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As the 2010 Census draws closer (forms will be mailed out in 6 weeks), the Census Bureau is ramping up its efforts to make sure the count is accurate, spending tens of millions in California alone. Not doing so could prove much more costly, as proved in the 2000 Census. According to PE.com: The 2000 census missed more than 40,000 residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, costing the region more than $75 million in federal funds...Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, the poor and children are among those most likely to be missed... The Census Bureau is targeting much of its $133 million outreach effort toward those and other groups that experts say are typically undercounted in the once-a-decade count of all residents. People who speak little or no English, renters, high-school dropouts, public-assistance recipients, the unemployed and those who recently moved are also among those classified by the census as particularly hard to count. With so much at stake, the chances for a more accurate count seem promising. According to an article in the Washington post, the effort is massive and unprecedented: The four-month 2010 Census advertising campaign will officially start across television, radio, print, outdoor and the Internet on Jan. 18., but the first television spot will debut the night before on NBC's broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards. With ads produced in an unprecedented 28 languages, the 2010 Census advertising campaign will reach the average person 42 times with messages around the importance of participating in the census. More than half of the budgeted advertising will be targeted to media consumed by minority and ethnic audiences. The Census has already overcome a number of hurdles, including the defeat of a bill which would have required respondents to indicate their legal status, and a call by some Latinos to boycott the Census unless comprehensive immigration reform is passed by March. Do you think the Census Bureau is on the right track? Read more about the efforts of the Church and Latino leaders, who are also helping make sure the 2010 Census is accurate. Posted By Cristina Noriega at 09:47 AM
Not exactly. This past year immigration reform advocates have seen a strong ally in the Evangelical community and amongst other faith groups, which are almost always assumed to be made up largely of convervatives (aka, Republicans). What’s going on here? According to the Washington Post’s "on faith" blogger Galen Carey, Evangelicals support CIR because: "...we recognize that human beings are unique and precious individuals created in the image of God, with great dignity and potential to bless their neighbors. We see the hand of God in the movement of peoples throughout history. As immigrants have joined our churches and communities, they have become our friends, our co-workers, and indeed, our brothers and sisters. We grieve when families remain separated for decades, when workers are treated unfairly, and when our neighbors lack the basic protection of the law. For these reasons and many others the National Association of Evangelicals, representing 40 denominations with more than 45,000 congregations, has joined other faith communities in asserting the moral imperative of enacting meaningful immigration reform now." One does not have to be "religious" to appreciate the logic of Carey’s explanation. In fact, I personally know several non-practicing Christians as well as athiests who recognize the moral imperative for reform and are some of immigration reform’s most compassionate advocates. No matter your religious background or political affiliation, now is the time to push partisanship aside and come together to fix a system that is so clearly broken. As Carey so eloquently concludes, it is time for Republicans and Democrats to work together: "We can think of no greater opportunity for them to put aside partisanship and enact immigration reform this session that will strengthen our recovering economy, restore the rule of law and reinforce our nation’s best values. In the end, our nation’s greatness will be marked by how we treat the most vulnerable, including the stranger, among us." Well said indeed. Posted By Cristina Noriega at 11:31 AM Legalización de indocumentados incierta Obama habló principalmente de economía, de seguridad, la guerra contra el terrorismo, Irak, Afganistán, Corea del Norte y la devastación de Haití tras el terremoto del 12 de enero que destruyó Puerto Príncipe. Y en el minuto 64 dedicó un par de segundos a la reforma migratoria. No dijo mucho, pero para algunos fue suficiente. Deberíamos continuar el trabajo de arreglar nuestro fallido sistema migratorio, de garantizar la seguridad en la frontera, hacer cumplir nuestras leyes y asegurarnos de que cada persona que sigue las reglas puede contribuir a nuestra economía y enriquecer a nuestra nación", mencionó. Activistas señalaron que esperaban que el presidente ahondara en el asunto, que citara la importancia del apoyo bipartidista en el proyecto de reforma migratoria y que se pusieran de acuerdo, pronto, para aprobar en los primeros meses de 2010 un plan que incluya una vía de legalización para indocumentados. Pero no lo dijo. Entre 2005 y lo que va de 2010 el tema de la reforma migratoria se ha paseado decenas de veces por los pasillos y oficinas del Congreso. La lista de intentos de debate ya tiene varias páginas y es probable que siga creciendo en el curso de los próximos meses a menos que, esta vez, los legisladores se pongan de acuerdo para legalizar a los casi 12 millones de indocumentados. "Pienso que definitivamente fue una proclamación muy débil de inmigración", dijo a Univision.com Vanessa Cárdenas, directora del Proyecto 2042 del American Progress, en Washington DC. "Esperábamos mas del Presidente esta noche". "Tienen que demostrar que están haciendo algo. La reforma migratoria es viable, pero es necesario