sponsor a House bill on comprehensive immigration reform.

Chanting “Qué queremos? Justicia!” and “A qué venimos? A trabajar!” (What do we want? Justice! What are we here for? To work!”), the predominantly Hispanic immigrants, mixed with Cambodians, held signs that declared, “This is the only home I and my children know” and “Reform Immigration for America.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/83421222.html

Police Chief to Immigrants: May the Force Be With You

Activists at political rallies are accustomed to the sight of police officers, uniformed and plainclothes, observing their actions. But rarely are cops featured as invited guests and welcomed participants. So it came as somewhat of a surprise last night when new Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck, decked out in uniform, stood before an immigrants’ rights rally at La Placita church downtown to declare to a crowd of about 1,000 that “a person’s immigration status alone is not the business of the Los Angeles Police Department!”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-kaye/police-chief-to-immigrant_b_446512.html

Democratic legislator slams Obama for failure to deliver on immigration reform, warns of Latino backlash at the polls

Many Latinos are furious at President Obama for failing to deliver on promises to push immigration reform legislation and may stay away from the polls during this year’s midterm elections if they don’t see concrete progress, including legalization of undocumented immigrants, a key Democratic legislator said Monday.

“People are angry and disillusioned,” U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Chicago) said in an interview with The Times.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/democratic-legislator-slams-president-obama-over-immigration-reform.html

Activists Push Comprehensive Immigration Reform

ATLANTA – A coalition of activists, led by the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) and Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), rallied Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at the Georgia state capitol to bring attention to the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Advocates are pushing a Congressional bill sponsored by US Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-FL) called the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security And Prosperity Act of 2009 (HR 4321).

http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0594.html

Rep. Bob Brady Gets Behind New Immigrants’ Rights Bill

by KYW’s Lynne Adkins

About 50 people demonstrated on Tuesday in South Philadelphia, calling on a local US congressman to support an immigration bill designed to keep families together.

Chanting “Sí, se puede” (“yes we can”) outside the office of Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.) on South Broad Street, the group found out that it could get what it wanted: Brady’s support of an immigration bill to protect the rights of immigrants and families.

http://www.kyw1060.com/Rep–Bob-Brady-Gets-Behind-New-Immigrants–Rights-/6268456

Will illegal immigration rebound with the economy?

More than a year after the economy tanked, not only do millions of Americans still find themselves out of work, but so do many undocumented immigrants.

At least the ones who are still here looking. Many immigrants returned to their home countries, such as Mexico. New migration to the U.S. dropped with the economic downturn as many would-be illegal border crossers didn’t want to risk uncertain job prospects and making it past tougher border security measures.

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-01/politics-city-county-government/illegal-immigration-economy-news-article#ixzz0eTvFidHy

Health care reform like putting man on moon

Can history repeat itself? When it comes to health care reform, let’s hope so. The parallels are striking. A young, charismatic president. A “special address to Congress.” A time of national uncertainty.

Barack Obama on health care? No. John Kennedy on the space race. On May 25, 1961, JFK intoned:

“Let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action — a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy costs.” Sound familiar?

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/commentary/fl-forum-health-care-reform-20100202,0,2104018.story

Washington Tackles Health Care Reform

Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget includes health care plan

By William Branigin, Lori Montgomery

Feb 1, 2010
12:57 PM
The President’s grand domestic plans, which also include expansion of the federal student loan program and far-reaching climate change legislation, are part of the blueprint but stalled in Congress, with no clear path forward

http://livingstories.googlelabs.com/lsps/healthcare#OVERVIEW:false,false,false,n,n,n:null;

Spanish-Speaking Mothers Less Likely to Turn on TV

Kids of English-speaking Hispanic moms spend more time in front of the tube, study finds

TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) — Young children of Hispanic mothers whose main language is Spanish watch less TV than children of Hispanic moms who speak mostly English, a U.S. study has found.

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center researchers surveyed 1,332 Hispanic and white mothers with children aged 4 months to 3 years, and found that children of English-speaking Hispanic mothers watched nearly 2.5 hours of TV per day, compared to about 90 minutes for children of Spanish-speaking mothers.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/635565.html

Hispanic Women Bring Home the Bacon as Families Tighten Their Belts

Yesterday, Catherine Singley, our economic policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), joined Ana Roca Castro (Latinos in Social Media), Marisa Trevino (Latina Lista), and Veronica Arreola (Viva la Feminista!) for a radio interview on Latinos and the workforce titled “How Are Latino Families Changing as Latinas Bring Home the Bacon?” The panel covered issues ranging from unemployment to child care to family dynamics.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-murguia/hispanic-women-bring-home_b_446458.html

News Clips Feb. 1, 2010

Latino Leaders Grade Obama

FRESNO, Calif.–Latino voters helped Barack Obama make history and become the first black president by handing him more than seven out of 10 votes in the November 2008 election.

