Matt.org Blogs

BioMetric ID Cards: Help or Hindrance?

Cristina — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:14:00 GMT

Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham have proposed using biometric identification cards as a requirement to work in the U.S. The cards would use fingerprint or hand data to identify every American in the workforce, making it harder for undocumented immigrants to gain work inside the country.

I came across this video on YouTube discussing the issue in detail:

What do you think?

Would a national ID program an invasion of privacy, as the Cato Institute's Jim Harper argues, or would it help with enforcement?

"The President Needs to Step it Up"

Cristina — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:54:25 GMT

"The President Needs to Step it Up"

-Senator Lindsey Graham, to POLITICO, this past Tuesday

I feel like I've been providing piecemeal immigration updates for months now, analyzing every update, summit, delayed meeting, and Obama quote that materializes-- which reminds me, the meeting that was supposed to take place on Monday between Lindsey Graham and Obama was delayed until today.

But alas, I digress.

Every once in a while it's important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This article in politico does just that. If you haven't been following the winding course, just read it and you'll pretty much know what I know. Some key excerpts:

Graham, less than thrilled at the notion of providing the equivalent of a book report to the headmaster in chief, said Obama’s lack of direction on immigration reform is hampering Graham’s efforts to recruit additional Republicans to the cause...For the past six months, Graham and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)...have worked on a reform framework. Their plan, which hasn’t been introduced yet, includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (a liberal must-have) while sweetening the pot for moderates by proposing tough new safeguards, including a biometric national ID card for workers. To the frustration of many reform advocates, Obama has kept his opinions of the possible deal vague, giving a head nod to reform in his State of the Union speech but not much more.

Another obstacle is bad timing:

At the moment, only a few brave congressional souls have walked the reform gangplank. With health care blanketing the capital like a horror-movie fog, and jobs, climate change and budget bills next in line for consideration, the chances of passing a politically risky immigration reform bill are somewhere between nil and exceptionally remote. The hope, instead, is to build a consensus around a measure that could pass sometime in the not too distant, non-election-year future.

Still, the risks of NOT acting this year are great.

The tough part for Obama, however, is that the Obama-Graham-Schumer summit is also being closely watched by Hispanic groups, who are demanding proof of action as a reward for their overwhelming support of Obama in 2008. With a massive March 21 pro-immigration reform rally planned for Washington, and Latinos the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, Obama can ill afford to alienate them.

“For the Latino community in this country, it’s the civil rights issue of their time, so delay obviously adds to disillusionment,” said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a Cuban-American who has urged the administration to move more quickly.

That opinion is shared by a collection of Hispanic groups, who have pressured the White House in forceful terms, threatening to withdraw support if Obama doesn’t follow through on his commitment.

This is a tough one. As important as immigration reform is, it's only going to happen if Congress hears that's what Americans want. If you care about immigration reform, you'll take a moment to sign our petition and reach out to your rep- a phone call or simple letter will do- and tell them to pass comprehensive immigration reform now.

If you do nothing, don't be disappointed when nothing happens.

Today's the Day

Cristina — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:18:29 GMT

While campaigning, Obama promised to address comprehensive immigration reform in 2009. Unfortunately, we saw it get pushed back as the ailing economy and a mammoth fight over health care reform took priority. In the meantime, many activist groups have grown tired of waiting, and plan a D.C. demonstration on March 21 to call for reform now.

Today, President Barack Obama will sit down with Senators Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham to finally talk immigration reform this evening. In anticipation of this event, the blogosphere has once again lit up on the issue, which is just beginning to reemerge from the shadows. Last June, Schumer introduced his seven pillars of reform, which are expected to be part of the Senate’s CIR bill.

Clarissa Martines De Castro, Director, Immigration and National Campaigns at the National Council of La Raza, asserted in the Huffington Post:

With the Congressional legislative runway getting crowded and time running out before the November elections, it is time to land this plane. Monday’s meeting must be followed by a clear, bipartisan proposal and a firm timeline for Senate action. Anything less will be regarded as more stalling by the tens of thousands coming to DC to march in two weeks.

FireDogLake reports that many grassroots organizations held a press conference today to criticize the administration’s handling of reform, specifically for "escalating immigrant deportations and call for an immediate end to all of them until the government enacts comprehensive immigration reform." Additionally:

Angelica Salas, the executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased over 60% since the beginning of the Obama Administration’s term, what comes out to 1,000 immigrants a day. She warned that Hispanic voters supported the Obama candidacy because they expected a change in policy, in particular an end to the raids and the separation of families.

I am eager to see what agreements today’s meeting produces. Updates coming soon.

Obama Revisits Reform

Cristina — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:31:30 GMT

According to the LA Times, President Obama is turning his focus to immigration reform now-- despite reports that the chances had been growing slimmer by the minute. While the President had promised to address immigration reform his first year in office, it fell to the wayside in '09 when the economy and health care took priority (the latter of which is still struggling to materialize into actual law.)

Signs that the tide may be turning? According to the article:

Obama took up the issue privately with his staff Monday in a bid to advance a bill through Congress before lawmakers become too distracted by approaching midterm elections.

In the session, Obama and members of his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to resuscitate the effort in a White House meeting with two senators -- Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- who have spent months trying to craft a bill.

According to a person familiar with the meeting, the White House may ask Schumer and Graham to at least produce a blueprint that could be turned into legislative language.

The basis of a bill would include a path toward citizenship for the 10.8 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Citizenship would not be granted lightly, the White House said. Undocumented workers would need to register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law. Failure to comply might result in deportation.

