By GEOFFREY DECKER
The New York Times
July 3, 2011
A procession of American Indians marched through Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on a weekend afternoon in early May, bouncing to a tribal beat. They dressed in a burst of colors, wore tall headdresses and danced in circles, as custom dictated, along a short stretch of the park.
But there was something different about this tribe, the Tlaxcala, and when the music ceased and the chatter resumed, the difference became clear: They spoke exclusively Spanish.
The event was Carnaval, an annual tradition celebrated by tribes indigenous to land that is now Mexico. And despite centuries of Spanish influence, the participants identify themselves by their indigenous heritage more than any other ethnicity.
When Fernando Meza is asked about his identity, “I tell them that I am Indian,” said Mr. Meza, a parade participant from the Tlaxcala tribe. “They say, ‘But you’re Mexican.’ And I say, ‘But I’m Indian.’ ”
Mr. Meza represents one of the changes to emerge from the 2010 census, which showed an explosion in respondents of Hispanic descent who also identified themselves as American Indians.
Seventy percent of the 57,000 American Indians living in New York City are of Hispanic origin, according to census figures. That is 40,000 American Indians from Latin America — up 70 percent from a decade ago.
The trend is part of a demographic growth taking place nationwide of Hispanics using “American Indian” to identify their race. The number of Amerindians — a blanket term for indigenous people of the Americas, North and South — who also identify themselves as Hispanic has tripled since 2000, to 1.2 million from 400,000.
“There has been an actual and dramatic increase of Amerindian immigration from Latin America,” said José C. Moya, a professor of Latin American history at Barnard College.
Dr. Moya attributes the increase to shifting patterns of immigration to the United States over the last two decades, from regions with larger indigenous populations, like southern Mexico and Central America, instead of northern Mexico.
Half of all Hispanics who moved to New York over the last 10 years were Mexican, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Most of them come from southern Mexico.
The pattern started in 1994 with the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which opened the American-Mexican border to more economic activity. To encourage foreign investment in Mexico, its government started to strip Indian landowners of a long-held legal protection from privatization. The resulting conflict awakened ethnic tensions that dated back centuries, and spurred a populist support of indigenous heritage.
That movement was on vivid display at Carnaval in Sunset Park, home to the city’s largest Mexican community.
The Tlaxcala were costumed, carried whips and wore pink-hued masks that had flush cheeks, blue eyes and thin mustaches — obvious stereotypes of the European conquerors. Tlaxcala costumes are also worn in parades in other months in New York, and in other boroughs.
The Indians’ version of Carnaval, a Christian holiday of revelry that falls just before Lent, is satirical in nature, the Tlaxcala marchers explained. When Spanish conquistadors celebrated Carnaval in the 16th century, the Tlaxcala observed the custom from afar. The Spaniards wore flamboyant dress, drank too much wine and danced late into the night.
“We are descendants from the original people of Tlaxcala,” said Gabriel Aguilar, a Ditmas Park resident. “Five hundred years ago, there is not territory known as Mexico. It’s just tribes.”
The American Indian totals are still a small fraction of the overall Hispanic population of the United States, which eclipsed 50 million this year. But the blip in the census data represents raised awareness among native Latinos who believe their heritage stretches farther back than the nationalities available on the census form.
The trend is not occurring solely among newcomers to the United States. Nancy Perez, who shares her household in Ditmas Park with her sister and parents, held a family meeting to decide how they should identify themselves in the census. Her parents moved to the United States from Puebla, Mexico, in the 1970s, and although her family was mixed, “if you go back far enough, we are indigenous,” Ms. Perez said. American Indian, they decided, made the most sense.
“We felt that there were very limited options to identify with,” Ms. Perez, 32, said. “So out of the options available, that was the best one.”
The Amerindian numbers do not account for those who take a more activist approach toward filling out the census form. Carlos A. Quiroz, an activist and blogger born in Peru, checked off that he was a “Non-Hispanic” American Indian, a category normally associated with North American Indians. Mr. Quiroz said he selected it because he opposed use of the word “Hispanic” as an ethnic category.
“Hispanic is not a race, ” said Mr. Quiroz, whose ancestors were the Quechua people, of the Central Andes. “Hispanic is not a culture. Hispanic is an invention by some people who wanted to erase the identity of indigenous communities in America.”
“We don’t believe we have to accept this identity just because we speak Spanish,” Mr. Quiroz added.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/nyregion/more-hispanics-in-us-calling-themselves-indian.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
Showing posts with label Census. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Census. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Arizona’s Hispanic population makes significant gains in 2010 Census figures
By Alyson Zepeda
Cronkite News Service
March 14th, 2011
Arizona’s Hispanic population grew far faster than other groups over the past decade, and children of Hispanic ancestry now outnumber those who are white, according to 2010 Census numbers released Thursday.
Of Arizona’s population under 18 years old, 43.2 percent were Hispanic and 41.6 percent were white, the data showed.
“That probably will surprise a lot of people outside of Arizona because Arizona is still thought of as being a pretty white state, but it isn’t, especially for the younger part of the population,” said William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C.
Of Arizona’s 6.39 million residents, 1.9 million, or 29.7 percent, were Hispanic, the data showed. The Hispanic population grew by about 600,000, or 46.3 percent, during the decade, while growth for all other groups was 17.3 percent.
YouTube Preview ImageHispanics made up 25.3 percent of Arizona’s population in 2000 and 18.8 percent in 1990.
The change in demographics means Arizona will have to adapt to new challenges, Frey said. For example, its education system may have to focus more on English language instruction in order to adequately prepare students, he said.
“The special needs of the diverse population does need to be taken into account, and it’s especially important in times of fiscal stress, when there’s a lot of resources that are being cut back for all kinds of things,” Frey said.
Leonel Urza, whose family is originally from Guatemala, said he was drawn to Phoenix because he thought it would be a better place to raise his 2-year-old daughter. Urza moved from New York late last year.
“I have a lot of family that lives here,” he said while playing with his daughter at a west Phoenix park. “It’s a clean environment, you know, less populated … It’s more family oriented here.”
Also at the park was Hendricks Peña, who has lived in the Valley for all of his 37 years.
“I think it’s good that this amount of Hispanics are in the Valley of Arizona because they’re not that far away from home either, and this is where we all descend from,” he said.
Despite the growth shown in the census numbers, the Hispanic population fell short of the Brookings Institution’s projections by more than 100,000 people, Frey said, adding that the down economy is the most likely culprit.
But Jennifer Steen, a political science professor at Arizona State University, said the shortfall also could have to do with the difficulty of counting undocumented immigrants or even an exodus of immigrants in response to SB 1070.
“It’s always hard to count those people in any context because they have a lot of reasons to be wary of identifying themselves to a representative of the United States government,” she said.
Demographers have long projected projected that Hispanics will eventually become a majority in Arizona. But even then, Steen said, it will take even more time for the state’s politics to reflect that change.
“Even on the day when Hispanics constitute the majority of the state’s population they still won’t constitute the majority of the voting population,” she said.
From the 2010 Census:
• Among Arizonans younger than 18 years old, 43.2 percent were Hispanic and 41.6 percent were white in 2010.
