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June 2008
Dems: McCain “flip-flopped” on immigration
A group of state and local Hispanic lawmakers on Friday accused presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain of “flip-flopping” on immigration.
The comments came at a press conference during the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) annual gathering.
A McCain spokesperson denounced the accusations as “a pathetic, partisan ploy.”
McCain and presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, are scheduled to appear before the NALEO convention separately on Saturday as they wage an aggressive battle for Latino voters.
McCain has been popular with Hispanics in large part because he championed a measure that would have given many illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. The measure died in the Senate last year, after strong opposition from conservatives.
However, McCain has backed away from his immigration bill during the campaign, saying that the border must be secure before any legalization efforts.
Ana Navarro, who co-chairs McCain’s Hispanic avisory board, said that the charges are false.
“John McCain risked his political skin” on the immigration bill and is committed to immigration reform, she said.
McCain recognizes that a new bill must be crafted to accomplish that goal and to regain the confidence of the American people, she said.
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Another federal police official killed in Mexico.
A high-ranking federal police official and his bodyguard were assassinated in Mexico City Thursday, the latest in a string of killings attributed to drug cartels seeking revenge against law enforcement agencies, the Washington Post reported Friday.
“The killings appear to be part of a recent coordinated effort by drug cartels to go after the federal police agency, which is generally thought to be less corrupt than most state and local police forces,” the story days.
Read more here.
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NALEO: Clinton “our sister, defender of Hispanics”
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials scored some big name speakers at its annual convention Thursday, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Adolfo Carrion, NALEO president, introduced Clinton in Spanish as “our friend, our sister, the defender of Hispanics in the United States” and “the champion of Hispanics.”
Clinton thanked Latinos for their support during her hard fought yet unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination and urged them to vote for her rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
“I was moved by the millions of Latinos who participated, from New York and New Jersey to South Texas and California,” Clinton said. “There was an activism and involvement that I haven’t seen before.”
She also said that the lives of Latinos and all Americans will improve if Obama is elected president and called him a man of “passion and determination.”
“We have to win this,” she said. “We cannot allow for four more years of the same. It won’t be good for any of us.”
Clinton also vowed that an Obama presidency would bring an immigration reform that includes an “earned path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants, stronger border security, and worker protections against possible exploitation.
As she spoke, a woman in the crowd screamed, “We love you, Hillary.” She answered, “I love you, too.”
Both major party presumptive nominees — Obama and Republican John McCain of Arizona — will speak at the convention on Saturday.
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NALEO: 9.2 million Latinos to vote in November
A record 9.2 million Latino voters will cast ballots in this year’s November election, according to projections released Thursday by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
The influential group — known as NALEO — also released a report which showed Hispanic voters are most concerned about the economy, the Iraq war, access to affordable healthcare, education issues, and immigration reform.
The expected surge in Hispanic voters follows an aggressive campaign by NALEO and other Latino groups and Spanish-language networks to promote citizenship and voter registration.
“We are at the turning point of history,” said Adolfo Carrion, president of NALEO. “We are the fastest-growing sector of this country.”
The group kicked off its annual conference in the nation’s capital with big-name speakers, showing the growing importance of Hispanics in the election.
Both major party presumptive nominees — Democrat Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican John McCain of Arizona — will speak at the convention on Saturday.
Political analysts say that Latinos could be a crucial voting bloc in several contested states such as Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida.
“Latinos hold the key to the White House,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “Latinos will decide who will be the next president of the United States.”
Pelosi squeaked out a speech despite a major case of laryngitis.
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Increased funding nixed for immigration enforcement by localities
The Democratic majority among House appropriators rejected attempts Tuesday to boost spending for a program that trains local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws.
Rep. John Carter, a Texas Republican, tried to add $12 million for the controversial program, named “278-g” for a section of federal immigration law. Fans say partnering with localities is the way to combat illegal immigrant gangs and serious crime, but foes say the program results in ethnic profiling and intimidates the immigrant community.