The timeline is ambitious-- "a proposal must move by April or early May to have a realistic chance of passing this year", or risk being lost in the heat of the November Congressional elections. And given that an immigration rally is set to take place in Washington later this month, it really is now or never before the momentum is gone. Regardless, the risks of NOT pushing forward are too great:

Immigration is a delicate issue for the White House. After promising to revamp in his first year of office what many see as a fractured system, Obama risks angering a growing, politically potent Latino constituency if he defers the goal until 2011.

Congressman's Luis Gutierrez's CIR ASAP bill, which he introduced into the House this past December, is considered far too liberal to have a chance of passing. Therefore, the biggest obstacle will be gaining bipartisan support for a comprehensive bill. And according to the LA Times article, it won't be easy:

Schumer, speaking as he walked quickly through the Capitol, said he was having trouble rounding up Republican supporters apart from Graham. "It's tough finding someone, but we're trying," Schumer said.

On Thursday, Schumer met with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who oversees the government's immigration efforts, to strategize over potential Republican co-sponsors.

"We're very hopeful we can get a bill done. We have all the pieces in place. We just need a second Republican," Schumer said in a statement.

If immigration reform is to have any real chance, it's up to Schumer and Graham to reach a breakthrough compromise. When and if they do, Obama has indicated he's ready to support the bill. The reality is that Schumer and Graham need all the help they can get. Now more than ever it's critical that we write our Congress-members and ask them to support a comprehensive bill, and sign our petition asking them to take action now!

Art Against the Wall

Cristina — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:42:11 GMT

Mark Clark is an artist with a purpose. Frustrated by efforts to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, he decided to organize "Art Against the Wall", a collection of art protesting the border fence. Clark’s concept was far from traditional, which is precisely why he got my attention.

How? He decided to debut the artwork on the wall itself, using the newly-constructed barrier as a temporary exhibition space (the collection has since moved to a nearby gallery). What makes it even more compelling is the fact that the wall is incomplete, allowing viewers to easily see the art from both sides. According to the Brownsville Herald:

Brownsville’s stretch of border fence remains incomplete. Next to the artists exhibition spot the structure cuts off, with metal poles signifying the increments where it will eventually be completed. For now, artists could view their works from both sides of the fence. On one side they could see an oil painting of the Rio Grande, viewed fence-free from that very spot. Standing on the other side, they could see the river itself.

According to the article, the collection is a visual protest to the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The mix of mediums and messages adds depth to the non-traditional exhibit:

About a dozen artists hung or rested their work on the fence in Hope Park, overlooking the Rio Grande. A 30-foot ladder fashioned out of bamboo and twine, a wreath of ribbon and artificial flowers measuring 8 feet in diameter, and a deflated black inner tube that had been salvaged from along the riverbank were included in the exhibition. The art flapped in the breeze for about three and a half hours before stronger winds forced the artists inside.

Meanwhile, Border Patrol stood watch of the stretch of river under the Gateway International Bridge, maintaining a distance of about 100 yards from the artists. Some artists approached the agents, who reportedly asked questions about the event but kept their opinions to themselves.

I find it particularly poignant that the fence was built through a park named "Hope". While I’m not superstitious, I can’t help but to reflect on the symbolism. Nothing is less hopeful than a wall, yet hope remains-- perhaps one day we will realize that walls do not work, and this structure will come down.

Clark’s own piece-- "La Venganza de Moctezumam," or Moctezuma’s Revenge-- confronts the enormous fear that some Americans feel about Mexicans immigrating to the U.S., depicting "dozens of Mexican figures walking through a gap in the border fence into the United States.":

Among these were a shaman dispensing peyote buttons, Americans covering their ears at the sound of a mariachi band, an unemployed McDonald’s worker selling Mexican ice cream, Mayan women washing their clothes in a blonde woman’s swimming pool, a Mayan soccer player and an American soccer player kicking around the decapitated head of a Dallas Cowboys football player, a native Mexican carving hieroglyphs into tablets of the Ten Commandments, and a statue of George Washington lying disassembled on the ground.

David Freeman, a local art professor, is one of a dozen artists participating. According to the article, Freeman said "To me the wall represents everything that’s wrong with the United States...All the malfeasance and avarice. It’s anti-democratic and anti-integration."

Agreed. A physical barrier sends the wrong message-- we should instead be building a wall of wealth, helping our two nations to grow together instead of apart. A wall suppresses rather than encourages working together to find solutions that benefit our two nations.

Clark’s exhibit is successful on many levels, incorporating the wall into the core of the exhibit and choosing Hope Park as the venue. As a visual artist myself, I am always appreciative of art that pushes boundaries and makes people think. "Art Against the Wall" does just that, all without saying a word.

Archbishop Goes to Haiti

Cristina — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:11:01 GMT

Archbishop José Gomez, MATT Board Member, Goes to Haiti

The San Antonio Express news reports that Archbishop José Gomez is visiting Haiti today to assist in relief efforts. According to the Express:

"...today’s on-the-ground look at this earthquake-ravaged country is the first step in what will be a long and steady commitment by U.S. Catholics to aid the recovery.Charged with oversight of a $30 million-plus fund collected from parishes nationwide, Gomez is accompanied by two other bishops for a whirlwind tour of the devastation today and Wednesday.

As the largest faith group in the country, the Catholic church is an important institution in Haiti. And like the rest of the nation, it was seriously damaged by the January 12 quake, which killed nearly a quarter of a million people and left a million homeless.

"The Catholic Church suffered major losses to parishes and its historic Cathedrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption downtown. The grand-arching roof is now rubble on the sanctuary floor. The walls still stand, but the once-spectacular stained glass windows are riddled with holes.

Among the Catholics who died was the beloved Port-au-Prince Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, as well as dozens of seminarians, priests and nuns."

