Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Broad immigration reform is Obama’s goal for second term

If Mr. Obama wins a second term, immigration reform will probably happen.   - - Donna Poisl

By Cynthia Tucker

Among Latinos, President Obama’s broken promise to fix the nation’s dysfunctional immigration system remains a bitter reminder of the limits of politics. The president shored up his support among that critical demographic with his DREAM Act Lite, a presidential directive that could give about a million young undocumented persons work permits for two years.

#But the larger problem remains: Millions of people who hope to become American citizens, or at least documented residents, are stuck in a miserable shadow existence — unable to legally drive, work or fly. They are subject to exploitative bosses because they cannot complain about unsafe working conditions. They are victimized by brigands because they are afraid to report crimes to the cops. They dare not travel to their native countries because border patrols have tightened, and they may not be able to return. Many have family members who are American citizens and registered voters.
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 It's just 7 days away!

The time to make a change is here. The moment to vote for your family and friends. The opportunity to have your voice heard.

Election Day is November 6th.

We have one message for you: Go and Vote!

If you have questions about polling places, voter ID laws, absentee and early voting and language assistance call 888-839-8682 or visit our website.

From - ya es hora campaign

Questions? For more info, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA / 888-839-8682 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Now Available: No Papers No Fear Poster

from No Papers No Fear Campaign
 
Friends,
Many of you asked if you can buy the incredible posters artists made during our journey.

For the next three weeks you can, with a donation of $25 or more. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

As we put ourselves on the line to challenge the ugliness of enforcement we also celebrated the beauty of our communities and showed that la cultura cura, culture heals.

While all the art was inspiring, we don't have the capacity to print all of them so we're making four of the most popular available.

Donate $25 or more to receive one of the iconic posters from the tour.

All the money after printing will go straight to pay for the outstanding costs of the tour itself.

If you were as inspired by the art as we are, make sure to make your donation before November 10th.

Sincerely,
No Papers No Fear Campaign

Friday, October 26, 2012

Immigrants nourish Central Mass. growth trends

States that have a large immigrant population are generally doing better than others. These people are in the workforce and spend their paychecks.    - - Donna Poisl

By Priyanka Dayal McCluskey

Fueled by an increase in immigrants, Central Massachusetts is growing more than twice as fast as the state as a whole.

But that population growth is coupled with challenges in the labor force, according to a report released yesterday by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Worcester and 60 surrounding communities in Worcester and Middlesex counties grew at an annual rate of 0.7 percent from 2000 through the Great Recession, while Massachusetts — one of the slowest-growing states in the country — grew just 0.3 percent annually.
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Latino Business Development Center Praised

Immigrants are usually very entrepreneurial and these grants will help them start businesses successfully.   - - Donna Poisl

by Anthony Orozco

Students and community leaders joined Reading officials Wednesday in applauding a National Penn Bank investment in the city's growing Latino businesses.

The bank gave Kutztown University's Latino Business Resource Center $50,000 to continue and expand the center's assistance to Reading's Latino entrepreneurs in a ceremony at the Berks County Community Foundation.

"We are very excited about the grant" said Carolina Martinez, the center's director. "This grant will help us continue our class for next semester and will also help us provide more consulting services for existing businesses." 
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More multigenerational households in immigrant areas

This is not surprising, it is like the whole country was a few generations ago.  Sadly, we must assume this will change too in future. See the article for a state by state list.- - Donna Poisl

Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

 The rising trend of grandparents, children and grandchildren living in the same home is fueled largely by hard times and cultural preferences, a new Census brief shows.

Multigenerational households are more likely to be in areas where immigrants live with relatives and in places where housing costs are so high that families are doubling up, according to the state-by-state Census brief out today. Non-Hispanic white families make up the smallest share of these households — 3.7% compared with more than 10% Hispanic and American Indian and 9% black and Asian.
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Obama: I'll get immigration reform done next year

I'm sure this will happen in the next term, he will be able to get it through when there is no concern about another election.   - - Donna Poisl

By BRIAN MONTOPOLI / CBS NEWS

President Obama says he is "confident" that, if reelected, he will oversee passage of immigration reform next year, in part because Republicans will have an interest in reaching out to a growing Latino voting bloc they have "alienated" in recent years.

Mr. Obama made the comment in an off-the-record phone conversation with the publisher and editor of the Des Moines Register days ahead of that newspaper's scheduled announcement of an endorsement in the presidential race. After the Register's editor publicly argued that the 30-minute conversation should be available to all voters, the Obama campaign released the transcript.

"The second thing I'm confident we'll get done next year is immigration reform," Mr. Obama told the newspaper.   
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Chicago Mexican Immigrant Becomes Popular Sculpture Artist

This young artist in Chicago has made a good life for himself, even with all the struggles of being an immigrant.   - - Donna Poisl

From latino.foxnews.com

When Alfonso "Piloto" Nieves Ruiz emigrated from Mexico in 1997, his great ambition was to be an American football player, but an accident banished him from the gridiron and turned him to sculpture, a calling that has made him a popular artist in Chicago.

