Most Spanish language TV features on-camera talent which is much lighter in skin color than the average Mexican or Central American. Some say the real racists are the lighter-colored aristocrats that run Mexico.

To: Editor, Arizona Daily Star
Re: "New brown race a myth," By Richard Rodriguez, Arizona Daily Star, Monday, June
11, 2001

  Mr. Rodriquez tells us that Hispanics are not a race but an ethnicity. Why, then, are those of us who oppose illegal immigration called racists? "The dark little secret" that Mr. Rodriguez refers to is not that Hispanics are a culture rather than a race. The "dark little secret" is that that those who are behind the invasion of the United States will use whatever means are necessary to achieve their goal of conquest. To gain benefits of affirmative action and civil rights won by Blacks, and to accuse those who resist the invasion of racism, they claim that Hispanics are a race. But when the threat of a Black vs. Brown conflict emerges, Hispanic is suddenly a culture.
  The fact is, most Hispanics who are flooding into the Southwest United States are best described not by race or ethnicity, but by nationality -- Mexicans.

Glenn Spencer

New Survey Results

Techie tolerance and the H-1B visa

"American workers are being forced out of their jobs," says one survey respondent. "It's just a matter of time before the immigrants, H-1Bs and foreign outsourcing will take over the industry." -- "Sixty-five years ago, my father came to America with a one-day visa to start a new, better life," says another. "Why should we deny others this same opportunity?" -- The controversy in the IT (information technology) career sector over the H-1B visa has again come into stark relief, as techies.com on Monday releases a new survey of more than 1,100 tech professionals. The techies.com site is a leading hub of IT industry issues. "And the tech workers we surveyed," says techies vice president Cynthia Morgan, "think it can affect their job security and pay scales."

Travel

Tijuana hopes new image will attract more families

In an effort to shed a Wild West reputation that has lured generations of Americans here to drink and carouse, Tijuana and its neighboring Baja California towns have turned to a U.S. public relations firm. Taking their cue from more polished tourist destinations such as Las Vegas, local business and government leaders here hope to give the region a new, upscale, family-friendly image to attract a more well-heeled, and well-behaved, brand of tourist. -- But some critics remain skeptical. "I think they are extremely uncooperative. I don't care how good a P.R. firm they have, going to Tijuana is just not safe. Period," said San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn.

Lexington, NE

Growing pains in racially changing rural, small towns

Cindy Walker didn't like what she saw in the classrooms of her hometown, but her concerns had little to do with teachers or curriculum. What she didn't like were all the brown faces in Lexington Public Schools. She said she felt the teachers would devote too much time to children who spoke mostly Spanish. "My kids aren't going to be held back because of the Hispanics," she said. "It seems like they work more with the Hispanics, the white kids are just pushed aside." So the day-care operator and part-time convenience-store clerk removed her children from their hometown schools. Her 17-year-old goes to high school in Overton and her 7-year-old attends a country school, where almost all the faces are white.

We Get E-Mail

Re: Letters to the editor - Water Stations

Reading the letters to the Arizona newspaper regarding a local government's funding water stations for illegal border crossings uncovered an interesting item: one writer stated that the INS Border Patrol had "promised not to stake out" the water stations. Isn't this a little like your city cops "promising" not to stake out a crack house, because they might actually catch drug dealers there? Has it been reduced to this, that US law enforcement agencies must "promise" not to do their jobs? What are Bush and Ashcroft smoking these days? Just wondering...
Russ G. -- Portland, ME

Lansing, MI

Group resurrects movement to honor Marxist agitator

Six years after tensions flared over the naming of a downtown Lansing street, Hispanic community leaders are taking steps to re-create a tribute to Cesar Chavez, the late labor and civil rights leader. This time, though, they want support from the entire Lansing community. "We really need to have everyone involved in this, so it goes smoothly and so that everyone feels it is theirs," said community activist Al Salas. "We don't want to repeat the ill feelings of 1995." That's when Lansing residents voted to change the name of Cesar Chavez Avenue back to Grand Avenue, overturning an earlier City Council decision.

