Category Archives: Immigration

NALEO Releases Electoral Profile of Texas

Posted on May 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials has released their 2012 Primary Election Profile of the State of Texas. If you like stats, this is your report.

Here are some of the highlights:

ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES: 38
TOTAL POPULATION (2010): 25,145,561
LATINO POPULATION (2010): 9,460,921
PROJECTED LATINO VOTE IN 2012: 1,987,000
PROJECTED LATINO SHARE OF TEXAS VOTE: 21.3%

The report reminds us that, historically, Texas has voted for a Republican Presidential nominee; however, 2008 saw a marked change when John McCain only managed 55%. In this case, Latinos gave nominee Barack Obama 63% of their vote.

Of particular interest to me was the number of Latino voters that are registered. Although there are organizations out there trying to increase the number of registrations, it’s always good to know what you’ve got.

Texas’ Registered Voters (May 2012)

Nearly one of every four Texas registered voters (24%) is Latino.

Latino voter turnout in Texas’ Presidential elections grew from 1.3 million in 2000 to 1.7 million in 2008, an increase of 31%.

Ultimately, these stats tell us that population growth is not our strength as much as registered voters. If 1 in 4 registered voters in Texas is Latino, then we can move an election. Heck, Latinos can effect monumental change.

And if in eight years, we have only managed to increase voting by a few hundred thousand voters, then something is very wrong, but I would venture to say it is well-funded campaigns and their minions (same old consultants) who have little idea of how to energize the Latino electorate. As I’ve said many times, you can’t just translate without making your literature and your positions culturally relevant.

Thanks to NALEO for the report.

Bottom line:  There’s a lot of work to do. The Democratic Primary is just about done and turnout is dismal. November must be in our sights.

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Posted in 2012 Profiles, DC Ojo, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, Wise Latinas

Feds Sue Arpaio–Finally!

Posted on May 10, 2012 | Comments Off

We kind of knew it’s been coming, but Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been sued by the United States of America for civil rights violations–and it’s about time.

Arpaio has made it his job to vilify and menace Latinos–documented or not–during his tenure. He has gained national attention in doing so, and has even injected himself in local (Houston) politics by endorsing an equally right-wing opponent of our Sheriff Adrian Garcia.

The Feds explain the suit:

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas Perez said the Justice Department sued Maricopa County, the sheriff’s office and Arpaio in U.S. District Court in Arizona after trying unsuccessfully for three and a half months to get Arpaio to comply with federal civil rights law.

Arpaio faces re-election in November in the county that includes the Phoenix metropolitan area. He has become the face of hardline local efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, placing him on a collision course with the federal government.

Maricopa County has created inadequately trained special units that are used to target Latinos for unlawful and unjustified arrests; has willfully denied Latino prisoners their civil rights in jail; and under Arpaio’s direction has arrested political opponents for no valid reason, the DOJ suit contends.

“At its core, this is an abuse of power case involving Sheriff Arpaio and a sheriff’s office that disregarded the Constitution, ignored sound police practices and did not hesitate to retaliate against perceived critics in a variety of unlawful ways,” said Perez.

“Constitutional policing and effective policing go hand in hand. The complaint outlines how Sheriff Arpaio’s actions were neither constitutional nor effective,” he said.

One needs to ask the right-wingers running for Sheriff if they approve of these kinds of gestapo tactics.

In one case, a sheriff’s officer stopped a Latina – a U.S. citizen who was five months pregnant – as she pulled into her driveway and insisted that she sit on the hood of her car.

“When she refused, the officer grabbed her arms, pulled them behind her back, and slammed her, stomach first, into the vehicle three times,” the suit said.

Nonetheless, the fact that one of them rejoices in a cheap TV ad that he was endorsed by Arpaio is enough to make one sick, given the facts of this lawsuit.

Obviously, we’ll keep an eye on this.

