The Hispanic Issues Section News Summary will return in mid-January.
Happy Holidays!
As always, I hope you find the referenced news articles informative.
Best Wishes.
Prepared by
John Vasquez
Chair-Elect
Hispanic Issues Section, State Bar of Texas
johnvasq@gmail.com
NOTE: This News Summary is a service of the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas, Brian Hamner, Chair. If you would like to support HIS, visit
http://www.texasbar.com/Template.cfm?Section=Sections and click “MyBarPage” (near the bottom of the page) to join online. For further information, contact the Sections Department at 1-800-204-2222 or (512) 427-1463 ext. 1420.
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Top News
U.S. probes Alabama's funding for court interpreters
The state of Alabama pays for court interpreters in criminal and juvenile proceedings but not civil matters, a practice the U.S. Department of Justice considers a violation of federal civil rights law.
The agency is examining the state's compliance as part of a probe that brought investigators to several Alabama counties earlier this month, a lawyer with the state's Administrative Office of Courts said. The agency has not released any findings, but state law on court interpreters appears to be at odds with Justice Department mandates.
States and local jurisdictions, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and executive order, must provide and pay for court interpreters in both criminal and civil cases, Justice spokesman Alejandro Miyar said. "They have a responsibility to ensure access by persons with limited English proficiency," he said.
In Alabama, however, the state comptroller in accordance with state law will return any bills seeking payment for court interpreters in civil actions, said David Sawyer, a lawyer with the Administrative Office of Courts. And while state law says courts should make interpreters available as needed in civil matters, in practice that does not always happen -- in part because the state only recently began offering certification for court interpreters. In Jefferson County Family Court, for example, domestic violence victims who do not speak English are asked to find people who can interpret for them when they try to obtain a restraining order.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/11/us_probes_alabamas_funding_for.html
Flood Of Immigrants To Long Island Sparks Tension
For decades, the eastern half of Long Island swam in a sea of red sauce. Italian restaurants dotted nearly every strip mall. Now, the mozzarella has some competition.
A recent TV spot that aired in Long Island shows three men sitting around a deli table. The first says in a thick Long Island accent, "Are you kidding? Mi Ranchito has the best pupusas!" The second man indignantly shoots back, "Whadda you know? You think Carleone's has the best empanadas!"
That public service announcement lightheartedly calls for harmony between whites and Hispanics in a community where a flood of immigrants from Latin America has created tension and sometimes violence.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120281312&ps=rs
Do Long Island Police Ignore Hate Crimes?
On a cold November night in Patchogue, Long Island, about 200 immigrants, activists and clergy cluster around a small stage. Hanging over an arrangement of candles in the shape of a peace sign, a poster shows a smiling 37-year-old man named Marcelo Lucero. He was an immigrant from Ecuador who was stabbed to death on this site one year ago.
Lucero's mother, Rosario, has flown in from Ecuador to mark the anniversary of her son's killing. In a quavering voice, she says in Spanish, "The pain that I feel, God will take care of this. I don't feel any hate, nor revenge."
The defendants in the crime are a group of high school students who have said they were out to bash immigrants on a night of what they called "beaner hopping." In this community where the Latino population has grown 40 percent since the new millennium, immigrant advocates say the Lucero murder was the culmination of a growing pattern of immigrant abuse and mistreatment.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120569458&ps=rs
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Texas
Lawmaker: More Hispanics in social studies curriculum or else
AUSTIN — Hispanic leaders on Wednesday assailed a draft social studies curriculum under consideration by the State Board of Education, saying it woefully ignores the role that Hispanics have played in shaping state and national history.
"Latinos make up 40 percent of Texas, and we have made great contributions to this state and to our nation," state Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, told board members. "Unfortunately, your document does a poor job of reflecting this."
Chavez also strongly hinted that she would consider using her position on the House Appropriations Committee to retaliate against the Texas Education Agency if more Hispanics aren’t included in the curriculum before it comes up for a final vote in March. She told reporters that one option would be to "defund textbooks until they do the right thing." But, she added, "that’s absolutely not the goal."
http://www.star-telegram.com/legislature/story/1773693.html
El Paso legislator cites lack of Hispanic history
AUSTIN — State Rep. Norma Chávez warned the State Board of Education on Wednesday to include more Hispanics in new history curriculum standards or risk possible budget scrutiny.