The House Appropriations Committee, working on spending levels for the 2009 fiscal year that begins next September, voted to keep funding at the current level, which is $42 million. That would be enough to continue the training for up to 176 localities, said Rep. David Price, D-N.C., who noted the program has grown sevenfold since 2006.
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Clinton to speak to Latino conference
In her first major public appearance since suspending her presidential campaign, Sen. Hillary Clinton will speak Thursday to about a thousand members of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
The event will take place in Washington at the group’s annual conference, according to a press release.
“Senator Clinton has been a real champion for our community,” said Adolfo Carrion, Jr., NALEO president. “We’re excited to continue the conversation about how we move the country forward on the issues we all care about.”
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, will also speak at the convention in separate forums on Saturday, June 28.
On the same night, NALEO will give an award for outstanding public service to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, often mentioned as a possible running mate for Obama.
Read more about the convention here.
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More visas for fashion models
Tall, thin and beautiful foreigners could get their own visa category under legislation moving on Capitol Hill.
Weiner contends that the models are vital to the fashion industry, particularly in his home state of New York and that the current system forces models to compete for visas with high tech workers and others.
“A simple way to create and protect jobs in New York City is to fix the glitch in the law that has lumped high tech workers with fashion models,” said Weiner, who is considered a possible future contender for mayor of the Big Apple.
The measure was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 20-3.
Currently, fashion models have to compete with engineers and other high tech workers for H-1B visas which are given to well educated foreign citizens.
Despite intense lobbying by power house companies such as Microsoft, the mandated cap on H-1B visas has remained at 65,000 for years. Another 20,000 are given to foreign citizens with advanced degrees from American universities.
This year, requests for the permits reached an all-time high with nearly 163,000 applications received in the first five days the process was open. After that, requests were sent back.
In fiscal year 2007, fashion models received 349 of the H-1B visas, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In fiscal year 2006, they received 438. Earlier in the decade, fashion models received about twice as many.
The visas allow companies to bring in foreign workers for up to three years, with an option to renew for another three. Bruce Morrison, a former Congressman who lobbies for a coalition of fashion industry businesses, said that photo shoots and fashion shows will move overseas if companies can’t get the models they want in the United States. As a result, U.S. photographers, make up artists, support staff, and others will lose money, he said. In addition, he said that American models lose the chance of working at events that move overseas. “This is about millions of dollars that would go abroad that will be spent in America,” Morrison said. He also described the legislation as a “technical correction” because models should have never been included in the H-1B category. The measure would create a new subcategory of visa, called the P-4. It specifies that the visa would apply to fashion models involved in “events or productions which have a distinguished reputation” or that are performed by organizations with a record of using “prominent modeling talent.” P visas are also used for athletes and entertainers who enter the United States for short periods of time. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates lower levels of immigration, said he wasn’t concerned about the possibility of the new visa category for models because it would affect a small number of people and does not provide permanent legal residency. In addition, he said it made sense for fashion models to be removed from the H-1B category. Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, said that Weiner might consider an easier way to get more visas for fashion models — making them exempt from the H-1B cap. Such legislation would have a chance of passing quietly as an amendment to a larger bill, he said. However, any immigration legislation faces tough scrutiny in the current political environment, he added. For example, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., has been trying to pass a measure to increase visas for low skilled non-agricultural workers with no success. Papademetriou, who helped draft the 1990 legislation that created H-1B visas, also said that lawmakers never envisioned that fashion models would use them. “I can’t think of a single conversation where somebody said, ‘what about fashion models?’” he said.
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Democrats pushing more immigration enforcement money
Going into November’s elections, House and Senate Democrats are outbidding the White House on spending for immigration enforcement, Politico reported Tuesday.
The lawmakers are putting a “special emphasis” on deporting people convicted of drug offenses and violent crimes, the story says.