Piloto's sculptures were one of the main attractions of the recent Pilsen Open Studios 2012, which exhibited the works of 106 Latino artists in Chicago.
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Dream Act: Some see hope, others a drain on state resources

Opponents should realize how much future value there is in helping these kids pay for college. They will stay in the state, be able to get good jobs or start businesses, buy houses, pay taxes.   - - Donna Poisl

By Matthew Hay Brown, The Baltimore Sun

On some level, Oscar Moreno knew growing up that his family did not have permission to live in the United States.

But it wasn't until now, as the 17-year-old Baltimore Polytechnic Institute senior makes plans for a career in architectural engineering, that it seemed to matter. As an illegal immigrant — his mother brought him over the border from their native Mexico when he was five — Moreno does not qualify for in-state tuition at the University of Maryland.


He's campaigning for the Maryland Dream Act — his only real chance, he says, at affording college.
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Palermo's Pizza - a story of immigrants past and present

Immigrants in the early 1900s and now have different stories, but some things are the same.   - - Donna Poisl

By: Niala Boodhoo

For generations, the American Dream has been a pervasive part of our culture: work hard, and you and your children will be better off. But the country is different now than it was when it became known as the Land of Opportunity.

The United States no longer boasts a stable middle class. Instead, we have people getting by - not getting ahead. And the immigrant experience that first brought us the idea of the American Dream is radically different today.

It’s late on a Sunday afternoon, but 78-year-old Henry Piano is hard at work in his downtown Milwaukee law practice. He’s preparing for a court appearance tomorrow.
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Op-Ed: Abused Immigrant Women Forced to Keep Quiet or Else Be Deported

Immigration reform is needed to help these abused women, DACA will help their children, but not the mothers.   - - Donna Poisl

By Norma Ortiz, Fox News Latino

Too many immigrant women, forced into the shadows of society, have had to make the choice between protecting themselves or keeping their families together.
I have had to make that choice.

I endured abuse by my partner, while worrying constantly about my then three-year-old son. But, because of my immigration status, I feared what would happen if I contacted the authorities.

When I finally did make the decision to call, my fears turned out to be all too real.
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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Young immigrants live hard lives with few choices

This is a scary way for anyone to live, especially kids. This one is eligible for the new deferment program.   - - Donna Poisl

Written by Sean Dobbin, Staff Writer

“Turn off the lights. And don’t open the door, not even for me.”
The words, spoken to him by a friend, echoed through his mind as Ricardo Barcenas peeked through the blinds.
His father had been about to leave for work when five cars drove through the Sodus trailer park.
Five cars in a row. That never happens.
People were moving around outside now. Border Patrol agents. They were in civilian clothes, but he could see their vests.
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Free to be an immigrant, at least for now

Congratulations, Armando Bernabe.  - - Donna Poisl

BY ANNE BLYTHE -

Armando Bernabe felt a nagging worry after opening his first letter from the Department of Homeland Security. The Lee County Senior High School student, illegally brought to this country from Mexico by his parents 15 years ago, was instructed to go to Raleigh to get fingerprinted.

The 17-year-old received the letter because he was among the early wave of immigrants to step forward and let the government know they are here without proper documentation. They’ve done so in hopes of winning a two-year reprieve from deportation under a new Obama administration program created to help a generation of undocumented immigrants who grew up in the U.S.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Education is Key, Says Mayor Julian Castro

Let's hope people are paying attention to this mayor and his message.  - - Donna Poisl

Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

Education is one of the top issues that could help the country's more than 50 million Latinos thrive and succeed -- and help nudge them to the polls in November, Julian Castro said in a recent interview with USA TODAY. Castro, the 38-year-old mayor of San Antonio, shot to semi-stardom last month after giving the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, becoming the first Hispanic ever to do so.

He'll be watching the November tallies closely, not only to see if President Obama, a close ally, gets re-elected but also because an initiative he's championed for San Antonio will be sharing the presidential ballot. That proposal asks voters to approve a 1/8th-cent sales tax hike to finance full-day pre-kindergarten classes for under-served 4-year-olds.  
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No GED? Some undocumented immigrants hit barriers in quest for legal status

I'm sure high school dropouts never thought this would be the best reason for them to stay in school or at least get their GED.    - - Donna Poisl

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News

The government’s new program offering young undocumented immigrants a reprieve from deportation presents an opportunity but also many challenges for an estimated 350,000 youths who didn’t finish high school, many of whom may not be able to qualify because the barriers are too high, experts say.

The key hurdle is the educational requirement of the deferred action program. Immigrants must be enrolled in school, graduated from high school or have served in the military, and if they haven’t, they’ll need to get a GED, the equivalent of a high school degree, or enroll in an education, literacy, or career training program.
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DREAM Act on the line, vote in Arizona

from Adam, America’s Voice

Your vote this November could make the difference between whether or not the DREAM Act passes. 

Arizona’s next Senator will have the opportunity to vote on major immigration reform legislation.  The Senate race is neck and neck so far and the differences between the candidates couldn’t be more stark:

Richard Carmona, Democratic candidate
Promises to vote YES on the DREAM Act

Supports creating a roadmap to citizenship for new immigrants

Jeff Flake, Republican candidate
Voted NO on the DREAM Act

Says comprehensive immigration reform is a “DEAD END”
In the last couple of weeks, Jeff Flake has gone in front of the cameras to try to distract us, but the fact remains:  when given the chance to make the DREAM Act a reality, he voted no – denying the DREAMs of millions of deserving young people.

