NewsTaco

Wednesday July 11, 2012

Joe Biden to Latino voters: Mitt Romney “wants you to show your papers, but he won’t show us his” (Houston Chronicle):  Vice President Joe Biden used today’s speech to The National Council of La Raza to reach out to Latino voters, attacking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for being out of touch with the Hispanic community and cagey in his election tactics.

Biden connects Irish heritage with Latino struggles (Politico):  In a pitch to an audience of Hispanic activists, Vice President Joe Biden connected the struggles of Latino Americans to his own Irish heritage. ”There’s always been a fight between the voices of inclusion and the voices of exclusion — between those pushing forward and those who continue to try to pull us back,” Biden said in remarks to the civil rights group National Council of La Raza.

Obamacare and Compromise: How Black and Latino Voters Will Affect 2012 (Politics 365):   The recent Supreme Court decisions regarding Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070 andThe Affordable Care Act reminded me of another significant moment in American history–the Court’s ruling on the Brown v. Board of Education case.  That ruling had a profound impact on the lives of every person in the country and helped move this country forward with regards to civil rights, social justice and equality.

Downturn hurt Latino, African-American households harder, analysts say (Las Vegas Review-Journal):  Latino households suffered greater loss of wealth during the economic downturn than their white counterparts, housing analysts said at the National Council of La Raza annual conference at Mandalay Bay.

Hispanic leaders, experts weigh in on “Obamacare” (Latina Lista):  When the verdict was announced June 28, many Hispanic experts and organizational leaders hailed its passage as a victory. A follow-up survey by Hispanic Link News Service has found others are raising strong objections about some of its substantive provisions.

Georgia pushes for ID checks after Arizona decision (Atlanta Journal-Constitution):  Georgia police should be allowed to start enforcing key parts of the state’s anti-illegal immigration law — including checking the immigration status of certain suspects — now that the U.S. Supreme Court has sustained a similar statute in Arizona, state lawyers argue in filings before a federal appeals court in Atlanta.

Latino lawmakers say Texas Voter ID law a hardship for minorities (Houston Chronicle):  Texas Latino lawmakers testified in a federal trial Tuesday that Republicans rushed a voter ID bill through the legislature despite repeated objections about discrimination and hardships for minority voters.

Texas Wants to Say Adios to the Voting Rights Act’s Authority (The Nation):  Look up at your clock. By this same hour tomorrow, more than 1,500 US-born Latinos will have celebrated a milestone birthday, and turned 18. They’ll be eligible to vote in local, state and federal elections in their home states—but if that state is Texas, that right is under threat.

Mexican and Living in US, But Existing Nowhere (Fox News Latino):  She was born in Mexico and lives in the United States, but Laura Rocio Ordoñez does not officially exist in any country. She can’t open a bank account or get married. She is invisible for both governments. Ordoñez, 40, not only lives illegally in the United States but also lacks Mexican identification documents.

Tuesday July 10, 2012

Texas’ new voter ID law on trial in Washington (Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle):  The fate of Texas’ controversial new voter ID law — which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls — is set to be decided this week in a federal court in Washington.

Voter ID Issues Could Be Worst In Pennsylvania (U.S. News & World Report):  The Associated Press reports Monday that new voter identification laws could block thousands of Americans from voting this fall. As part of its investigation, the AP examined voting in the 2008 general election in Indiana and Georgia, where it found more than 1,200 votes were thrown out. But the state that could be worst affected in 2012, a voters rights group tells Whispers, is the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Latinos underrepresented in gov’t in Illinois, study finds (Fox News Latino):  Despite the growth in their population, Latinos are underrepresented in important posts in the Chicago, Cook County and Illinois governments, according to an analysis published Monday by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Latino Support For Gay Marriage Outpaces General Population (Huffington Post):  In the weeks since President Barack Obama detailed his personal evolution on the issue of gay marriage in a May ABC News interview, a series of national polls indicate that a slight majorty of Americans have also come to support same-sex marriage. By June, members of the NAACP’s executive board had approved a resolution making support for gay marriage a part of the organization’s platform. NCLR, the League of Latin American Citizens and other Latino civil rights, labor and trade organizations soon followed. Despite some dissention in the ranks, executives inside several national organizations dominated by people of color have, in recent months, identified same-sex marriage as a part of their 21st century civil-rights agenda.