Although Democrats are divided on the immigration issue, “targeting convicted criminals is seen as safe ground for the party,” according to Politico.
Read the story here.
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Clinton’s former chief of staff joins Obama campaign
Solis Doyle has a high profile in the Latino community. As Clinton’s campaign manager, she received much favorable press in the Spanish-language media including long profiles where she lavished praise on her boss.
The Washington Post says that Doyle and Clinton now have a “strained relationship.”
Doyle will be chief of staff to Obama’s future vice presidential pick.
Read more here.
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Hispanic Caucus pushes Obama on immigration
Hispanic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressuring Sen. Barack Obama to commit to helping illegal immigrants achieve citizenship or else risk losing the vital Latino vote in the general election, according to The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress.
“Hillary holds the entire Latino community in the palm of her hand,” Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., told The Hill.
Obama has said that he supports a “comprehensive” immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly reported that some female Hispanic House members, who supported Clinton in the primary, are angry that Obama has not reached out to them.
“We were told that he was going to make some approach to us to join the fold,” Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., told CQ on Thursday. “I haven’t heard from Mr. Obama.”
Read The Hill story here.
Read the Congressional Quarterly story here.
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ICE opens info sharing office in Mexico City
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has teamed up with the Mexican government to open an office in Mexico City to share information and cooperate on investigations.
The office — known as a Trade Transparency Unit — will help “identify and eliminate trade-based money laundering systems, which facilitate the illegal movement of criminal proceeds across international borders,” said ICE, in a press release Thursday.
The money often fuels drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism, ICE said.
The announcement was made by Julie Myers (pictured), who heads ICE, and her Mexican counterpart, Juan Jose Bravo Moises, administrator general for Mexico Customs.
ICE said that Mexico Customs provided “an incredible volume of trade data - three full years worth of transactions.”
“Mexico’s cooperation has proven unprecedented and is the largest such initiative ICE has undertaken in our efforts to combat the rise in complex and sophisticated financial and trade crimes around the world,” Myers said.
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Is Lou Dobbs running for governor of New Jersey?
The New Jersey Star-Ledger said today that CNN commentator Lou Dobbs might be considering a run for governor of New Jersey, the state where he lives.
The paper called Dobbs at his home, a 300-acre horse farm.
“Dobbs would not say whether he has any such plans. Asked if he wanted to deny it, Dobbs said, ‘I’m just not going to comment,’” the paper said.
A Dobbs’ run for governor would surely be controversial.
The CNN anchor has angered Hispanic groups with his constant coverage of illegal immigration. They say Dobbs’ program is one-sided and offensive to Latinos.
Dobbs has denied charges of xenophobia.
Read the Star-Ledger story here.
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McCain releases another Spanish language ad, titled “Cuba prisoners”
Sen. John McCain released another Spanish-language radio ad Wednesday which features the voice of Roberto Martin Perez, who spent 28 years as a political prisoner in Cuba.
Perez says in the spot that “while some support a dialogue with Raul Castro, John McCain believes we should support the the courageous men and women who continue to stand up for freedom in Cuba.”
Perez also says that McCain “knows that freedom in Cuba won’t be achieved with concessions to dictatorships.”
Here is a translation of the entire ad provided by the McCain campaign:
ROBERTO MARTIN PEREZ: This is Roberto Martin Perez, Cuban political prisoner for 28 years. The harsh reality is that millions of my fellow Cuban citizens are prisoners in their own country.
Despite this, our spirit remains resilient; and John McCain knows that Raul Castro is like his brother, a man that does almost anything to stay in power, violating the fundamental rights of Cubans.
Now, he allows them to use cell phones and computers, but at the same time, censors the right to speak.
While some support a dialogue with Raul Castro, John McCain believes we should support the courageous men and women who continue to stand up for freedom in Cuba.
Rather than resume relations with Raul Castro, John McCain wants first and foremost for all political prisoners to be released.