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Posted in Criminal Justice, DREAM Act, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012, Violence Against Latinos

Hubbard Visits Kingwood

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

Sean Hubbard, Democratic candidate for US Senate, stopped in Kingwood last night to introduce himself to the activists and Dem leaders in the ‘burbs. I had heard some great stuff about him, so, I was glad to finally meet him.

I must say I agree with him on most of his issues, and he has the drive and the knowledge-base to serve Texans well. What was refreshing about Hubbard is that we have a candidate who knows what he is up against, yet, wants to utilize his campaign as a blueprint for the future, rather than running the same old tired and oft-defeated (and word-played) stances on issues.

Here’s his speech from last night. It’s just five-minutes.

Now, as Liberal as he may be selling himself, I will say he’s not perfect, especially on immigration reform. Some of his ideas regarding “temporary” visas need to be improved, and his notion that the DREAM Act should be passed without providing New Americans the privilege of sponsoring “new immigrants” bothers me. Family unity has always been part of the immigration process and Hubbard needs to recognize this fact. Comprehensive immigration reform is the way to go, rather than adding little “visa” notions to an already broken process. We need bold steps on CIR, as well as a defender of a community that is often used as a political piñata.

Afterthought:  Or maybe it’s just that the word “temporary” reminds me of the old Bracero Program which Bush and his buddies wanted to reinstate?

On the other hand, his opponent Paul Sadler has used the oft-stated and weak “secure the border but find a pathway to citizenship” line. That type of stance gives the candidate a chance to whack at the piñata when the moment is right and that turns voters off.

Still, as I’m not a single issue voter, I can say that I like that Hubbard is willing to take a progressive stance on most issues.

I’ll be voting for Sean Hubbard in the Democratic Primary.

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Posted in 2012 Profiles, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Some Good Videos on Higher Ed and Immigration

Posted on April 27, 2012 | Comments Off

The first is from candidate for Congress, Joaquin Castro on higher education accessibility.

The next is DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Immigration and Mitt Romney.

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Posted in DREAM Act, Higher Education, Houston Dems '12, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Spread the Word: May 1st March!

Posted on April 26, 2012 | Comments Off

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Posted in Count Me!, DC Ojo, DREAM Act, Immigration, La Familia, LatinoVote '12, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Violence Against Latinos

What Was Calderon Doing Here?

Posted on April 25, 2012 | 2 Comments

Well, we know exactly why he was here. To make sure our 1% and his 1% stay the 1%.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón, in Houston on Wednesday as part of his U.S. visit, emphasized the importance of the trade relationship between Mexico and Texas, saying 35 percent of Texas exports, representing more than $86 billion, went to Mexico in 2011.

Meeting with more than 160 business leaders from the Greater Houston Partnership, Calderón stressed the significance of that relationship to Mexico’s growing economy. Mexico is Houston’s largest trading partner, with the two exchanging $31.4 billion in imports and exports annually. Mexico is the largest U.S. export market after Canada, and in 2011, U.S. exports to Mexico grew by $34 billion.

I would hope that these business leaders, or at the very least, our key-to-the-city wielding Mayor Parker questioned the economic impact of all of the trade agreements on Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Mexico is still fraught with poverty and 600,000 jobs, as mentioned by Calderon, is hardly a drop in the bucket to improve Mexico. According to the CIA Factbook, 18.2% of Mexican citizens live in poverty if we go by the food-based definition. But if we go by the asset-based definition (in other words, wealth), we’re talking about almost half of Mexican citizens. Other studies are comparable, with the number of those in poverty being at around 50,000,000–which shows how “drop in the bucket” those 600,000 jobs Calderon mentioned really are. So, someone is getting rich and the people of Mexico aren’t seeing much improvement.

Since it wasn’t reported, I would like to know if the Mayor, council members present, or the so-called business leaders who charge $100+ to see the guy speak ever questioned Calderon about this. Otherwise, this all about our 1% helping their 1% continue their shopping excursions to our Galleria with dinner at the Palm or Morton’s afterward.