Gomez hopes that trip will "show how much he and U.S. Catholics stand in support of the country" and said "I’m excited in the sense that I’m bringing the prayers and solidarity of the people of the U.S. and especially the people of San Antonio to the Catholics in Haiti.”

The Collection for the Church in Latin America usually amounts to $7 million to $10 million annually, but "has grown to at least $30 million this year because of the quake. All of it is set aside for Haiti, and Gomez will make recommendations about its use in coming months to the bishops conference."

Gomez is consulting with with four Haitian bishops to determine how the money could best be spent, a fact in which he takes comfort, saying “You get all kinds of reports, but you want to hear from the people in charge what are the real needs."

As a board member, Gomez has helped to bring humanitarian issues to the forefront of MATT’s outreach programs. He helped develop MATT Maestro en Casa, which teaches English to immigrants via free lessons broadcast over the Guadulupe radio network, and has also been instrumental in raising awareness for compassionate, humane, immigration reform.

We salute Archbishop Gomez for his work in Haiti and look forward to seeing how his efforts and those of the Catholic church will help in the rebuilding effort.

Mexico's Economy on the Rise

Cristina — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:34:22 GMT

According to an article in today’s BusinessWeek, Mexico’s economy is showing strong signs of recovery, with Mexican economists predicting an expansion of 3.87% in 2010. And this past December, retail sales increased for the first time in 16 months.

This is great news for Mexico, considering the hit it took due to the U.S. recession:

"Latin America’s second-biggest economy is recovering on increasing exports and improving domestic demand after it contracted 6.5 percent in 2010, the worst annual slump since 1932. The recession in the U.S., which buys about 80 percent of Mexico’s exports, crippled the $1.09 trillion economy last year as a decline in exports led to job losses and falling production...

The central bank said in a Feb. 19 statement that manufacturing was recovering “with greater strength” and improving industrial activity was helping boost domestic demand."

This news also is promising for the U.S. economy as a whole, since our two economies are so interdependent. We’re on the road to recovery.

Is Congress Broken?

Cristina — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:36:17 GMT

Yesterday, a friend and co-worker forwarded me an article in the New York Times, written by Indiana senator Evan Bayh, and posed the question "This article is... a reflection of our government today ... or is it?"

Last week, Bayh announced he is retiring from the Senate after serving for more than a decade. Why? According to the article:

Challenges of historic import threaten America’s future. Action on the deficit, economy, energy, health care and much more is imperative, yet our legislative institutions fail to act. Congress must be reformed.

There are many causes for the dysfunction: strident partisanship, unyielding ideology, a corrosive system of campaign financing, gerrymandering of House districts, endless filibusters, holds on executive appointees in the Senate, dwindling social interaction between senators of opposing parties and a caucus system that promotes party unity at the expense of bipartisan consensus.

It is this lack of social interaction, the refusal to socialize or be friends with members of the opposite party, that Bayh says is the core of the problem. But it didn’t always used to be this way, he explains:

When I was a boy, members of Congress from both parties, along with their families, would routinely visit our home for dinner or the holidays. This type of social interaction hardly ever happens today and we are the poorer for it. It is much harder to demonize someone when you know his family or have visited his home. Today, members routinely campaign against each other, raise donations against each other and force votes on trivial amendments written solely to provide fodder for the next negative attack ad. It’s difficult to work with members actively plotting your demise.

I, like many Americans, have been feeling this partisan divide for a while now, and have been sensing that things were slowly getting worse. But to hear to verbalized so eloquently by an active member of the Senate makes it that much more real.

Something has got to change, no doubt.

But in the midst of enormous challenges comes hope. This morning the Senate voted 70-28 to pass a $15 billion jobs package, giving Senate Democrats their first legislative victory of the year. And guess what? Thirteen Republicans got behind the bill too. According the The Hill, "Final passage of the bill was made possible by the support of Sen. Scott Brown (Mass.) and four other Republicans who voted Monday to cut off a GOP filibuster."

Wow.

The bill’s four major components include "a $13 billion tax credit for employers who hire new workers; greater flexibility of businesses to write off capital expenditures; $2 billion in Build America Bonds to lower municipal borrowing costs; and a $20 billion transfer in highway funding, which did not require a spending offset and counts toward the overall cost of the legislation."

Perhaps the Senate did indeed hear Senator Bayh’s words of wisdom. Maybe we already hit rock bottom...could we be on the road to the right path? As an eternal optimist, I would dare to say yes.

MATT, MALDEF, & the Census

Cristina — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:19:30 GMT

On February 11, Latino leaders gathered at the Texas State Capitol to promote the 2010 Census and encourage an accurate count. According to News 8 Austin:

"If we have a good count, we can get four congressmen. Every congressman means millions, hundreds of millions of dollars for each of those projects - roads, highways, schools," said Texas Rep. Aaron Pena (pictured above). "If we get a bad count, we’re going to end up with three and all that money that would have been appropriated for Texas is going to go to New York or California of somewhere else.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has sent a letter to Governor Rick Perry requesting the formation of a complete count committee for the state."

Rep. Peña, later blogged "The message I send to the citizens of Texas is that together we can have a successful 2010 Census and ensure that our voice is heard and that our people our counted."

MALDEF, in collaboration with grassroots leaders and organizations inluding MATT, has formed the Texas Latino Complete Count Committee in order to reach the hardest to count communities. MATT is proud to be a part of this important initiative.