Obama — while not delivering on a campaign promise to overhaul the country’s immigration system — remains popular among Latinos, with a recent poll showing him with a 67 percent approval rate from Latinos.

The president, who marked his first year in office last week, has been praised for naming Latinos to top positions at a record rate. He has appointed 48 Latinos to posts that require Senate confirmation. Obama’s most visible appointees are U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Labor Secretary Hilda Solís and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=5de2546e012d974573dd927387fff279

GOP sends out ‘census’ forms; Democrats, Latino groups cry foul

A national Republican fundraising campaign that invokes the word “census” and claims to be an “official document” is raising the blood pressure of Democrats and Latino advocacy groups.

Critics say the mailing is designed to confuse people and garner responses from individuals who think they’re participating in the decennial Census, which begins in March for most of the nation.

The mailing, with its letter from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, questionnaire on political attitudes, and plea for donations, is emblazoned with the phrase “2010 Congressional District Census.”

The envelope is marked with the words, “Do Not Destroy, Official Document.”

Democrats say they’re disgusted but unsurprised by the mailing, a version of which was circulated before the last Census, in 2000.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=56357#ixzz0eI3gaHLI

U.S. Jews and Latinos form unlikely bond over immigration policy

Even as health care reform twists in the wind, immigration policy looms as the next big political debate, and Hispanics and Jews are moving to the forefront in a burgeoning political alliance.

The next three months are seen as critical in the fight for immigration reform, but the weakening of the Democrats, grip on Congress with the recent loss of a key Massachusetts Senate seat does not bode well for the passage of reform legislation.

The Jewish-Latino alliance on immigration issues builds on the heritage and experience of the Jewish community and on the enthusiasm and urgent needs of the Hispanic community, which has a strong interest in issues of family unification and the status of the some 12 million illegal immigrants, most of them from Latin America.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146409.html

Gaps emerging in US census outreach to immigrants

WASHINGTON — The government is fumbling some efforts to assure immigrants that U.S. census data won’t be used against them, including gaps in outreach and foreign language guides that refer to the decennial count as an investigation.

With the launch of the head count weeks away, the Census Bureau’s outreach has been falling short in at least a dozen major cities, such as Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Jose, Calif., and Seattle, according to a report being released Monday by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Many of their states are on the cusp of gaining or losing U.S. House seats and face a redrawing of legislative boundaries that may tilt the balance of political power.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020100632.html

California’s independent streak

‘Decline to State’ voters here don’t quite fit the national mold, but they do call most of the shots.

From Sacramento
Democrats and Republicans will make all the noise, but nonpartisan independents will decide the winners of California’s competitive statewide elections in November.

That has increasingly become the case in recent years.

California may be a Democratic state, but it’s not true blue. And the best barometer of how it will vote in any general election is the fast-growing faction of independents.

They’re officially registered as “Decline to State” — as in “a pox on both your parties.”

At last count, they make up 20% of registered voters, and the number keeps rising. In 1990 it was less than half that, 9%; in 2002 it was 15%.

Democrats represent about 45% of registered voters, down from 50% in 1990 but roughly the same as in 2002. Republicans have suffered a steady slide from 39% in 1990 to 31% last year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap1-2010feb01,0,3357043.column

Head of Mass. Latino political group to step down

BOSTON — The head of a Latino political group credited with helping elect dozens of Latinos to offices around the state has announced she is stepping down.

Giovanna Negretti, executive director of Oiste, said she is leaving the group in September to pursue other “professional opportunities.”

The Puerto Rican-born 38-year-old helped found the group in 1999 when only a handful of Latinos in Massachusetts held any public offices. The nonprofit group has since trained and supported Latino candidates who have won offices in Lawrence, Springfield, and Boston.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20100131head_of_mass_latino_political_group_to_step_down/srvc=home&position=recent

Hispanic Media Outreach for Haiti Unprecedented

With Haiti outreach, Hispanic media take up mantle of advocate, long an English-only role

As horrific images of Haiti flashed across the screens, murmurs of recognition floated through the audience at Univision Network’s live celebrity telethon, many people nodding as they recalled disasters in their native countries.

