Washington, DC – In a special session, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved $600 million in emergency spending for border security. This comes on the heels of the 2010 Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Bill (H.R. 6080) passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Included in the $600 million is $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to form a “strike force” that would be deployed along the Southwest border as needed; $32 million for drones to do unmanned surveillance on the border; and $80 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including $50 million for new personnel.

“Efforts to overhaul our broken immigration system have once again taken a back seat to appeasing anti-immigrant xenophobes, as Congress passed another dramatic escalation in border enforcement with very little evidence that past escalations have been effective,” stated LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “Despite long ago exceeding the enforcement benchmarks, outlined by conservatives as a precursor to real reform, Congress continues to throw money at the problem when it has become abundantly clear that enforcement alone will not work.”

Over the last two decades, the United States has spent billions of dollars on border enforcement. Since 1992, the annual budget of the U.S. Border Patrol has increased by 714 percent. At the same time, the number of Border Patrol agents stationed along the southwest border has grown by 390 percent. Interior enforcement has expanded as well, and detentions and deportations are at record levels.

“The fact is that the enforcement benchmarks that conservatives insisted on in 2007 have been met, unauthorized border crossings are down, violent crime is down, and the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has declined,” stated Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director. “However, instead of following through on their promise of comprehensive immigration reform once the targets were met, we just have ever escalating calls for enforcement.”

LULAC believes that our broken immigration system can only be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a complete solution that secures our borders, enforces our laws, and reaffirms our heritage as a nation of immigrants.

“Republican Senators who supported a comprehensive bill in the past must recognize that the enforcement benchmarks they had sought have been met and that it is now time for them to sit down with Democratic leaders and negotiate a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill that can truly fix our broken immigration system,” said Moran. “With the support of Senators Bennett, Brownback, Collins, Cornyn, Graham, Gregg, Kyl, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Murkowski, Snowe and Voinovich, a fair and comprehensive immigration reform bill could be passed by this Congress. Now is the time for them to exercise true leadership and to do what they know is right.”

LULAC National Update

Thursday, August 12, 2010

 

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LULAC PRESENTS... UNITE ARIZONA
www.unitearizona.org

Now that U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton blocked some of the toughest parts of SB 1070, what's next?

Visit the website above and check out what LULAC & the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda are doing to unite Arizona against this unconstitutional law.

81st Annual LULAC National Convention & Exposition Update:
Pictures from the National Convention are now available online! 

To view more, please visit us online by clicking here

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LULAC and BANK OF AMERICA UPCOMING HOUSING WORKSHOP

The LULAC and Bank of America Homeownership Workshop is a free event for the community that helps prepare families for their future.  Families have the opportunity to get information about the process and requirement of purchasing a home. The next workshop will take place in Queens, New York on Saturday, August 28, 2010.  Food will be served and prizes will be raffled. If you have any questions, please call Ulises A. Gonzalez at (202) 833-6130 or e-mail him at: UGonzalez@LULAC.org.

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LULAC and D.O.J. WORKER'S RIGHTS WORKSHOP

 The Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) and LULAC National are partnering in an initiative to inform the Latino community about their workers’ rights. LULAC and local organizations will co-host  workshops in various cities throughout the United States. The next workshop will be in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, August, 26. Additional workshops will be in Chicago, IL and Miami, FL during the months of September and October, respectively. For more information on these workshop please contact Ulises Gonzalez at (202) 833-6130 or email at him at: UGonzalez@LULAC.org.
 
If you have been discriminated against because of your national origin, citizenship, or immigration status, please call the toll free hotline for help at: 1-800-255-7688

ATTENTION STUDENTS: SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY!

General Electric Foundation/ LULAC Scholarship Program

Applications must be received by the LNESC National Office by August 13, 2010.

For more information, please contact Marianna Morón at scholarships@LNESC.org or visit www.lulac.org/events/LNESC_GE

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JOIN THE LULAC MOVEMENT!

http://lulac.org/r/A/MTg4NzY/MTA1Nw/0 ... 9ybXMvbWluaV9zdWJzY3JpYmU " target="_blank">

115,000 members. 829 local councils. 60 technology centers.