• Growth among Arizona’s Hispanic population from 2000 to 2010 was 46.3 percent, while growth among other groups was 17.3 percent.
• Of Arizona’s 6.4 million residents, 1.9 million, or 29.7 percent, were Hispanic.
• Hispanics made up 25.3 percent of Arizona’s population in the 2000 Census and 18.8 percent of the population in the 1990 Census.
http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/03/14/arizona%e2%80%99s-hispanic-population-makes-significant-gains-in-2010-census-figures/
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
11.2 Million Illegal Immigrants in U.S. in 2010, Report Says; No Change From ’09
By JULIA PRESTON
The New York Times
February 1, 2011
About 11.2 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2010, a number essentially unchanged from the previous year, according to a report published Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.
Despite continuing high unemployment among American workers, record deportations by the Obama administration and expanding efforts by states to crack down, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the work force — about eight million — was also unchanged, the Pew report found. Those workers were about 5 percent of the American work force.
The population of illegal immigrants leveled off after peaking in 2007 at 12 million, then dropping sharply over two years to 11.1 million in 2009, according to the report, which is based on census data. The declines occurred primarily because fewer people from Mexico and Central America came illegally to the United States, Pew concluded.
The report found no evidence of an exodus of illegal immigrants from the country. In particular there is no sign that Mexicans, who are the largest group — 58 percent — of illegal immigrants, are leaving in larger numbers, the report finds.
The Pew report suggests that the high numbers of unauthorized immigrants are confounding enforcement efforts by the Obama administration and also a recent spate of measures by state legislatures to crack down locally on illegal immigration. Federal immigration authorities deported about 400,000 immigrants in each of the last two years, the highest numbers in the country’s history, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
“We just don’t see indications that enforcement is pushing people to leave the U.S.,” said Jeffrey S. Passel, a demographer and co-author, with D’Vera Cohn, of the Pew report.
The report’s findings appeared to bring bad news for groups advocating for a strategy called attrition through enforcement, which inspired many of the tougher state measures, including a law Arizona enacted last year that caused a furor. According to supporters, those laws are intended to make life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they will opt to go home. Although much of Arizona’s law was held up by federal courts, other states, including Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have also adopted tough laws in recent years.
But some advocates for that approach said the Obama administration’s decision to end high-profile raids in workplaces might have contributed to illegal immigrants’ remaining here.
“It could be that the shift away from work-site enforcement is making it more attractive for illegal immigrants to stay here, since they do not feel as threatened at work,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which seeks reduced immigration to the United States.
The Pew report found that about 350,000 babies were born in 2009 to families with at least one illegal immigrant parent, a number also unchanged from the previous year, representing about 8 percent of all newborns.
Conservative lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures have announced initiatives to cancel automatic United States citizenship for children born here of illegal immigrant parents. They argue that birthright citizenship, which is described in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, encourages illegal immigrants to sneak in to have babies here in order to gain American citizenship for them.
The Pew report found that about two-thirds of the illegal immigrant parents of the newborns had been living in the United States for at least five years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/us/02immig.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23
The New York Times
February 1, 2011
About 11.2 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2010, a number essentially unchanged from the previous year, according to a report published Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.
Despite continuing high unemployment among American workers, record deportations by the Obama administration and expanding efforts by states to crack down, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the work force — about eight million — was also unchanged, the Pew report found. Those workers were about 5 percent of the American work force.
The population of illegal immigrants leveled off after peaking in 2007 at 12 million, then dropping sharply over two years to 11.1 million in 2009, according to the report, which is based on census data. The declines occurred primarily because fewer people from Mexico and Central America came illegally to the United States, Pew concluded.
The report found no evidence of an exodus of illegal immigrants from the country. In particular there is no sign that Mexicans, who are the largest group — 58 percent — of illegal immigrants, are leaving in larger numbers, the report finds.
The Pew report suggests that the high numbers of unauthorized immigrants are confounding enforcement efforts by the Obama administration and also a recent spate of measures by state legislatures to crack down locally on illegal immigration. Federal immigration authorities deported about 400,000 immigrants in each of the last two years, the highest numbers in the country’s history, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
“We just don’t see indications that enforcement is pushing people to leave the U.S.,” said Jeffrey S. Passel, a demographer and co-author, with D’Vera Cohn, of the Pew report.
The report’s findings appeared to bring bad news for groups advocating for a strategy called attrition through enforcement, which inspired many of the tougher state measures, including a law Arizona enacted last year that caused a furor. According to supporters, those laws are intended to make life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they will opt to go home. Although much of Arizona’s law was held up by federal courts, other states, including Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have also adopted tough laws in recent years.
But some advocates for that approach said the Obama administration’s decision to end high-profile raids in workplaces might have contributed to illegal immigrants’ remaining here.
“It could be that the shift away from work-site enforcement is making it more attractive for illegal immigrants to stay here, since they do not feel as threatened at work,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which seeks reduced immigration to the United States.
The Pew report found that about 350,000 babies were born in 2009 to families with at least one illegal immigrant parent, a number also unchanged from the previous year, representing about 8 percent of all newborns.
Conservative lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures have announced initiatives to cancel automatic United States citizenship for children born here of illegal immigrant parents. They argue that birthright citizenship, which is described in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, encourages illegal immigrants to sneak in to have babies here in order to gain American citizenship for them.
The Pew report found that about two-thirds of the illegal immigrant parents of the newborns had been living in the United States for at least five years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/us/02immig.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23
Friday, October 8, 2010
Census shows illegal immigrant numbers down
By James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
The Sun
Posted: 10/05/2010
In California and across the country, illegal immigration has become a bigger issue this year than in any election year in recent memory.
Yet some experts say - and the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau seem to show - that in California and San Bernardino County, illegal immigration is a shrinking problem, not a growing one.
Census Bureau estimates released this week show fewer noncitizens lived in the county and the state in 2009 than in any year since 2003. The bureau does not differentiate between illegal immigrants and other noncitizens.
"I think a lot of people think immigration keeps increasing, but it's been decreasing," said Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, which offers aid to immigrants. "A lot of it is misinformation."
John Husing, a Redlands-based regional economist who studies the Inland Empire, said the Census Bureau numbers are good evidence that illegal immigration is on the decline and that the emergence of illegal immigration as a campaign issue is "Republican Party and Tea Party propaganda."
He and local immigration advocates say that's a tactic aimed at mobilizing conservative voters. Some advocates argue the outrage over illegal immigration boils down to concerns that Latinos are rapidly on their way to becoming California's ethnic majority.
But activists on the other side say illegal immigration is a growing problem - they say they doubt the accuracy of the Census Bureau numbers, which are estimates from the annual American Community Survey - and that it's become an issue in this election because Californians are seeing the downsides of unchecked immigration.
"Today, there's not a city in the country that doesn't have a population of illegal immigrants and the problems that go with them," said Rick Oltman, a spokesman for the anti-illegal-immigration group Californians for Population Stabilization. "Everybody has a problem."