To drive the connection home, host Mario Kreutzberger, aka “Don Francisco,” brought out a recent earthquake survivor from Peru, reuniting him by video with his hospitalized daughter.

“The world has helped us many times. Now it is time for us to return that help to Haiti,” Kreutzberger told the millions of Latinos in the U.S. and across the Western Hemisphere who watched the special edition of his weekly “Sabado Gigante” variety program.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9714808

Mirror, mirror: AZGOP launches Hispanic website

The State’s Republican Party launched a website last month to address “the issues and concerns of one of the state’s most dynamic and diverse communities.”
Staff

The State’s Republican Party launched a website last month to address “the issues and concerns of one of the state’s most dynamic and diverse communities.” Party Chairman Randy Pullen is optimistic about the effort, “Democrats have consistently taken [Hispanics’] votes for granted, and we share their feeling that our government has gotten seriously off track. Combined with our message of traditional family values, I believe that our principles mirror those of Arizona’s Hispanic population.”

http://www.latinopm.com/Latino-Perspectives-Magazine/February-2010/Mirror-mirror-AZGOP-launches-Hispanic-website/

Library officials work to keep up as Hispanic population grows

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System hopes to stay on top of population trends and books residents want to read.

That’s why a donation of 150 Spanish-language books from Consul General of Mexico in Houston Carlos Gonzalez Magallon received praise from library officials during a reception Wednesday night.

http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/01/31/conroe_courier/news/census013110.txt

Running for the hills on immigration

San Diego, California (CNN) — Thirty-seven words. In this week’s State of the Union address — which was more than 7,000 words long and lasted longer than an hour — all President Obama devoted to the issue of immigration reform was 37 measly words.

Here they are: “And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system — to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/29/navarrette.obama.immigration/

News Clips Jan. 29, 2010

Latinos needed to apply for redistricting commission

In 2010 Latinos have a historic chance to shape our state’s future. All of us can play a part, and the time to act is now.

Taking advantage of this huge opportunity depends on all communities getting involved in a process that may seem obscure or even boring to lots of us: Legislative redistricting. But redistricting is a classic example of how something that seems technical and dull can affect each of us in a big way. If you care about jobs, schools, or your community you should care about redistricting.

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/opinion/community/story/1027569.html#ixzz0e0WRDWVp

NCLR and Freddie Mac Partner on Innovative Effort to Help Latinos Avoid Foreclosure

RISMEDIA, January 29, 2010—In an effort to keep more families from losing their homes, NCLR (National Council of La Raza), one of the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organizations in the United States, and Freddie Mac announced their partnership on a program that will provide personalized credit counseling free of charge to Hispanic homeowners who are more than 90 days behind with their mortgage payments.

http://rismedia.com/2010-01-28/nclr-and-freddie-mac-partner-on-innovative-effort-to-help-latinos-avoid-foreclosure/

Culture complicates Latino access to mental health care

If you work two jobs, care for a large family, don’t speak the language and are struggling economically, you may not recognize anxiety or depression as a health issue. It’s just part of your life.This is the case for many Latinos, the country’s fastest growing population and largest minority group. Seeking mental health care is often stigmatized in Latino culture, and there is a lack of culturally sensitive mental health care, according to mental health experts.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=154921

Did Hispanics catapult Brown to Massachusetts Senate win?

As Politico notes, there were no exit polls in the special election for the Massachusetts Senate race.  But there was a good poll put out by Politico/Insider Advantage just before the contest that should rattle most folks.

In that Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll, Brown won 76.9% of the Hispanic vote to Coakley’s 23.1%.  For many, that’s perhaps more shocking than Brown’s overall victory.  After all, we tend to assume that Hispanics are a Democrat Party lock.  Obama won 67% of the Latino vote, according to CNN’s 2008 exit poll , roughly split among men and women.  And the same Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll revealed that 70% of Hispanics self-identified as Democrats.

http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_128_1238.aspx

This is the direct link to the “insider advantage polling results”

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM136_100118_insideradvantage_politico_mass_poll.html

(Interesting argument. What do you think?)

Do immigrants really do the jobs Americans don’t want?