MALDEF has launched an extensive campaign

to encourage Latinos to participate in the Census, called ¡Cuéntate…Porque Tú Vales! “Because You Count, Get Counted!” They also issued a press release

asking Texas Governor Rick Perry to step up and form a statewide complete count committee:

Most governors and states have recognized the importance of this once-in-a-decade opportunity to ensure that their constituents are counted. As a result, the U.S. Census Bureau reports at least 36 states have formed statewide complete count committees to help with the Census. Sadly, the Texas Governor has neither endorsed the U.S. Census, nor convened a Texas Complete Count Committee to create a plan for counting every Texan despite requests by legislators, the Census Bureau, and advocacy organizations including MALDEF.

The MALDEF release explained the rational behind the campaign as follows:

It is imperative that Texas have a statewide strategy for an accurate and complete count. Texas has the second highest hard-to-count areas in the country. The populations in these areas include children and residents who are low-income, lack a high school diploma, are limited English proficient, live in multi-family homes, receive public assistance, and/or are highly mobile. The 2000 Census left an estimated 373,567 people in Texas uncounted. As a result, Texas missed out on approximately $2,913 in federal funds per person – a total loss of over $1 billion over the last decade. This decade, due to population growth, Texas is expected to gain three or four congressional seats in the next apportionment. The difference of one Congressional seat for Texas affects our ability to represent our interests at a national level. In addition, with an accurate Census count, Texas will gain a greater share of the over $400 billion distributed annually to communities across the count ry for programs such as school construction, early childhood programs, services to the elderly, job training programs and roads. These are funds that Texas desperately needs to ensure its economic stability.

MATT is further participating in the census effort by devoting our fifth MATT Maestro en Casa book to the topic, the lesson of which will air on March 9, 2010. It’s one of the ways we are reaching out to the immigrant community to inform them about the Census and encourage them to participate.

Slipping Through the Cracks

Cristina — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:12:08 GMT

Today I’m going to depart from my usual immigration topic (comprehensive immigration reform being passed in 2010, for those of you may be reading this blog for the first time) and highlight another side of a system that too often sees a case as black or white and fails to acknowledge the countless shades of grey in between. It is a story where juvenile and immigrant prosecution cross paths, where we continue to punish a person who admittedly made some terrible mistakes well after he’s lived up to his side of the bargain and clearly redeemed himself.

The New York Times featured a story Qing Hong Wu, a Chinese immigrant. In 1995 the teen, along with two others, pretended to have a gun and took a jacket from a young boy. A year later, he participated in three more muggings. Here is the article’s description of what happened at his sentencing a few months later after the teen apologized by saying "I’m sorry and I really hope that you will forgive me for all the pain and trouble I made them go through.”

The judge called the case a tragedy, according to the court transcript. “But this is not the end,” he told the youth, who had scored in the 98th percentile in mathematics. “This is really the beginning of a new period for you. I want you to educate yourself. Continue to read, follow the rules.”

“You will want to get a job and become a meaningful, constructive member of society to help your family,” he added. “I will be there to make sure that you can.”

At the time of the crimes Wu was only 15 years old. Rather than continuing down a path of petty crime, he vowed to turn his life around. Not only was he a model inmate, but he went on to study hard and work his way up the ladder from data entry clerk to VP for Internet technology at a national company. Clearly, he had turned a new leaf. And had he been an American citizen from birth, he may very well have been forgiven for turning his life around. After all, isn’t it the goal of the juvenile justice system to rehabilitate? But according to the Times:

But almost 15 years after his crimes, by applying for citizenship, Mr. Wu, 29, came to the attention of immigration authorities in a parallel law enforcement system that makes no allowances for rehabilitation. He was abruptly locked up in November as a “criminal alien,” subject to mandatory deportation to China — the nation he left at 5, when his family immigrated legally to the United States.

Now Judge Corriero, 67, retired from the bench, is trying to keep his side of the bargain.

At the time of Wu’s prosecution and sentence, it was clear he was an immigrant. If in reality he was never going to be given a chance, why wasn’t he deported then? Why tell someone they can turn their life around if in reality they are destined to fall prey to unpractical legal loopholes? That’s the question I find myself asking again and again. I sincerely hope Judge Corriero is able to keep his promise to Wu, because if anyone deserves a second chance it’s him.

In the bigger scheme of things this case is a perfect example of how law enforcement guidelines for immigrants should make allowances for rehabilitation. To not do so would be hypocritical and contrary to the core principles and goals of America’s system of justice.

A Super Bowl & Star-Studded Census

Cristina — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:33:18 GMT

As I’ve mentioned before,the Census is going all out to encourage maximum participation this year. They recently debuted a spot during the Super Bowl:

I think it was very bold of the Census to shell out $2.5 million to make sure their message was heard during America’s most-watched TV event, but I am afraid the subtlety of the ad may have been lost on many-- I had to watch it a couple of times to "get it", but maybe that’s just me. Perhaps my biggest gripe with the ad is that I never got the vibe that it was asking people to participate or giving them any indication of why this matters so much, which I thought was the whole point of the campaign. In all honestly I think a more direct approach may have been a better investment. What do you think?

Moving on...

$16 Million per Mile: Worth It?

Cristina — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:20:18 GMT

Otay Mountain, just east of San Diego, is one of the most treacherous swaths of land along the U.S.-Mexico border-- a 3,500-foot rugged peak known for being one of the most grueling climbs for immigrants attempting to gain entry into the U.S. illegally. In 2006, the Department of Homeland Security said building a wall here would be unnecessary because it is already such a difficult natural barrier.

If this is the case, why did we just spend nearly $60 million to build a 3.6-mile wall in this very place?

That’s what LA Times’ Richard Marosi asks in a new article, and frankly, there is no logical argument. I think this money could have been much better spent on other security measures or hiring more border patrol agents.