un liderazgo más efectivo sobre el tema", dijo. Sin embargo, dijo que "creo que en la cuestión de inmigración, (el Presidente) perdió una oportunidad de citar que la reforma ayudará a la recuperación de la economía de Estados Unidos". Posted By Javier Hernandez at 04:47 PM Ayunos y caminatas para frenar castigos HOMESTEAD, Florida - Por más de una hora Juanita de Mendoza respondió una avalancha de preguntas para demostrar que su matrimonio con un estadounidense era legítimo, pero cuando sorpresivamente se le pidió que identificara cuál de las llaves de su esposo abría la puerta de su casa, la peruana titubeó. Y esa reacción fue suficiente para que el agente de Inmigración colocara en un proceso de deportación a la peruana que había ingresado años antes al país con una visa de trabajo, pero cuando se venció decidió quedarse indocumentada. Posted By Javier Hernandez at 05:37 PM I came across this very interesting piece from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The "Latino Civil Rights Timeline, 1903 to present", documents important civil rights events affecting the U.S. Latino community. It’s a nice resource, easy to read, with nice historical snapshots. A short explanation from the site is as follows: When reading this timeline, it’s important to remember that the fight for civil rights doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In many cases, the events listed below have fueled – and have been fueled by – other social justice movements, like the African American Civil Rights Movement and the fight for equal employment and education among Chinese and Japanese immigrants. The Latino civil rights struggle did not begin in 1903 and will not end in September 2006. Watch the news and listen to politicians, and you will see the fight for equal rights for ALL people is not over.
Posted By Cristina Noriega at 04:05 PM One of the main problems with our current immigration system is that supply does not even begin to match demand. In other words, the number of visas offered does even come close to the number of workers who are actually working in the U.S. But how do we figure out how many workers the U.S. really needs? How many will we continue to need in the future? The Immigration Policy Center just released a study dedicated to this specific issue. Future Flow: Repairing our Broken Immigration System explores the impact that an improved visa system could have on immigration policy as a whole. A summary of the study is as follows: One of the greatest challenges in immigration reform is the need to realistically assess our future employment-based immigration needs. This includes permanent and temporary visas, high-skilled and low-skilled workers. Many people agree that our current legal immigration flow is drastically out of sync with America’s labor needs and the global realities of the 21st century. Meanwhile, some employers have been able to misuse the broken system to the detriment of U.S. and foreign workers. Policymakers must recognize that if we create a legal immigration system that functions well, there will be less pressure on immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally and for employers to hire unauthorized workers. Given the current weakened economy and high unemployment rates, it is difficult to estimate the U.S.’s future labor needs. However, the economy will eventually improve, and a reasonable, flexible legal immigration system must be put into place to fill our future labor needs. If the U.S. is to thrive in the globalized 21st century economy, employment-based immigration must be seen as a strategic resource that can both meet labor market needs and foster economic growth and competition while still protecting U.S. workers and improving wages and working conditions. The report recommends six principles for visa reform within the context of CIR:
The principles and logic behind them make a lot of sense to me. Only by acknowledging the reality of our broken system can be begin to address the problem.
Click here for a more complete explanation of the six principles and to download the complete report.
Posted By Cristina Noriega at 08:36 PM Activistas alistan movilización nacional Decepcionados por la escasa mención que el presidente Barack Obama hizo sobre el tema en el informe sobre el Estado de la Unión el pasado 27 de enero en el Congreso, organizaciones locales y nacionales anunciaron una manifestación masiva en Washington D.C. para finales de marzo, reviviendo de esa manera las marchas por la reforma amplia que se gestaron en marzo de 2006, primero en Los Ángeles y luego en varias ciudades con alta concentración hispana. "Hicimos un análisis de cuál es nuestra apreciación sobre el papel de la administración del presidente Barack Obama con respecto de la promesa que hizo durante su campaña a favor de la reforma migratoria. Y quedó claro que las expectativas han sido defraudadas sin lugar a dudas por el presidente", dijo a Univision.com Juan José Gutiérrez, director del Movimiento Latino USA de Los Ángeles, una de las entidades que convocó a los movimientos de 2006. El dirigente agregó que "las veintitantas palabras" que Obama utilizó para referirse a la necesidad de arreglar el sistema migratorio (en el discurso sobe el Estado de la Unión) los obligó a reconsiderar "nuestra actitud, que hemos mantenido por espacio de 13 meses hacia la administración" y advirtió que a partir de ahora exigirán al gobierno que "comience a impulsar" una reforma amplia. "Originalmente íbamos a rendir un informe y a dialogar con el congresista Luis Gutiérrez (demócrata de Illinois) acerca del avance de nuestro Lobby con el Congreso para conseguir los votos necesarios para que la reforma migratoria sea aprobada. Pero tras el informe del Presidente la agenda cambió. En lugar de decirle a Gutiérrez cómo veíamos nosotros el asunto, le pedimos que fuera él quien nos dijera a nosotros cómo lo ve, y su punto de vista y preocupaciones son similares a los nuestros", agregó el activista.