And the rest of the people? Well, either they’ll stay and suffer, or they will come on over to be exploited by the 1%. And that’s a whole other discussion.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, City of Houston, Houston Politica, Immigration, Los Primos, Mayor Parker

Migration At A Standstill – It Won’t Matter to GOP

Posted on April 24, 2012 | Comments Off

First, the facts:

For the first time since the 1930s, the number of Mexican immigrants – legal and illegal – coming to the U.S. from 2005 to 2010 was less than the number leaving, according to a report released Monday by thePew Hispanic Center.

In the five-year period, 1.37 million people from Mexico moved to the U.S. while 1.39 million Mexicans and their U.S.-born children living here moved back to Mexico.

But the reality is that the animosity toward Latinos Mexicans created and set it stone by GOP vitriol will continue. One look at the comments in the article will tell you that.

To the GOP and their followers, it won’t matter that there might be 12 million undocumented people in America, or 12 million actual Mexicans of which half may be undocumented; it’s the 50 million Latinos in America (which they will call Mexicans, anyway) that they don’t like. We’re an easier political target that way.

Of course, these other facts are not a reason for Democrats to be dancing around, either.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a record number of illegal immigrants, about 397,000, were deported last year. And the Border Patrol reported detaining a record-low number of people entering the country illegally, about 340,000.

While the inevitable GOP attack will be that Democrats are weak on immigration, they will attempt to convince Latinos that President Obama is not their (our) guy and they will put out a line like, “President Obama did nothing to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

The two-prong attack has a Democratic response which may or may not stick with Latinos:  ”It’s the Republicans fault there is no CIR, and we deported more people than Bush, anyway.”

This type of double-speak without any real action is the kind of stuff that causes Latinos to be indifferent and not show up to the polls. The message needs to be sharpened a whole lot more to coincide with the bread and butter issues of the day–jobs, economy, health care, education. There seems to be some attempt at it, and that’s good.

Perhaps if Harry Reid begins a new debate on the DREAM Act we’ll have some clarification (in the media) about who’s on which side?

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Posted in Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Joe Arpaio and His Disciples – The Reality

Posted on April 23, 2012 | Comments Off

A tape has surfaced in which Joe Arpaio, the Republican Sheriff from Arizona, shows how much disdain he has for federal authorities, and in the in the process, Latinos. In a speech to right-wing, supremacist anti-Latino group Texans for Immigration Reform, he talks about his reaction to the federal investigation against him.

In the September 2009 speech in Houston, Arpaio boasted that he arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants after politicians and federal investigators started to pick apart his patrols. He said he wouldn’t cooperate with the inquiry, but said he would tone down the patrols — if he was proven wrong.

“But I’m not. After they went after me, we arrested 500 more just for spite,” the self-proclaimed “America’s toughest sheriff” said, pausing for laughter and applause.

Now, he’s saying it was an off the cuff speech, not for official purposes, but when he opens his big mouth, you can bank on it that it is all about politics. Whomever has kissed him up, he has provided some sort of support, including some of the right-wing Republcians running for Harris County Sheriff  and other elected positions.

As far as those in right wing organization that the media seems to give some semblance of credibility to, their thought of this issue being a cause for laughter shows what they’re really about.

Although there was a Democratic response from Arizona, Arpaio isn’t phased by it.

Democratic state Rep. Steve Gallardo, a longtime Arpaio critic who listened to portions of the speech, said the sheriff’s comments prove that he uses illegal immigrants to elevate his national political profile.

“This is not about enforcing our laws,” Gallardo said. “This is about going after human beings. This is about targeting elected officials. This is about, exactly, using immigrants as props or pawns in his own world.”

For his part, Arpaio said his only regret in making the speech was that he used the wrong figure for the number of illegal immigrants arrested after the civil rights inquiry began.

“It was wrong,” Arpaio said. “It wasn’t 500. It was thousands.”

The thing is, we can sit around and complain about Arpaio and call him and his disciples every name in the book, or we can make sure that Arpaio’s racism does not become a vehicle for public policy here in Texas and Harris County–more so than usual.