Furthermore, the ecological harm of this and other barriers is alarming. According to Marosi:

"The federal government, trying to expedite construction of border fencing, waived more than 30 environmental laws in 2008, including the Wilderness Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and others that environmentalists said applied to the Otay area...Contractors had to cut roads, remove boulders, bulldoze hillsides and remove about 530,000 cubic yards of rock to build the Otay fence, which consists of steel posts 4 inches apart topped with metal plates."

I found myself shaking my head as I read this article and looked at the photo of the monstrosity which now scars a once-pristine landscape:

I agree with Pedro Rios, the Director of the American Friends Service in San Diego, who pointed out that "It seems to me, if someone is able to climb the mountains in the Otay Wilderness, a 15-foot wall will not make a difference."

Virtual or Not, Wall Isn't Working

Cristina — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:30:25 GMT

Technical glitches and ballooning costs might be the beginning of the end in a high-tech ’virtual fence’ originally touted as perfect security solution on the U.S.-Mexican border. President George W. Bush launched the initiative in 2005 in order to reduce illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The original completion date of 2011 has also been pushed back to 2014 amidst the growing problems.

A recent article in the Washington Post summed up the issue as follows:

Having spent $672 million so far with little to show for it, Washington has ordered a reassessment of the whole idea. The outlook became gloomier this month when President Obama proposed cutting $189 million from the venture. Ultimately, the project could be scaled back dramatically, with the government installing virtual fences along a few segments of the nation’s 2,000-mile southern boundary but dropping plans for further expansion, officials said.

Originally, the system was designed so that dispatchers could "zoom in with cameras to see people crossing, and decide whether to send Border Patrol agents to the scene." But it doesn’t cover large expanses, and the radar also can’t reliably tell the difference between plants blowing in the breeze and people moving on windy days. "Also, the satellite communication system took too long to relay information in the field to a command center. By the time an operator moved a camera to take a closer look at a spot, whatever had raised suspicion was gone."

Personally, I had hoped that a virtual wall would be preferable to a real wall, but the reality is that it would have been better to invest the $672 million elsewhere. Watch MATT’s "Wall of Wealth" video and read about why walls don’t work on our blog.

Mexico's Safer Now, Really.

Cristina — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:17:18 GMT

With escalating drug wars, Mexico’s gotten a lot of bad press over the past couple years. And while I don’t want to underplay the severity of violent crimes, it’s worth pointing out that the homicide rate has actually dropped in the past decade.

According to an article in the Washington Post, Mexico City’s homicide rate is about the same as Los Angeles, and our nation’s capitol is actually three times more deadly!

So why the bad rap? The Post points out that "Mexico, Colombia and Haiti are the only countries in the hemisphere subject to a U.S. government advisory warning travelers about violence, even though homicide rates in many Latin American countries are far higher." As a result, " ’What we hear is, ’Oh the drug war! The dead people on the streets, and the policeman losing his head,’" said Tobias Schluter, 34, a civil engineer from Berlin having a beer at a cafe behind Mexico City’s 16th-century cathedral. "But we don’t see it. We haven’t heard a gunshot or anything.’ "

So if drug violence has heated up since President Felipe Calderón began cracking down on cartels, why is Mexico becoming less deadly as a whole?

The article says the downward trend can be attributed to a "general improvement in Mexico’s quality of life. More Mexicans have joined the ranks of the middle class in the past two decades, while education levels and life expectancy have also risen." And "experts say while drug violence is up, land disputes have eased. Many farmers have migrated to the cities or abroad and the government has pushed to resolve the land disputes, some centuries old."

The drug war has admittedly given Mexico an unfair reputation as an exceedingly violent country, as Jose Luis Pineyro, a sociologist at Mexico’s Autonomous Metropolitan University, points out. "It’s a bad international image that affects foreign tourism and foreign investment."

It’s heartbreaking to know that so many Americans fear Mexico. The reality is that by avoiding dangerous spots like Cuidad Juarez-- the epicenter of drug war violence-- Americans can enjoy traveling to Mexico without worrying that they are putting themselves at great risk.

As the Post concludes, "in many parts of Mexico, villages are more tranquil than ever - a fact that retired nurse Marilyn Wells struggles to drive home with her American friends back home in LeMars, Iowa."

Passports Required

Cristina — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:59:33 GMT

The time has finally arrived. Starting March 1, it will be mandatory for U.S. citizens to have a passport when traveling to Mexico. This date had been pushed back several times, in part because agencies were flooded with applications and could not process and issues newpassports in a timley manner. In fact, I thought this was already required and was suprised to learn that the drop-dead date is still coming up.

Considering that an estimated 93% of Americans travelling from Mexico to the U.S. already have one, it should be a pretty smooth transtion. According to the Dallas Morning News:

"The new rule applies also to U.S. legal residents, who will have to show their green cards or other documents demonstrating their legal status in the U.S...

The new measure aligns itself with the State Department’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which since June has required U.S. travelers to show their passports to re-enter the country...

The U.S. allows children under 15 traveling with their parents to re-enter the country by showing their birth certificates.

It is not clear if Mexico will do the same or require all travelers to produce passports."

For more info on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, click here.

The 800 Mile Wall

Cristina — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:31:45 GMT

The 800 Mile Wall is a new documentary directed by John Carlos Frey. The trailer provides a glimpse of what will undoubtedly offer a compelling look at the human cost of immigration:

In an editorial in today’s Huffington Post, Frey introduced his film, including the following excerpt:

"A few years ago I grew concerned about the massive escalation of security infrastructure that was being built along the U.S. Mexico border...Why did we need to spend billions of dollars on border walls, technology and thousands more border guards? I decided this would be the subject matter of my next film and I would try to answer these questions.