ONE MISSION:
To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.

Join the League of United Latin American Citizens - La Voz de la Comunidad.

For more information about how to become a LULAC member or how to start a LULAC council,
please visit www.LULAC.org/members
or call Lupe Morales, LULAC National Director of Membership at 1-915-577-0726

 W.H.O. DECLARES END TO 2009 H1N1 INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee and the WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, declared an end to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. This declaration was based on strong indications that influenza, worldwide, is transitioning toward seasonal patterns of transmission. For more information, please click here

DID YOU KNOW... SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION MONTH!

LULAC has partnered with AstraZeneca to empower the Latino community with information about how to keep your heart healthy. Check out www.lulac.org/programs/health/AstraZeneca/ for more information and to see when the Artery Explorer (a virtual ride through your arteries) is coming to a town near you.

PREGNANT AND A STUDENT? HERE IS LEGISLATION MEANT TO HELP YOU! 

On July 28, U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) and 16 other Members of Congress introduced the Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act (H.R. 5894), comprehensive legislation designed to improve high school graduation rates and access to postsecondary educational and career opportunities for pregnant and parenting students.  LULAC supports the passage of this important bill, which aims to improve educational outcomes for a group of students particularly at risk and often ignored.  52% of Latinas get pregnant at least once before age 20, and far too many end up dropping out of school.  Schools continue to discriminate against students who are pregnant and parenting, blatantly discouraging them from continuing their education or stigmatizing them and creating barriers that effectively push them out of school, putting them and their children on a path to poverty.  This bill would create a grant program to establish a framework and get needed funds to states and school districts to provide pregnant and parenting secondary school students with the services they need to stay in school and succeed.  We hope its provisions will be incorporated into the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

For additional information about this legislation or to sign on to an organizational letter of support, please contact Lara Kaufmann of the National Women’s Law Center at lkaufmann@nwlc.org.  For more information about the factors that contribute to the high dropout rate for Latinas, including teen pregnancy and parenting, read the report issued last year by the National Women’s Law Center and MALDEF, entitled Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation, at www.nwlc.org/listening.

¡Buena Vida! A Guide to Help You Quit Smoking

The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) has developed ¡Buena Vida! A Guide to Help You Quit Smoking. The booklet offers bilingual info, tools and tips for quitting smoking, and tells the stories of Latinos who have quit.

Read the booklet in English.

Read the booklet in Spanish.

Call 877-YES-QUIT in Texas for specific, personalized help to quit smoking.

LULAC in the NEWS

IT'S GOOD TO BE QUEEN - Feria de las Flores crown includes $3,000 scholarship for Duke University hopeful
Caller.com (AP), 8/8/10, 1:52 AM
Click here for article
 
Feria de las Flores queen is crowned
Caller.com (AP), 8/7/10, 3:50 AM
Click here for article
 
Passport Workshop for American-Born Kids Saturday
My Fox Phoenix – 8/6/10 9:43 PM
Click here for article
 
Radio LULAC Guests include: Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division,
U.S. Department of Justice
8:30 a.m., Sunday, August 8, 2010
Click here for article
 
L.U.L.A.C. gives passports to U.S.-born children of immigrants for free
ABC15.com, 8/8/10, 3:35 PM
Click here for article
 
Sheriff, Hispanic group strike a chord for education
The Times nwi.com,  8/9/10, 12:00 AM
Click here for article
 
Q-C activist honored by LULAC Hall of Fame
Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 2:00 am
Click here for article
 
Quotes about Obama's visit
Austin American-Statesmen,  8/10/10 12:30 AM
Click here for article
 
Darryl Morin, President and CEO, Advanced Wireless receives award
 Click here for article  

Largest and Oldest Hispanic Organization Applauds Confirmation of Justice

Committed to Defending Civil and Human Rights

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens congratulated Elena Kagan today on her bipartisan confirmation as the 112th Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. She will succeed Justice John Paul Stevens. Five Republican Senators (Collins, Snow, Lugar, Graham and Gregg) joined all their Democratic colleagues with the exception of Ben Nelson in voting for confirmation.