In San Bernardino County, the number of illegal immigrants shrunk by more than 30,000 from 2006 through 2009, from 264,889 - or 13.3percent of the county's population - to 234,359 - 11.6percent of the population.
Husing said it makes sense that illegal immigrants would have started leaving San Bernardino County after 2006 - the high-water mark, according to Census numbers - because of the Great Recession.
"People who might be here in a good time aren't here now because there's no work," Husing said.
At the same time, illegal immigrants in Southern California were much more likely to be deported in 2009 than they were in 2006.
Federal officials "are really going all out," said Jose Zapata Calderon, a professor of sociology and Chicano studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.
Over the past four years, the number of deportations has nearly doubled, from 13,337 in 2006 to more than 25,285 in 2009, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
But those statistics and the Census Bureau's estimate of noncitizens leave anti-illegal-immigration activists unimpressed. Oltman said Husing's economic argument fails because the shaky U.S. economy is still attractive to workers trying to escape the Mexican economy.
"The whole world economy has taken a hit," he said. "It's still better to live in America with a declining economy than in Mexico."
Raymond Herrera, president and founder of We the People, California's Crusader, a Claremont-based anti-illegal-immigration group, said the Census Bureau numbers can't be accurate.
"The Census Bureau is taking account of noncitizens that are willing to come forth and say, `Here I am,"' he said. "The ones I'm speaking about are in the shadows. (Illegal immigrants) don't come forward and reveal their presence or their status."
Herrera has been following immigration issues for 30 years and, about six years ago, was involved with Minuteman groups that patrolled the U.S.-Mexico border. He said he's glad illegal immigration issues have crept into the mainstream political debate, though he, like Husing, said some politicians are using it solely to boost their campaigns.
"Republicans are jumping on the bandwagon," he said. "John McCain is in trouble running against J.D. Hayworth, so he runs an ad where he's walking along the border and he's supporting the Arizona law. These are political tactics."
Amaya agreed, in a sense. He said the issue itself - not a particular candidate's stance - has been trumped up to help conservatives. Calderon said the issue of illegal immigration lets people voice fears that have more to do with ethnicity than with citizenship.
"The basis here is that the Latino population is growing," he said. "In some areas, like San Bernardino, Latinos will soon constitute a majority. And there's a fear there."
If voters are concerned about those changing demographics, about the changing face of California and San Bernardino County, it's possible they'll be attracted to anti-immigrant and anti-illegal-immigration rhetoric, Calderon said.
"People don't really go on issues - they go on emotions," Amaya said. "They think people are taking over our country. It makes sense as a political move. It's a wedge issue."
Herrera, though, said Amaya and Calderon, not conservatives and anti-illegal-immigration activists, are "playing the race card" and that illegal immigration is a serious issue that must be addressed.
"What the American people are concerned about is our democracy, our way of life and our American culture," he said. "When you allow the laws to be broken, when you don't enforce them, you have a state of anarchy."
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_16263747#ixzz1238Q5ija
The Sun
Posted: 10/05/2010
In California and across the country, illegal immigration has become a bigger issue this year than in any election year in recent memory.
Yet some experts say - and the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau seem to show - that in California and San Bernardino County, illegal immigration is a shrinking problem, not a growing one.
Census Bureau estimates released this week show fewer noncitizens lived in the county and the state in 2009 than in any year since 2003. The bureau does not differentiate between illegal immigrants and other noncitizens.
"I think a lot of people think immigration keeps increasing, but it's been decreasing," said Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, which offers aid to immigrants. "A lot of it is misinformation."
John Husing, a Redlands-based regional economist who studies the Inland Empire, said the Census Bureau numbers are good evidence that illegal immigration is on the decline and that the emergence of illegal immigration as a campaign issue is "Republican Party and Tea Party propaganda."
He and local immigration advocates say that's a tactic aimed at mobilizing conservative voters. Some advocates argue the outrage over illegal immigration boils down to concerns that Latinos are rapidly on their way to becoming California's ethnic majority.
But activists on the other side say illegal immigration is a growing problem - they say they doubt the accuracy of the Census Bureau numbers, which are estimates from the annual American Community Survey - and that it's become an issue in this election because Californians are seeing the downsides of unchecked immigration.
"Today, there's not a city in the country that doesn't have a population of illegal immigrants and the problems that go with them," said Rick Oltman, a spokesman for the anti-illegal-immigration group Californians for Population Stabilization. "Everybody has a problem."
In San Bernardino County, the number of illegal immigrants shrunk by more than 30,000 from 2006 through 2009, from 264,889 - or 13.3percent of the county's population - to 234,359 - 11.6percent of the population.
Husing said it makes sense that illegal immigrants would have started leaving San Bernardino County after 2006 - the high-water mark, according to Census numbers - because of the Great Recession.
"People who might be here in a good time aren't here now because there's no work," Husing said.
At the same time, illegal immigrants in Southern California were much more likely to be deported in 2009 than they were in 2006.
Federal officials "are really going all out," said Jose Zapata Calderon, a professor of sociology and Chicano studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.
Over the past four years, the number of deportations has nearly doubled, from 13,337 in 2006 to more than 25,285 in 2009, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
But those statistics and the Census Bureau's estimate of noncitizens leave anti-illegal-immigration activists unimpressed. Oltman said Husing's economic argument fails because the shaky U.S. economy is still attractive to workers trying to escape the Mexican economy.
"The whole world economy has taken a hit," he said. "It's still better to live in America with a declining economy than in Mexico."
Raymond Herrera, president and founder of We the People, California's Crusader, a Claremont-based anti-illegal-immigration group, said the Census Bureau numbers can't be accurate.
"The Census Bureau is taking account of noncitizens that are willing to come forth and say, `Here I am,"' he said. "The ones I'm speaking about are in the shadows. (Illegal immigrants) don't come forward and reveal their presence or their status."
Herrera has been following immigration issues for 30 years and, about six years ago, was involved with Minuteman groups that patrolled the U.S.-Mexico border. He said he's glad illegal immigration issues have crept into the mainstream political debate, though he, like Husing, said some politicians are using it solely to boost their campaigns.
"Republicans are jumping on the bandwagon," he said. "John McCain is in trouble running against J.D. Hayworth, so he runs an ad where he's walking along the border and he's supporting the Arizona law. These are political tactics."
Amaya agreed, in a sense. He said the issue itself - not a particular candidate's stance - has been trumped up to help conservatives. Calderon said the issue of illegal immigration lets people voice fears that have more to do with ethnicity than with citizenship.
"The basis here is that the Latino population is growing," he said. "In some areas, like San Bernardino, Latinos will soon constitute a majority. And there's a fear there."
If voters are concerned about those changing demographics, about the changing face of California and San Bernardino County, it's possible they'll be attracted to anti-immigrant and anti-illegal-immigration rhetoric, Calderon said.
"People don't really go on issues - they go on emotions," Amaya said. "They think people are taking over our country. It makes sense as a political move. It's a wedge issue."
Herrera, though, said Amaya and Calderon, not conservatives and anti-illegal-immigration activists, are "playing the race card" and that illegal immigration is a serious issue that must be addressed.
