Dallas-Fort Worth Immigration Lawyer

As reported in today's Dallas Morning News, the growth of the Latino population in the United States and in Texas is continuing at a rapid pace. Here are excerpts:

The percentage of Hispanics in Texas and the nation grew again last year, continuing a trend that has endured throughout the decade, new statistics show.

Today, the U.S. Census will release population estimates showing that Hispanics in the U.S. numbered 45.5 million in 2007, an increase of 1.4 million during the yearlong period beginning in July 2006. In Texas, the number of Hispanics has grown to make up 36 percent of the state's population, up from 32 percent in 2000.

Among the census' other findings:

• Hispanics made up 15.1 percent of the 301 million U.S. residents in 2007, compared to 12.5 percent eight years ago.

• In terms of births and migration into the United States, Hispanics arrived in numbers three times those of non-Hispanic whites.

• Since the last census, Texas has added 1.9 million Hispanics, or five of every eight new Texans.

Moreover, experts say, the trend won't end soon: The median age of non-Hispanic whites in Texas last year was nearly 40 years old, compared to about 27 for Hispanics. The disparity in most other states was larger.

Also, as immigrants learn English, they'll assimilate in terms of American culture and friends, and marry non-Hispanics, the experts said.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 08:10 AM | Permalink

The Dallas Morning News had an interesting story Sunday about the declining student population in Irving, Texas. Speculation is that the decrease, which will cost Irving money in state funding, is due to the city's crackdown on illegal immigrants. As you know, Irving has been reporting to Immigration Services whenever an undocumented alien is stopped for a traffic ticket or for any other criminal offense. Hundreds of Irving residents have been deported recently. Here are excerpts from the story:

The Irving school district has lost 656 students since the end of September, and officials attribute the decline to a crackdown on illegal immigrants and the shutting down of aging apartment complexes.

School officials said they don't know exactly why hundreds of students have disappeared since the district hit its peak enrollment of 33,189. But the losses outpace previous years. Last year, Irving schools lost 283 students during the same period.

Superintendent Jack Singley said a city code-enforcement crackdown on declining apartments where many low-income families live may have caused people to leave town. And some immigrants may have left Irving because they feared deportation.

"We're watching our enrollment very carefully," Mr. Singley said. "This probably will be the toughest year to predict future enrollment for many reasons. There are many changes in our community."

School administrators are concerned because they stand to lose state funding, which is based on how many students attend school each day.

The superintendent and principals have tried to assure parents that their children are safe at school. Mr. Singley raised concerns early in the year that deportations were causing parents to go "on the run" and withdraw children from the schools.

"I think the reason is the climate in Irving," school board president Michael Hill said. "If parents are pulling their kids out of school for fear of what they're hearing throughout the city, my concern is: Are the kids in school at all?"

The school district's students are about 73 percent economically disadvantaged and 67 percent Latino this year. Many of them are the children of immigrants.

About 39 percent of students are classified as limited English proficient, the highest in North Texas. The district continues to go through considerable change, losing white students as it gains Hispanics.

Mr. Singley reassured parents in a letter that the school district does not assist law-enforcement officials with deportations.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 05:29 AM | Permalink

I've written before about the perceived problems with relaxed restrictions on Mexican trucks entering the United States and going beyond the previously set mileage boundaries. There's a blog with a great deal of information about this situation and other, related matters. Check out the Mexico Trucker blog.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 09:28 AM | Permalink

The Dallas Morning News reports today that the City of Irving may have come to an agreement with immigration-rights advocates regarding the arrest and deportation of so many illegal aliens in Irving recently. Here are excerpts from the article:

Illegal immigrants may be able to avoid being arrested in Irving if they can provide police with a Mexican identification card, a utility bill or a similar document, the city's mayor said Thursday.

"You have a better chance if you can identify yourself," Mayor Herbert Gears said after meeting with immigration-rights activists. "If you can't identify yourself, you're going to have no chance."