“She has been nominated to succeed Justice John Paul Stevens, someone who served with integrity and conviction. Her intelligence, qualifications and experience will bring the right temperament to the courts,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran.

Solicitor General Kagan’s legal qualifications are unassailable as she has earned her place at the top of the legal profession.  As a student, she excelled at Princeton, Oxford and Harvard Law School. She clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall, a legendary defender of civil rights and she worked for Vice President Joe Biden when he was chair of the Judiciary Committee.  These experiences when combined with her work as an advisor to President Clinton gave her a strong legal background in all three branches of our government.  In addition, she taught law at two of our Nation’s most respected law schools. Under President Obama, Elena Kagan became the first woman Solicitor General of the United States, often referred to as the “Tenth Justice.”   

The LULAC National Board held a meeting earlier in the week and voted to endorse Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

With an unparalleled ability to bring together people of different backgrounds and beliefs, she has earned praise across the political spectrum for her fair-mindedness, her insistence that all views deserve a respectful hearing, and her lifelong commitment to public service.

Thank you to everyone who supported our 81st Annual LULAC National Convention & Exposition in Albuquerque, NM! Throughout the week, LULAC hosted 20,000 people of all ages and backgrounds.

LULAC welcomed elected officials to address the membership, such as Richard J. Berry, Mayor of Albuquerque; Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico; Diane Denish, Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico; Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico; Congressman Martin Heinrich NM-1; Congressman Joe Baca CA-43; and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan NM-3.

Additionally, the LULAC membership welcomed several appointed officials at various events, such as Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis; Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar; The Honorable Rosie Rios, U.S. Treasurer; John Berry, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice, among many others.

Also in attendance as speakers were General Ricardo Sanchez, Retired, U.S. Army; Cris Abrego, TV Producer and Writer; Paul Rodriguez, Latin King of Comedy; Barbara D. Gervin-Hawkins, Executive Director, George Gervin Youth Center, Inc; and Laffit Alejandro Pincay, Jr., Retired Jockey.

Expert panelists included Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator, SNAP, FNS, USDA; Dr. Alfred Vigil, New Mexico Secretary of Health; Frances Ashe-Goins, Office on Women's Health; Dr. Garth Graham, US Department of Health and Human Services; Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Leader, among many others.

Exciting performers entertained the LULAC Convention attendees, such as Native American dancers, Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi Nuevo Mexico, and Al Hurricane at the New Mexico Celebration, as well as Latin Breed and Paul Rodriguez at the Comedy Show to Benefit the LULAC Lawsuit Against Arizona SB 1070. Ending the week with the annual Concierto de la Gente, LULAC and the Albuquerque community danced to the music of Ozomatli, Cristian Castro, Pee Wee and others.

Capping off an outstanding week of events, policy workshops, and performances, the LULAC membership voted for their new 2010-2011 LULAC National Board. Congratulations and best wishes for a successful and productive term!

Margaret Moran, LULAC National President

Aaron Mann, LULAC National Youth President

Berta Urteaga, LULAC National Vice President for Youth

Roger Rocha, LULAC National Treasurer

Regla Gonzalez, LULAC National Vice President for Women

Manuel Rendon, LULAC National Vice President for Young Adults

Rolando Gonzalez, LULAC National for the Elderly

Esther Degraves Aguinaga, LULAC National Vice President for the Northeast

Juan Carlos Lizardi, LULAC National Vice President for the Southeast

Sylvia Gonzalez, LULAC National Vice President for the Southwest

Maggie Rivera, LULAC National Vice President for the Midwest

Micke S. Luna, LULAC National Vice President for the Farwest

For more information about the 2010 LULAC National Convention, please visit us online

Nominee has demonstrated a commitment to civil rights & equal justice throughout her career

Washington, DC – The National Board of Directors of the League of United Latin American Citizens today unanimously endorsed the nomination of Elena Kagan as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and urged the Senate to confirm her before recessing at the end of this week.