From 2007 - 2009 I followed the construction of what is now close to 800 miles of border security infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico international boundary. Vehicle barriers, pedestrian fencing, virtual fences, cameras, sensors and miles of new roads were being rapidly installed. I went from Brownsville, TX to San Diego, CA and points in between and what I found was disastrous. Dozens of environmental laws were waived in order to acquire land and build the new border walls and infrastructure. New technology was unproven, over priced and non-functional. Deserts and mountains were permanently scarred - all to protect "us from them." The assessments from scholars, government agencies and even border patrol was that this multi-billion dollar effort was not going to solve America’s immigration problems. All of those details may have made a compelling documentary film. Even with all the blunders and cost overruns there was something else that caught my attention - something that the media left out of their "illegal immigration" reporting. The effect of increased border security was proving to be a massive killer."

Read his complete description here.

I am eager to watch this film because it brings attention to the human cost of constructing a border fence. As Frey concludes, comprehensive immigration reform must address this reality as well:

If comprehensive immigration reform fails to deal with migrant death at the U.S. - Mexico border, it is neither comprehensive nor reform. People will continue to risk their lives to flee oppression, seek opportunity, feed their families or unite with them. Forcing people to risk their lives by funneling them through deserts and mountains is inhumane. As a nation that prides itself on respecting human rights, it must be at the foundation of any immigration reform policy and the first place to start is by removing the death penalty from U.S. border security policy.

To see a list of scheduled screenings or order the DVD, click here.

Mexico Helps Haiti

Cristina — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:21:13 GMT

It is widely known that Hollywood celebrities such and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Geroge Clooney, and other big names donated substantial amounts of money to relief efforts in the wake of the disastrous hurricane that struck Haiti on January 12.

What is not as widely known, at least in the U.S., is that Mexico has also jumped in to lend a hand to the ailing nation. Carlos Slim, a Mexican businessman and the reported third richest person in the world has stepped in big.

According to the People's Daily News:

Over 120,000 Mexicans donated a total of 32.8 million Mexican pesos (2.5 million U.S. dollars) to earthquake victims in Haiti through the Carlos Slim Foundation, said the foundation on Wednesday.

The foundation, run by Mexico's richest man, Carlos Slim, doubled the figure as it has promised to give out another peso for each donated peso from Mexican citizens.

The money collected will be used to assist the reconstruction and modernization of Haiti, said the foundation,

Immediately after the earthquake, Mexico sent 13.8 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, vegetables, clean water, power generators and satellite telephones to Haiti.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "Slim’s foundation said it would match donations for Haiti made by customers of his Telefonos de Mexico company."

What's the Magic Number?

Cristina — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:36:15 GMT

One of the main problems with our current immigration system is that supply does not even begin to match demand. In other words, the number of visas offered does even come close to the number of workers who are actually working in the U.S. But how do we figure out how many workers the U.S. really needs? How many will we continue to need in the future?

The Immigration Policy Center just released a study dedicated to this specific issue. Future Flow: Repairing our Broken Immigration System explores the impact that an improved visa system could have on immigration policy as a whole. A summary of the study is as follows:

One of the greatest challenges in immigration reform is the need to realistically assess our future employment-based immigration needs. This includes permanent and temporary visas, high-skilled and low-skilled workers. Many people agree that our current legal immigration flow is drastically out of sync with America’s labor needs and the global realities of the 21^st century. Meanwhile, some employers have been able to misuse the broken system to the detriment of U.S. and foreign workers. Policymakers must recognize that if we create a legal immigration system that functions well, there will be less pressure on immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally and for employers to hire unauthorized workers. Given the current weakened economy and high unemployment rates, it is difficult to estimate the U.S.’s future labor needs. However, the economy will eventually improve, and a reasonable, flexible legal immigration system must be put into place to fill our future labor needs. If the U.S. is to thrive in the globalized 21^st century economy, employment-based immigration must be seen as a strategic resource that can both meet labor market needs and foster economic growth and competition while still protecting U.S. workers and improving wages and working conditions.

The report recommends six principles for visa reform within the context of CIR:

Create a more flexible visa system that more accurately adjusts to the economy and labor market conditions.
Conduct research and gather and analyze data about worker shortages, labor market trends, and other critical factors in order to aid decision making.
Protect worker and employer interests by streamlining the transition from temporary to permanent immigration status.
Be smart about the allocation of permanent visas.
Re-examine current temporary worker programs.
Ensure that any changes in our workforce immigration programs are matched with strong economic development programs for native-born workers.

The principles and logic behind them make a lot of sense to me. Only by acknowledging the reality of our broken system can be begin to address the problem.

Click here for a more complete explanation of the six principles and to download the complete report.

Latino Civil Rights Timeline

Cristina — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:05:56 GMT

I came across this very interesting piece from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The "Latino Civil Rights Timeline, 1903 to present", documents important civil rights events affecting the U.S. Latino community. It’s a nice resource, easy to read, with nice historical snapshots.

A short explanation from the site is as follows:

When reading this timeline, it’s important to remember that the fight for civil rights doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In many cases, the events listed below have fueled – and have been fueled by – other social justice movements, like the African American Civil Rights Movement and the fight for equal employment and education among Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

The Latino civil rights struggle did not begin in 1903 and will not end in September 2006. Watch the news and listen to politicians, and you will see the fight for equal rights for ALL people is not over.

Faith and Reform

Cristina — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:31:31 GMT

Not exactly.

This past year immigration reform advocates have seen a strong ally in the Evangelical community and amongst other faith groups, which are almost always assumed to be made up largely of convervatives (aka, Republicans).

What’s going on here?