The acceptance of the Mexican ID, known as a matrícula consular, and other documents besides state-issued ID cards comes as activists have encouraged the mayor to help prevent more people from being deported as part of the Criminal Alien Program. Irving officials began using the program in September 2006 and have since turned more than 1,600 arrestees over to federal authorities for deportation.

Mr. Gears explained that if someone is stopped for a traffic violation, that person's chances of avoiding jail will be better with proof of identification. If the police can confirm someone's identity, that person will be issued a citation and let go.

The mayor also agreed to help create an educational campaign to inform people of immigration laws.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 02:57 PM | Permalink

The Dallas Morning News has a very good series of articles today about the immigration situation in Irving, Texas. Irving's "deportation" of a large number of undocumented aliens has been the subject of national discussion. These articles explain both sides of the situation.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 05:43 PM | Permalink

The Dallas Morning News has a carefully-researched story today breaking down the charges against the illegal immigrants who have been deported from Irving, Texas after being arrested or detained by the Irving police. Surprisingly, only about 9% of the charges were felonies -- the type of charge that would normally cause someone to be deported by USCIS. So more than 90% of those deported as a result of a police stop in Irving were deported for "minor" violations of the law. Here are excerpts from the story:

Most of the charges faced by the 1,638 illegal immigrants arrested in Irving and placed in federal custody over the last 13 months are misdemeanors, according to a Police Department report released Wednesday.

The department's Immigration Enforcement Report details 3,901 local criminal charges filed against 1,638 illegal immigrants who were held at the city jail where federal officials also filed illegal immigration charges against them between Sept. 1, 2006, and Sept. 30 of this year.

The report was released after a controversy over the department's 24/7 Criminal Alien Program, which allows agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct routine telephone interviews with inmates at the city jail to determine their immigration status.

Hispanic activist Carlos Quintanilla said he and other immigration reform advocates believe the Irving Police Department is engaging in racial profiling because the overwhelming majority of the 1,638 illegal immigrants came from Mexico and other Latin American nations.

Mr. Quintanilla said the program unfairly deports immigrants for misdemeanors. He and other activists are organizing a march and protest in downtown Irving on Saturday afternoon.

"If they had been arrested anywhere else, they would not have been deported," Mr. Quintanilla said. "They're obviously overzealously targeting our community. I think the numbers speak for themselves."

Police Department spokesman David Tull said 14,000 people were arrested in Irving during the same time, but only 1,638 of them were flagged by federal officials for illegal immigration violations.

"Part of being a respectable part of society is to follow the laws, rules and guidelines set out by the community," Officer Tull said. "The more you get away from that, the more chaos there is."

More than 63 percent of the 3,901 criminal charges filed against the 1,638 illegal immigrants were listed as misdemeanors, including outstanding traffic tickets, outstanding warrants, assault, theft, criminal mischief and prostitution.

Another 16 percent were arrested on suspicion of DWI or public intoxication offenses, while almost 12 percent of the charges filed were listed as driving without a license or driving with a suspended or invalid driver's license.

The report shows that 9 percent of the criminal charges filed against the illegal immigrants were listed as felonies, including murder, aggravated assault, sexual assault and illegal drug possession.

Officer Tull said Irving police take traffic offenses very seriously and that the department has seen a dramatic increase in the number of warrants for people who did not pay traffic tickets or comply with court orders.

According to Police Department figures, the number of tickets issued has remained about the same over the past five years, but the number of people with outstanding warrants for nonpayment or failing to comply with court orders has increased from 1 percent in fiscal 2001-02 to 15 percent in 2006-07.

Officer Tull said that the majority of those warrants are for people who gave incorrect or false information to police officers and that perhaps some could be illegal immigrants who provided false names or other information.

But Mr. Quintanilla called the report an example of "backtracking," citing that the figures show that 91 percent of the illegal immigrants who were arrested committed nonviolent crimes.

He said legal immigrants with green cards can only lose their status by being convicted of felonies, not misdemeanors.