As of April 3 of 2009, the unemployment rate in the United States has raised to 8.5 percent. This has been created due to the 3.3 million jobs lost within the last 5 months. There are currently over 300 million Americans (not including illegal immigrants). So, almost 30 million Americans who are actively seeking employment are without a job right now. I have seen unemployed factory workers now start working in fast food or other occupations, as they need to work somewhere to get some money in their pockets to support themselves and their families.

http://www.helium.com/items/1424369-illegal-immigrants-take-jobs-away

Barack Obama’s State of the Union: Immigration Reform Not on the Agenda

Barack Obama achieved the presidency in part due to the votes of U.S. Hispanics. According the Pew Hispanic Center, 67 percent of Latinos voted for Obama over John McCain in 2008.

And yet, the Obama administration has given little more than lip service to an issue that directly affects the extended families of many American Latinos: immigration reform.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2010/01/barack_obamas_state_of_the_uni.php

Immigration Reform Dead in 2010?

As I noted yesterday, the chances of getting an immigration-reform bill passed this year dimmed dramatically in the wake of Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts special election. Last night President Obama’s SOTU speech pretty much snuffed out any remaining possibility. He waited until roughly word 6,300 of a 7,000-word speech to address the issue. He devoted all of one sentence to it (“And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system,” etc. etc.). And he offered no specifics for a potential measure or timeline to get it done. That fleeting reference was “a crumb that was placed on the domestic-policy-agenda table to really satisfy the hunger of the immigrant and Latino communities,” says the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which has pushed for a reform package. “It was the death knell of immigration reform in 2010.”

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2010/01/28/immigration-reform-dead-in-2010.aspx

Peña: Immigration Reform Will Be Difficult but Obama Must Deal with It

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said that he didn’t aspire to the White House to put off America’s most pressing problems – and so in his State of the Union address he must make it clear that his commitment to immigration reform in 2010 is not just talk.

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=351120&CategoryId=13303

News Clips Jan. 28, 2010

Text of Obama’s State of the Union Address

Text of President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union speech on Wednesday, as provided by the White House:

——

OBAMA: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the president shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They’ve done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they’ve done so in the midst of war and depression, at moments of great strife and great struggle.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/28/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-State-of-the-Union-Text.html

Obama will invest billions in high-speed rail projects

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s State of the Union shout-out for high-speed rail will pump more than $8 billion into dozens of states that include California, Washington, North Carolina and Florida.

Smaller awards also will be made for improvements to existing rail lines. Overall, 31 states will receive funding.

California is one of the big winners, receiving $2.25 billion to help build a high-speed rail system, as well as additional money for other rail projects.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/1450301.html

Obama to Hold Fla. Town Hall on the Economy

Fla. provides background for part of Obama’s economic agenda

President Barack Obama brings his efforts to shape a brighter economic future to the Sunshine State on Thursday.In the morning, Obama will fly out to Tampa, Fla., where he’ll tour a maintenance hangar and greet crew members who work on aircraft that refuel other planes midair. The KC-135 Stratotankers have been involved in refueling planes flying aid into Haiti.After that, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hold a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa. There, they’ll announce $8 billion in funding for a national high-speed rail system, an initiative the White House says will create jobs.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9684770

A modern tale of meatpacking and immigrants

Grand Island, Neb., has long been a revolving door of immigrants, from Vietnamese and Bosnians to Latinos and Sudanese. But with Somali Muslims came a whole new set of conflicts.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-immigrant-nebraska28-2010jan28,0,6078807.story

Broke or homeless migrants heading for home

Hard times send Latinos home

Felipe Galvez left his wife and three children in Guatemala three years ago, working as a gardener and landscaper in Jamesport and hoping to provide a better life — and to someday build a house — for his family back home. That dream was cut short four months ago when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. When Mr. Galvez came to he found himself in a hospital bed, where he would stay for the next three months.

http://www2.timesreview.com/ST/stories/T012810_immigrants_VC

GOP Makes Pitch to Latinos, Forgets to Add Ideas, Says Democratic National Committee

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — DNC Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Iris Y. Martinez issued the following statement following Rep. Mario Diaz Balart’s (R-FL) Spanish-language response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“Going back to old, tired tricks, Rep. Diaz Balart tried to sell Latinos a Republican Party without a record. I know many of my constituents in Chicago would be thrilled to see real, meaningful gestures from Republicans to tackle our nation’s problems. When President Obama came to office, he took aggressive steps to bring this nation back from the brink of depression. And it hasn’t been easy. Even to this day, as the worst of the economic crisis has passed, too many Americans endure difficulties and other problems persist.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gop-makes-pitch-to-latinos-forgets-to-add-ideas-says-democratic-national-committee-82871462.html

Denver’s TV market to get new Latino station

Denver, the nation’s 15th-largest Latino television market, is about to get another Spanish-language TV network.