Advocates warn immigrants of scams (The Baltimore Sun):  Immigrant advocates are warning people who plan to apply for a work permit under a new federal immigration policy to beware of scammers and hold off on taking any formal action until more details emerge about how the program will work.

Judge keeps South Carolina immigration law on hold after Arizona ruling (Reuters):  A federal judge who in December blocked parts of a South Carolina law cracking down on illegal immigrants said on Monday the law would remain on hold until an appeals court ruled on the case.

Top 5 Economic Benefits from the President’s Immigration Announcement (Center For American Progress):  The policy makes good economic sense in addition to the self-evident humanitarian reasons for letting undocumented youth remain in the country, work, and live with legal status. The following are the top five ways the president’s announcement will benefit our economy.

Fundraising shortfall forces L.A. Latino Film Festival cancellation (Los Angeles Times):  After celebrating its quinceañera last year, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival is going to have to wait until at least 2013 for its sweet 16 party. Known as LALIFF, the festival — one of the country’s largest Latino film showcases — is canceling this year’s planned edition in August because of a fundraising shortfall.

Jennifer Lopez to Launch TV Show on ABC (Fox News Latino):  Jennifer Lopez is letting everyone know she is standing firm with the LGBT community. The Puerto Rican singer is joining forces with ABC Family to create a new TV show about a lesbian couple who bring in a young adult into their family circle, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

By Deb Courson Smith, Public News Service – CA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – One decision is on the books, and there’s talk already about future challenges concerning Arizona’s immigration law. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of the law, but upheld the section that allows local authorities to check immigration status if they suspect a person is in the country illegally.

California is among the states that had been watching the legal test, with Amy Gottlieb, director of the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, claiming the court ruling implicitly endorses racial profiling, something her group is against.

“There’s very clear concern across the board about racial profiling. People will be asked their status because of the color of their skin and/or their accent.”

AFSC had signed an amicus brief, stating that Arizona’s law violated the U.S. Constitution.

Gottlieb says she expects several states to work on similar legislation, and she also expects more legal challenges.

“There’s much conversation now about whether civil-rights challenges will be brought, and I think that civil-rights challenges will have to be brought.”

She adds that the American Friends Service Committee is also focusing on education around immigrant issues, promoting respect of civil rights and human rights.

Debbie Courson Smith is the Public News Service managing editor with extensive background in both traditional and multi-platform delivery of news and information.

[Photo By Nevele Otseog]

Friday July 6, 2012

27 – Median Age for Hispanics is Lower Than Median Age for Total U.S. Population (Pew Research Center):  Hispanics in the United States on the whole are younger than the general U.S. population. The median age for Hispanics is 27 years while the median age for the U.S. population is 37 years. According to tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) by the Pew Hispanic Center, the youngest Hispanic groups are Mexicans (25), Puerto Ricans (27) and Guatemalans (27).

Roberts Faces Shot at Republican Redemption in Race Cases (Bloomberg): Chief Justice John Roberts, whose deciding vote upheld President Barack Obama’s health-care law, won’t have to wait long for a chance to reassert his conservative credentials.

Roberts redux? U.S. top judge may surprise again (Reuters):  Over his 30 years in Washington, Chief Justice John Roberts has been difficult to pigeonhole and defied expectations. More than once, he has remade his image.

Father, son arrested in Texas shooting of immigration agent (Reuters/Chicago Tribune):  A father and son face federal charges after investigators say they opened fire and wounded a U.S. immigration special agent near the U.S.-Mexico border during an early-morning chase, federal officials said Thursday.

 In California, immigration bill designed as the “anti-Arizona” (Reuters):  While America’s debate over immigration has been dominated recently by crackdowns in states like Arizona and Alabama, California legislators are trying to turn that tide with a bill to protect illegal immigrants that they dub the “anti-Arizona.”

Rangel Fights in NY Race as Last Ballots Counted (Fox News Latino):  The New York City Board of Elections is counting ballots Thursday in a move that could seal — or imperil — veteran U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel’s apparent win in the Democratic primary.