Here's a look at the number and types of charges filed by Irving police against 1,638 illegal immigrants arrested in Irving and turned over to federal authorities from Sept. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30 of this year.

Felony crimes (including murder, aggravated assault, rape and theft)
352
9.0

Driving without a license
341
8.7

Invalid or suspended license
110
2.8

DWI or public intoxication
633
16.2

Other misdemeanors (including outstanding tickets; assault; drug possession and prostitution)
2,465
63.2

Total
3,901

Posted by Bob Kraft at 11:46 AM | Permalink

ABC had an interesting article online yesterday about the attitude of Americans toward people who speak Spanish. The conclusion of this well-documented article was that approximately 2/3 of Americans don't mind if others speak Spanish around them. More people admit to being prejudiced against Arabs and overweight people than admit to prejudice against Hispanics speaking Spanish. Here are excerpts from the article:

Spanish speaking in the United States is widespread and accepted by most Americans. But a third who experience this language difference are troubled by it -- and they have distinctly more negative attitudes about immigrants and Hispanics generally.

Just 10 percent of Americans concede any personal prejudice against Hispanics -- far fewer than the number who, in previous polls, have self-reported prejudice on the basis of race, against overweight people, or against Arabs and Muslims.

Nonetheless, among the nearly eight in 10 who hear others who speak mainly in Spanish, a third say it bothers them.

All told, 78 percent in this ABC News "Good Morning America" poll say they often or sometimes come into contact with people in this country who speak mainly Spanish rather than English -- including 55 percent who encounter it "often."

Being bothered by Spanish isn't affected by how often people hear it, meaning other factors are at play. People bothered by Spanish, instead, are those who are more apt to call for stricter immigration rules and to have negative views on immigration generally, particularly on illegal immigration. (This survey, it should be noted, was done in English.)

Immigration

Immigration remains a political challenge; reform efforts fell flat last spring and the public remains of two minds on enforcement. On one hand, just two in 10 say the government is doing enough to keep illegal immigrants out of the country; on the other, most, 58 percent, favor a path to citizenship for those here now -- a program giving illegal immigrants the right to legal status if they pay a fine and meet other requirements.

People who are bothered by interactions with Spanish speakers are decidedly more negative about immigration policy. In this group, 92 percent think the government isn't doing enough to keep illegal immigrants out; that drops to 55 percent of those who are not bothered by Spanish speakers. Support for a path to legal status, similarly, is 19 points higher among people who don't mind Spanish than it is among those who do.

Among other groups, support for tighter borders peaks among non-urban and older Americans, and in the Midwest and South; it's lowest among young adults, Democrats and better-educated Americans. Support for a legal status program is highest among young adults.

Legal vs. Illegal

Broadly, Americans don't have a problem with immigrants in general -- rather with illegal immigrants. Most, 54 percent, say illegal immigrants do more to hurt than to help the country. But 59 percent say the opposite about legal immigrants -- that they do more to help the country than hurt it.

Again, sensitivity to language is associated with these attitudes, especially on illegal immigrants. Among people who are bothered by Spanish speaking, 79 percent say illegal immigrants mainly hurt the country. Among those who don't mind the language difference, vastly fewer -- 39 percent -- agree.

On legal immigrants, the gap in attitudes among those bothered and not bothered by language is both narrower and lower -- 39 to 21 percent -- but still significant.

Partisan differences exist here as well. Majorities of Republicans (55 percent) and independents (60 percent) say illegal immigrants do more to hurt the country than help; Democrats split on this question, 47 percent to 44 percent.

But when it comes to legal immigrants, majorities across the political spectrum see more help than hurt.

Prejudice

As noted, asked to honestly assess their feelings of prejudice against Hispanics, one in 10 concedes harboring at least some such feelings. In ABC News polls in past years, six percent have self-reported prejudice against Jews, 27 percent against Muslims, 25 percent against Arabs, 35 percent against overweight people ("negative feelings" rather than prejudice), and 34 percent have reported "some racist feelings."