"What the American people are concerned about is our democracy, our way of life and our American culture," he said. "When you allow the laws to be broken, when you don't enforce them, you have a state of anarchy."
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_16263747#ixzz1238Q5ija
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Rights Groups to ICE: Stop Raids for Census
By Jacob Simas
New America Media
Mar 12, 2010
OAKLAND, Calif. – Immigrant rights advocates have sent a letter to President Barack Obama and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano asking them to immediately suspend all immigration enforcement activities through the end of the year in order to decrease fear within immigrant communities and encourage their participation in the 2010 Census.
Questionnaires for the 2010 Census are due to arrive in the mailbox of every U.S. household between now and April 1.
“We are genuinely concerned that the climate of fear will seriously impact the census form return rate of immigrant households -- and if people do not return the form, they will be reluctant to open the door to a follow-up visit from a census worker," said Catherine Tactaquin, director of National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR). "We really need the leadership of the administration right now to make a difference in the success of the census among our diverse immigrant populations."
The letter, which was signed by more than 200 organizations nationwide, calls for the suspension of more than a dozen specific enforcement activities operated through DHS, including immigration raids on homes and workplaces.
ICE Responds
ICE spokesperson Lori Haley told NAM she was unaware of the immigrant advocates’ letter. In a prepared statement, the agency said that ICE “fully supports an accurate count of the U.S. population,” and would prioritize enforcing laws “on those dangerous criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, not sweeps or raids to target undocumented immigrants indiscriminately.”
The problem, according to Arnoldo Garcia, a program director at NNIRR in Oakland, is that ICE raids result in only 2 percent of the roughly 500,000 deportations of immigrants that occur each year in the United States. “It would not be enough for Napolitano or congress to just say, ‘Okay, let’s suspend raids.’ That would be a gross injustice,” he said.
Even if ICE were to de-emphasize immigration raids, said Garcia, the majority of people being picked up and deported are a result of less visible strategies, like those arising from 287(g) agreements.
Such agreements allow local police and county sheriff departments to be trained by ICE in identifying potential “criminal aliens.” The result, said Garcia, is an increase in deportations and a growing mistrust of government and law-enforcement agencies within immigrant communities, including among legal permanent residents.
“Most people don’t realize that law enforcement is also deporting legal residents on criminal charges,” he said. “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, even if you are a legal permanent resident, you can still be subjected to deportation.”
Garcia says the organizations are simply asking the Obama administration and DHS to follow historical precedent. According to the letter, the federal government eased immigration enforcement activities during at least the last two decennial census campaigns.
Historical Precedent
The letter references a quote from Rep. Sylvestre Reyes, a Democrat from Texas, who told Fox News last year that when he was working for the Border Patrol during the lead-up to the 1990 census, he received orders to suspend some enforcement efforts.
There is other documentation that would suggest that the INS changed some of its operations during the 1990 census. For example, the INS commissioner sent a fax on Feb. 15, 1990 to all field offices, outlining guidelines for enforcement operations conducted while the census was being carried out, with the intention of deterring INS employees from “engaging in any conduct that is intended to inhibit or deter any person or group of persons from the fullest possible participation in the upcoming 1990 Census.”
The document goes on to state:
In keeping with an agreement between the Service and the Bureau of the Census, news releases or public announcements made by the Service with regard to Service enforcement activities will be temporarily discontinued during the period starting February 11, 1990 and ending July 31, 1990.
It is unclear from the commissioner’s fax whether the INS actually suspended activities, or simply stopped reporting them to the public.
Doris Meissner, who was head of INS during the 2000 Census, told the Orange County Register in January that she did in fact order suspension of “routine operations and enforcement activities” during the two weeks leading up to Census day, while allowing more serious enforcement involving criminal activities to continue unabated.
However, Meissner said that the likelihood of the Obama administration allowing even that to happen again is slim, considering how much the political landscape has changed since 2000.
“We definitely went further than what I’m hearing from this administration thus far,” she told the Register. “I think politically they feel more vulnerable and they may even believe that by going any further they would send signals that would embolden serious criminals and possibly terrorists.”
Census Bureau Promises Hands-Off Approach to Immigration
Regardless of what has occurred in the past, Census Bureau spokesperson Sonny Le says the bureau is taking a hands-off approach to the question of immigration enforcement in 2010. “We don’t request or interfere with other departments,” said Le. “Any decisions are going to have to come from Congress or the president.”
Nevertheless, NNIRR is optimistic that the Obama administration will recognize that the long-term benefits of an enforcement suspension outweigh any short-term political backlash.
“Having an accurate count of the immigrant population is not only good for immigrants,” said Garcia. “There has been a demographic revolution in this country over the last 10 years, and in those communities where there has been a big demographic change, if immigrants are undercounted, the whole community will be shooting itself in the foot.”
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=5b7a2f63b847f0ce9b9a6505a810604e
New America Media
Mar 12, 2010
OAKLAND, Calif. – Immigrant rights advocates have sent a letter to President Barack Obama and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano asking them to immediately suspend all immigration enforcement activities through the end of the year in order to decrease fear within immigrant communities and encourage their participation in the 2010 Census.
Questionnaires for the 2010 Census are due to arrive in the mailbox of every U.S. household between now and April 1.
“We are genuinely concerned that the climate of fear will seriously impact the census form return rate of immigrant households -- and if people do not return the form, they will be reluctant to open the door to a follow-up visit from a census worker," said Catherine Tactaquin, director of National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR). "We really need the leadership of the administration right now to make a difference in the success of the census among our diverse immigrant populations."
The letter, which was signed by more than 200 organizations nationwide, calls for the suspension of more than a dozen specific enforcement activities operated through DHS, including immigration raids on homes and workplaces.
ICE Responds
ICE spokesperson Lori Haley told NAM she was unaware of the immigrant advocates’ letter. In a prepared statement, the agency said that ICE “fully supports an accurate count of the U.S. population,” and would prioritize enforcing laws “on those dangerous criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, not sweeps or raids to target undocumented immigrants indiscriminately.”
The problem, according to Arnoldo Garcia, a program director at NNIRR in Oakland, is that ICE raids result in only 2 percent of the roughly 500,000 deportations of immigrants that occur each year in the United States. “It would not be enough for Napolitano or congress to just say, ‘Okay, let’s suspend raids.’ That would be a gross injustice,” he said.
Even if ICE were to de-emphasize immigration raids, said Garcia, the majority of people being picked up and deported are a result of less visible strategies, like those arising from 287(g) agreements.
Such agreements allow local police and county sheriff departments to be trained by ICE in identifying potential “criminal aliens.” The result, said Garcia, is an increase in deportations and a growing mistrust of government and law-enforcement agencies within immigrant communities, including among legal permanent residents.
“Most people don’t realize that law enforcement is also deporting legal residents on criminal charges,” he said. “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, even if you are a legal permanent resident, you can still be subjected to deportation.”
Garcia says the organizations are simply asking the Obama administration and DHS to follow historical precedent. According to the letter, the federal government eased immigration enforcement activities during at least the last two decennial census campaigns.