As someone who has survived the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese prisons, John McCain knows that freedom in Cuba won’t be achieved with concessions to dictatorships.
JOHN MCCAIN: I’m John McCain and I approve this message.
Listen to the ad in Spanish here.
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Bush administration defends E-Verify
The nation’s top immigration official on Tuesday defended a federal system — known as E-Verify — that allows businesses to check the legal status of workers.
Scharfen testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, amid growing concerns that the verification system could mistakenly reject legal residents and citizens.
Scharfen said that 99.5 percent of all people authorized to work are verified immediately through the E-Verify system.
E-Verify is currently voluntary in most states, but several proposals in Congress would make it a requirement for all U.S. businesses.
In addition, the White House announced Monday that President Bush has signed an executive order that requires all future government contractors to verify whether their employees are in the United States legally.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, pointed to the case of Traci Hong, a naturalized citizen who is an attorney that works for the panel. Hong was run through the E-Verify system last year and was not immediately approved.
It took six separate trips to the Social Security office to fix the problem, Lofgren said. “And she is an immigration lawyer working for the chair of the immigration subcommittee.”
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House passes Merida Initiative
Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., a hardliner on illegal immigration, praised his colleagues Tuesday for passing a measure that devotes $1.6 billion to fight drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America.
The House passed the measure — known as the Merida Initiative — by a vote of 311-106.
“The drug wars in Mexico and in other regions have grown horrendously violent and their destructive ways must be quashed,” Bilbray said, in a statement.
Bilbray chairs the Immigration Reform Caucus, which seeks stronger immigration enforcement.
Some conservatives oppose the Merida Initiative, saying that it unjustly gives millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Mexico.
“It is inexcusable, it is intolerable to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves,” said Rep. John Culberson, a Texas Republican, according to Congressional Quarterly. “But more importantly, our Southern border is not secure.”
Bilbray said the measure will authorize “a whole litany” of equipment, training, and other assistance.
It will provide helicopters, surveillance equipment, computer infrastructure, expansion of intelligence databases, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights education and training, and anti-money laundering programs, he said.
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Religious leaders: stop “hateful rhetoric” on immigration
A group of religious leaders in Florida on Tuesday urged federal, state and local officials to refrain from “hateful rhetoric” on immigration.
The group — Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform — said in a letter and press release that Congress’ failure to enact a broad immigration bill last year has created “a heated environment where unfounded blame is all too commonly placed on undocumented immigrants. ”
The bill, which would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and created a guest worker program, died in the Senate last year, after strong protests from conservatives.
“As Christians in our respective churches we have seen firsthand the human toll borne by the men, women, and children caught in the trap of our broken immigration system,” said Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland Church in Orlando. “It does not reflect the spirit of Christ to demonize people, all of whom are made in God’s image, especially those who He would recognize as the most vulnerable among us.”
See the letter here.
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Europe legalizes thousand of illegal immigrants
The New York Times today looks at southern Europe’s efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece have run at least 15 legalization programs in the last two decades, the article says.
A Spanish effort three years ago that was among the largest.
“With little domestic opposition, Spain legalized nearly 600,000 of the African, Latin American and eastern European workers who helped power its economy and brought this once insular land the strengths and strains of diversity,” the Times said.
Read more here.
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Feds must check workers’ legal status
Federal contractors must verify that their employees are in the United States legally, under an executive order signed by President Bush.
The White House announced Monday that the president signed the order last week.
It says that the executive branch will “enforce fully the immigration laws of the United States, including the detection and removal of illegal aliens and the imposition of legal sanctions against employers that hire illegal aliens.”
The order allows Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff to determine what verification system future contractors must use. He chose a federal system known as E-Verify.
Using the Internet-based system, which is currently voluntary, an employer can check within seconds whether employees are in the United States legally by comparing their information to electronic government records.
If the information doesn’t match, the employee has an opportunity to correct the paperwork, often through a trip to a Social Security office.