According to the Washington Post’s "on faith" blogger Galen Carey, Evangelicals support CIR because:

"...we recognize that human beings are unique and precious individuals created in the image of God, with great dignity and potential to bless their neighbors. We see the hand of God in the movement of peoples throughout history.

As immigrants have joined our churches and communities, they have become our friends, our co-workers, and indeed, our brothers and sisters. We grieve when families remain separated for decades, when workers are treated unfairly, and when our neighbors lack the basic protection of the law. For these reasons and many others the National Association of Evangelicals, representing 40 denominations with more than 45,000 congregations, has joined other faith communities in asserting the moral imperative of enacting meaningful immigration reform now."

One does not have to be "religious" to appreciate the logic of Carey’s explanation. In fact, I personally know several non-practicing Christians as well as athiests who recognize the moral imperative for reform and are some of immigration reform’s most compassionate advocates.

No matter your religious background or political affiliation, now is the time to push partisanship aside and come together to fix a system that is so clearly broken. As Carey so eloquently concludes, it is time for Republicans and Democrats to work together:

"We can think of no greater opportunity for them to put aside partisanship and enact immigration reform this session that will strengthen our recovering economy, restore the rule of law and reinforce our nation’s best values. In the end, our nation’s greatness will be marked by how we treat the most vulnerable, including the stranger, among us."

Well said indeed.

The Census Bureau Steps it up

Cristina — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:47:46 GMT

As the 2010 Census draws closer (forms will be mailed out in 6 weeks), the Census Bureau is ramping up its efforts to make sure the count is accurate, spending tens of millions in California alone. Not doing so could prove much more costly, as proved in the 2000 Census. According to PE.com:

The 2000 census missed more than 40,000 residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, costing the region more than $75 million in federal funds...Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, the poor and children are among those most likely to be missed...

The Census Bureau is targeting much of its $133 million outreach effort toward those and other groups that experts say are typically undercounted in the once-a-decade count of all residents. People who speak little or no English, renters, high-school dropouts, public-assistance recipients, the unemployed and those who recently moved are also among those classified by the census as particularly hard to count.

With so much at stake, the chances for a more accurate count seem promising. According to an article in the Washington post, the effort is massive and unprecedented:

The four-month 2010 Census advertising campaign will officially start across television, radio, print, outdoor and the Internet on Jan. 18., but the first television spot will debut the night before on NBC's broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards.

With ads produced in an unprecedented 28 languages, the 2010 Census advertising campaign will reach the average person 42 times with messages around the importance of participating in the census. More than half of the budgeted advertising will be targeted to media consumed by minority and ethnic audiences.

The Census has already overcome a number of hurdles, including the defeat of a bill which would have required respondents to indicate their legal status, and a call by some Latinos to boycott the Census unless comprehensive immigration reform is passed by March.

Do you think the Census Bureau is on the right track?

Read more about the efforts of the Church and Latino leaders, who are also helping make sure the 2010 Census is accurate.

The State of Immigration Reform

Cristina — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:00:05 GMT

This past Wednesday, President Obama delivered a much-anticipated State of the Union address. While the focus of his speech was the economy and health care reform, he also took a moment to address immigation in a single statement:

“We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system,” Obama said, “to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”

But for many immigration reform advocates, a mere mention was not enough. Change.org criticized the President in their blog:

"Barack Obama was elected on a platform for change last year. More than a year after his Inauguration, things still look the same for most immigrant families in the United States. And we are tired of being "strung along" on the broken change bandwagon."

Other reform advocates were more forgiving, and more hopeful.

Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, praised the President for even mentioning reform. “I am going to give the President a lot of credit for broaching the subject in this particular environment of ‘Just Say No to Everything,’ he said."

MySA.com’s article interpreted the President’s remarks as hopeful as he "urged lawmakers in his State of the Union...to drop partisan divisions and pass immigration reform legislation." And Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, reiterated his desire for a bipartisan bill to fix the broken immigration system, but warned that “The president cannot be a bystander and expect immigration reform to just happen."

With the recent victory of Sen.-elect Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, many reform advocates fear that their cause is slipping away. An article in the Hill pointed out that this may "have diminished the chances of passing far-reaching, controversial immigration reform." But "Democrats are not giving up", and are even reaching out to Lou Dobbs. According to the article, they reason that"Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration and proposals to grant amnesty to illegal workers, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts."

I had to read that sentence twice to believe it too. Wow.

Do you think a bipartisan immigration solution can be passed in 2010? Why or why not?

The Declaration of Immigration

Cristina — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:38:00 GMT

A very cool mural was painted this past August in Chicago by the students of Yollocalli Arts Reach, a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art. The arts education and career-training program targets teens and young adults.

According to the Yollocalli web site:

In the summer of 2009, The Declaration of Immigration mural class partnered young artists with teaching artist Salvador Jimenez to conceptualize and create a 2 story high,-30 foot wide mural on the Southwest exterior wall of the Yollocalli/Radio Arte shared building. The mural is a visual dedication to all immigrants and allies who have marched hundreds of thousands of miles to advocate for fair legislation for immigrants and who have stood strong in the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric. Declaration of Immigration looked at some of the historic and current issues affecting immigrant communities and serve as a reminder that the United States of America was founded on emigration and settlement.

The Yollocalli model is based on creating a space for youth to partner with practicing artists; access the tools necessary to realize their own vision; and build skills as emerging artists. Located in the heart of Pilsen, Yollocalli is an open forum for experimentation in art-making based on issues in art, history, and youth culture.

Power in Números

Cristina — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:05:43 GMT

This week there are a couple interesting articles about how Latinos are influencing American politics.