Historical Precedent
The letter references a quote from Rep. Sylvestre Reyes, a Democrat from Texas, who told Fox News last year that when he was working for the Border Patrol during the lead-up to the 1990 census, he received orders to suspend some enforcement efforts.
There is other documentation that would suggest that the INS changed some of its operations during the 1990 census. For example, the INS commissioner sent a fax on Feb. 15, 1990 to all field offices, outlining guidelines for enforcement operations conducted while the census was being carried out, with the intention of deterring INS employees from “engaging in any conduct that is intended to inhibit or deter any person or group of persons from the fullest possible participation in the upcoming 1990 Census.”
The document goes on to state:
In keeping with an agreement between the Service and the Bureau of the Census, news releases or public announcements made by the Service with regard to Service enforcement activities will be temporarily discontinued during the period starting February 11, 1990 and ending July 31, 1990.
It is unclear from the commissioner’s fax whether the INS actually suspended activities, or simply stopped reporting them to the public.
Doris Meissner, who was head of INS during the 2000 Census, told the Orange County Register in January that she did in fact order suspension of “routine operations and enforcement activities” during the two weeks leading up to Census day, while allowing more serious enforcement involving criminal activities to continue unabated.
However, Meissner said that the likelihood of the Obama administration allowing even that to happen again is slim, considering how much the political landscape has changed since 2000.
“We definitely went further than what I’m hearing from this administration thus far,” she told the Register. “I think politically they feel more vulnerable and they may even believe that by going any further they would send signals that would embolden serious criminals and possibly terrorists.”
Census Bureau Promises Hands-Off Approach to Immigration
Regardless of what has occurred in the past, Census Bureau spokesperson Sonny Le says the bureau is taking a hands-off approach to the question of immigration enforcement in 2010. “We don’t request or interfere with other departments,” said Le. “Any decisions are going to have to come from Congress or the president.”
Nevertheless, NNIRR is optimistic that the Obama administration will recognize that the long-term benefits of an enforcement suspension outweigh any short-term political backlash.
“Having an accurate count of the immigrant population is not only good for immigrants,” said Garcia. “There has been a demographic revolution in this country over the last 10 years, and in those communities where there has been a big demographic change, if immigrants are undercounted, the whole community will be shooting itself in the foot.”
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=5b7a2f63b847f0ce9b9a6505a810604e
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Census Reaches Out to Hispanics, Illegal Immigrants
State Government, Nonprofits and Telemundo Promote Census Participation
By MAXINE PARK
ABC News
February 16, 2010
Pedro trekked across the border from Mexico 10 years ago in search of a better life.
But now, standing outside a Mexican bakery in Phoenix, he shuffles his feet and shifts his eyes from side to side as he speaks. "I'm always looking around, just in case," he said.
Pedro, who would not give his last name, is an illegal immigrant. "America is the place for opportunity," Pedro said. "I knew I had to cross over."
He is single and has been working in construction in Arizona since his arrival. "I've got a clean record," Pedro, who's in his 30s, said. "I just mind my own business."
But despite that clean record, Pedro is one of many illegal immigrants living in Arizona who plan to ignore the upcoming Census 2010, even though he knows it's confidential.
"They call us illegals, and we don't count for the government," Pedro said. "They push us away and they don't want us here. So what [do] they want us [for]? Just [so] we get counted for money?"
High Stakes
The high-stakes head count of Census 2010 is weeks away, and many state officials across the South and Southwest worry about getting an accurate count of the Hispanic population; and, more specifically, the illegal immigrant population.
Census officials say the illegal immigrant population is key in this year's census, not only from a statistical standpoint but also because much-needed federal money hangs in the balance.
"We have many people who are in Arizona who are not here legally but whose children attend our schools and go to hospitals, and those are all affected by the census results and the federal dollars that come back to Arizona," Phoenix Census Bureau manager Al Nieto said.
Arizona, for instance, would lose $400 per year for the next 10 years for every person missed, according to the Census Bureau. (After the 2000 census, auditors found that close to 20,000 Phoenix residents had not been counted in Arizona, adding up to about $80 million in lost funding in the past decade.)
Arizona Could Miss Out on Congressional Seat
The state, which has eight representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, stands to gain two more seats.
But, between the illegal immigrant population and sluggish population growth, many state officials believe they'll fall about 60,000 people short of getting that second seat, meaning one less vote on important issues.
Census forms are mailed in March and need to be returned by April 1. Workers will start going door to door for people who fail to return their forms on time.
To help secure a more accurate count, the U.S. Census Bureau office in Phoenix has recruited more than 160 community leaders from Hispanic and faith-based organizations to encourage illegal immigrants to participate.
Fears and Boycotts
Max Gonzales, vice president of communications for Chicanos por la Causa, a leading Hispanic organization in Arizona, said many immigrants are scared.
"They don't want to fill out the forms, for obvious reasons," Gonzales said. "So it's our job to let them know how important it really is."
But groups such as the the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders are telling immigrants to boycott the forms. The group, which represents more than 20,000 Hispanic churches across the country, states on its Web site: "Antes de contzar, nos tienen que legalizar," or "Before you count us, you have to legalize us."
The Rev. Miguel Rivera, the group's chairman and co-founder, said, "Without a promise of legalization and a new system to give opportunities to these immigrants to correct their status, we can't in good conscience ask them to fill out these forms."
Largest and Fastest-Growing Ethnic Group
About 45.4 million people, or 15.1 percent of the U.S. population, is Hispanic, making it the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey. Of those 45.4 million people, officials estimate close to 10 million are here illegally.
The Hispanic population was undercounted by about 3.5 million nationwide in 2000, the bureau estimates. Sixty-five percent of Hispanic residents returned census forms, compared with 78 percent of residents who classified themselves as "white," according to the General Accounting Office.
Perla Beltran, the Fictitious TV Census Worker
"The Hispanic community is a powerful and dramatically growing force in this country," Don Browne, president of Telemundo, said. "There are profound demographic shifts going on, so this is a critically important time."
To aid in census efforts, Telemundo, the second-largest Spanish broadcast television network in the country, launched an initiative in April 2009 called "Hazte Contar!" or "Be Counted!" Telemundo hopes to inform its viewers about the census by placing information on all its platforms, from the evening news to its online Web site.
The network even made one of its main characters on the popular Spanish-language telenovela "Mas Sabe el Diablo" ("The Devil Knows Best") an attractive young woman named Perla Beltran (played by Michelle Vargas) a census worker.
"There is fear within the undocumented and documented Hispanic communities right now," Browne said. "But this census character is a vehicle that can help change that by reaching out to both populations."
Browne said Beltran's job as a census worker will help show people how to fill out the census forms and let them know that whatever information they provide is confidential.
Nieto, the Phoenix Census manager, said it's all about spreading the word.
'Not Even the President ... Can Get Access to This Information'
"Probably the most important thing the committee is doing is making sure people understand that this information is confidential," Nieto said. "That information on the forms is not and cannot be legally shared with anyone. Any law enforcement agencies, any state or federal agencies, not even the president of the United States can get access to this information."