Dangerous Mexican Trucks

Mexican truckers to gain access

President Bush plans to break down the last major barrier to trade with Mexico and give thousands of Mexican big- rig trucks full access to Southern California and the rest of the nation. -- Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Torrance, is among 30 House Democrats who co-sponsored a measure that asks Bush to keep current border trucking controls in force. "I fear that, if Bush opens up the border before both sides are ready, soon after we're going to have a horrible truck crash somewhere in the U.S. involving an unsafe Mexican vehicle or driver.

Jacksonville, FL

INS detaining stowaways in Florida

In Jacksonville, the INS has three immigration inspectors who work at the port. So far this fiscal year, the inspectors have apprehended 11 stowaways, which the INS said is below the typical level. However, the agency couldn't provide figures from previous years. Most of this year's stowaways were from the Dominican Republic, INS said. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has five officers in Jacksonville. Although the officers don't inspect every vessel, they know which ones are more likely to carry high-risk goods and prioritize their inspections accordingly.

Winston-Salem, NC

Hospitals addressing needs of Hispanic population

Because of non- discrimination policies, area hospitals declined to release statistical information based on race, but according to the Guilford County Department of Public Health, Hispanic births grew from 266 in 1998 to 332 in 1999. During that same period in Forsyth County, those numbers increased from 506 to 671. In fact, the increase in Hispanic births is one of the biggest reasons that Novant is renovating and expanding The Women's Center at Forsyth Medical Center by some 80,000 square feet, according to Novant spokesperson Freda Springs.

Des Moines

Minorities post higher dropout rates

Hispanic and black students drop out of Iowa high schools at a rate several times greater than their white classmates do, data from the Iowa Department of Education show. About 8 percent of the state's ninth through 12th grade Hispanic students quit going to classes during the 1999- 2000 school year. That same year, almost 6 percent of Iowa's black high school students dropped out. Only 2 percent of the state's white high school students quit that year. -- The most current U.S. census data show that 7 percent of the nation's Hispanic high school students dropped out of school in the 12 months preceding October 1999.

Washington

Powell Seeks Hispanic Recruits for U.S. Diplomacy

Colin Powell on Monday underlined the Bush administration's increased focus on Hispanic issues by launching a drive for more Hispanic American diplomats. He signed a deal with a student association to attract new recruits and pledged to improve the State Department's record on employing members of America's fastest- growing minority. "We haven't been doing too well," he told the audience at a signing ceremony of a Principles of Cooperation with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Only 4% of State Department employees are Hispanic, compared to 6.6% among federal employees overall and 12.5% of the population overall...

Don Feder

Time says viva los border jumpers

More than 4,600 illegals cross our southern border every day, Time tells us. It approvingly quotes a border resident who insists, "Trying to stop this migration is like trying to stop a wave with a Dixie cup." Thanks in part to the human deluge, "Salsa is more popular than ketchup; Salma Hayek is bigger than Madonna ­ and the border is everywhere," the magazine exalts. "One day soon it may seem a little backward for someone in the U.S. not to speak some Spanish." Ole! And wouldn't it be nice if all of the aliens here spoke more than a little English. Time reflects the mindset of America's elites on immigration from Mexico: The tide is unstoppable; they're taking jobs Americans don't want; diversity means ethnic cuisine and celebrity glamour, and no downside.

Morristown, NJ

Community pays respects to slain boy

For one hour Sunday, a community united amid ringing church bells and lighted candles to remember an inquisitive 10- year- old named Walter. In two brief bilingual services linked by a quarter-mile procession from St. Margaret's Church to The Green at the center of town, hundreds of black, white, and Hispanic residents affirmed the brief life of Walter Contreras Valenzuela, whose battered body was discovered near a wooded road May 20. (Shown at right is the suspected killer, a day laborer and illegal Honduran alien by the name of Porfirio Jimenez. Click here for more info from the N. Y. Times - free registration required. | Also see the story about another illegal alien day laborer and mass murderer.]