Hispanic children make up a majority of the early elementary grades in the state’s public schools, and the proposed standards give them precious few role models, the El Paso Democrat said.
“They want to see people like themselves,” Chávez said to the board on behalf of the 44-member House Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6728606.html
New consul starts job Monday at Dallas' Mexican Consulate, wants to strengthen relations with immigrants
Mexico's new top diplomat in Dallas says his first priority is to improve relations with Mexican immigrants at his nation's bustling yet troubled consulate.
Juan Carlos Cué Vega, a 51-year-old lawyer, starts his first day of work in Dallas today, a month after his predecessor left amid an investigation into an alleged skimming scam by a consular employee who issued passports, a key service at the consulate.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111609dnmetmexconsul.39ccf06.html
Latinos can record their life stories
StoryCorps Historias, an oral history project seeking to record the stories of Latinos nationwide, will arrive in Houston today, Nov. 19, in the form of a trailer parked at Discovery Green downtown.
The MobileBooth, accompanied by bilingual facilitators and fitted with a recording studio, will remain at the park until Dec. 19. Those interested in telling their stories may call 800-850-4406 to make a reservation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Near Northside resident Edith Foret, 43, will record a story Nov. 20 with her grandmother, Baudelia “Lela” Torres, 89.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/6724679.html
La redistritación, asunto complicado
Los latinos parecen ser la principal razón de que Texas llegue a obtener hasta cuatro representaciones más en el Congreso después del Censo 2010.
Un estudio reciente muestra que más del 60% del crecimiento poblacional de Texas desde 2000 se debe a los latinos.
Gran parte de dicho crecimiento se ha dado en cuatro áreas metropolitanas: Dallas, Houston, Centro de Texas y el Sur de Texas.
http://www.aldiatx.com/sharedcontent/dws/aldia/locales/stories/DN-Olivera_25dia.ART.State.Edition1.4b8a6d8.html
After fence fight, border leaders get proactive with feds
WASHINGTON — After several years of fighting the U.S.-Mexico border fence, a coalition of Texas elected officials is working with the Obama administration on ways to improve border ports and facilitate trade while fighting drug smuggling.
The Texas Border Coalition's involvement with policymaking comes after a bitter tangle with the federal government over construction of the fence that Congress and the White House approved, but border business leaders and human rights groups opposed.
“We've got to work together,” said Chad Foster, Eagle Pass mayor and the coalition's chairman. “But that is where the wheels came off the cart — when there was legislation passed without any consultation.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/After_fence_fight_border_leaders_get_proactive_with_feds.html
Hispanic-focused FuturoFund awards $50,000
When they set out last year to form a Hispanic-focused philanthropy — and to develop a new generation of Latino leaders — the founders of FuturoFund couldn't help but notice the gathering economic storm clouds.
Like other Americans, Central Texans were jittery; many were losing their jobs. Businesses and consumers were slashing expenses. The founders wondered: Was this really the right time to ask people to give hundreds of dollars to support nonprofit causes and charities?
"It was certainly hard for us in terms of membership recruitment. People were kind of holding their breath to see what would happen," said Priscilla Guajardo Cortez, a founding member of FuturoFund.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/27/1127futuro.html
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USA
Perez Plans Restoration, Revitalization of Civil Rights Division
Tom Perez, who was formally installed as the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division on Friday afternoon, laid out an “agenda of restoration and revitalization” in remarks at the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy building.
For Perez, who was officially sworn in to the post on Oct. 8, the ceremonial installation ceremony before an audience that included his family, Justice Department officials and former and current co-workers gave him an opportunity detail his vision of the direction he would to take the Civil Rights Division.