Despite group efforts, Gonzales of Chicanos por la Causa said he believes it will be difficult to convince many illegal immigrants to fill out the forms. Some will refuse. "How can the census have the audacity to ask these immigrants to fill out these forms when they're not willing to recognize their status here?" Rivera of the clergy group said. "No representation, so no cooperation."
But Gonzales said the Census Bureau is just doing its job. "They're just doing the requirements of the Constitution, which is to go out and count every inhabitant," he said. "An inhabitant doesn't mean whether it's documented or undocumented. It's every inhabitant."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/census-reaches-hispanics-illegal-immigrants/story?id=9761158
By MAXINE PARK
ABC News
February 16, 2010
Pedro trekked across the border from Mexico 10 years ago in search of a better life.
But now, standing outside a Mexican bakery in Phoenix, he shuffles his feet and shifts his eyes from side to side as he speaks. "I'm always looking around, just in case," he said.
Pedro, who would not give his last name, is an illegal immigrant. "America is the place for opportunity," Pedro said. "I knew I had to cross over."
He is single and has been working in construction in Arizona since his arrival. "I've got a clean record," Pedro, who's in his 30s, said. "I just mind my own business."
But despite that clean record, Pedro is one of many illegal immigrants living in Arizona who plan to ignore the upcoming Census 2010, even though he knows it's confidential.
"They call us illegals, and we don't count for the government," Pedro said. "They push us away and they don't want us here. So what [do] they want us [for]? Just [so] we get counted for money?"
High Stakes
The high-stakes head count of Census 2010 is weeks away, and many state officials across the South and Southwest worry about getting an accurate count of the Hispanic population; and, more specifically, the illegal immigrant population.
Census officials say the illegal immigrant population is key in this year's census, not only from a statistical standpoint but also because much-needed federal money hangs in the balance.
"We have many people who are in Arizona who are not here legally but whose children attend our schools and go to hospitals, and those are all affected by the census results and the federal dollars that come back to Arizona," Phoenix Census Bureau manager Al Nieto said.
Arizona, for instance, would lose $400 per year for the next 10 years for every person missed, according to the Census Bureau. (After the 2000 census, auditors found that close to 20,000 Phoenix residents had not been counted in Arizona, adding up to about $80 million in lost funding in the past decade.)
Arizona Could Miss Out on Congressional Seat
The state, which has eight representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, stands to gain two more seats.
But, between the illegal immigrant population and sluggish population growth, many state officials believe they'll fall about 60,000 people short of getting that second seat, meaning one less vote on important issues.
Census forms are mailed in March and need to be returned by April 1. Workers will start going door to door for people who fail to return their forms on time.
To help secure a more accurate count, the U.S. Census Bureau office in Phoenix has recruited more than 160 community leaders from Hispanic and faith-based organizations to encourage illegal immigrants to participate.
Fears and Boycotts
Max Gonzales, vice president of communications for Chicanos por la Causa, a leading Hispanic organization in Arizona, said many immigrants are scared.
"They don't want to fill out the forms, for obvious reasons," Gonzales said. "So it's our job to let them know how important it really is."
But groups such as the the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders are telling immigrants to boycott the forms. The group, which represents more than 20,000 Hispanic churches across the country, states on its Web site: "Antes de contzar, nos tienen que legalizar," or "Before you count us, you have to legalize us."
The Rev. Miguel Rivera, the group's chairman and co-founder, said, "Without a promise of legalization and a new system to give opportunities to these immigrants to correct their status, we can't in good conscience ask them to fill out these forms."
Largest and Fastest-Growing Ethnic Group
About 45.4 million people, or 15.1 percent of the U.S. population, is Hispanic, making it the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey. Of those 45.4 million people, officials estimate close to 10 million are here illegally.
The Hispanic population was undercounted by about 3.5 million nationwide in 2000, the bureau estimates. Sixty-five percent of Hispanic residents returned census forms, compared with 78 percent of residents who classified themselves as "white," according to the General Accounting Office.
Perla Beltran, the Fictitious TV Census Worker
"The Hispanic community is a powerful and dramatically growing force in this country," Don Browne, president of Telemundo, said. "There are profound demographic shifts going on, so this is a critically important time."
To aid in census efforts, Telemundo, the second-largest Spanish broadcast television network in the country, launched an initiative in April 2009 called "Hazte Contar!" or "Be Counted!" Telemundo hopes to inform its viewers about the census by placing information on all its platforms, from the evening news to its online Web site.
The network even made one of its main characters on the popular Spanish-language telenovela "Mas Sabe el Diablo" ("The Devil Knows Best") an attractive young woman named Perla Beltran (played by Michelle Vargas) a census worker.
"There is fear within the undocumented and documented Hispanic communities right now," Browne said. "But this census character is a vehicle that can help change that by reaching out to both populations."
Browne said Beltran's job as a census worker will help show people how to fill out the census forms and let them know that whatever information they provide is confidential.
Nieto, the Phoenix Census manager, said it's all about spreading the word.
'Not Even the President ... Can Get Access to This Information'
"Probably the most important thing the committee is doing is making sure people understand that this information is confidential," Nieto said. "That information on the forms is not and cannot be legally shared with anyone. Any law enforcement agencies, any state or federal agencies, not even the president of the United States can get access to this information."
Despite group efforts, Gonzales of Chicanos por la Causa said he believes it will be difficult to convince many illegal immigrants to fill out the forms. Some will refuse. "How can the census have the audacity to ask these immigrants to fill out these forms when they're not willing to recognize their status here?" Rivera of the clergy group said. "No representation, so no cooperation."
But Gonzales said the Census Bureau is just doing its job. "They're just doing the requirements of the Constitution, which is to go out and count every inhabitant," he said. "An inhabitant doesn't mean whether it's documented or undocumented. It's every inhabitant."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/census-reaches-hispanics-illegal-immigrants/story?id=9761158
Monday, February 8, 2010
ICE Raids Cause Census Fear
Undocumented Aliens Fear Getting Counted in the 2010 Census Will Lead to Punishment. Government Promises no Punishment
By Jason Volentine
KIAH
February 4, 2010
The 2010 census is on and the Census Bureau wants to assure immigrants here illegally that reporting to the government won't lead to punishment.
However, immigration raids like the one this week in southeast Houston have many feeling uneasy. Police made more than 20 arrests finding 81 illegal immigrants. It's the latest in a string some fear will keep other undocumented people from getting counted. Experts warn uncounted people will hurt Houston in the end.
There's little trust between much of Houston's Latino community and the federal government.
"The census and [ Department of] Homeland Security are two totally, totally different segments of government," said U.S. Census Spokesperson Eduardo Guity. "Hopefully this will not have any impact on what we do."
However, it already has.
"We don't know who's knocking on the door, you know, maybe immigration or federal agencies. So, we'd rather not open the door," said Claudia Ortega, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials director of civic engagement.
ICE raids have traditionally undermined the census among undocumented Latinos.
"There's some raids going on and this usually happens near the census and this will intimidate the community in, 'how can I trust, how can I give my information to a government agency?" said Ortega.
Not counting undocumented immigrants costs big. The City of Houston lost $234.4 million in federal funds for people not counted in the 2000 census.