This year, it’s critical that every one of our friends and family members know the facts and are ready to vote.  Please forward this to everyone you know and get ready for an exciting campaign!

Onwards!
Adam
America’s Voice
The Latino Faith Vote Could Determine Outcome of 2012 Election

PRESS RELEASE

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The following is a statement from the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez:

Recent studies published by Pew and others confirm the potential embedded in the Hispanic faith electorate. The finding from Pew published this past week indicates that Hispanic Evangelicals stand committed to an agenda that transcends traditional ideological parameters.

Accordingly, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, a non-partisan leader who does not endorse candidates but advances what he defines as the Lamb's Agenda, issued the following statement:

"This election is critical. We want all Latino Christians to exercise their civic responsibility as an act of prophetic witness.

I encourage Latino Faith voters to coalesce around our core values of LIFE, FAMILY, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, EDUCATION, POVERTY alleviation and IMMIGRATION REFORM.

Our commitment is to reconcile conviction with compassion, truth with love and righteousness with justice. At the end of the day our number one objective is to reconcile Billy Graham's message with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march.

In doing so, we advance not the agenda of the Donkey or the Elephant BUT exclusively the agenda of the Lamb."

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Hispanic Evangelical Association

SOURCE  National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

TO BOOK an INTERVIEW or SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT with REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ CONTACT Matti Stevenson, +1-719-360-0586, matti@mattimediagroup.com


Separated by law: Families torn apart by 1996 immigration measure

President Obama announced a plan for easier access to "hardship waivers", but they won't help many or quickly. We need immigration reform now.     - - Donna Poisl

By Susan Ferriss and Amy Isackson
The Center for Public Integrity, California Report

 In a nation built by immigrants, they thought they could pursue their American Dream - with loved ones at their side. Instead, they're living an American nightmare that's tearing families apart and forcing Americans into exile.

Chris Xitco, a native of Los Angeles, never imagined that after marrying his wife Delia in 2002 and trying to legalize her, she'd end up barred by U.S. officials for life, with no pardon even possible for 10 years. She now lives south of Tijuana, Mexico, alone with the couple's two small children.

T.J. Barbour, a native of San Diego, has been struggling every day to care for a 10-year-old son, since his wife Maythe was deported and then barred from the United States in 2011 for what could be 20 years.
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Monday, October 15, 2012

THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION

Click the HEADLINE to read stories from this week from the Immigration Policy Center.
UMass Jewish and Muslim student groups sponsor program on immigration

Different cultural groups are working together to reach immigrant students and get them involved and learn about each other.   - - Donna Poisl

By Diane Lederman, The Republican

AMHERST – With all the discussions about immigration as backdrop, two diverse groups from the University of Massachusetts are trying to offer a human look at the issue through food and stories.

Called “Immigration Nation: Past and Future” the event is organized by Jewish Leaders in Business and the Muslim Students Association in partnership with the Northampton-based Center for New Americans. It begins at 7:15 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom and is free and open to the public.

Fatima A. Shama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, is the guest speaker. She will talk about her work and her own immigrant past - her father is Palestinian and mother Brazilian.
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Gala celebrates immigrant couples who stay together

Lots of immigrant couples don't get through all the difficulties adjusting to a new home and culture. This celebrates those who succeed.  - - Donna Poisl

BY VALERIE RUSS, Philadelphia Daily News Staff Writer

THEY CALL IT the Still Standing Gala - a night of celebration for married couples from Africa and the Caribbean who are still together despite the challenges of immigrant life in America.

Eric Nzeribe, publisher of FunTimes magazine, said he launched the Still Standing event a year ago to honor the couples for adjusting to a new culture and gender roles and working two and three jobs just to survive.

"We have a tendency in our community to work hard, to make money, to send some to our home country, and we don't take care of ourselves," the Nigerian-born Nzeribe said. "We have to make ends meet. The last thing that comes to our minds is to take my spouse out and give them flowers while they can still smell them."
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Chinatown center teaches English, serves as hub for community

This organization teaches English to immigrants in Chinatown, and also helps them with citizenship applications and some of their daily problems.   - - Donna Poisl

By Bridget Doyle, Chicago Tribune reporter

When he's not taking orders on the telephone or going out on delivery, Chaozan Zheng, 23, is managing Hana Restaurant — running everything from marketing to online orders to the cash register.

Business-minded Zheng's dedication to his five-month-old Asian fusion restaurant in Chicago's University Village neighborhood is impressive. But what's even more impressive is that four years ago, he didn't know English.

Like thousands of Chinese immigrants before him, Zheng learned English from the Pui Tak Center, an educational hub in the heart of Chinatown. Pui Tak, associated with the Chinese Christian Union Church, focuses on teaching English as a second language, or ESL, for local families and the surrounding community. The organization is one of many groups in the Chicago area supported by Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.
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Forum focuses on immigration policy

Three speakers, with different viewpoints, talked to a crowd about immigration.     - - Donna Poisl

By Bradley Zint

A trio of speakers with contrasting views on American immigration policy spoke Friday afternoon in a forum organized by Concordia University's Center for Public Policy.