Perez said the division will return to its historical mission of addressing racial discrimination while also confronting the new civil rights challenges of the 21st century.
http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/11/17/perez-plans-restoration-revitalization-of-civil-rights-division/
Tuition, driver’s licenses urged for illegal immigrants
Governor Deval Patrick today will unveil a state-commissioned report that urges him to push for driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, as well as English classes for foreign-born Massachusetts residents who need them.
The issues were the top concerns raised by immigrants across the state during a series of public meetings the governor ordered from 2008 through early this year.
Now they are among 131 recommendations in the “New Americans Agenda,’’ billed as the state’s most comprehensive blueprint for integrating immigrants into Massachusetts.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/11/17/in_state_tuition_drivers_licenses_urged_for_illegal_immigrants/
Hispanic Groups Claim Discrimination
Two weeks from today, almost 48-thousand Ohio vehicle registrations could be cancelled, if the owners of those vehicles don't provide the BMV with either an Ohio drivers license, Ohio i-d card or social security number. Because many of the owners of those vehicles are likely illegal Hispanic immigrants, groups representing Latinos are seeking to stop the cancellations.
Local 12's Rich Jaffe shares a look at why this is suddenly such an important issue.
The League of United Latin American Citizens is filing for a temporary injunction in Columbus to try and get a judge to delay those cancellations until they can argue their case against the process in court. Their attorneys maintain the vehicles in question were legally registered under the old regulations, and this change is not only improper, but discriminatory.
http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Hispanic-Groups-Claim-Discrimination/SliJykbC2kuIpSyJu_I22A.cspx
Large racial discrimination in Illinois student suspensions, expulsions
CHICAGO - A new report says, minority students in Illinois public schools are far more likely than white students to be suspended or expelled.
The Associated Press studied state records, and found a startling racial gap. Between 1999 and last year, expulsions of white students rose 16 percent; but expulsions of black students jumped 56 percent, and there was an 81 percent increase in expulsions of Hispanic students.
The gap is even more pronounced, in student suspensions in the suburbs. Over the past nine years, suspensions of white students actually fell modestly, while suspensions of black students almost doubled.
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-racial-gap-in-student-discipline-nov23,0,3203601.story
Munger man accused of ethnic intimidation, assault has court date rescheduled
Michigan - The court proceedings of a Munger man with alleged white supremacist leanings have suffered another setback. Kevin J. Wellman was scheduled for a preliminary examination in Bay County District Court on Thursday afternoon. Due to a late start, a witness had to leave before testifying, causing the hearing to be adjourned, court records show.
Wellman is charged with assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, assault with a dangerous weapon, driving on a suspended license and ethnic intimidation.
The charges stem from a July 20 incident in which Wellman allegedly struck a 25-year-old Hispanic man with his car after shouting “white power.” The alleged victim, also of Munger, was walking his dog near Burns and German when the assault occurred, troopers from the Michigan State Police’s Bay City Post reported.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/11/munger_man_accused_of_ethnic_i.html
The city of Fort Payne's court interpreters are getting a closer look
Fort Payne, AL (WAFF) - The United States Department of Justice is going the extra mile to make sure people are protected in court. Especially those whose English isn't their primary language.
The city of Fort Payne's court interpreters program is being examined after the a complaint that happened about two years ago when a qualified interpreter wasn't provided in court.
Since that complaint was filed, the U.S. Justice Department says they have provided qualified interpreters in every court.
http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=11532050
Lawsuit seeks to overhaul Florida education policies
Not enough money. Not enough progress.
Florida is violating the state Constitution by not pouring enough money into schools and relentlessly focusing on high-stakes testing policies that aren't getting good results, says a lawsuit expected to be filed Wednesday in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee.
Low graduation rates, stagnant test scores, a persistent effort by lawmakers to shift education costs to school districts -- all of it shows Florida is not living up to a constitutional mandate to provide high quality schools, the suit says.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1339364.html
Gov't rewarding firms checking immigrant status
WASHINGTON -- The Homeland Security Department will give a seal of approval to businesses volunteering to use an electronic program to check workers' immigration status.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the public should know which companies are following the law. The problem is, the program known as E-Verify is still under development, and the law does not require employers to use it. They are required to use a paper system.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/19/AR2009111901800.html
Work site arrests of illegals fall dramatically
Arrests of illegal immigrant workers have dropped precipitously under President Obama, according to figures released Wednesday.