The impending sale of Channel 53 to Liberman Broadcasting is likely to mean fierce competition for the area’s more than 234,000 Latino TV households, who comprise 15 percent of the market.

Channel 53, or KWHD, is currently owned by LeSea Broadcasting, which has carried a Christian religious format since its debut in 1992. Pending regulatory approval, Burbank, Calif.-based Liberman will program its new station with its Estrella TV, a Spanish-language TV network now in 24 markets nationally.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_14282978#ixzz0dui3Lhsz

Conference Seeks Latino Solidarity on Iimmigration Reform, Economy

About 400 participants will descend on El Paso to discuss immigration reform, climate change and the economy when the fourth annual National Latino Congresso begins Friday.

Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute, said immigration reform would be the most hotly debated of the topics. However, he said, the economy is what is on the minds of many Latinos.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/newswire/2010/1/27/conference_seeks_latino_solidarity_on_iimmigration.htm

Expanding U.S. economy through immigration beats shrinking

In an economy as bad as this one, it may take nothing short of disaster to bring about even a little immigration reform.

Responding to Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the Obama administration is providing Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Haitians living in the U.S. As many as 200,000 people will be invited to stay legally for 18 months, receiving work permits to find jobs.

Even that modest humanitarian gesture has rekindled an emotionally charged debate about whether immigrants hurt the economic prospects of Americans.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/burns-on-business/2010/01/growing-through-immigration-beats-shrinking.html

Telemundo: Hispanics Aware Of Census Process

As Telemundo counts on this year’s census to show growth among the Hispanic population — which could allow it to attract more advertising dollars — it has joined with Ipsos on a poll about Hispanics’ attitudes toward the counting process.

The Census Bureau is spending heavily on advertising that targets Hispanics, including on Telemundo, seeking to convince the population to fill out forms and participate in the process. Telemundo is also running its own campaign.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121447

News Clips Jan. 27, 2010

Imaginative 2010 Census Spot from Shilo and GlobalHue Latino Invites Viewers to Build Communities of Their Dreams

A new spot for the U.S. Census Bureau aimed specifically at the country’s growing Latino community began airing nationwide last week, with the goal of increasing the participation of Latin Americans in the 2010 Census. The colorful, warm and imaginative spot is a key component of an integrated campaign from GlobalHue Latino targeted to America’s Latino population, which consists of nearly 47 million people and comprises the country’s second largest (and fastest growing) ethnic group. Artfully combining live-action cinematography and stylized animation, the :30 “Community” spot showcases the full talents of the filmmakers from U.S. creative production company Shilo.

http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/imaginative-2010-census-spot-from-shilo-and-globalhue-latino-inv.html

Census using media to ease fears in Latino community

For the Census Bureau, short-term memory lasts 10 years.

And it was a decade ago that the nation’s Latino community was undercounted by an estimated three percent, according to the Washington Post, with many Latinos afraid Census workers would report them to immigration authorities.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/126453366524510.xml&coll=6

Lack of immigration reform protested in D.C.

About 150 activists gathered Tuesday in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters to deliver a “State of the Union” address that protested what they consider a lack of progress on immigration reform.

Holding signs and loudspeakers at a noon rally, the group of community organizers, advocates and faith leaders chanted “Si, se puede” (“Yes, we can”) before about 20 of them joined hands across 12th Street SW near Maryland Avenue, blocking traffic. They sat on the road and waited for police to bring out their handcuffs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012602698.html

Consumer Reports releases buyer’s guide in Spanish

The most recognized name in product testing and reporting — Consumer Reports — for the first time has published its long-popular annual buyer’s guide in Spanish.

The 334-page guide, titled “Guia de Compras 2010 de Consumer Reports,” provides the same ratings and reliability data as the English version that sells more than 90,000 copies yearly. All 4 million subscribers to the magazine also receive one.