Gutiérrez presentó el 15 de diciembre del año pasado a la Cámara de Representantes una propuesta de ley de reforma migratoria basada en un fuerte componente de seguridad nacional y que incluye, entre otros beneficios, una vía de legalización para millones de indocumentados que carecen de antecedentes criminales, paguen impuestos, hablen inglés y lleven tiempo en Estados Unidos.
Posted By Javier Hernandez at 11:20 AM It is widely known that Hollywood celebrities such and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Geroge Clooney, and other big names donated substantial amounts of money to relief efforts in the wake of the disastrous hurricane that struck Haiti on January 12. What is not as widely known, at least in the U.S., is that Mexico has also jumped in to lend a hand to the ailing nation. Carlos Slim, a Mexican businessman and the reported third richest person in the world has stepped in big. According to the People's Daily News: Over 120,000 Mexicans donated a total of 32.8 million Mexican pesos (2.5 million U.S. dollars) to earthquake victims in Haiti through the Carlos Slim Foundation, said the foundation on Wednesday. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "Slim’s foundation said it would match donations for Haiti made by customers of his Telefonos de Mexico company." Posted By Cristina Noriega at 08:21 PM The 800 Mile Wall is a new documentary directed by John Carlos Frey. The trailer provides a glimpse of what will undoubtedly offer a compelling look at the human cost of immigration:
In an editorial in today’s Huffington Post, Frey introduced his film, including the following excerpt: "A few years ago I grew concerned about the massive escalation of security infrastructure that was being built along the U.S. Mexico border...Why did we need to spend billions of dollars on border walls, technology and thousands more border guards? I decided this would be the subject matter of my next film and I would try to answer these questions.
From 2007 - 2009 I followed the construction of what is now close to 800 miles of border security infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico international boundary. Vehicle barriers, pedestrian fencing, virtual fences, cameras, sensors and miles of new roads were being rapidly installed. I went from Brownsville, TX to San Diego, CA and points in between and what I found was disastrous. Dozens of environmental laws were waived in order to acquire land and build the new border walls and infrastructure. New technology was unproven, over priced and non-functional. Deserts and mountains were permanently scarred - all to protect "us from them." The assessments from scholars, government agencies and even border patrol was that this multi-billion dollar effort was not going to solve America’s immigration problems. All of those details may have made a compelling documentary film. Even with all the blunders and cost overruns there was something else that caught my attention - something that the media left out of their "illegal immigration" reporting. The effect of increased border security was proving to be a massive killer." Read his complete description here. I am eager to watch this film because it brings attention to the human cost of constructing a border fence. As Frey concludes, comprehensive immigration reform must address this reality as well: If comprehensive immigration reform fails to deal with migrant death at the U.S. - Mexico border, it is neither comprehensive nor reform. People will continue to risk their lives to flee oppression, seek opportunity, feed their families or unite with them. Forcing people to risk their lives by funneling them through deserts and mountains is inhumane. As a nation that prides itself on respecting human rights, it must be at the foundation of any immigration reform policy and the first place to start is by removing the death penalty from U.S. border security policy.
To see a list of scheduled screenings or order the DVD, click here.
Posted By Cristina Noriega at 10:31 PM Estudio resalta aporte de inmigrantes "A largo plazo, la inmigración no tiene un impacto global en la media nacional del salario", concluye el estudio Inmigración y Salarios, realizado por el Instituto de Política Económica (EPI, por su sigla en inglés). Los datos del Departamento de Trabajo de Estados Unidos demuestran, según el informe, que la llegada de 9,6 millones de trabajadores inmigrantes durante 1994 y 2007 aumentó un 0,4 por ciento (o $3,68) las pagas semanales de los trabajadores nacidos en el país. Por tanto, los trabajadores estadounidenses "no compiten codo con codo" con los inmigrantes para encontrar trabajo, concluye el autor del trabajo, el economista del EPI, Heidi Shierholz. Otras conclusiones del estudio afirman que la inmigración incrementa moderadamente los salarios de los hombres nacidos en Estados Unidos con estudios superiores a los de secundaria. Posted By Javier Hernandez at 04:47 PM |
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I Bet I can get 1 million People to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2010
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