The New York Times reported today that President Obama plans to begin addressing comprehensive immigration reform this year including creating a path to legalize the status of millions of illegal immigrants. According to administration officials, Obama plans to speak publicly about immigration in May. This was something he had promised to Congressional Hispanic Caucus members […]
U.S. Lawmakers Meet with Fidel Castro
April 7, 2009 By
Three members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with former Cuban president Fidel Castro today. This is the first known meeting with American officials since he fell ill in July 2006. A spokesman at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana confirmed that Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, and two other lawmakers met with the […]
Raul Castro Meets with U.S. Lawmakers
April 7, 2009 By
The Associated Press reports that Cuban President Raul Castro met Monday with six visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). These were his first face-to-face discussions with U.S. leaders since assuming the presidency last year. The lawmakers came to talk with Castro about improving U.S.-Cuba relations amid rumors that Washington could possibly be ready […]
More Immigration Scrutiny for Employers
April 6, 2009 By
Although it is not clear how the Obama administration will handle immigration reform, the Department of Homeland Security is issuing new guidelines for field agents on how to deal with illegal immigrants in the workplace. A recent incident in the state of Washington could perhaps provide some clues about how it will be handled in the […]
Obama to Nominate Census Director
April 3, 2009 By
President Obama intends to nominate University of Michigan professor Robert M. Groves today to serve as the next Census director. The long-anticipated announcement was made after Commerce Secretary Gary Locke completes his first full week on the job. If confirmed, Groves faces looming managerial and political concerns surrounding the 2010 Census. The bureau received $ […]
Minority Growth in Suburban Schools–Continued Hispanic Segregation?
April 3, 2009 By
According to a recent Pew Study released this week, Hispanic students have become an even more segregated segment of the U.S. suburban public school population, while blacks and Asians have become slightly less isolated. The report used federal government data which found that minority students made up 99 percent of the increase in suburban school […]
Commerce Secretary Speaks about Importance of Accurately Counting Hispanics in the 2010 Census
April 2, 2009 By
On Wednesday, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Univision Inc., the League of United Latin American Citizens and SEIU announced a grassroots campaign in Washington entitled, “Hágase Contar!” an effort to help advertise the 2010 Census to the Hispanic community, An estimated 1 million Hispanics were missed in the last census. […]
Top Central American Leaders Urge Biden to Slow Deportations from U.S.
April 1, 2009 By
Regional leaders in Central America are calling on President Obama to slow the rate of deportations of undocumented workers from the United States. Vice President Joe Biden, who visited Chile and Costa Rica the past two days, met with leaders and said the current economic crisis will delay an “immediate response” to the issue. “It’s difficult […]
Celebrating Chávez’s Legacy
March 31, 2009 By
Today would have been the 82nd birthday of labor and civil rights leader, Cesar Chávez. Born into humble circumstances, he brought the plight of farm workers, who are some of the nation’s most downtrodden and helpless, into the national spotlight. With his founding of the United Farm Workers (UFW), he gave a voice to those […]
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