Critics — including civil rights organizations and Hispanic groups — have assailed E-verify, saying that it relies on faulty government databases and would cause thousands of citizens and legal residents to be mistakenly rejected for work. They also say it would cripple the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Read more here.
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Obama, McCain to speak at National Council of La Raza
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization, announced on Monday that presumptive presidential nominees Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will speak at the group’s annual conference in July in San Diego.
“The presumptive presidential nominees and other government and business leaders speaking at NCLR’s annual conference will address a Latino community that is strengthening its political voice and engaging in campaigns, voter registration, and citizenship drives as never before,” said Janet Murguia, NCLR president.
McCain and Obama are both going after Latino voters aggressively. Hispanics could be a key voting bloc in several swing states such as Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
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McCain launches Spanish-language radio ad
Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, launched a new Spanish language radio ad on Wednesday, entitled “Economy.”
It will run in Nevada and New Mexico, two states with large Hispanic populations.
Here is a translation of the ad:
ANNOUNCER: “When we are buying groceries, we don’t have a political party. When we are filling up the gas tank, we are not Republicans, Democrats or Independents. We are Hispanics, and we all are hurting together in this uncertain economic time. We need someone that has a good economic plan, and that is John McCain. His plan is a realistic plan, not a political one, and it will help jump-start the local and national economies.
He proposed to Congress a federal gas-tax holiday for the summer months. He wants middle-class families to pay less taxes so we can have more money in our pocket and less in Washington. And he wants to help families hurt by the housing crisis under his HOME Plan.
He is optimistic and knows that we all, united together, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, can find a better way to fill up our tanks, our shopping carts, and our dreams.
That’s why in Nevada, we are united with John McCain.”
JOHN MCCAIN: “I’m John McCain and I approve this message.”
Listen to the ad here.
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Study: Economic downturn hitting Latinos hard
The nation’s economic downturn — especially a slump in the construction industry — is having a disproportionate impact on Hispanic workers, a study released Wednesday found.
Hispanics have lost nearly 250,000 jobs over the past year in the construction sector alone, pushing their unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) to 6.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. By comparison, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanics was 4.7 percent, said the study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a non-partisan research group in Washington.
“Hispanics had a rough time in the labor market in 2007,” said Rakesh Kochhar, associate director for research at the Pew Hispanic Center and author of the report.
Latino immigrants, especially Mexicans and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most, said the study.
Despite the increase in unemployment, there are no signs that Latinos are are leaving the labor force, the study found.
“For now, they are here and actively looking for work,” Kochhar said.
Immigrants in the study include all foreign-born people living in the United States, including those who are in the United States illegally. The study does not identify whether the workers are legal or illegal because the source material from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not include that information.
The Pew Hispanic Center has estimated that illegal immigrants account for about 5 percent of the U.S. workers and about one-third of foreign-born workers. Illegal immigrants are over-represented in certain industries such as construction where they account for 12 percent of employees.
See the study here.
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Elizabeth Dole blogs on immigration
Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina said on her campaign blog Tuesday that “liberal politicians in Raleigh” were partly to blame for the state’s big increase in illegal immigrants.
“They’ve come here for two primary reasons. First, North Carolina has historically had a growing economy, so there were jobs. Second, the liberal politicians in Raleigh were very slow to address our lax laws regarding identification, so it was very easy to get a driver’s license in North Carolina,” she said.
Dole, who is facing a tough challenge from Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan, is making the fight against illegal immigration a centerpiece of her campaign.
Her first television ad released last week touted a program that helps local police partner with federal agencies to identify, apprehend and deport illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.
According to Politico, the state-wide ad buy cost about $500,000 — a sizable chunk of the $3.2 million Dole reported in mid-April, in her latest filing report.
On the blog, Dole also quoted figures from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) about the cost of illegal immigrants to North Carolina. FAIR, which advocates lower levels of immigration, has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization based in Montgomery, Ala.
Read more of Dole’s blog, here.
See her TV ad here.