Criminal arrests, administrative arrests, indictments and convictions of illegal immigrants at work sites all fell by more than 50 percent from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009.
The figures show that Mr. Obama has made good on his pledge to shift enforcement away from going after illegal immigrant workers themselves - but at the expense of Americans' jobs, said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the Republican who compiled the numbers from the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/19/work-site-arrests-of-illegals-fall-dramatically/
Commentary: Hate crimes court cases hard to prove
Massachusetts - Last week, the attorney general’s office issued an injunction against two white men charged with a racially motivated attack on a black woman at the Honey Farms convenience store at 241 Grove St.
The two men charged in the alleged attack, John Polydores, 26, of Southbridge Street, and 22-year-old Douglas Griffin of Paxton, are yet to have their day in court. Mr. Polydores is scheduled to go on trial Dec. 14, while a trial date has not yet been set for Mr. Griffin.
If local history is any guide, it is difficult to get a civil rights violation charge (which carries enhanced penalties) to stick.
One of the earliest such cases in the city involved Richard A. Simone and his son, Steven P. Simone, for allegedly assaulting a Hispanic customer who had asked for change at the Simones’ liquor store on Millbury Street.
The two were charged with civil rights violations as well as assault and battery. They were subsequently acquitted of all charges by a jury that deliberated for about an hour.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091127/COLUMN44/911270343
AP IMPACT: Some lawmakers send few to academies
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - As the nation’s military academies try to recruit more minorities, they aren’t getting much help from members of Congress from big-city districts with large numbers of blacks, Hispanics and Asians.
From New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, lawmakers from heavily minority areas rank at or near the bottom in the number of students they have nominated for appointment to West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy or the U.S. Air Force Academy, according to an Associated Press review of records from the past five years.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/nov/20/news/chi-ap-us-militaryacademies
Ohio senator says no to workers comp for illegals
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Republican state senator in Ohio wants to prohibit the nation's largest state-run injured worker insurance program from providing benefits to illegal immigrants, a change he said should lower business premiums.
State Sen. Bill Seitz of Cincinnati said he was shocked to learn during a recent committee meeting that the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation doesn't require injured workers to document their status before providing benefits. Ohio law enables "aliens and minors" to receive workers compensation benefits.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/24/AR2009112401047.html
EDITORIAL: Immigrants, Criminalized
To hard-line opponents of legalization, illegal immigrants are irredeemable lawbreakers by definition, and the only thing they should be waiting for is deportation.
The administration’s job, as it works on a long-overdue reform bill next year, is to resist that view. So it was disheartening to hear Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, boast recently about identifying “more than 111,000 criminal aliens” through a jailhouse fingerprinting program called Secure Communities.
That was misleading. The program, now in 95 cities or counties in 11 states, will ultimately require all local police agencies to check federal immigration databases for anyone after an arrest. It has so far identified a few thousand serious criminals, rapists and burglars, the kinds of people whose removal from the country must be part of any sane immigration strategy. But it also uncovered minor traffic infractions and visa violations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/opinion/27fri2.html?_r=1
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General Interest
ASU, ALRE release major study on Ariz.'s Latino population
While people of Mexican origin have been a vital part of Arizona’s development since pre-statehood days, their history and accomplishments have been largely overlooked. A major new study on Latino issues in Arizona sheds light on the past and present, completed by the Arizona Latino Research Enterprise and Arizona State University.
“The State of Latino Arizona” highlights challenges and issues faced by the Latino community in areas such as economics, education, health, politics and the arts, and it suggests policy implications for the future. The study is among the most in-depth and comprehensive examinations ever done of the issues facing Latinos in Arizona.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20091112_sola
To download the study “The State of Latino Arizona”, go to:
http://www.asu.edu/vppa/asuforaz/
Hospital Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants
ATLANTA — Each had crossed the border years before, smuggled across the desert by a coyote, never imagining the journey would lead to a drab and dusty clinic on the ninth floor of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Some knew before the crossing that they had diabetes or lupus or high blood pressure, but it was only after they arrived that their kidneys began to fail. To survive, they needed dialysis at a cost of about $50,000 a year, which their sporadic work as housekeepers, painters and laborers could not begin to cover.