Columbia, SC

Hispanics slow to join political culture

While Hispanics were South Carolina's fast-growing minority during the past decade, they still remain largely invisible on Election Day. The explanation lies in talking with people like Manuel Angel, a 21-year-old waiter from Guadalajara, Mexico, who has lived in the state for 10 years. He watches television and is aware of politics. But he hasn't registered to vote. "I work all day, every day," he says. "I just don't think about it." Hispanics make up 2.4 percent of the state's population, but they represent less than 0.5 percent of the state's 2 million registered voters. There are only 8,883 registered Hispanic voters, according to the State Election Commission.

Danbury, CT

Immigrants slow to register for selective service

Registration for Selective Service is up 7 percent in Connecticut over last year. But immigrants constitute a segment of the population registering in very small numbers. The message that registration is required by law is not getting out to growing immigrant communities, said Glen Ford, a spokesman for Selective Service, from his Chicago office. "If a young man stays in high school and goes on, we're going to register them, but if they're not in that traditional group we lose access to them.'' Ford said that men between the ages of 18 and 26 years old are required to register. U.S. citizens as well as immigrants who are not citizens are required to register.

Washington

Hospitals Go Abroad To Fill Slots For Nurses

The Washington Post reports that many DC-area hospitals have turned to overseas nurses to fill staff vacancies. Instead of paying $70 an hour in some cases, the hospitals pay $25 to nurses from the Philippines, for example. Nurses unions object to the low pay, saying hospitals are not giving enough credit for overseas work experience. "If you tell me you've worked in a Turkish hospital, I have no idea," one nursing executive told the Post. But a representative of the American Nurses Association responded "That's really scary, isn't it?....."

Tucson Citizen

Letters to the editor - Water Stations

Tuesday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to give $25,000 to a local religious organization that is establishing water stations in the southern Arizona desert to be used by illegal immigrants. The vote came after 14 immigrants died in the desert when they ran out of water and became lost. The supervisors' vote was supported editorially by the Tucson Citizen as an act of mercy. Today, readers react: You guys are nuts! Illegal immigrants are lawbreakers who should be rounded up and deported ASAP. To provide assistance to these criminals simply makes you an accessory to crime.

Letter To the Atlanta J-C

Roswell day-labor center an affront to federal law

The Roswell City Council's recent pledge of support of a day-labor center legitimizes criminality and endorses lawlessness ("Roswell City Council to consider day-labor waiting center," Metro, June 4). The center will cater largely to illegal aliens, whose primary motivation is to circumvent our laws. Assisting illegals in finding work and encouraging them to remain in the United States is a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Editorial - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Roswell scores hit with day laborers

What has for several years been a constant community irritant could well be transformed into a cross-cultural civic asset, thanks to a big-hearted but also very practical decision of the Roswell City Council. - Starting next month, day laborers looking for work in Roswell will have a designated place to assemble. This will be a big improvement on their milling around and spilling out into busy streets or blocking access to local businesses as they wait for contractors to come by and assign them work for the day.

Atlanta

U.S. jails many immigrants it's unable to deport

The jail doors have finally opened for Sivilay Sengchanh. The federal government detained the legal immigrant from Laos for four years, nine months--- beyond the two years, 10 months, he spent in a South Carolina prison for shooting at a police officer --- much of that time in Georgia. The government tried to deport him, but Laos would not take him back. So Sengchanh became one of thousands of people jailed for years by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Georgia and around the country. The detentions cost $80 million a year and raise constitutional questions the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to answer this month.

Marietta, GA

Hispanics involved in alarming percent of fatal wrecks

According to Cobb police, a disproportionate number of Hispanics are involved in deadly wrecks on county roads. "It's bad, and it does concern me," said Cmdr. George Hatfield, who heads up Cobb police's Special Operations Unit. Last year, there were 52 fatal crashes resulting in 59 deaths on Cobb County roads. Thirteen of those involved in the accidents, or 25%, were Hispanic. Eight of those people died. So far this year, there have been 27 fatal crashes resulting in 31 deaths in Cobb. Ten of those involved in the accidents, or 37%, were Hispanic. Seven of those people died. Census numbers show the Hispanic population in Cobb at 46,964, representing just under 8% of the population.