The guide hit bookstores and retail outlets Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14274387#ixzz0dooX8sNH

Why the Federal Government Can’t Recruit and Retain Hispanic-Americans

The U.S. is subject to powerful cultural forces rooted in demographics and ethnicity. Nowhere is the influence of these cultural crosswinds more evident today than in our growing Hispanic population and its increasing claim on a share of the American Dream. By the numbers, Latinos are the dominant minority group in the nation, totaling more than 15 percent of the population, a proportion that continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. They make up just under 13% of the U.S. workforce nationwide, certainly a significant portion but still lagging their overall share in the American population.

http://www.ere.net/2010/01/27/why-the-federal-government-can%E2%80%99t-recruit-and-retain-hispanic-americans/

Democrats can’t use the tactics of 2008 to reach out to Latino voters in 2010

The news that the White House had brought back David Plouffe, Obama’s former campaign manager, and the one person largely credited for getting Obama the presidency, had me wondering just what was he going to do to help Obama regain political traction.
…

In fact, these “uninspired” voters are projected to be the 2010 election drop-off voters and according to an excellent analysis by Women’s Voices, Women Vote, the Democrats may have a steeper uphill battle to climb than just bringing back David Plouffe.

According to Women’s Voices, Women Vote, (WVWV) what was seen in the mid-term elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts, with lower voter turnouts, is an indication of a larger trend happening among voters described as the Rising American Electorate or RAE.

http://www.latinalista.net/palabrafinal/2010/01/the_news_that_the_white.html

Hispanic shoppers revitalize Camden’s Federal Street

Emmanuel Flores stocks the shelves of the Plaza International market on Camden’s Federal Street with horchata mix, for his Guatemalan customers.

There is Ranchero sauce, too, from the Dominican Republic, and dried corn varieties he said are favored by Ecuadorean shoppers.

Flores is hoping his shop, which opened three weeks ago, will become the next to flourish in what has become a destination spot for Hispanic shoppers from throughout the region.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/82768332.html

Hispanic leaders working toward better census response rate

Blanca Ramirez-Salazar understands the fear so many Hispanics have about filling out the questionnaire she’s been charged with promoting.

As a Hispanic immigrant herself, she understands what it’s like to fear someone will question your citizenship.

And as a longtime Hispanic advocate, she knows how important it is that Hispanics be counted accurately in the once-every-10 years U.S. Census.

http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/article_541b40c0-0adb-11df-a8a8-001cc4c03286.html

Obama’s State of the Union: Immigration? Gays in the military?

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed a few more subjects that may surface in the State of the Union tomorrow night, including immigration and gays in the military — but he provided few details and noted that the address is still being edited.

“Let’s wait for tomorrow’s speech,” Gibbs said at one point.

The spokesman did say that Obama would mention immigration, but added that it’s up to Congress to get the ball rolling on new legislation. Gibbs said, “we’ve started a process on this,” and if Congress can put together “a coalition to get the way forward, then it’s something we’ll work through.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/01/obamas-state-of-the-union-some-more-preview/1

Poll: Fla. voters want immigration laws enforced

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida voters don’t want immigration laws waived to make it easier for Haitians to stay in the United States or immigrate into the country, a new poll shows.

Fifty-one percent of 1,618 registered Florida voters surveyed by Quinnipiac (Conn.) University said they wanted immigration laws enforced compared to 43 percent opposed to them being waived in the wake of the deadly Haitian earthquake Jan. 12.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1448271.html

News Clips Jan. 26, 2010

Spanish-Language Newspaper to Launch Next Month

Deseret Management Corp. is launching a new Spanish-language newspaper in Utah.

El Observador is scheduled to begin publication Feb. 9. It will run Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends.

The weekday editions will focus on hard news, and the weekend editions will include more features and family-oriented content.

Deseret News Publisher Jim Wall says El Observador’s initial circulation will be 10,000 home deliveries weekly, with another 15,000 copies distributed on racks and by hand delivery.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9659916

R.I. Latinos go the extra mile

Since the earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, the distance between willing hands and hearts that have known hardship can be measured not in feet and inches, but in dollars and two tightly packed cargo containers.

Rhode Island’s Latino community, which raised $74,000 in cash for Haiti in two fundraising events, on Friday shipped one cargo container of relief supplies to the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic and is shipping two more on Wednesday.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/RI_AID_TO_HAITI_01-26-10_T4H83CE_v11.3a6665d.html

Motorist checkpoints will continue, expand

Despite the threat of a lawsuit from the ACLU, Escondido has decided to continue its driver’s license checkpoints, which a Latino group has characterized as traps to deport illegal immigrants.