And so they turned to Grady, a taxpayer-supported safety-net hospital that would provide dialysis to anyone in need, even illegal immigrants with no insurance or ability to pay. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning, the 15 or so patients would settle into their recliners, four to a room, and while away the monotonous three-hour treatments by chitchatting in Spanish.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/policy/21grady.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Commentary: Politico: Hispanics blame Rahm for immigrant ban
Hispanic lawmakers say an old adversary, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, has his fingerprints all over a push to prohibit unauthorized immigrants from buying health insurance plans in a new market for people who don’t get insurance through their employers.
“A forensic study would show it all leads back to Rahm Emanuel and the White House,” said Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who worked with Emanuel when the president’s top aide was in the House.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Politico_Hispanics_blame_Rahm_for_immigrant_ban.html
UNI hears minority concerns
CEDAR FALLS - They've been hearing about these kinds of incidents for years. Decades even.
Students are hit or taunted because of their skin color. Food and drinks are thrown out of moving cars at people on the street.
To the University of Northern Iowa professors in attendance at a recent meeting of the Hispanic/Latino Student Union, a recent swath of vandalism and threats toward a few ethnic groups on campus is nothing new.
http://www.wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_9a947b7e-d2ab-11de-94dd-001cc4c002e0.html
Ill. Senate To Study School Discipline Racial Gap
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― The Illinois Senate will try to find the cause of a gaping racial disparity in how schoolchildren are disciplined, officials said Tuesday.
Lawmakers will form a study group to review numbers reported by The Associated Press that show blacks account for half of all student suspensions even though they make up only one-fifth of the enrollment.
"It's off the chart," said Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat who decided on a task force after seeing the AP's analysis indicating black suspensions have jumped 75 percent in the past decade — during a time that black enrollment has steadily decreased.
http://cbs2chicago.com/wireapnewsil/Ill.lawmakers.want.2.1331856.html
Commentary: Employee fleecings ignored
The calls come every week.
"Hello, my name is Ernesto," "Me llamo Rosa," "I am Enrique, and I wonder if you can help," callers begin.
Their accents are thick. Their voices sound angry and vulnerable. And their messages are the same: They've been ripped off, robbed of their pay in a crime wave nobody talks about.
"All I have is my labor. And my labor's been stolen," Manuel Ruiz told me. "I thought the people should know."
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13819749
Latinos sufren los mayores abusos salariales
Los trabajadores latinos sufren las cotas más altas de violaciones por impago de salarios mínimos y horas extras, según un estudio del Consejo Laboral para el Avance del Trabajador Latinoamericano (LCLAA), dado a conocer este jueves.
El informe, de 72 páginas, analiza los casos de 4,387 trabajadores de industrias en las que se pagan bajos salarios en Nueva York, Los Angeles y Chicago, para averiguar si se violaron sus derechos laborales.
En concreto, se analizó si se estaban cumpliendo sus derechos a cobrar al menos el salario mínimo, a cobrar sus horas extras, a contar con un descanso para comer, a tener acceso a un fondo de compensación en caso de accidente laboral o a reclamar mejoras en sus condiciones de trabajo.
http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/estados-unidos/story/591882.html
Commentary: Hate speech takes focus
This past weekend students and members from the Fresno community united for a similar cause, only this time they did not walk out, they stayed in. The group staged a study-in Friday at California State University, Fresno’s Henry Madden Library to extend the library’s hours, wanting more availability to services funded by increasing student tuition fees.
As with the walkout, critics were fast to denounce the movement as news of the event became the top story on local news stations. The Collegian’s Web site provided breaking news updates and photographs to provide readers with inside coverage as the overnight event progressed. And what seems to be a continuing trend with the online comments this semester, The Collegian became a bulletin board for hate speech.