Letter To Newsday

Re: "Heated Rhetoric Must Stop"

Farmingville Solution As a 12-year-resident of Farmingville, I read the letter "Heated Rhetoric Must Stop" [Viewpoints, June 1] with great interest. The writer describes Sachem Quality of Life as an "extremist fringe" group and goes on to state that "hatred has no place on Long Island." What thed writer and his cadre of special-interest groups continue to ignore is that the vast majority of law-abiding Suffolk County residents do not support illegal immigration, tax evasion or county funded hiring halls supporting these activities. These are tenets that the Sachem Quality of Life organization was founded on.

We Get E-Mail

Re: Congressman Howard Berman, traitor

Congressman Berman,
  I should have known better than to trust you when you told me face-to-face in Washington that you don't support illegal immigration.
  I should have known better than to trust you, even though I have a number of letters from you, telling me in writing, that you don't support illegal immigration.
  I should have realized that as our district became more and more bloated with illegal aliens, you'd start ignoring your American constituents and start pandering to these illegals and their advocates by supporting their demands for amnesty, since someday they may become citizens and you want their votes.

Washington Post

Newest Arrivals Face Biggest Hurdles

All of the students are in the school's High Intensity Language Training program, or HILT. They are recent immigrants, with weak English language skills. About 1 million like them have enrolled in high schools across the nation in the last five years. -- During one class, he discusses the changing demographics of America. "In 2050, you guys will be the majority," Vogel says. "Your children will have political control ­ we hope ­ of this country." -- But, he continues, "the exchange of power is not going to be pretty." "Sometimes you have to fight to get it," Linda calls out from her desk.

Tijuana

We'll just try and try again, say border crossers

Daniel Navarro said he's aware that many Mexicans have died crossing illegally into the United States. That won't happen to him, he said firmly. "We all know that crossing is a great risk, but most manage to get into the United States and establish themselves." He's a 38-year-old man who recently lost his job at a factory in the state of Sinaloa. He planned to go to Los Angeles because, he said, at his age he can't find a job in his country. On a recent Wednesday evening, he was one of dozens of men resting at the Casa de Migrante....

Los Angeles

New brown race a myth

That dark little secret - the divide at the heart of America's racial and ethnic politics - has been exposed by the contest for mayor of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, in America's largest Hispanic city, an overwhelming number of black voters sided with the white candidate, defeating the Hispanic candidate. All is not well along the spectrum of America's rainbow, despite the tendency of some on the political left to describe "blacks and Latinos" in one breath. From Miami to Dallas to Compton, blacks and Latinos are engaged in a terrible competition for the meanest jobs; for the security of Civil Service positions; for political office; for white noise.

Aiding and Abetting Illegals

Water Stations In Desert Mix Mercy, Protest Aid to Migrants Questioned

....But David Aguilar, the chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, adds that he has real concerns about the water stations and their tenders. He has warned members of Humane Borders that they will be prosecuted if they cross the line from humanitarian aid to assisting and abetting illegal immigration. It is good and legal to offer a thirsty migrant a drink of water, he says; it is illegal to give him a ride to the nearest freeway. Also, Aguilar worries about offering false hope. The water stations, he says, "have the potential of creating an additional draw" for migrants, and for inspiring a mirage that the desert floor is lined with water fountains.

Same-o, Same-o

In Mexico, Publisher Finds New Players but Old Secrecy

Mr. Fox had promised change and openness that would fortify Mexico's fledgling democracy. During the transition, Mr. Junco, who sympathizes with Mr. Fox's conservative National Action Party, met with the new team and discussed ways of improving transparency and accountability. He returned to this business-oriented city to await eagerly a new era of openness in which the secret files and incriminating records of past administrations would be laid bare for all to see. He is still waiting. "I don't think anything has changed in that regard at all," Mr. Junco said in an interview...(NYT - Free Reg.)

Project USA

Billboard Campaign Against Immigration Is Attacked

More than two years into a nationwide billboard campaign to raise Americans' awareness of the immigration issue, an organization advocating population stabilization is running into strong political opposition. ProjectUSA, which favors a reduction in the nation's immigration levels, bought billboards across the country to convey its message of reform. "The overall purpose of the campaign is to raise the level of conversation about this issue," said Craig Nelsen, director of ProjectUSA. "What I think this country is blindly doing is really unfair to the next generation. We want to elevate it as an important issue."