Latino Justice Sues Over Redistricting Maps (Politics PA):  After the July 4th holiday, Pennsylvania residents Joe Garcia, Fernando Quiles and Dalia Rivera Matias took to the court on behalf of Pennsylvania’s latinos.

A Rise in Latino Conservatism? (New America Media):  As we talk about Latino or Hispanic politics in this election year, most automatically draw a link between this particular racial-ethnic identification and a liberal political orientation. A Latino social policy agenda is generally assumed to reside within a liberal New Deal framework. Latinos in general may be socially conservative on a number of issues, but the majority support an activist government, are willing to pay more taxes for increased services, and support government expansion of the social safety net and affirmative action programs. The fact that President Obama has, according to the polls, the support of roughly two-thirds of Latino voters, reflects a real political connection, not just superior campaigning.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Profiling Lawsuit to Proceed (Associated Press/Fox News Latino):  A trial will begin as scheduled on July 19 in an ethnic profiling lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio after the judge who will decide the case rejected handing the matter to another judge.

Latinos help bring back an iconic American boardwalk (NBC Latino):  Pulitzer-prize author Junot Diaz has made me smile almost every weekend summer day for the past few years.  As you “enter” the start of the boardwalk of iconic Asbury Park, New Jersey, in an old wall built during the years when this beach resort was a top American destination – there is a mural of a line written by Diaz.

Latino Marine Doing 1M Push-Ups For Wounded Soldiers (Fox News Latino):  A U.S. Marine is on a mission to help soldiers injured while serving in the military. U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Enrique Trevino began the push-up challenge as a New Year’s resolution. “I just challenged myself to do a million push-ups,” said Trevino. Now, Sergeant Trevino is determined to do 1 million push ups by year’s end, for the Wounded Warrior Project. “Instead of doing a million push-ups to benefit myself,” he said, “I want to give back to my brothers and sisters in the armed forces, who have had so much taken away from them.”

Old Politics Are New Again In Mexico (NPR):  What happened to Mexico’s National Action Party? It was the party that finally broke seven decades of PRI rule in the country and promised to bring long sought-after reforms to the country. Why did voters throw them out of office after two terms? Was the vote a referendum on Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs?

Daughter of Mexican immigrants shares lead at U.S. Women’s Open (Fort Worth Star Telegram):  Although plenty of athletes have used sports to lift themselves up from difficult backgrounds, Lizette Salas’ path to the pros isn’t the sort of story that’s often heard in golf.

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco Editor

It hasn’t yet been a month and already the scammers have come out.

There are reports that DREAMers have been targeted by immigration scams; unscrupulous folks who claim to help undocumented students and others eligible under President Obama’s recent immigration deferment directive, for $3000. The trouble is that it’s still too early to know the procedures or the costs of the deferment.

The Rio Grande Guardian reports:

 La Unión del Pueblo Entero is hearing horror stories about unscrupulous immigration attorneys and notary publics telling immigrant students they must pay $4,000 to move ahead with deferred action.

The President’s Administrative Relief initiative was signed on June 15 and since then immigration advocacy agencies across the country have been gearing up for the next steps. But no one is as yet ready to begin any process because the processes have yet to be established.

“That is just terrible because people are being scammed. No one knows how much it will cost. The government has not said. The President said he will issue guidance within 60 days so we will not know anything until August.”

Terrible is putting it lightly. And yet, are we surprised? The undocumented have always been the targets of scams and scammers because, by their own design, they live outside of the reach and boundaries of the law. They’re easy prey. Add to that the excitement over the President’s directive and you get a field ripe for the picking.

So what can you do? Carry the correct information with you and share it when possible or needed:

• The particulars about the forms and fees will not be known until August – any early price quote is misleading and likely a scam
• And as far as the eligibility is concerned, the eligible must:
  • Have come to the United States under the age of 16;
  • Have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of this memorandum; (June 15, 2012)
  • Currently be in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;
  • Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
  • Not be above the age of 30

And one important thing to keep in mind and repeat as often as it comes up: Notary Public’s are not authorized to practice law and should not be considered authorities on immigration matters.

[Photo by  paulinaclemente]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco Editor

At face value the recent Supreme Court rulings regarding immigration and health care will do nothing to move the needle on Latino votes. Don’t misunderstand such a simple statement – these are issues that affect Latinos’ daily lives in direct ways, but most Supreme Court rulings on their own don’t resonate at kitchen tables, where daily lives swirl and layer and are laid out in their most stark reality.

All the talk about whether the Affordable Care Act is a tax or a not, or about which states will or will not accept the Medicaid extension money is a scrambled nuance that doesn’t distill to the work-a-day Latino voter four months away from November. Right now the good news is that gas prices are falling, and that the summer months are ahead. And soon there will be back to school stuff to think about and whether there will be work over the winter months. It’s not that Latinos are unsophisticated voters, it’s that they’re American voters. And they’ve got other things on their minds at the moment.

So somebody does a poll to gauge the Latino vote in July after the headlines read that the Supreme Court upheld  Healthcare Reform and the “show me your papers” law in Arizona, and it will have an affect on the outcome – but that’s because someone asked, today. Does it mean that more Latinos will be energized to vote four months from now?

None of that is up to the Supreme Court or it’s rulings.

The LVEI (Latino Voter Energy Index – my own invention, not sanctioned or followed by any political party or, goodness forbid, nationally syndicated Latino opinion leader) depends largely on the decibel level of the partisan drumbeat between now and November. In that sense, whether the Latino voting block is energized or not depends on the same factors as whether the general electorate is energized or not: targeted political hype, or GOTV as the pols call it (the more up to date term is voter mobilization, but it boils down to the same idea: get folks riled up, then get ‘em to the polls).

The trick is to take the Supreme Court rulings and turn them into slick political messages. That’s what’ll energize the voters. The fact that the message targets Latinos is a matter of adjusting the scope.

The rulings on immigration and healthcare are political opportunities, and those can either be carried, fumbled or missed. It’s too early to say whether Latinos will be energized in the fall because of two weeks worth of Supreme Court decisions at the beginning of summer. It’s not too early to guess that given the nature of the decisions and adding those to the recent Presidential directive on DREAMer immigrants, Latinos may be inclined to favor President Obama in July polls.

But what both presidential campaigns know well is that polls or not, the Latino votes that matter are the ones in Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia and North Carolina. And the time they matter is November, not July.

[Photo by echobase]

By Griselda Nevárez, Voxxi

Voter turnout may increase significantly thanks to a pair of Supreme Court rulings this week that awakened Latinos and outraged Republicans, political analysts predict.

Hispanics, who are angry about the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday to uphold the “papers-please” provision of Arizona’s immigration law, are mobilizing in support of President Barack Obama. At the same time, Republicans, who oppose the justices’ ruling to uphold key parts of the Affordable Care Act, have vowed to prevent Obama from getting reelected.

“All of that put together seems to me like it could lead us to a higher voter turnout election,” said political analyst Michael O’Neil.

Historically, angry voters tend to turn out at the polls en masse. In the past, both Latinos and Republicans have proven that they can create enough force to shift the election in their favor.

Latinos did it in 2008 when they helped elect Obama by voting in sizable margins in all states with large Latino populations. Republicans did it in the 2010 midterm elections when they turned out to vote and picked up a net total of 63 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. That gave the GOP control of the chamber, which they had lost to the Democratic Party in the 2006 midterm elections.

Policy policy consultant Arnoldo Torres said that as a result of the two Supreme Court decisions, he expects “the right-wing is going to be very aggressive in turning people out to vote. Meanwhile, the Obama team is going to pull out all the stops to get angry Hispanics to come out to vote.”

Recent actions by Latinos and Republicans prove Torres might be right.

Motivated by Arizona’s immigration law and Obama’s recent announcement to stop deporting young undocumented immigrants who have no criminal backgrounds, Latinos have already begun mobilizing to strengthen the Latino vote. One organization, Voto Latino, has a goal of getting 12 million Latinos to vote this year, that’s an increase of 2.3 million voters over 2008. The group also wants to raise Latino voter registration to 15 million voters, an increase of 3.3 million compared to 2008.