"It's going to affect our schools, public roads, safety, how everything impacts us directly, especially our children," cautioned Ortega.
This census, the NALEO hopes to give the Hispanic community a go-between for those getting registered.
"The Latino community will rather go to an agency that's not a government agency," Ortega said. "We want to reduce the fears; we want to be trusted messengers," she said.
Title 13 of U.S. code does prohibit use of personal information for anything besides statistics. For more information visit www.naleo.org or http://www.2010.census.gov/.
http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-countinglatinos-story,0,4325795.story
By Jason Volentine
KIAH
February 4, 2010
The 2010 census is on and the Census Bureau wants to assure immigrants here illegally that reporting to the government won't lead to punishment.
However, immigration raids like the one this week in southeast Houston have many feeling uneasy. Police made more than 20 arrests finding 81 illegal immigrants. It's the latest in a string some fear will keep other undocumented people from getting counted. Experts warn uncounted people will hurt Houston in the end.
There's little trust between much of Houston's Latino community and the federal government.
"The census and [ Department of] Homeland Security are two totally, totally different segments of government," said U.S. Census Spokesperson Eduardo Guity. "Hopefully this will not have any impact on what we do."
However, it already has.
"We don't know who's knocking on the door, you know, maybe immigration or federal agencies. So, we'd rather not open the door," said Claudia Ortega, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials director of civic engagement.
ICE raids have traditionally undermined the census among undocumented Latinos.
"There's some raids going on and this usually happens near the census and this will intimidate the community in, 'how can I trust, how can I give my information to a government agency?" said Ortega.
Not counting undocumented immigrants costs big. The City of Houston lost $234.4 million in federal funds for people not counted in the 2000 census.
"It's going to affect our schools, public roads, safety, how everything impacts us directly, especially our children," cautioned Ortega.
This census, the NALEO hopes to give the Hispanic community a go-between for those getting registered.
"The Latino community will rather go to an agency that's not a government agency," Ortega said. "We want to reduce the fears; we want to be trusted messengers," she said.
Title 13 of U.S. code does prohibit use of personal information for anything besides statistics. For more information visit www.naleo.org or http://www.2010.census.gov/.
http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-countinglatinos-story,0,4325795.story
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Knock, Knock: Census Workers? Or Immigration Raid?
by Mighel Perez
October 7, 2009
Post Chronicle
Just when we thought things would be a little different under the Obama administration -- because we were promised so much "change" -- we realize that we are getting more of the same. On some issues with which we expected clear improvement, things are actually getting worse.
On two issues of particular importance to the nation's 45 million Latinos -- immigration reform and census participation -- the Obama administration clearly has failed to live up to the expectations of many of the Latino voters who sent them to the White House last November.
Those two issues came together last week, when Obama's Commerce Department said it would not ask Obama's Homeland Security Department to halt immigration raids during the period when federal workers will be knocking on doors to conduct the 2010 census, starting April 1.
This is change, but it's for the worse.
During the 2000 census, many illegal immigrants were able to shed their fears and participate because immigration raids had been informally suspended, at the request of Census Bureau officials, to encourage participation among inner-city minorities and members of other hard-to-count communities.
Yet 10 years later, under a "liberal" president who promised so much change to Latinos, a Commerce Department spokesman told The Associated Press that "neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau will ask DHS to refrain from exercising their lawful authority" to conduct immigration raids.
That is the response that could be expected from a Republican administration. In fact, the idea of calling off the raids in 2010 already had been rejected, when it was presented to the Bush administration two years ago. But coming from the Obama administration, it felt like a low blow.
Like a broken record, current Census Bureau officials keep claiming that they are committed to getting an accurate count of all U.S. residents -- legal and illegal. But they sure don't act like it, not when they think they can do it in spite of the continuation of immigration raids.
http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212260569.shtml
October 7, 2009
Post Chronicle
Just when we thought things would be a little different under the Obama administration -- because we were promised so much "change" -- we realize that we are getting more of the same. On some issues with which we expected clear improvement, things are actually getting worse.
On two issues of particular importance to the nation's 45 million Latinos -- immigration reform and census participation -- the Obama administration clearly has failed to live up to the expectations of many of the Latino voters who sent them to the White House last November.
Those two issues came together last week, when Obama's Commerce Department said it would not ask Obama's Homeland Security Department to halt immigration raids during the period when federal workers will be knocking on doors to conduct the 2010 census, starting April 1.
This is change, but it's for the worse.
During the 2000 census, many illegal immigrants were able to shed their fears and participate because immigration raids had been informally suspended, at the request of Census Bureau officials, to encourage participation among inner-city minorities and members of other hard-to-count communities.
Yet 10 years later, under a "liberal" president who promised so much change to Latinos, a Commerce Department spokesman told The Associated Press that "neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau will ask DHS to refrain from exercising their lawful authority" to conduct immigration raids.
That is the response that could be expected from a Republican administration. In fact, the idea of calling off the raids in 2010 already had been rejected, when it was presented to the Bush administration two years ago. But coming from the Obama administration, it felt like a low blow.
Like a broken record, current Census Bureau officials keep claiming that they are committed to getting an accurate count of all U.S. residents -- legal and illegal. But they sure don't act like it, not when they think they can do it in spite of the continuation of immigration raids.
http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212260569.shtml
Monday, October 5, 2009
Halt to gov't raids not an option to boost census
By HOPE YEN
The Associated Press
October 2, 2009
WASHINGTON — With the 2010 census six months away, the Commerce Department said Thursday it won't seek a halt to immigration raids as it did in the previous census in hopes of improving participation in hard-to-count communities.
In a statement, the department said it is committed to an accurate count of U.S. residents, including both legal and illegal immigrants. Spokesman Nick Kimball said officials will not ask the Homeland Security Department to stop large-scale immigration raids during the high stakes count that begins April 1.
That position is a departure from the one taken in the 2000 census, when immigration officials at the request of the Census Bureau informally agreed not to conduct raids. The bureau two years ago asked DHS to hold off again in 2010, but that was rejected by the Bush administration, which said it would continue to enforce federal laws.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department echoed that position and said it would not be revisiting the matter.
"Our job is to count every resident once, and in the right place, and that's what we do," Kimball said. "All the information the Census Bureau collects is protected by law and will not be shared with any other agency. Neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau will ask DHS to refrain from exercising their lawful authority."
It remained unclear what Commerce's stance might have on the likelihood of immigration raids next year. In recent months, the government has said it was seeking to shift enforcement efforts more toward criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants as well as cases in which an illegal immigrant may pose a safety threat to the community.
The Commerce statement comes as the Census Bureau enters the final stretch of preparations for the decennial count, which is used to apportion House seats and distribute nearly $450 billion in federal aid. With an effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws expected to take place sometime next year, Census Director Robert Groves has said he's particularly worried that tensions over immigration will deter people from participating in the count.
Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, has been urging Hispanics to boycott the census until there is action on an immigration overhaul.
On Thursday, a coalition of Latino groups, including Univision and the National Coalition, announced a grass-roots campaign to boost participation in their communities and to resist calls to boycott the census. The groups said that getting an accurate count of the fast-growing Latino community is the best way to push change.