“After a careful and thorough review of Elena Kagan's record, we have unanimously voted to endorse her nomination,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “Elena Kagan has demonstrated a commitment to civil rights and protecting the rights of minorities and women throughout her career.”

As an example of Kagan’s likely judicial philosophy, board members pointed to Solicitor General Kagan’s recent filing of an amicus brief in a Fifth Circuit case, Fisher v. University of Texas which defended the constitutionality of the University of Texas’ affirmative action program.

Moran noted the historic opportunity that Kagan’s nomination presents. “Last summer we had the confirmation of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, and with the confirmation of Elena Kagan we will have three women justices on the Supreme Court for the first time.”

The LULAC Board noted that during Kagan’s tenure as Dean of the Harvard Law School she created several diversity programs that increased the number of Hispanic students from 4.6% of the entering class in the year she accepted the position to 6.4% in her final year. The number of Hispanic men in the entering class during her final year was 20, compared to an average of 14 in the previous six years; for Hispanic women, the number of entering law students increased from 12 to 19.

While at the Clinton White House, Kagan worked on strengthening hate crimes legislation and civil rights enforcement. Her admiration of Justice Marshall, for whom she clerked, indicates that as a Supreme Court Justice, Kagan is likely to follow his record of upholding the rights of women and ensuring equal treatment under the law.

“We look forward to actively supporting her nomination,” said Moran. “With an unparalleled ability to bring together people of different backgrounds and beliefs, she has earned praise across the political spectrum for her fair-mindedness, her insistence that all views deserve a respectful hearing, and her lifelong commitment to public service.”

Washington, DC – Fernando Laguarda, Vice President, External Affairs and Policy Counselor for Time Warner Cable has joined the LULAC Corporate Advisory Board and will serve as Vice President for Policy.

“It is an honor to serve on the LULAC Corporate Advisory Board and work to further our educational and career development mission,” stated Fernando Laguarda. “Time Warner Cable has long shared in this mission through its STEM initiative known as Connect A Million Minds as www.Connectamillionminds.com. I am confident that together we will be able to maximize the number of Latino youth to fill the gap of professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.”

Washington, D.C. - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Los Angeles-based Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law today expressed support for Federal Judge Susan Bolton’s issuance of a Preliminary Injunction in the case of United States v. State of Arizona blocking much of Arizona’s SB 1070 from going into effect tomorrow. 

On July 9, 2010, LULAC and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law filed one of several lawsuits in the federal court in Phoenix alleging that Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and the training materials developed and distributed to Arizona law enforcement agencies to implement it “exacerbate the conflicts between the United States Constitution and federal laws on the one hand, and Arizona law on the other hand.”   

LULAC’s complaint alleged that Arizona’s training materials violate federal law “by failing to recognize that numerous categories of immigrants who did not enter the United States lawfully nevertheless are eligible for legalization of status,” and argues that Arizona’s S.B. 1070 is “void and should be struck down under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Judge Bolton’s preliminary injunction enjoins several major sections of S.B. 1070 including:

That part of Section 2 requiring that all Arizona law enforcement officers make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is unlawfully present in the United States, and requiring verification of the immigration status of any person arrested prior to releasing that person;

Section 3, making it a crime for the failure to apply for or carry alien registration papers;

That portion of Section 5 making it a crime for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for, or perform work;

Section 6, which authorizes the warrantless arrest of persons for whom there is probable cause to believe the individual has committed a public offense that makes the person removable from the United States.

 “We are deeply grateful that the federal court has intervened in time to block Arizona’s unconstitutional law from going into effect,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran.  “We plan to vigorously continue our legal challenge to S.B. 1070, and Arizona’s discriminatory training materials, in the federal courts, the Arizona legislature, and the United States Congress.” 