Comments quickly veered away from the demonstration and any relevant issues at hand as derogatory references to particular ethnic groups became the focal point of the online discussion. Hispanics were marginalized, perhaps because the demonstrators chanted “si se puede,” a Spanish translation of Obama’s hope-filled campaign slogan “yes we can,” at the onset of the study-in.
http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/11/23/hate-speech-takes-focus/comment-page-1/
Are We Racially Color Blind Yet?
In a politically correct world, we’re supposed to pretend that we don’t notice differences between people. But in our effort to make everyone feel good about how racially-sensitive they are toward others, we delude ourselves in thinking that race doesn’t matter any more. Sadly, the research suggests otherwise. There continues to exist significant racial disparities in our country, disparities that directly impact millions of people’s lives every day.
Pager et al. (2009) wanted to see if individuals of different races who had the same fictitious resumes would be treated equally when they applied for real, entry-level, low-wage positions throughout New York City. The researchers trained teams of participants — each of which included a white, black and Latino — to act and dress in a similar manner during the interview process. The participants were “chosen on the basis of their verbal skills, interactional styles (level of eye-contact, demeanor, and verbosity), and physical attractiveness.”
Across the board, the whites of the teams were offered jobs more often than either blacks or Latinos. Many times the white candidates were also channeled to better positions than the one that the employer advertised. Blacks and Latinos, on the other hand, were only half as likely to be offered a job compared to whites. And when they were offered a job, it was often a lower-paying, inferior position than the position advertised.
And here’s the real kicker — employers chose a white applicant who was just released from prison just as often as they chose a black or Latino applicant with a clean background. In many employers’ minds, a white criminal is on equal footing with non-criminal blacks and Latinos.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/11/16/are-we-racially-color-blind-yet/
To read the study “Discrimination in a Low-Wage Labor Market: A Field Experiment”, go to:
http://ftp.iza.org/dp4469.pdf
Univision brings Spanish-language programming to YouTube
Spanish language broadcast network Univision has cut a deal with YouTube to bring its programming to the online video network.
Both short-form and long-form shows will be available beginning in the first quarter of 2010. Programs from Univision's 3 networks, Univision, TeleFuture and Galavision, will be featured. Shows include Don Francisco Presenta and the Cristina talk show.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/11/univision-brings-spanishlanguage-programming-to-youtube.html
Schools’ Grades Reflect Persistent Disparity
Over the last three years, high schools that received the lowest marks from the city have been the ones with the highest percentages of poor, black and Hispanic students, despite an evaluation system that was meant to equalize differences among student bodies, according to an analysis by The New York Times of school grades released this week.
Blacks and Hispanics make up on average 77 percent of the student population in the 139 schools that received A’s this past year, compared with more than 90 percent of the schools that received C’s or worse. While the vast majority of A schools have a high minority enrollment, 14 of the 15 largest high-performing schools in the city have drastically lower black and Hispanic enrollment.
As a result, black and Hispanic students over all are more likely to attend a school that scored lower under the city’s grading system: 34 percent of black and Hispanic students attend a high school that received a C or worse, compared with 15 percent of whites and Asians.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/education/18grades.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=hispanics&st=cse
In Texas, Hispanics hit hardest by H1N1
Hispanics accounted for more than half of the 95 swine flu-related deaths in Texas in the first six months of the H1N1 pandemic, an analysis by the state health department found.
Hispanics predominate in the state’s southernmost counties, where 28 percent of the H1N1 deaths happened through Oct. 17.
The area “clearly is the hot spot” for the state’s H1N1 deaths, said Dr. Joseph McCormick, regional dean of the University of Texas School of Public Health in Brownsville.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sacultura/In_Texas_Hispanics_hit_hardest_by_H1N1.html
Forced labour and rape, the new face of slavery in America
Human trafficking has become a major issue in the Midwest heartland of America, causing some campaigners to dub it a modern form of slavery.