Self-reported prejudice rises to 22 percent among people bothered by hearing people who speak mainly Spanish. It's also a bit higher among Republicans (15 percent) than among Democrats or independents.

Looking at it the other way, among people who concede some prejudice toward Hispanics, 73 percent are bothered by contact with Spanish speakers. Among those who do not reporting feelings of prejudice, far fewer -- 28 percent -- are bothered by Spanish.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 05:57 AM | Permalink

My friend Rene Castilla has written an excellent guest editorial for the Dallas Morning News about the immigration situation in Irving, Texas, his current, and my former, hometown. In fact, this is by far the most rational and logical discussion of the situation that I have seen.

I have posted before about Irving's participation in the Criminal Alien Program, in which the Irving police call the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement department pretty much any time they detain a Latino without proper immigration paperwork. This has resulted in illegal aliens being deported because they committed traffic violations, regardless of the positive contributions they may have made to the community in the years they lived here.

The editorial is so good, I'm going to take the liberty of publishing it in its entirety. Please don't tell  the Dallas Morning News...

When the Irving City Council adopted the Criminal Alien Program earlier this year, it was in response to the mounting pressure from the community and a council member to participate in the federal program 287g, an immigration enforcement section of the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

The majority of the City Council wanted no part of 287g ,and neither did Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd, partly because city jailers would come under the supervision of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and partly because ICE wants the city to underwrite the cost of implementing the program.The minority community wanted no part of 287g because it gave wide discretion for police officers to pick people off the streets who looked suspiciously Hispanic and maybe undocumented.

Long before the City Council formally adopted the Criminal Alien Program, Chief Boyd established a working relationship with ICE, whose district offices were in Irving and whose nearby agents were invited on a regular basis to make a sweep of Irving jails. ICE did identify criminal illegal aliens and had them deported.

When a resolution came before the city council to adopt the Criminal Alien Program, it did so with the support of the minority leadership of Irving, including those Hispanics outside of Irving who are now organizing protests denouncing the program.

The Criminal Alien Program was seen as a better alternative to 287g. It rid our communities of criminal illegal aliens who were drug dealers and other felons preying on our community.

So why did it turn sour?

ICE moved its office from Irving to Dallas, and the agents who had regularly entered Irving jails were no longer available to make on-site visits. Face-to-face interviews switched to telephone interviews. The procedure now had jailers deciding when to call ICE for a telephone interview with a detainee.

If a jailer can't establish identity, call ICE.

That's the rub.

When it was reported that ICE was now deporting 300 people a month (mostly Hispanic), suspicions were aroused. And rightly so. Individuals were turned over to ICE for traffic violations and failure to provide proper identification, in some cases for public intoxication.

Traffic citations are nothing new. What changed is that now there are consequences for these traffic violations in Irving. ICE is in the picture under the Criminal Alien Program.

What didn't change were the old practices for processing individuals to determine identification. No identification? You speak Spanish? Call ICE. Irving police say this procedure applies to everyone without regard to race. Maybe.

What the demonstrations and shouting matches did was call to our attention that there are flaws in the Criminal Alien Program.

Now that the shouting has stopped, it is time for the mayor, the police chief and the minority leadership in Irving to come up with workable guidelines for the program palatable to all sides.

For example, at what point should jailers call in ICE, especially when they detain Spanish speakers with limited English speaking ability? Entering the United States is a civil offense, not a criminal offense, so why equate one with the other?

Most traffic violations - driving without a license or public intoxication - are all class C misdemeanors. It is certainly less serious than a felony. So maybe felonies should be the triggering mechanism to call in ICE. Failure to show proof of identity is cause for being taken to jail for fingerprinting. But if fingerprinting brings up no criminal record or outstanding warrants, does calling ICE have to be the next step?

These are all important questions for the mayor, police chief and minority leadership in Irving to consider.