Escondido police will conduct them differently, however. Instead of checking only driver’s licenses, officers also will ask for proof of registration and insurance, City Attorney Jeff Epp wrote in a letter this month to the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties. The organization has demanded that the city stop the checkpoints because it contends they violate state law.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/26/motorist-checkpoints-will-continue-expand/

Maryland hispanic population booms since 2000

WASHINGTON – The Maryland Hispanic population has increased by at least 65 percent since the 2000 Census, contributing to increasing ethnic diversity nationally, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report.

There are 375,830 Hispanics living in Maryland as of 2007, an increase from 227,916 in 2000, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by the Maryland Department of Planning and released Wednesday. After Hispanics, Asian immigration ranks second with a 29 percent increase.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-maryland-hispanic0123,0,245191.story

Is Medina beginning to gain ground in GOP primary for governor?

urrently in third place, Republican candidate hopes to surprise Perry and Hutchison.

The campaign of Debra Medina for the Republican nomination for governor may put a kink in the presumption that the GOP isn’t all that kind to people with Hispanic surnames.

Medina, of Wharton, has now gotten herself included in the second televised debate with the two major candidates: nine-year Gov. Rick Perry, trying for 14 years, and his challenger for the nomination, 16-year U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Medina had managed to get herself included in a Jan. 14 TV debate put on by Texas public television stations and also shown on some commercial stations, and C-SPAN. But a debate sponsored by the Belo Corporation, which owns WFAA-TV in Dallas, a handful of other Texas TV stations, and the Dallas News, was to have excluded Medina on grounds she didn’t meet the criteria necessary to participate in the debate.

Read more: http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2010/01/25/news/opinion/columns/dave_mcneely/mcneely_monday.txt#ixzz0diywekVe

Poll: GOP primary for US Senate seat in Fla. a tie

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Florida legislator Marco Rubio has closed the gap in the race for the state’s Republican U.S. Senate nomination and is in a virtual dead heat with Gov. Charlie Crist, according to a poll released Tuesday.

Rubio, a lawyer who served as Speaker of the House, was once considered a long shot against Crist, who has widespread name recognition and a significant fundraising lead. But with Florida’s primary seven months away, Rubio was favored by 47 percent compared with 44 percent who preferred Crist – statistically a tie in the Quinnipiac University poll that has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012600668.html

Calif. councilman defends ‘proud racist’ remark at immigration rally

A Southern California councilman is attracting attention and drawing some fire for declaring at an anti-immigration rally that he is “a proud racist” if that means believing that the United States should have only one flag and one language, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

In a long article posted yesterday (and flagged by memorandum), the paper writes that Santa Clarita Councilman Bob Kellar “stood by his remarks” at the Jan. 16 rally, saying they “reflected his frustration with illegal immigration, but weren’t intended to express animosity against nonwhites.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/01/calif-councilman-defends-proud-racist-remark-at-immigration-rally/1

McCain again protects his right flank

Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential nominee, has announced that he will oppose Ben Bernanke’s confirmation for another term as Fed chairman.

“Our country is still facing an economic crisis and while I appreciate the service that Chairman Bernanke has performed as Federal Reserve chairman, I believe that he must be held accountable for many of the decisions that contributed to our financial meltdown,” he said in a statement.

McCain’s opposition to Bernanke’s is just the latest maneuver McCain has made to protect his right flank — given the primary challenge he’s receiving.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/25/2184732.aspx

Apparent immigration detention abuses spark calls in Colorado for reform

The detention policies of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in Colorado and the network of facilities that has grown here in the last few years are drawing increasing attention among local lawmakers and human rights organizations.

Critics of the system say men and women held on suspicion of immigration violations in the state are housed in conditions that rival those established for violent criminal offenders, that the immigrants are becoming fodder for a booming detention industry, and that detainees are often difficult to locate in the tangle of state facilities, which include unlisted so-called subfield offices.

http://coloradoindependent.com/46445/apparent-immigration-detention-abuses-spark-calls-in-colorado-for-reform

Felony charges filed against immigration protestors

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has filed felony charges against immigration protestors involved in a minor skirmish with Phoenix Police at a march Jan. 16.
Thomas filed aggravated assault charges — a state felony — against the three protestors who poked at a Phoenix Police officer on a horse and threw a water bottle during the incident. The office pepper sprayed a small crowd during the incident, which occurred during protests against Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration raids and crime sweeps. Those sweeps were targeted against businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2010/01/25/daily3.html