Figures from the State Department reveal that 17,500 people are trafficked into the US every year against their will or under false pretences, mainly to be used for sex or forced labour. Experts believe that, when cases of internal trafficking are added, the total number of victims could be up to five times larger. And increasing numbers of trafficked individuals are being transported thousands of miles from America's coasts and into heartland states such as Ohio and Michigan.
In one recent incident a 16-year-old Mexican girl was found to have been trafficked across the US border. Doctors noticed the heavily pregnant girl showed clear signs of physical abuse when she was brought into a hospital in Dayton to give birth. The police were called but the couple who had brought her had already fled. When the girl's story emerged, it became clear she had been kept against her will in the nearby city of Springfield and used for labour and sex. "I thought slavery ended a few centuries ago. But here it is alive and well," said Springfield's sheriff, Gene Kelly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/22/people-trafficking-usa-prostitution-ohio/print
FBI: Crece 'odio' hacia los latinos
Los crímenes por odio aumentaron en 2008 en relación con el año previo, en especial contra las personas de origen hispano, que representaron el 64% de todos los casos de violencia por motivos étnicos, reportó ayer la Oficina Federal de Investigaciones ( FBI).
En su reporte anual de Crímenes de Odio, la FBI señaló que fueron reportados 7,783 incidentes que involucraron a un total de 9,683 víctimas y a 6,927 infractores, un aumento en relación con las cifras de 2007.
Por comparación, el total de incidentes reportados en 2007 fueron 7,624, con un total de 9,523 víctimas.
http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/nacion/vvl2-nac_crimenes_1124nov24%2C0%2C7509317.story
Claws come out after Maldonado's selection
Now the infighting begins.
Democrats fired back only minutes after Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado was appointed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the vacant office of lieutenant governor.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg questioned the cost: Wouldn't California be better served spending $2 million to defray college tuition rather than for a special election to fill Maldonado's Senate seat should lawmakers confirm him?
http://www.sacbee.com/politics/story/2348763.html
Ex-CNN host Lou Dobbs considers NJ Senate run en route to possible White House bid
HILLSIDE, N.J. (AP) — Former CNN host Lou Dobbs is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 2012 as a stepping stone to a possible White House bid — a congressional matchup that would pit one of illegal immigration's biggest critics against a champion for immigrant rights.
Dobbs spokesman Robert Dilenschneider told The Associated Press Wednesday that Dobbs may challenge Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, but is considering other offers he's received since his abrupt exit from CNN on Nov. 11 after 29 years on the news network.
"A logical step for Lou, should he choose to go into public life, is to run for the next Senate seat in New Jersey, or to accept some kind of appointed position, nationally or in New Jersey," Dilenschneider said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-us-lou-dobbs-senate,0,2823095.story
Policía pide a hispanos que denuncien delitos en Luisiana
El orificio en la espalda de Alvaro Peralta es bien visible. En el pecho tiene una marca azul y negra en el sitio donde está alojada la bala.
Este jornalero de 36 años sabe que él y otros individuos que fueron asaltados el 17 de octubre cerca de un edificio de apartamentos de la Carolyn Avenue fueron elegidos porque no son del lugar.
Las autoridades locales están haciendo un esfuerzo sin precedentes para evitar que Peralta y otros inmigrantes --muchos de ellos sin papeles-- sigan siendo víctimas y para que acudan a la policía cuando es necesario.
http://www.aldiatx.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9C7BA281.html
Residen en EU más de cinco millones de niños de origen mexicano
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO — En Estados Unidos residen más de cinco millones de niños de origen mexicano reveló un reporte divulgado hoy por El Vaticano, con motivo de la publicación del mensaje del papa Benedicto XVI para la Jornada Mundial del Migrante.
El informe, basado en datos del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (Unicef), mostró estadísticas sobre la presencia de menores extranjeros en ocho países ricos del mundo.
Las estadísticas se publican en vísperas de la Jornada Mundial del Migrante, a realizarse en enero de 2010, y muestran que 22 por ciento de todos los niños estadounidenses ha nacido de, al menos, un padre inmigrante.
http://www.diariolaestrella.com/151/story/106514.html
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