At the same time, Republicans are saying the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act has provided enough fuel to mobilize their followers and prevent Obama from getting reelected. Before the ruling, the GOP had already been upset with how Obama has handled a number of issues, including the economy and illegal immigration. Political analysts say that could add to the frustration over the healthcare reform and could motivate Republicans even more to boot out Obama.

But while the GOP sees the Supreme Court’s decision on the healthcare law as a way to mobilize voters against the president, Democrats are seeing it as a victory that could help Obama gain votes.

O’Neil said that without a doubt, the justices’ ruling “is a big win for the president” and it could change people’s minds about how they view Obama and his healthcare law. Polls show half of Americans oppose the Affordable Care Act and the way the president has handled healthcare.

“There are always some people who get swayed by action,” O’Neil said. “Having the Supreme Court say that this is legitimate might uptick the percentage of people who support him and his healthcare plan.”

Meanwhile, Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, said having the Supreme Court uphold SB 1070′s key provision “slightly helps Romney because it reminds the public, which generally supports the bill, that Obama has opposed it and has asked the Department of Justice to challenge it.”

Though history shows angry Republicans have had a larger impact on the elections than angry Latinos, political analysts say that the question of whether Republicans or Latinos will have a bigger impact in the 2012 presidential election is hard to answer.

“Both groups really have a lot at stake here,” Torres said.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Griselda Nevárez is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington D.C.

[Photo by creactions ]

Monday July 2, 2012

Presidential campaigns missing the mark in advertising to Latinos (Los Angeles Times):  In a race defined by massive spending on television ads, fast-response Internet videos and sophisticated social media efforts, both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romneyhave fallen short thus far when it comes to targeting Latino voters electronically, according to some Spanish-language media experts.

Florida’s other Hispanic vote (Politico):  Around this time last year, President Obama traveled to Puerto Rico in the first “official” visit by an American president in five decades. The political calculus of that trip did not go unnoticed last June — it seemed an obvious nod to the rising importance of the Puerto Rican vote, particularly in Florida.

Political Insiders Poll (National Poll):  Will the recent developments involving immigration prompt higher Latino turnout in 2012 than in 2008?

Latino Voter Diversity Challenges Political Parties ahead of 2012 Elections (Fox News Latino):  In New Mexico, Tomasita Maestas says she will pick the presidential candidate who has the best plan to fix education and the economy. In Arizona, Mexican immigrant Carlos Gomez backs Republican Mitt Romney because he’s more conservative on social issues than his Democratic opponent.

Another Thing Immigrants Do for the Economy: Invent Cool Things (Bloomberg):  Each year the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awards about 200,000 patents to inventors. Last year a Stanford student built a camera that lets users change what’s in focus after snapping a shot; Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers invented a tiny, foldable car; and a patent was awarded for devising a metal that is as strong as steel but can be molded like plastic.

Hispanic view of immigration complex, still visceral (Austin American Statesman):  I’m a third-generation American who can barely speak Spanish. Yet I can’t tell you how many times in my life that I have been asked, “Why don’t you go back to your own country?” For too many Hispanics, the Supreme Court case involving the Arizona law wasn’t a debate on constitutional law; it was a deliberation on whether Hispanics are welcome in the great American tapestry.

Hispanic First-Time Home Buyers To Dominate Market Within 8 Years (The Mortgage Reports):  Hispanic -Americans harbor different beliefs about homeownership as compared to the American population at-large.

Qualified illegal immigrants seek rights to practice law (USA Today): Illegal immigrants brought to the USA as children, and who later graduated law schools in California, Florida and New York, are trying to gain entry to their state bars so they can work as attorneys.

By Lalo Alcaraz, Pocho Ñews Service

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democratic congressman from Chicago, steps up to the lectern in the United States House of Representatives and teaches all of America how to be “telepathic” like the Arizona cops and politicians who somehow know – without racial profiling – who is undocumented and who is not.

A must-see video for Justin Bieber fans! In my opinion, the Honorable Representative can have a second career at The Daily Show.