"Ensuring our nation's second largest population group is fully counted is critical to recognizing our nation's diversity and to building future political strength," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4E6eAhJiEtJPh2FfoGg9F2GVMpQD9B2JFBO1
The Associated Press
October 2, 2009
WASHINGTON — With the 2010 census six months away, the Commerce Department said Thursday it won't seek a halt to immigration raids as it did in the previous census in hopes of improving participation in hard-to-count communities.
In a statement, the department said it is committed to an accurate count of U.S. residents, including both legal and illegal immigrants. Spokesman Nick Kimball said officials will not ask the Homeland Security Department to stop large-scale immigration raids during the high stakes count that begins April 1.
That position is a departure from the one taken in the 2000 census, when immigration officials at the request of the Census Bureau informally agreed not to conduct raids. The bureau two years ago asked DHS to hold off again in 2010, but that was rejected by the Bush administration, which said it would continue to enforce federal laws.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department echoed that position and said it would not be revisiting the matter.
"Our job is to count every resident once, and in the right place, and that's what we do," Kimball said. "All the information the Census Bureau collects is protected by law and will not be shared with any other agency. Neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau will ask DHS to refrain from exercising their lawful authority."
It remained unclear what Commerce's stance might have on the likelihood of immigration raids next year. In recent months, the government has said it was seeking to shift enforcement efforts more toward criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants as well as cases in which an illegal immigrant may pose a safety threat to the community.
The Commerce statement comes as the Census Bureau enters the final stretch of preparations for the decennial count, which is used to apportion House seats and distribute nearly $450 billion in federal aid. With an effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws expected to take place sometime next year, Census Director Robert Groves has said he's particularly worried that tensions over immigration will deter people from participating in the count.
Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, has been urging Hispanics to boycott the census until there is action on an immigration overhaul.
On Thursday, a coalition of Latino groups, including Univision and the National Coalition, announced a grass-roots campaign to boost participation in their communities and to resist calls to boycott the census. The groups said that getting an accurate count of the fast-growing Latino community is the best way to push change.
"Ensuring our nation's second largest population group is fully counted is critical to recognizing our nation's diversity and to building future political strength," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4E6eAhJiEtJPh2FfoGg9F2GVMpQD9B2JFBO1
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Advocates Want Halt on Immigration Raids to Ensure Accurate Census
FOXNews.com
Monday, April 06, 2009
U.S. Rep. William Clay says he'll ask the Obama administration to suspend immigration raids over the next year, so illegal immigrants don't worry that sharing accurate information with Census workers could somehow expose them to punishment.
Some lawmakers are calling anew for the U.S. to relax its immigration laws -- not to provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants, but to ensure statistical accuracy.
The calls come as the Census Bureau prepares to kick off the 2010 Census. Critics argue that unless the government is willing to relax immigration laws, millions of people -- afraid to their share their personal information -- will be left out of the count.
U.S. Rep. William Clay, D-Mo., who chairs a House oversight subcommittee on the Census, said he plans to ask the Obama administration to suspend immigration raids over the next year.
He wants the raids put on hold so illegal immigrants don't worry that sharing accurate information with Census workers could somehow expose them to punishment, even deportation.
"There are many people -- Hispanics, African-Americans, whites, Asians -- who have an irrational fear of government, who distrust government, who don't believe that if they give the federal government personal information, that that information is not going to be confidential," said Arturo Vargas, of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
The kind of move Clay is proposing has been done before -- in 2000, and even earlier.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, was working for the border patrol ahead of the 1990 Census when the orders came down to suspend some enforcement efforts.
"It distorts the count because people might be apprehensive about answering the door, or reporting accurately how many people are living in a house or residence or an apartment, or those kinds of things -- at least that was the rationale," Reyes explained.
But the call to pull back the reins on immigration enforcement is opposed by many of Clay's colleagues, including the ranking Republican on the House oversight committee.
"We're not talking about one day of not doing raids. We're talking about a period of time. Is that a week, a month or a whole year? We cannot suspend law enforcement," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
The Obama administration has sought a freeze on arrests of illegal immigrants, upending an enforcement policy that was in widespread use during the last years of the Bush administration.
There has only been one mass arrest of immigrants since Obama took office, which came as a shock to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who ordered a review of the incident. All but one of the illegal immigrants arrested in the February raid were released and given legal work permits.
Opponents of the move to relax immigration laws say that given the national security threats facing the nation, asking law enforcement officers not to do their jobs is not an option.
Republicans estimate the government will spend tens of millions of dollars this year targeting immigrant communities with the message that anything they share with the Census Bureau will not be used against them.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/06/advocates-want-halt-immigration-raids-ensure-accurate-census/
Monday, April 06, 2009
U.S. Rep. William Clay says he'll ask the Obama administration to suspend immigration raids over the next year, so illegal immigrants don't worry that sharing accurate information with Census workers could somehow expose them to punishment.
Some lawmakers are calling anew for the U.S. to relax its immigration laws -- not to provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants, but to ensure statistical accuracy.
The calls come as the Census Bureau prepares to kick off the 2010 Census. Critics argue that unless the government is willing to relax immigration laws, millions of people -- afraid to their share their personal information -- will be left out of the count.
U.S. Rep. William Clay, D-Mo., who chairs a House oversight subcommittee on the Census, said he plans to ask the Obama administration to suspend immigration raids over the next year.
He wants the raids put on hold so illegal immigrants don't worry that sharing accurate information with Census workers could somehow expose them to punishment, even deportation.
"There are many people -- Hispanics, African-Americans, whites, Asians -- who have an irrational fear of government, who distrust government, who don't believe that if they give the federal government personal information, that that information is not going to be confidential," said Arturo Vargas, of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
The kind of move Clay is proposing has been done before -- in 2000, and even earlier.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, was working for the border patrol ahead of the 1990 Census when the orders came down to suspend some enforcement efforts.
"It distorts the count because people might be apprehensive about answering the door, or reporting accurately how many people are living in a house or residence or an apartment, or those kinds of things -- at least that was the rationale," Reyes explained.
But the call to pull back the reins on immigration enforcement is opposed by many of Clay's colleagues, including the ranking Republican on the House oversight committee.
"We're not talking about one day of not doing raids. We're talking about a period of time. Is that a week, a month or a whole year? We cannot suspend law enforcement," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
The Obama administration has sought a freeze on arrests of illegal immigrants, upending an enforcement policy that was in widespread use during the last years of the Bush administration.
There has only been one mass arrest of immigrants since Obama took office, which came as a shock to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who ordered a review of the incident. All but one of the illegal immigrants arrested in the February raid were released and given legal work permits.
Opponents of the move to relax immigration laws say that given the national security threats facing the nation, asking law enforcement officers not to do their jobs is not an option.
Republicans estimate the government will spend tens of millions of dollars this year targeting immigrant communities with the message that anything they share with the Census Bureau will not be used against them.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/06/advocates-want-halt-immigration-raids-ensure-accurate-census/
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