Teresa Hernandez of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, Tim Celek of the Crossing Church in Costa Mesa and Ruben Navarrette Jr., a nationally syndicated columnist and CNN contributor, talked to a capacity room in the Irvine university's Grimm Hall.
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Mayor Villaraigosa wants city ID card for immigrants

L.A., like other cities, wants these ID cards which will help reduce crimes. Immigrants can't have bank accounts now and these cards will help that problem.   - - Donna Poisl

By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is pushing a plan to create an official city photo identification card that could double as a prepaid ATM card and help immigrants get access to banking services.

The initiative could reduce crime because fewer people would have to carry cash, but critics say it's another ill-advised City Hall effort to accommodate illegal immigrants.

The idea for the city ID card originated in his office, the mayor said, as part of previous efforts to help immigrants open bank accounts so they wouldn't become targets of crime.
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How Social Media Will Affect the Election

from Sarah Wenger

This graphic highlights and illustrates how social media has played an important role in past elections and how it will impact the upcoming US presidential election.

Click on the headline above.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Univision and ABC Will Build Network in Miami

A new cable network based in Miami.   - - Donna Poisl

by Douglas Hanks

Univision and ABC will base their new English-language cable network in the Miami area, ending the possibility that the venture into Hispanic broadcasting might head for California, New York or Texas, people familiar with plans for the announcement confirmed Monday.

Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to announce the decision at Wednesday's annual meeting of the Beacon Council, Miami-Dade's economic development agency. The organization helped the joint venture secure about $3.5 million in local subsidies for the new network over the next five years.
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An Immigrant's 'Star-Spangled Banner,' En Espanol

Go to this site and click on the audio link to listen to this Spanish version.    - - Donna Poisl

by NPR STAFF

In 2006, Roger Arias went into his garage searching for a long-lost treasure. He remembered a story about his grandmother and a Spanish translation of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"I dug through my boxes and sure enough, there was a folder," he says. "It said 'The National Anthem,' and she had version 1 through 10. She kept every one of them."

Clotilde Arias wrote the translation at the end of World War II, as President Franklin Roosevelt was trying to win allies through cultural exchange. Roosevelt sent artists like Walt Disney and Orson Welles to Latin America, and commissioned translations of patriotic songs to send abroad. Marvette Perez, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., says the move was an effort to spread patriotism to other countries.
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Arizona immigration law affects victims of domestic violence

This was a worry of many people as one of the consequences of this law, and it is coming true.  The women's husbands are taking advantage of it too.  - - Donna Poisl

from FoxNewsLatino

Undocumented immigrants who are the victims of domestic violence could be among those most negatively affected by the entry into force of the Arizona law that allows police to question the immigration status of people they arrest.

"I have several cases of women who are terrified of talking to the police. They are terrorized, they're afraid that (the police) could separate them from their children who are citizens of this country and they could be deported to their countries of origin, places that often they don't know because they were brought while very small to the U.S.," Martha Angel Castillo, a volunteer with the Tucson May Day Coalition, told Efe.
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Hispanic immigrants help rural county stave off population dip

Immigrants in rural areas work on the farms and also purchase things, pay rent, pay taxes, etc. They are needed all over our country.    - - Donna Poisl

Written by Mario Koran and Lukas Keapproth
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Jeremy Meissner, 29, squints in the sunbaked pasture near his 2,200-head Clark County dairy farm.

Huron Mireles, 31, a herdsman and one of Meissner’s most dependable employees, joins him in the field as the two discuss the day’s work. Meissner grew up on this family farm and always knew he would return, to live and to raise his own family.

Unlike many rural Wisconsin counties, Clark County added population from 2000 to 2010, growing by 3.4 percent, to an estimated 34,690. The growth was fueled in part by the Hispanic population, which grew by 219 percent between 2000 and 2010. At the same time, white population grew less than 1 percent.
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Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Hot Potato covers Latino electorate

Professor Piñon shows the distinction between different Spanish speaking immigrants during the past 150 years, assimilation and the election coming up.  - - Donna Poisl

By Faith Duarte

The Latino electorate needs to be viewed as more than one entity, political science Professor Fernando Piñon said during Tuesday’s Hot Potato lecture at the Methodist Student Center.

“Sometimes we refer to Latinos as ‘a sleeping giant’ ­— there’s only one  giant. But there’s really several giants instead of one,” he said.

He said most Hispanics have been assimilated into American society.

He said the Anglo-American electorate defines the American dream in terms of economic opportunity, while the Latino electorate defines it in terms of equal opportunity.
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Rising number of Latinos spurs English language debate in Carroll County

Even though the immigrant population has helped the economy of this area, some residents are worried about them and are trying to pass an English only law, which would be only symbolic.   - - Donna Poisl

By Julie Scharper, The Baltimore Sun

Amid the quaint brick storefronts of Westminster's Main Street, Lily's Mexican Market sells Virgin of Guadalupe statues, sacks of dried beans and paddle-shaped cactus leaves. A mile away, the aisles of Las Palmeras grocery store are stocked with Salvadoran cheeses and pastries. A nearby Catholic church draws more than 200 people to a Spanish Mass each Sunday.