First, the Economist explores "Power in Numbers", delving into how a long-underrepresented group is quickly gaining political power:

This year, after the decennial census that will confirm the huge growth of America’s Hispanic population, this influence will become both evident and normal in even more parts of the country. Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), reckons that during the last census about 1m Latinos were left out of the statistics because “if you live in a garage or on somebody’s couch”, as many Latinos do, it is easy not to be counted. This time there is a concerted effort to change that. And if the Census Bureau’s estimates are corroborated, almost 16% of America’s population will be shown to be Hispanic (since the label refers to ethnicity rather than race, anybody who considers himself Hispanic is deemed to be so). That will compare with 13.4% for blacks, according to the estimate.

The result of a more accurate count, according to the article, will be more Latino politicians and officials, and more representatives in Congress who represent this constituency. And they will be increasingly important in future elections, where pastor Samuel Rodriguez predicts they will be “the centrepiece of the election, the kingmakers...They will be able to tilt the electoral balance and turn many red—or, conceivably, blue—states purple. That is because Latinos are the quintessential independents."

According to the article:

Latinos tend to place faith and family at the centre of their lives, and are thus naturally conservative on many social issues, from gay marriage to abortion, says Mr Rodriguez. But the same values also incline them, in contrast to, say, white evangelicals, to communitarian economic policies usually considered liberal (by the American definition of that word).

In other words, neither Democrats not Republicans can rest on their laurels. Instead, they will have to make a concerted and continuous effort to win over this crucial voting block. This is, in my opinion, excellent news.

The Huffington Post also detailed why counting Latinos matters in communities big and small across America. With the 2010 Census right around the corner, author Josh Norek argues that it’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure an accurate count. The entire piece deserves a read, but especially Norek’s wise conclusion about why Latinos need to be accounted for accurately this March:

Census data is used to distribute $400 billion of government money to communities for schools, hospitals, transportation and programs such as job training...It is estimated that for every person not counted by the Census, their local community will lose $10,000 in federal funding over ten years...

In times like these, it doesn’t make sense to leave money on the table. Immigrants contribute to this country - and the towns and cities they reside in deserve their fair share of funding. When immigrants fill out the Census form, it helps cities and towns fight for their fair share of government money to fix roads, maintain schools and improve hospitals. Regardless of one’s stance on immigration, it is in the interest of all Americans to make sure that immigrants participate in the 2010 Census. If the federal government doesn’t have an accurate count of how many people reside in each city or town, public services will remain under-funded and over-stressed at the local level; Census data - which is relied upon by government agencies - cannot reflect the true population of a community when its residents are not being counted.

Read more about Latinos immigrants and the Census here.

Undocumented Haitians Protected

Cristina — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:29:21 GMT

It’s no surprise that over the past week the New York Times has done a stellar job of covering Haiti’s disastrous earthquake and its aftermath. One has only to look at this poignant series of photos to begin to understand the true depth of devastation and despair facing a nation already struggling with hurricanes, poverty, and other serious issues. Most recently, they published a story on now Haitians living illegally in the U.S. have been granted temporary protected status. According to the article:

The Obama administration extended a special immigration status on Friday to Haitians living illegally in the United States that protects them from deportation for 18 months and allows them to work here

Calling the aftermath of the earthquake “a disaster of historic proportions,” the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, said she was granting the designation, known as temporary protected status, for Haitian immigrants because their safety would be at risk if they were deported.

This special status will protect over 100,000 Haitians, who will now be able to live and work in the U.S. legally, and protect around 30,000 who were in immediate danger of being deported.

A bipartisan group of 80 representatives and 18 senators, as well as the conference of Roman Catholic bishops, had asked the While House to grant this status. Even more telling, according to the article, was the support of some notorious anti-immigrant organizations:

Some groups that have opposed protected status for Haitians changed their views after seeing the destruction in Haiti. Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, called Thursday for the protection for Haitians.

I applaud the Administration, Congress, and others who called for this gesture of compassion. To send them back to their country in its current state would be cruel and inhumane. I have no doubt that the recipients of this status will embrace this opportunity to work and send aid to family members in their homeland.

Immigration: A Money Saver

Cristina — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:56:02 GMT

More empirical support for comprehensive immigration reform has arrived!

The Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center just released “Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform” by Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda. The detailed report concludes that:

"Comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants and enables a future flow of legal workers would result in a large economic benefit—a cumulative $1.5 trillion in added U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years. In stark contrast, a deportation-only policy would result in a loss of $2.6 trillion in GDP over 10 years."

Additionally:

-Comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants would stimulate the U.S. economy.

-Mass deportation is costly, lowers wages, and harms the U.S. economy.

-Studies from various researchers with divergent political perspectives confirm these findings.

Some of the other organizations that have reached similar conclusions include:

-The National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that not only did immigrants not "steal" American jobs as some have claimed, but that they actually increased productivity and U.S. employment.

-The Cato Institute, which found that "legalization of low-skilled immigrant workers would yield significant income gains for American workers and households", and "would also allow immigrants to have higher productivity and create more openings for Americans in higher-skilled occupations."

All of these studies send a clear message to lawmakers: America needs immigrant labor and immigration reform will help both the U.S. economy as a whole and American workers. When will we have a system that recognizes this reality?

Video: What Does Being a U.S. Citizen Really Mean?

Cristina — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:10:47 GMT

This week, MATT introduced a series entitled "Are You a Citizen or a Spectator? Over the next few months we'll explore this question by delving into what it means to be an engaged and active citizen, rather than one who just watches things happen.

I came across this video which does a really good job of succintly explaining what citizenship means. I hope you'll watch it and let me know if you agree with Jennifer Rockwood's assesment: