Morning NewsTaco
Friday September 28, 2012
Are Latinos adequately represented in our political system? (Columbia Spectator): Latinos contribute much to American society. Our culture, economy, and public service wouldn’t be as rich without them. Does our political system recognize this contribution by taking their interests into account in making laws and policies? I’m not sure, but I believe we’re often looking in the wrong place to find out.
‘Life isn’t always fair’, Mayor Bloomberg says of NAACP suit that claims blacks and Latinos are shut out of top city high schools (New York Daily News): GIVING A LESSON about a cruel world, Mayor Bloomberg showed zero sympathy for minority children who are denied entry to the city’s elite high schools. “Life isn’t always fair,” he snapped on Thursday when asked about an NAACP complaint that slams the schools for admitting few black or Latino students.
Northwest’s Eligible Young Latino Voters Energized, But Will They Be Counted? (Bosise State Public Radio): Latinos are a younger demographic. And younger people — no matter what their ethnicity — are much less likely to vote than older people. But one issue that’s energized many young Latinos is the DREAM Act. It would create a path to citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.
Latino voters have yet to overcome hints of racism in Central Washington (Seattle Post Intelligencer): Hispanic voters are asserting themselves in parts of the West. But not yet here. As the old saying goes, it takes a hanging in the morning to focus the mind. Gov. Pete Wilson of California, in 1994, won re-election with the promise of denying social services to undocumented immigrants. It prompted a surge in Latino registration. The hunting of “illegals” and racism of Maricopa County (Phoenix), Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio is having a similar effect in the Grand Canyon State.
Esther J. Cepeda: Latinos worry about the economy, not identity (Mydesert.com): Let me introduce you to my fake Latino children. No, no, they’re real children — it’s just their Latino bona fides that are in question these days.
Opinion: Latino vote pivotal in North Carolina (NBC Latino): It was culture shock when this Arizona gal moved to North Carolina in 2000. The accent, pace of life, and outright friendliness of Southerners shook me, but what most threw me off was the lack of Mexican food. For the first years I was in North Carolina, every couple of weeks my dear mother would send me a FedEx package with my comfort foods–Villa’s flour tortillas, cans of chipotle chiles, pulparindos, and avocados (though I don’t know how legal it was to send produce). But by year three I let my mom know that while I appreciated the packages I didn’t need them anymore, because I had found some tienditas.
New study reveals the extent of Latino influence on U.S. mainstream (Latina Lista): A new report titled The Latino Influence Project compiled by the marketing communications agency Wing and Experian Simmons, “measured over 25,000 respondents across 60,000 variables including language gender, age, household income and political outlook” and found that the more non-Latinos hang out with Latinos, the more their behavior, tastes and attitudes take on a Latino flavor.
Latino Organizations Demand Apology from Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser (Fox News Latino): A coalition of 30 national Latino organizations is demanding an apology from Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser after he swore at a prominent Hispanic leader.
Immigration sleeper issue in Senate races for Latinos (Voxxi): Latino voters will be influential in almost all realms of the political sphere this year and even within the Senate races as Democrats fight to keep their control. In terms of Latino influence, there are six senate races to watch on immigration policy. The well-known battleground states of Florida, Nevada and Virginia coupled with the near toss-ups of New Mexico, Massachusetts and Arizona.
Private Prisons: Immigration Convictions In Record Numbers Fueling Corporate Profits (Huffington Post): This spring, a group of inmates at a privately operated federal prison in Mississippi — most of them undocumented immigrants from Mexico — rose up against their guards, setting fires, taking hostages and ultimately killing one correctional officer.
Jose Antonio Vargas Restarts ‘Illegal’ v. ‘Undocumented’ Debate, Highlighting Role of Latino Media (Huffington Post): Jose Antonio Vargas may not have convinced the New York Times or the Associated Press to stop using the term “illegal immigrant,” but he’s restarted the conversation. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist-turned-activist has pushed for media to drop the term “illegal immigrant” since coming out as undocumented last year, arguing that the modifier is offensive and inaccurate because it criminalizes people rather than their actions. (Many immigration violations are civil rather than criminal offenses). In a speech to the Online News Association on Friday, Vargas said he’s now targeting two standard-setting news giants: the New York Times and the Associated Press.
Arizona To Appeal Judge’s Ruling Against Part Of Immigration Law (Reuters/Huffington Post): Arizona Governor Jan Brewer plans to fight a federal judge’s ruling against a part of Arizona’s tough immigration law that would have made it a crime to harbor undocumented immigrants, court papers showed on Thursday.
A Flood of Applications, With a Trickle of Approvals (New York Times): As of Thursday the agency, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, had received more than 100,000 applications, officials said, with more than 63,000 in the last stages of review. But so far the agency has confirmed only 29 approvals.
9th Circuit Splits 6-5 Over Immigration Provision, Sides with Applicants Who’ve ‘Aged Out’ (ABA Journal): In an en banc ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that children of immigrants who are given derivative visas can immigrate with their parents to the United States, even if they’ve “aged out” by turning 21 before their parents’ visas were processed.