Mexican and Central American immigrants have flocked to Carroll County over the past decade, drawn by pastures and orchards that remind them of the rural villages in which they were raised. Some followed family members here; others sought to live among those who share their traditional values. Many say they felt welcome here, at least until a commissioner began a push to make English the county's official language.

"We support the economy here. We respect the laws. We pay rent. We pay taxes," said Gregoria Hernandez, who opened Lily's with her husband last year. "We're a fountain of business. Why would they not want us here?"
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Important forum on Obama’s new deferred action policy is a must for Dreamers 

This will be an important event for young immigrants to attend, all their questions will be answered.   - - Donna Poisl

by Albor Ruiz, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Strangely enough, immigration was completely ignored during the first presidential debate, but that does not mean it has gone away as a domestic issue of vital importance for Latino voters.

That’s why young immigrants and their friends and relatives should not miss the opportunity to learn how President Obama’s program for undocumented youth really works at a very important event that will take place Sunday at LaGuardia Community College, beginning at 11 am.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens/Manhattan) joins with Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), a tireless worker for immigration reform, and Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, to conduct a community forum on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
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Immigrants offer solutions to employers in Midwest

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs has done a study that shows how important immigrants are in many different businesses in the area. It also shows the difficulties they face, especially with our immigration system.  - - Donna Poisl

Written by Rekha Basu

What do an Ottumwa pork producer, a North Dakota conveyor-belt manufacturer and an Ohio shooting victim have in common?

All were approaching a do-or-die point, and all got through it because of immigrants.

• Cargill Meat Solutions (then called Excel Pork) wanted to expand and add 200 pork-processing jobs in Ottumwa in the late 1990s. But an aging population, departing young people and disinterest in the work made it impossible to find workers locally. So the company recruited foreign-born workers in Texas, California and other states. That was so successful that they were joined by relatives, and today 40 percent of the plant’s 2,250 employees are foreign-born, claiming 27 national origins.
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Saturday, October 06, 2012

English Center helps immigrants overcome language barrier

This center is teaching English to 80 adult students from 30+ countries.   - - Donna Poisl

By DENISE DICK

YOUNGSTOWN -- The English Center means more than just the new opportunities learning the language affords students.

“It’s like a family,” said

Marcia Kennedy of Cortland, who came to the United States six years ago from Brazil.

Kennedy, who worked for Swiss Airlines, knew some English when she came to this country after meeting her husband, an American, via the Internet.
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Obama and Romney on the issues: Immigration

The positions of both candidates are explained in detail in this article.    - - Donna Poisl

by  Dan Balz

The Post is taking a comprehensive look at the positions of President Obama and Mitt Romney on several key issues. For an interactive experience including polling, quotes and the ability to choose which candidate better represents your views, visit the Post’s Issue Engine.

Immigration was a major issue in the presidential campaign when Republicans were battling one another for the party’s nomination. It’s still an issue, but not one that either candidate talks about much, except in front of Hispanic audiences.

Here are Obama and Romney’s positions on immigration, broken down by subject: Deportation, Skilled Immigration and the DREAM Act.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the positions of both candidates!
Undocumented Life Is a Hurdle as Immigrants Seek a Reprieve

Proving that they have been in this country for many years is hard for some immigrants, especially if employers won't admit they employed them illegally.    - - Donna Poisl

By KIRK SEMPLE

Chul Soo, a 27-year-old illegal immigrant from South Korea, has lived on the fringes of society in recent years, working off the books at a video game store and a beauty supplies wholesaler in New York City, carrying neither a driver’s license nor credit cards, and having little contact with the government.

Now he is applying for a new program that offers illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children a reprieve from deportation if they can demonstrate that they have been in the country since 2007, among other requirements. Yet Chul Soo, who said he arrived in 1995, is finding that he has little in the way of proof of his whereabouts for the last five years.

“It’s frustrating,” he said, referring to his effort to piece together a mosaic of records. “I really need this right now.”
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Immigrants learn the language of DC driving

 Learning to drive is one of many things new citizens must do, a busy city like Washington DC is a big challenge.    - - Donna Poisl

by EMILY WAX, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every day, just before dawn, you can spot Christian Kuete, a 24-year-old pre-med student and home health aide from Cameroon, sprinting in his beat-up sneakers to catch Metro Bus 20 as it bumps to a stop along University Boulevard in Langley Park. At 8 a.m., two more buses and two hours later, Kuete arrives at work. By dusk, he's back on mass transit, headed to his night classes at Montgomery College.


On this sunny fall afternoon, however, he's trying to seize his piece of the American dream. Seize it by the steering wheel. Kuete is a student at the Riteway Driving School in Hyattsville, and his goal is to take its Toyota Corolla onto the open highway — the ultimate metaphor for American independence.
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The stakes just got higher for Deferred Action for DREAMers

from Adam Luna, America's Voice

Mitt Romney finally came clean.  On Tuesday, his campaign said that Romney would try to end deferred action for DREAMers if he is elected. [1]

Unbelievable. Luckily, there is something that we can do about it: vote.

I’ll be blunt -- millions of people who support DREAMers haven’t yet registered to vote, and deadlines are approaching fast.  So if you or someone you know hasn’t registered to vote – if you aren’t absolutely positive that you’re registered where you live – now is the time to do it.

Click here to use this non-partisan online registration tool, run by our friends at Mi Familia Vota.  Most deadlines are coming in just a couple of days!

(If you’ve already registered or are not yet a U.S. citizen, click here to share the link on Facebook and ask your friends: “are you registered?”)

We need a landslide of voters ready to protect the DREAMer deferred action program from right-wing politicians, and to demand that the President and Congress create a roadmap to citizenship for new Americans – no matter who wins in November.

But first things first: We all have to register. Click here to get started!

Together, we won the DREAMer deferred action program, which promises to protect about 1.4 million DREAMers from deportation and allow them to work.  If you could do all of that by signing petitions and rallying for change, imagine what your vote will do!

Thank you for stepping up,

Adam
America's Voice
The Debate Continues - LiveCitizen wants to know where you stand

from Corrine Graham

A story came my way about a politically geared social networking site that I thought might also interest you.

The platform is called LiveCitizen and they are currently running a contest called Fix*Us. LiveCitizen lets users weigh in on current political and social issues that our nation is facing. Fix*us encourages users to chime in with their solution to 5 different current issues that are being widely discussed going into this presidential election.

One winner is selected from each category and will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.

Here is a link to a social media news release we have put together on the Fix*us campaign -

Given the upcoming election, and the debate this week I thought this might be a timely story.

Best,  Corrine

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Record Number of Hispanic Eligible Voters

Less than half of eligible Latino voters are expected to actually vote, what a shame. They can have a voice in their country and many are not interested.    - - Donna Poisl

from HispanicBusiness.com

A record 23.7 million Hispanic eligible voters are a 22 percent jump since the last U.S. presidential vote, but turnout will likely be much less, a study said.

The 4.2 million increase in Latinos eligible to vote since 2008 means Latinos make up 11 percent of the nation's 215 million eligible voters this year, up from 9.5 percent in 2008 and 8.2 percent in 2004, the Pew Hispanic Center analysis of U.S. Census data indicated.

But a projected 50 percent Hispanic voter-turnout rate would cut the Latino vote in half, said the center, a project of Washington's Pew Research Center think tank.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.



President Obama to Establish César E. Chávez National Monument

Press Release

On October 8th, 2012, President Obama will travel to Keene, California to announce the establishment of the César E. Chávez National Monument. Years in the making, the monument – which will be designated under the Antiquities Act – will be established on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), or La Paz. The La Paz property is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights icon César Estrada Chávez and the farm worker movement. The site served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) as well as the home and workplace of César Chávez and his family from the early 1970’s until Chávez’ death in 1993, and includes his grave site which will also be part of the monument.

“César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere,” said President Obama. “La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’ legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come.”

From this rural headquarters in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, California, Chávez played a central role in achieving basic worker protections for hundreds of thousands of farmworkers across the country, from provisions ensuring drinking water was provided to workers in the fields, to steps that helped limit workers’ exposure to dangerous pesticides, to helping to establish basic minimum wages and health care access for farm workers.

The National Chávez Center, in consultation with the United Farm Workers of America, the César Chávez Foundation and members of César Chávez’s family, offered to donate certain properties at La Paz to the federal government for the purpose of establishing a national monument commemorating César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement. This designation will represent the culmination of a process that has been underway for several years.

The César E. Chávez National Monument will encompass property that includes a Visitors’ Center containing César Chávez’s office as well as the UFW legal aid offices, the home of César and Helen Chávez, the Chávez Memorial Garden containing Chavez’s grave site, and additional buildings and structures at the La Paz campus.

The monument, which will be managed by the National Park Service in consultation with the National Chávez Center and the César Chávez Foundation, will be the fourth National Monument designated by President Obama using the Antiquities Act. He previously designated Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, a former Army post integral to the history of slavery, the Civil War, and the U.S. military; Fort Ord National Monument in California, a former military base that is a world-class destination for outdoor recreation; and Chimney Rock, which is located in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado, and offers a spectacular landscape rich in history and Native American culture. First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Oficina del Secretario de Prensa
DREAM Act would boost economy, think tank says

It is obvious to me: these people can get jobs, finish their education, start businesses, pay taxes, how would that not boost the economy?    - - Donna Poisl

Alan Gomez, USA TODAY

If illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children were given legal status, their improved access to college and better jobs would add $329 billion and 1.4 million jobs to the nation's economy over two decades, according to a report set for release today.

The report found that up to 223,000 of the 2.1 million young illegal immigrants eligible for the DREAM Act would have an easier time enrolling, paying for and finishing college, which would lead to the increased economic gains.

The study was released by the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based, left-leaning think tank that supports the DREAM Act, and the Partnership for a New American Economy, which was created by independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch. The center has pushed Congress to pass the DREAM Act and other bills that would grant more visas to foreign students that specialize in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
In a land of immigrants, we all have a story

True, we all have a story. My grandparents came from Ireland as young adults, all they had to do was report at Ellis Island and they got in.    - - Donna Poisl

Post by Brian O'Neill

In this nation of immigrants, most people can count on one hand the number of generations since their family tree found American soil. The struggle to immigrate and integrate into America is an ongoing narrative.

Of course not all arrival’s come through our front door. The Trib’s comprehensive article, describing Oscar Campos Estrada’s journey from illegal entry to a deportation trial, is a peek inside the world of illegal immigration. It is a bizarre, contradictory reality that resembles the land Alice found when she fell down the rabbit hole.

My last immigration column, in which I described working alongside federal agents in pursuit of gang members (who were also illegal aliens), was from the opposite perspective of Campos Estrada. My own family’s story, however, shares some overlap.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.


Chicken Little in the Voting Booth:
The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen Voter Fraud

 

For Immediate Release

October 2, 2012

Washington D.C. - Today, the Immigration Policy Center releases, Chicken Little in the Voting Booth: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen Voter Fraud.

A wave of restrictive voting laws is sweeping the nation including “at least 180 restrictive bills introduced since the beginning of 2011 in 41 states” according to The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.  Bills requiring voters “to show photo identification in order to vote” were signed into law in Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Alabama, Kansas, and Tennessee went a step further and required voters to present proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote. In addition, Florida, Colorado, and New Mexico embarked upon ultimately fruitless “purges” of their voter rolls for the ostensible purpose of sweeping away anyone who might be a non-U.S. citizen.

All of these actions have been undertaken in the name of preventing voter fraud, particularly illegal voting by non-citizens. Proponents of harsh voter laws often assert, without a shred of hard evidence, that immigrants are swaying election results by wheedling their way into the voting booth. However, repeated investigations over the years have found no indication that systematic vote fraud by non-citizens is anything other than the product of overactive imaginations.

To view the fact sheet in its entirety, see:
Chicken Little in the Voting Booth: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen Voter Fraud (IPC Fact Check, October 2012)

To read ImmigrationImpact.com post on the myth of non-citizen voter fraud, see:
Anti-Immigrant Activists Still Pushing the Myth of Voter Fraud by Non-Citizens (ImmigrationImpact.com, October 2, 2012)
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For more information, contact Wendy Sefsaf at wsefsaf@immcouncil.org or 202-507-7524
82 immigrants earned U.S. citizenship Friday

People from 35 countries became citizens last week. Congratulations to them.  - - Donna Poisl

By WILLIAM KLUSENER, The Morning Sun

FORT SCOTT —  Friday was a momentous day for 82 new United States citizens. With the Honorable David J. Waxse of the U.S. District Court of Kansas presiding, the immigrants, who came from 35 different countries, took their oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Scores of their friends and family members were on hand to witness the ceremony, and the Fort Scott High School band, orchestra, choir and select ensemble performed patriotic music.

Waxse, whose wife’s family originally were Volga Germans and whose father came from Russian-occupied Germany, told the group they were following in a path that countless immigrants before them had trod. Even the Americans who lived here before the New World was discovered by Europeans, he told them, came from Asia via the Bering Strait.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Music Helps Shape Latino Identity in U.S.

A very interesting report; the music Latinos listen to when they get here is slightly different than the music they listened to before they crossed the border.    - - Donna Poisl

Vida en el Valle, News Report, Cynthia Moreno

SACRAMENTO -- For those who believe music does not play a role in shaping Latino identity-think again says Jorge Andrés Herrera, an adjunct professor at California State University, Fullerton, who teaches Chicano Studies courses and is a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA.

He is studying the role music plays in shaping Latino identity with an emphasis on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"When a Latino crosses the border, they automatically start to assimilate culturally and a big part of that assimilation comes in the form of musical tastes and musical preferences which also transform and assimilate to the dominant culture," said Herrera.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
California Immigrants Become Politically Active

Many immigrants are discovering they can have a voice in their community by getting involved in politics. This article gives good examples.   - - Donna Poisl

By Mike O'Sullivan

LOS ANGELES — American cities attract immigrants from around the world, and they bring changes to their new neighborhoods. Newcomers from Asia and Latin America have brought an international flavor to the San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles, where they now make up most of the population, and some residents have been prompted to become politically active.

City officials in Rosemead in the San Gabriel Valley were trying to close a poultry store.  It sells freshly slaughtered chickens and other birds, with their heads and feet on, the way that many Asian immigrants like them. Some neighbors and local officials thought the shop had a foul smell.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
U.S. immigration to treat same-sex partners as relatives

This should ease the minds and lives of many immigrants.    - - Donna Poisl

By Ronnie Cohen; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Todd Eastham

SAN FRANCISCO | (Reuters) - The Obama administration has directed immigration officials to recognize same-sex partners as family members in deportation cases, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Friday.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Pelosi in a letter that she had ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to notify its field offices "that the interpretation of the phrase ‘family relationships' includes long-term, same-sex partners."

Pelosi welcomed the federal recognition of gay and lesbian couples. At the same time, she called for more to be done to protect undocumented immigrants in long-term relationships with American citizens.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY IMMORTALIZES AN IMMIGRANT MUSICIAN

This woman, who most of us have not heard of, is very important in our history and now everyone will know her.   - - Donna Poisl

By: Julie Ershadi   

The National Museum of American History previewed on Sept. 27 a new exhibition commemorating the singular contribution Peruvian immigrant Clotilde Arias made to the American heritage of reverence for the flag.