There is no indication that the City Council is going to rescind the Criminal Alien Program, even though fear of police is spreading throughout Irving's Hispanic community. Stories of random police stops to check IDs are beginning to surface.

It's time for Irving to take back its city and regain control of a program gone bad. A solution-based dialogue is an important first step.

René Castilla is executive dean of North Lake College South Irving Center and chairman of the Mayor's Human Relations Advisory Committee. His e-mail address is castilla@dcccd.edu.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 12:44 PM | Permalink

The Dallas Morning News has an article today about a large protest of the immigration policies of the city of Irving, a suburb of Dallas. In a nutshell, Irving's policy is to check the immigration status of anyone detained or arrested in the city. This has resulted in a very large number of immigrants who have been deported after being stopped for a traffic violation or other minor infraction.

Obviously there are two schools of thought on this subject. One is that any person here illegally should be found and deported. The other is that a city has no business trying to enforce a federal law, and it's disruptive to the community and to the lives of individuals for good, hard-working people to be deported just because they got traffic tickets.

Here are excerpts from the Dallas Morning News article:

Angered over a record number of recent deportations in Irving, more than 1,000 protesters waved U.S. flags and chanted "We are America" as they rallied Wednesday night at City Hall.

Demonstrators called for Irving officials to put a moratorium on turning over suspected illegal immigrants to federal officials until immigration laws are reformed nationally. They also urged people to call Mayor Herbert Gears and ask him to stop deporting people from the city's jail.

"We need to raise our voice and we need to ask for changes about the things we don't like here," said Hector Flores, a leader in Irving's Hispanic community.

A few people who support the deportations carried signs in favor of the illegal immigration enforcement.

"Our compassion starts at home, and our charity starts at home," said Sue Richardson, a longtime Irving resident and vice president of the Greater Irving Republican Club.

At the heart of the contention is Irving police's use of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Criminal Alien Program. The plan provides for round-the-clock communication with federal authorities and is designed to detain illegal immigrants who have been accused of a crime. It's the latest tool being used by local governments in the absence of a federal overhaul of immigration laws.

"It does not deal with illegal aliens; it deals with criminal illegal aliens," said Irving City Council member Tom Spink.

Tensions over the practice have simmered for months among residents, officials and City Council colleagues. But the program has recently become a lightning rod for controversy with publicity about the growing number of people Irving police hand over to federal officials for deportation each month.

Opponents say police are overzealous. Supporters believe the program is the perfect answer to a national problem. And some residents and council members say police still aren't going far enough to combat illegal immigration.

Irving police have turned over at least 1,600 people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June 2006. In response, Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea last week warned immigrants from his country to avoid Irving. And community leader Carlos Quintanilla said he would organize a boycott of Irving businesses if the city persisted.

Opponents of the program say Irving police are unfairly targeting Hispanics. They say that many Hispanics have become afraid of police and that families are being torn apart as parents are deported thousands of miles from their children.

"This isn't justice," said Deyla Reyes, a Northlake College student. "We need to stop this. These people have come here to work. We cannot support this program."

Many people at the rally accused Irving police of racial profiling and turning Hispanics over for deportation because of minor traffic infractions.

"We're not just hurting people driving without driver's licenses," said Luis DeLaGarza, a political consultant who helped organize the rally. "We are hurting the economy in Irving. We need to have immigration reform."

Mr. Gears said a major part of the problem isn't Irving's policy. Instead, it's lack of knowledge of the law. He said many people - including natural-born citizens and legal immigrants - aren't aware of consequences that come with traffic citations, which can include license suspension. And many minorities, he said, wrongly assume that police officers who ask for identification are trying to prove citizenship.

Mr. Gears said he has overseen investigations into every complaint about the program but has found no wrongdoing or malice on the department's part.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 02:35 PM | Permalink

On March 26, 2007, a new waiver pilot program began at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This new program decreases the time it takes for a decision to be reached in I-601 waiver applications.