This article first appeared in Pocho.com

POCHO ÑEWS SERVICE PNS IS A WHOLLY-FICTITIOUS SUBSIDIARY OF POCHISMO, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, WHO IS A PERSON ACCORDING TO THE SUPREME COURT.  DON’T ASK US, WE JUST WORK HERE.

[Photo by gutierrez.house.gov]

Tuesday June 27, 2012

Latinos Look For Gains In November Elections (Associated Press/Fox News Latino):  The 2012 election is shaping up as a big one in the House for Hispanics. There are currently 29 in the House — including a Pacific islands delegate and Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner — according to the Congressional Research Service. That number is virtually guaranteed to increase by at least three or four seats because of once-a-decade redistricting that’s created new Hispanic-majority districts in California and Texas. On top of that, Hispanics could win more seats in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Florida.

Political impact of Arizona law: Latinos nationwide feel it personally (Houston Chronicle):  Here’s a key point to keep in mind when considering the political impact of Monday’s Supreme Court decision on the Arizona immigration law. Why this issue resonates to a lot of Latino VOTERS is that many know someone — a friend, a family member — who has been deported and many others know someone who is an undocumented immigrant.

Arizona police see immigration law as enforcement headache (Los Angeles Times):  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer called it “a victory for the rule of law.” But for many police chiefs, Monday’sU.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the “show me your papers” provision of SB 1070, the state’s immigration law, looks like a big headache.

Arizona Ruling Shows Immigration Minefield in 2012 Race (Bloomberg):  Mitt Romney, in Arizona for campaign fundraisers, issued a guarded response to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision voiding most of the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration, highlighting the political peril for the presumed Republican presidential nominee on the issue.

Republican Latinos want more from Romney on immigration (Bloomberg):  John King and Ana Navarro discuss Mitt Romney’s comments on immigration and how that’s playing with Latino Republicans. She thinks Latinos deserve a clearer answer.

 The immigration ruling: a hint on healthcare? (Reuters):  The Supreme Court’s decision in the Arizona immigration case on Monday showed a conciliatory streak within a divided court that could emerge again when the justices issue their climactic healthcare decision on Thursday.

Texas GOP Platform Calls For Repealing Voting Rights Act Of 1965 (Think Progress):  Republican Party of Texas released its platform this month, calling on Congress to repeal the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. “We urge that the Voter [sic] Rights Act of 1965 codified and updated in 1973 be repealed and not reauthorized,” the platform reads. Texas is one of nine states with a history of racial discrimination that must get clearance from the Department of Justice before altering its voting laws.

 Why Doubling Student Loan Interest Rates Would Hurt Latinos (NPR): Tuition is going up at Florida’s public universities this fall. Now, barring Congressional intervention, student loan interest rates will double on July 1st from 3.4 to 6.8 percent.

U.S. mental health programs little help to Latinos, UC Davis study says (Sacramento Bee/Modesto Bee):  Lahi Moheno holds what some would call health retreats for farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley. There, she pulls workers aside for a forum on health education – mental health, really – without ever using such loaded terms as las enfermedades mentales, Spanish for “mental illness.”

Biden to speak at NCLR annual conference (The Hill):  Vice President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker at the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) annual conference, organizers announced Tuesday. Biden’s speech at the gathering underlines the campaign’s outreach to the Hispanic population, which is growing in swing states like Nevada.

Incomes higher for minorities with STEM degrees (The Daily Trojan):  A recent study researching the financial futures of minority students pursuing majors in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields showed that these students earn at least 25 percent more than minority students majoring in the humanities or education.

By Doug Ramsey, Public News Service – AZ

PHOENIX – Opponents of Arizona’s SB1070 law say Monday’s Supreme Court ruling is a first step in defeating the entire law.

Director Juanita Molina of Tucson-based Border Action Network says the fight against the controversial immigration law is a marathon, not a sprint.

“It mirrors the struggles that existed during civil rights, where in the ’50s and ’60s there were a series of laws that supported segregation. And those laws also supported the social norms of oppression.”

The court left in place the section requiring police to check immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion that a person is undocumented. Governor Jan Brewer calls the ruling “a victory for the rule of law,” and says it upholds the heart of SB1070.

However, managing attorney Karen Tumlin of the National Immigration Law Center says the Supreme Court’s decision opens up a possible path for having the status checks struck down if people are detained by officers for an excessive time while their immigration status is investigated.

“If individuals have their detention prolonged because of the immigration questions, that could be a separate constitutional reason to block the law.”

A separate case, the so-called “Friendly House” lawsuit brought by Border Action Network, the ACLU, and others, includes racial profiling claims which were not addressed in the high court’s decision. Tumlin says a profiling challenge to the status-check portion of the law may be pursued when and if the law actually takes effect.

“Police chiefs across the country have said that there’s no way to implement that provision without inappropriately looking at race, ethnicity and language that an individual speaks. And that is why we call it the racial-profiling provision.”

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the injunction blocking the status-check section of SB1070 from taking effect is still in place. Tumlin says it typically takes several weeks before a case is “mandated down” to the lower court to lift the injunction.

“That’s a really critical point for Arizona, that law enforcement do not have the authority today or tomorrow to begin these status checks.”

Tumlin says the “Friendly House” coalition has already been successful in blocking the day-labor provision of SB1070.

[Photo by Mexicanos Sin Fronteras]

Tuesday June 26, 2012

Voters Think the Election Won’t Affect The Economy (The Atlantic): In 2000, pundits declared the presidential race to be the “Seinfeld Election” — an election about nothing. They turned out to be wrong. But in a way, that’s how Americans see this race, because they think neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney can do much about the most important issue, the economy. Plus, Latinos lean heavily toward Obama, but not because of immigration, and voters think the president abused his executive powers on Fast and Furious.

For Obama, Supreme Court health-care, immigration rulings to close a tough term (The Washington Post):  The Supreme Court this week will conclude its term by handing down much-anticipated rulings on health care and immigration, President Obama’s remaining priorities before the justices. It is a finale that cannot come quickly enough for the administration, which has had a long year at the high court.

Hispanic Voters Also Care About Jobs and Health Care and Such (New York Magazine):  The war between President Obama and Mitt Romney for the affections of Hispanic voters is most often fought on the battlefield of immigration. (That’s a metaphor; Immigration would be a ridiculous name for a battlefield.) In fact, sometimes, when we (politicians/pundits/the media) talk about the immigration debate, we act as if it’s the only issue that matters. But a new Gallup poll is a good reminder that Hispanic voters care about a lot of other things in addition to immigration laws.

Poll: Latino Voters Concerned About Health Care, WidelyPrefer Obama (Talking Points Memo):  Latino registered voters identify health care as the top policy issue and overwhelmingly prefer President Barack Obama over Mitt Romney, according to a new poll released Monday.

Supreme Court mostly rejects Arizona immigration law; gov says ‘heart’ remains (CNN):  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down key parts of an Arizona law that sought to deter illegal immigration, but let stand a controversial provision allowing police to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.

Arizona Immigration Law Ruling: Supreme Court Delivers Split Decision (Huffington Post):  The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a split decision in the Obama administration’s challenge to Arizona’s aggressive immigration law, striking multiple provisions but upholding the “papers please” provision. Civil rights groups argue the latter measure, a centerpiece of S.B. 1070, invites racial profiling.

U.S. Public, Hispanics Differ on Arizona Immigration Law (Pew Research Center):  The American public has consistently expressed support for the provision of Arizona’s immigration law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court that requires police to verify the legal status of someone they have already stopped or arrested if they suspect the person is in the country illegally. Still, a plurality of Americans say they want an approach to illegal immigration that balances both tougher enforcement and creating a path to citizenship for the more than 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally. By contrast, Hispanics have consistently disapproved of the so-called “show me your papers” provision of Arizona’s immigration law, and have consistently shown strong support for prioritizing a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants over tighter border controls.

Rubio Calls for Depoliticizing Immigration Issue to Find Solution (Hispanic Business):  Republican Sen. Marco Rubio accused President Obama of playing politics with immigration, but he also faulted hard-liners in his own party for ignoring the “human issue” in the debate over people who are in the country illegally.

Arizona immigration ruling complicates Republicans’ strategy with Hispanics (The Washington Post):  Monday’s Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s tough anti-illegal-immigration law stirred a growing debate among Republicans over how to navigate an issue that has energized the conservative base and turned off Hispanic voters.

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON — With today’s ruling in Arizona et al v. United States, the Supreme Court struck down three provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 law, allowing to stand the section that requires police officers to check the immigration status of people they stop.

Migration Policy Institute (MPI) experts offered the following statements:

• Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director of MPI’s U.S. Immigration Policy Program, who served as Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1993-2000:

“This ruling reconfirms the long-held principle of federal primacy in immigration policy. It should largely put to rest questions about the respective roles of state and federal authorities in enforcing the nation’s immigration laws and raises important cautions for the policing provisions that Arizona enacted. The decision underscores yet again the need for Washington to respond to legitimate state concerns and take up the challenge of creating an orderly and fair immigration law.”

• James W. Ziglar, MPI Senior Fellow who served as INS Commissioner from 2001-2002. Ziglar, who began his law career as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, taught immigration and constitutional law at the George Washington University Law Center:

“The Supreme Court has confirmed a long-established principle in federal immigration law, policy and history that America must speak and act as one country and one people.”

“The justices have by and large followed precedent. Even the portion of the opinion that upholds the requirement that police check immigration status does so in a very cautionary way. The court suggests that an overly broad implementation of Section 2(B) could cause that provision to be constitutionally defective.”

“In the closing part of its opinion, the court reflected on America’s history as a nation of immigrants and said: ‘Immigration policy shapes the destiny of the nation …. The history of the United States is in part made of the stories, talents and lasting contributions of those who crossed oceans and deserts to come here.’”

• Michael Fix, an attorney who is MPI Senior Vice President and Co-Director of the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy:

“What the Supreme Court is saying is that the states can’t impose on unauthorized immigrants more punitive sanctions than the federal government. They can, however, adjust the intensity of their permitted enforcement activity — in this case compelling state and local officers, during the course of an otherwise authorized stop, to inquire into the immigration status of those whom they suspect to be in the country illegally.”

“While this ruling imposes some restrictions on the states, it can still lead to quite differing climates of reception for immigrant populations depending on how states interpret and embrace this ruling.”

• Muzaffar Chishti, Director of MPI’s office at New York University School of Law. Chishti is an immigration attorney and has focused much of his research in recent years on state- and local-level activity on immigration enforcement. Chishti also co-authors the monthly “Policy Beat” feature of the Migration Information Source, MPI’s online journal, which has examined issues surrounding SB 1070.

  ““Even though the Supreme Court has allowed the most controversial section of the Arizona law to go forward, it has left open the possibility that the provision could also fall if its implementation conflicts with federal law. However, in the interim, the ruling could lead to many citizens and non-citizens facing adverse impacts at the state and local level.”

(Meissner and Ziglar, in their capacity as former INS Commissioners, submitted an amici brief to the Supreme Court in the Arizona case, which the court cited in its opinion. The amici brief can be read here.)

To reach an MPI expert for comment, please contact MPI Communications Director Michelle Mittelstadt at 202-266-1910 or mmittelstadt@migrationpolicy.org.

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The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national and international levels. For more on MPI, please visitwww.migrationpolicy.org.    

[Photo by openDemocracy]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco Editor

It didn’t take long for the dust to kick-up and settle after the Supreme Court handed down it’s decision over 4 key provisions of Arizona’s SB1070 immigration law. And when it did, the landscape looked much like most people thought it would. Three of the four parts of the law in question were struck-down and one was upheld. The one remaining: the “show me your papers” provision that requires local law enforcement officers to check the citizenship of the persons they detain.

So lets break the news down to its tangible parts: What the decision says; what the spin will be; what it means for electoral politics.

What the decision says:

There are four parts to this -

• the part that was upheld is the provision that grants local police the authority to check the immigration/citizenship status of the people they detain.
• the parts that were struck down are
  • the provision that made it a crime to not carry immigration papers
  • the provision that gave police the authority to arrest people on suspicion of being undocumented, without a warrant
  • the provision that made it a crime for undocumented people to hold or seek a job