“I’ve waited for this day for about 3 years,” said Marvette Perez, curator of “Not Lost in Translation: The Life of Clotilde Arias,” during her remarks at the breakfast event.

Arias immigrated from Iquitos, Peru to New York City in 1923 at the age of 22 eventually wrote the official Spanish-language translation of the national anthem. It is called El Pendón Estrellado, which word-for-word means “the Star-Spangled Banner,” she said.
Click on the HEADLINE above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
5 Things You Should Know about the Elections

PRESS RELEASE


Voting requirements and registration deadlines are set up by the states


WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Voting is a right and a civic responsibility. And like millions of U.S. citizens, you will have the chance to exercise your right to vote during the Presidential Election of 2012.

Your vote on November 6, 2012 will help elect the next President of the United States, as well as other representatives at local, state and federal levels, including mayors, governors, congressional representatives and senators.

Below you will find five important facts about voting in the United States, including resources to help you register to vote and information on how to vote.

1) Voting Is Voluntary

Voting is the essence of democracy. Unlike other countries, voting in the United States is voluntary. Some people vote in person at the polls, while others vote by mail days or weeks before the actual election date. Regardless of how you do it, it's important that all U.S. citizens who qualify participate in the democratic process of electing public officials.

2) States Establish Voting Rules

To vote in federal elections you need to be a U.S. citizen and be at least 18 years old, although some states allow 17-year-olds to vote. In fact, the states establish voting rules, including the requirements to register to vote, registration deadlines, and where to send your voting form. You may be able to register at a variety of places, including state and local voter registration offices, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and public assistance agencies. You might also be able to register by mail using the National Mail Voter Registration Form, but not all states accept it. Check with your state election office to learn how to register in your state.

3) Voter ID Laws Vary by State

Voter identification requirements also vary by state. Therefore, it's important to figure out the documents you might need to show before going to your polling place on November 6, 2012. Some states require voters to show proof of identity before voting, such as driver's licenses, passports or military papers. Your state election office can tell you what documents are required in your state.

4) You Can Vote If You're Living Abroad

Federal law allows U.S. citizens to vote if they are living abroad. This includes members of the Armed Forces, federal employees, and other U.S. citizens who reside outside the United States. U.S citizens living abroad can request an absentee ballot by using the Federal Post Card Application (PDF). For more information about voting from abroad, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

5) There Are Several Ways to Participate in the Elections

Voting is not the only way to participate in the electoral process. If you would like to get more involved you can always volunteer at a polling place. Some states have specific requirements such as being a registered voter or meeting certain age requirements. You might have to be affiliated with a political party and reside in the state where you plan to volunteer. Check with your state election office to find out more.

USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov are the U.S. Government's official web portals in English and Spanish, and part of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

SOURCE  GobiernoUSA.gov/USA.gov
CONTACT:  Marie-Alice Denis, +1-202-219-0965

PR Newswire Takes a Look at the Influence of the Multicultural Population in the U.S.

PRESS RELEASE 

Communications Experts Discuss How U.S. Latinos Can Shape the Outcome of the 2012 Election


NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- As the largest minority group in the United States comprising 16.4% of the population, the Latino community is having an increasingly significant influence on a broad range of economic, cultural and political issues and, most recently, has become a key focus of attention for the national media and political leaders related to the presidential election and the Latino vote's potential to sway its outcome.

To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click here

In order to take a closer look at the growing influence of the U.S. Latino electorate and uncover key factors that may shape how and for whom U.S. Latinos decide to vote, PR Newswire convened a distinguished group of multicultural communications experts to share their opinions on this topic. Through video interviews, the experts offered reasons behind this development, shared their opinions regarding the potential impact of the Latino vote, and also provided valuable advice on how communications professionals can successfully connect with and engage this key audience.

With 22 million eligible Hispanic voters and 12.2 million projected to vote this year1, "there is little doubt that the Latino vote will have a significant impact in the 2012 presidential election and any organization trying to influence the outcome will, or should, look to incorporating Hispanic media into their strategy," said Brian Taylor, vice president, public interest markets, PR Newswire.

PR Newswire, to help ensure that its clients' messages reach the most relevant and influential audiences, continues to diversify its robust suite of communications solutions, including customized election packages designed to amplify their reach to targeted Hispanic news media focused on the public interest sector.

"It is not about multicultural marketing; it is about marketing to a multicultural America," said Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez, executive vice president, multicultural markets and engagement, AARP. "There is no longer a general market approach and a multicultural approach; it is such an infused and integrated process right now."

To further explore this important topic, PR Newswire will be hosting a webinar on October 4th, "Engaging the Rising Electorate: A Revealing Look at U.S. Latinos' Pivotal Role in the 2012 Election and Beyond."  Register today

About PR Newswire:

PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 58 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content "from rich media to online video to multimedia" and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.

Media Contacts:
Rachel Meranus
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
PR Newswire
+1.201.360.6776
Rachel.Meranus@prnewswire.com

Meryl Serouya
Marketing and Communications Associate
PR Newswire
+1.201.360.6009
Meryl.Serouya@prnewswire.com

1 National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, 2012, http://www.naleo.org/latinovote.html
SOURCE  PR Newswire Association LLC