Under current immigration law, if a person enters the United States illegally (without being admitted and paroled) they are not eligible to receive immigration benefits. It is very common for foreign nationals to enter the U.S. illegally and subsequently marry U.S. citizens. Once this occurs, the citizen will begin the process that will enable the spouse to obtain a green card. This process, however, is not finalized in the U.S., but involves a final interview at a U.S. consulate in the foreign national's home country. For Mexican nationals most interviews are scheduled at the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez.

At the interview, the applicant files an I-601 waiver package to request that Immigration Services excuse the prior illegal entry into the U.S. and unlawful presence in the United States. This waiver package normally took between nine months and a year to process and reach final decision. During this time, the applicant was required to remain in Mexico until a final decision had been reached.

With the new Waiver Pilot Program, Mexican nationals may be able to obtain a decision on their waiver packages within less than 48 hours. This is a very exciting program as it makes the waiver process much more practical for most applicants who found it extremely difficult to spend a year outside of the U.S. while their case was pending.

Previously, people had to leave their home, family members, young children, and jobs for up to a year while waiting for a decision. Now, they may only need to wait a week or two for the entire process to be completed.

You may be a candidate for this exciting new program! If you have any questions, or would like to begin the process to use the new pilot program, please contact us.

For more information about immigration news, immigration laws, immigration policies, proposed immigration laws, border enforcement, green cards, citizenship, employment visas, family visas, naturalization, and other immigration subjects, please visit Immigration Law Answers and Immigration Law Answers Blog.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 02:11 PM | Permalink

Vote411.org is an excellent educational site that will give you pretty much all the information you could ever need regarding the election November 7, 2006. Check it out before you vote.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 10:34 AM | Permalink

The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article about the failure of all Latino immigrants to learn the English language. The point of the article, as all of us who regularly deal with Hispanic clients understand, is that this failure to learn is not due to laziness or a conscious decision not to learn English. It's because English is not easy to learn -- especially by adults with full-time jobs and families to raise. Here are some excerpts from the article:

In the Edin Espino family, late of Guatemala and now living in one of southwest Houston's sprawling, immigrant-filled apartment complexes, the best English is spoken by 4 1/2 -year-old preschooler Edin Jr.

The senior Espino, 27, understands enough to get by at his two jobs, one in a grocery store produce section and another at a nearby restaurant, but he can't hold a conversation. His wife, Clara, 33, understands the occasional word. Three-year-old German and Aida, 16 months, perk up when they hear "bye-bye" and other commonly used terms. But after six years in the U.S. living in one of the city's urban barrios, Spanish is the dominant language spoken inside and outside their home.

"I want to learn English. I know it would help me get ahead. But I have to work 65 hours a week to raise my children and pay my bills. That has to come first before anything," says Espino.

Fewer than half of the Houston residents who speak one of the city's top three non-English languages consider themselves fluent in English, according to recent census figures. The languages, unsurprisingly, are Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.

The percentages are about the same nationwide for the same three languages.

"Many immigrants don't speak English, but it's not because they are lazy or don't want to learn it or want to make everyone else speak Spanish or Vietnamese. They just have other priorities like providing for their basic needs," says Nelson Reyes, executive director of the Gulfton Area Neighborhood Organization.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 06:20 AM | Permalink

In an Associated Press story widely reported in newspapers and on Web sites, Stillmore Georgia is described as a near ghost town after the loss of much of its immigrant population.

The town of about 1,000 people was practically depopulated when federal agents swept up more than 120 illegal immigrants and sent them to immigration court in Atlanta. As the AP article stated, "The sweep has had the unintended effect of illustrating how vital the illegal immigrants were to the local economy." Here are other excerpts from the story:

In August, the federal government reported that Georgia had the fastest-growing illegal-immigrant population in the country. The number more than doubled from an estimated 220,000 in 2000 to 470,000 last year. This year, Georgia lawmakers passed some of the nation's toughest measures targeting illegal immigrants, and Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue last week promised a statewide crackdown on document fraud.

