A newly formed group of Hispanic GOP legislators in Texas are gearing up to improve and strengthen relations among the Latino constituencies they represent and better address the issues important to them. The Hispanic Republican Conference, consists of six members who identify themselves as Hispanic and three Anglos serving districts that are at least 40 […]
Hispanics Top Smartphone Owners
A new report by Nielsen found that Hispanics and minorities own smartphones at a higher rate than other mobile users in the country. The survey conducted in December found that 45 percent of Hispanics own smartphones, one of the highest rates out of all minority groups, followed by 33 percent of blacks. Only Asian/Pacific Islanders […]
Report Details New Estimates for Undocumented Populations Suggesting Decline
On Tuesday, the Pew Hispanic Center released new findings detailing the population size of undocumented immigrants nationally and by state that shows a downward trend. The report includes updated estimates for the undocumented immigrant work force, including their countries of origin. The estimates produced in this report are based on data collected from the U.S. […]
Hispanic Home Ownership Down
The number of Hispanics who own their own home fell below 50 percent since 2007, according to RealEstateEconomyWatch.com. In 2007, 50.1 percent of Hispanics owned their own home but in 2009 that percentage was down to 46.8, the site reported. The numbers were taken from the Census Bureau, which showed that overall the percentage of […]
Protesters in Neighboring California Stand with Arizona
As the Arizona state legislature pushed a measure to deny the children of undocumented immigrants automatic citizenship guaranteed to them under the 14th Amendment, activists in neighboring California took to the streets in a show of solidarity. The protest took place over the weekend in the predominantly Latino suburb of Pacoima, with more than 1,500 […]
Hispanic Population Growth in Texas a Challenge for Republican Controlled Legislature in Reapportionment
Texas saw the greatest increase in population of any state in the nation in the last decade and estimates that up to 85 percent of the 4.5 million new residents in the state are Hispanic. This put Texas at the top in the number of congressional seats gained, but presents a challenge for the Republican […]
Republicans Introduce Measures to Deny Citizenship under 14th Amendment
Republican Senators David Vitter of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have introduced a measure to change the 14th Amendment of the constitution calling for an to end automatic citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants, unless one parent is a US citizen, a legal immigrant, an active member of the armed forces or a […]
States and Cities Should Reconsider Expensive Court Battles
As state legislators across the country continue to push for various anti-immigration bills, two new reports by the Center for American Progress and the Southern Poverty Law Center have exposed the high price tag associated with these growing legal battles. These reports cite the financial, social and economic costs that such immigration bills have already […]
Trial Begins in Case of Minutemen Accused of Killing 9-year-old and her Father
Opening arguments began this week in the trial of Shawna Forde, the alleged masterminded behind the May 2009 murders of 9-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul Flores in Pima County, Arizona. Originally a member of the anti-immigrant Minutemen Project, investigators say Forde broke away from the group to form her own extreme faction. Gina […]
Report Says Massachusetts Failing Latino Students
A newly released report says the wide achievement gap between Latino students and their peers in Massachusetts is partly the state’s fault. Latino students miss an average of nearly three weeks of school a year and had a graduation rate of 60 percent in 2009 compared to 82 percent statewide said the report by UMass-Boston’s […]