In other words, VOTE! And in this case, we need to vote for Democrats who are on the correct side of the issue. (Notice, I didn’t say “all of them”?)

(Chalk this one up as another one of my lectures on the obvious.)

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Posted in Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012, Violence Against Latinos

Billboard to Honor Intocable

Posted on April 18, 2012 | Comments Off

This is quite the honor for the boys from Zapata, TX. I’ve been following them since 1995, so, I guess I’ve been a fan for 17 years! Congrats to Ricky Muñoz, Rene Martinez and the rest of the guys on a stellar career.

Intocable has recently taken on issues like comprehensive immigration reform having recorded “Mojado” with Ricardo Arjona, and they were part of production which honored the late Cesar E. Chavez.

Los Angeles, CA (April 12, 2012)- The iconic group INTOCABLE will be honored with the prestigious Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award during the celebration of Billboard Latin Music Awards 2012.

Billboard and Telemundo will pay tribute to INTOCABLE in recognition to their musical contributions during an outstanding 17-year career that has broken cultural barriers and re-defined the Norteño genre.

INTOCABLE will also perform during the Billboard Awards show and the group and their record label Good I Music celebrate being nominated in the categories Duo o Group of the Year Regional Mexican-Album and Record Label of the Year “Regional Mexican Albums” respectively.

These achievements are added to an extraordinary career that in 2011 took an unexpected turn when the group decided to leave behind the record company to which they belonged and risked opening their own. Despite industry criticism, INTOCABLE proved to have made a wise decision launching as their first material INTOCABLE 2011, an album that in a short span of time has become a musical classic, launching 4 highly successful singles. “Robarte un Beso” and “Prometí” achieved #1 in radio, “Arrepientete” placed in the Top 10 and their most recent hit “Llueve” is quickly following the same radio path.

Their 15 albums and various compilations have sold millions of units worldwide. The group has positioned 19 albums in the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums Charts, 11 of which have achieved the #1 spot and 15 of the 44 songs that have entered the charts have reached the #1 position of Billboard Regional Mexican Music Charts. INTOCABLE also made history in 2011, by being the first of their genre to appear at the famed Dallas Cowboys Stadium during the halftime of Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins and last month became the first of their genre to perform at the Arena Mexico.

The Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded during the Billboard Awards which will be held at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Florida this coming Thursday April 26th at 7pm and will be broadcast live on Telemundo.

For more information, visit:  GrupoIntocable.com.

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Posted in DC Ojo, Immigration, Reviews

Obama Touts CIR…in Colombia?

Posted on April 17, 2012 | Comments Off

President Obama launched a second attempt at comprehensive immigration reform which he plans to pursue early in his second term. The big announcement was made in Colombia, of all places. Houston or Los Angeles probably would have been a better location, but oh well.

Anyway, Obama wasted no time in pointing to Mitt Romney’s anti-immigrant ideas, yet, realizing that it is Republicans who stand in the way of comprehensive immigration reform.

“So what we need is a change either of Congress or we need Republicans to change their mind, and I think this has to be an important debate during — throughout the country,” Obama said.

Some of my friends on the pro-migrant side will launch into President Obama for not pushing the last 5 Democratic Senators to the pro-DREAM Act side a couple of years ago, but still, it is Republicans who continually use Latinos as a political piñata primarily through their vitriol surrounding immigration. And, despite Romney’s mouthpieces attacking Obama, it is Romney who has taken a severe turn to the right on the issue.

I will say again, CIR (or at least DREAM) would have been better in term 1, since it was a campaign promise. But, hell, if I knew what he was up against, then he should have known, too, and not made a promise to pass, but one to fight, for CIR. We Latinos are weird that way. We expect our politicians to fight hard for something, but we’ll appreciate the fight if we go down in flames. Then again, I’m one of those who thinks that, in this environment, political capital has as much worth as Monopoly money.

I’m sure I’ll have more commentary in the future on this particular 2012 issue.

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Posted in DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012