At Sucursal Salina No. 2, a store stocked with Mexican fruit sodas and snacks, cashier Alberto Gonzalez said the owner may shutter the place. By midday, Gonzalez had only six customers. Normally, he would see about 100.

The B&S convenience store, owned by Keith and Regan Slater, the mayor's son and grandson, lost about 80 percent of its business.

"These people come over here to make a better way of life, not to blow us up," complained Keith Slater, who keeps a portrait of Ronald Reagan on the wall. "I'm a die-hard Republican, but I think we missed the boat with this one."

Since the mid-1990s, Stillmore has grown dependent on the paychecks of Mexican workers, who originally came for seasonal farm labor, picking the area's famous Vidalia onions. Many then took year-round jobs at the Crider plant, with a work force of about 900.

Crider president David Purtle said federal agents began inspecting the company's employment records in May. They found 700 suspected illegal immigrants, and supervisors handed out letters over the summer ordering the 700 to prove they came to the United States legally or be fired. About 100 kept their jobs.

The poultry plant has limped along with half its normal work force. Crider increased its starting wages by $1 an hour to help recruit workers.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 11:16 AM | Permalink

According to a story in the Rocky Mountain News, Colorado farmers are running short of workers and face potential losses of millions of dollars this growing season because of new state laws scaring off immigrant laborers. Excerpts from the article:

Continue reading "Lack Of Farm Workers Leaves Crops Unharvested" »

Posted by Bob Kraft at 07:12 AM | Permalink

As reported in today's Dallas Morning News, the organizers of the much-anticipated MegaVoto drive hoped to register 1000 new voters in Dallas County, but only got 40 to sign up.

The organizers aren't giving up though -- they're going to concentrate their efforts on Latinos who are already registered to vote, and encourage them to go to the polls in greater numbers than in the past.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 07:09 AM | Permalink

According to a story by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, the town of Hazelton, Pennsylvania has granted tentative approval to revisions to its controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act in an attempt to help the law survive legal challenges.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 05:59 AM | Permalink

Hispanic Magazine, in the August 2006 issue, named Dallas as the fourth best U.S. City for Hispanics. The magazine mentioned the fact that more than 1/3 of the residents of Dallas are Hispanic, and the Latino Cultural Center calls Dallas home, as do many Hispanic, Mexican, and Spanish arts programs.

The magazine article said "...several organizations such as the area's Hispanic chamber, Hispanic Bar Association, DFW Hispanic Bankers, a society for Hispanic engineers, the DFW Minority Business Development Council and others make for an excellent support system for Latino professionals."

To satisfy your curiosity, the top three U.S. cities were Miami, San Antonio, and Albuquerque.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 07:33 AM | Permalink

An article in the Mercury News details an Associated Press study showing that the large immigration rallies last Spring have not resulted in increased voter registration among Hispanics. Excerpts from the article:

Protest organizers -- principally unions, Latino advocacy groups and the Catholic Church -- acknowledge that it has been hard to translate street activism into voting clout, though they insist they can reach their goal of 1 million new voters by 2008.

``I was anticipating a huge jump in registration. I didn't see it,'' said Jess Cervantes, a veteran California political operative whose company analyzes Latino voting trends. ``When you have an emotional response, it takes time to evolve.''

It is impossible to count exactly how many new registrants were inspired by the new movement, because counties typically do not ask for race or ethnicity.

New registrations were up this year compared with last year, but they were well below the numbers in 2004, and the increase is not surprising at a time Democrats and Republicans are struggling for control of Congress. Even without that factor, the numbers do not indicate the watershed awakening advocates had envisioned.

Latino voters are a pivotal voting bloc, especially with their numbers projected to continue to grow. But they have long voted in numbers far below their share of the population, in part because many are under 18 or not U.S. citizens. A study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that while Latinos accounted for half the nation's population growth between the 2000 and 2004 elections, they represented only one-tenth of the increase in votes cast.

Posted by Bob Kraft at 06:49 AM | Permalink