“Arizona may be frustrated, as are we, with Congress’ failure to seriously address comprehensive immigration reform. Nevertheless, the solution is not a patchwork of varying state laws to force immigrants to relocate elsewhere. The Constitution holds as it has for the last 200 years. The judge ruled on what the Constitution says and she did not base it on race,” said LULAC National Legal Advisor Luis Vera, who is lead counsel on LULAC’s lawsuit.

Peter Schey, President of the Los Angeles-based Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law and lead counsel in LULAC v. State of Arizona said, “The training materials issued by Arizona are so vague and ill-defined that they will certainty lead to widespread racial profiling and discrimination.  We agree with the federal court that the Arizona law conflicts with federal immigration law in numerous ways so that immigrants who are known to the federal authorities with petitions to legalize their status will nevertheless be subject to detention, arrest and prosecution in Arizona because they do not possess the kinds of specific documentary proof Arizona insists upon to establish lawful presence.  We will continue to press our legal challenge and hope that the federal courts will eventually bury S.B. 1070 in the waste heap of unconstitutional laws enacted by states to unilaterally control migration.”

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country announces the win of Margaret Moran at the LULAC general assembly and election of officers on Saturday, July 17th in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the conclusion of the convention with a landslide victory. Margaret campaigned and carried every state and Puerto Rico.

“We made history on Saturday,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “I am honored to serve in this role. LULAC is a non-partisan organization that consists of people from all walks of life and perspectives. Our organization must move forward by continuing to recruit and inspire youth and young adults to participate.  We provide them with the resources to become leaders and have many members that are outstanding models and mentors.”

Moran has more than three decades working for LULAC’s mission.  2008 to the present she served as the LULAC National Parliamentarian, 2004-2008, National Vice President for Women, 2001-2004, State Director, LNESC-SA Co-Founder, 1999-2001, Deputy State Director,  and Council President #4421 in 1985. She has been involved in the community since 1970.

Moran said, “We must unite – that is what LULAC is all about. I want to see unity in this organization, bringing all our talent and leadership together to make a difference. At the end of the day, we are here for a common cause, to promote civil rights.

It is the first time a husband and wife both served as national president of the organization and the third woman in 81 years to hold this position. The first woman president was Belen Robles and the second to hold the position was Rosa Rosales.

Margaret’s vision includes the following:

• A 100% expansion of LULAC Councils in every university across the nation with a significant Latino enrollment and supporting their issues.
• Targeting growth of LULAC in under-represented areas.
• Support of comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship, effective health care reform, the Dream Act, worker’s rights, addressing social justice and human rights issues.
• Increasing ongoing efforts for Women’s issues.
• Funding a mentoring program for LULAC youth and young adults.
• Expanding financial resources and funding for new educational programs.
• Appointments of regional LULAC leadership training coordinators.
• Establishing regional summits for grass roots membership participation.
• Implementation of LULAC’s five-year strategic plan.
• Engaging members and listening to their ideas.
• Restoring the LULAC reserve fund.
• Spearheading an aggressive LULAC building fund.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The leader of the nation's largest Hispanic rights group has a message for senators and congressmen on comprehensive immigration reform.

Rosa Rosales says the League of United Latin American Citizens will aggressively target anyone in Congress who isn't supporting reform efforts.

Rosales spoke Friday during a panel town hall on immigration reform at the organization's national convention in Albuquerque. She drew applause and cheers with a call for LULAC members to hold their elected officials accountable on immigration reform.

Rosales pounded her fist on a podium and urged delegates to organize voter registration drives. She says if elected officials don't support LULAC's effort, "they're going to be shaking in their boots" because she says comprehensive immigration reform is coming.

Albuquerque, NM  - “We would like to congratulate President Barack Obama for his renewed focus on immigration reform,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “The President reassures us that he is committed to its passage. It is imperative that Congress and the Obama administration once and for all deliver comprehensive immigration reform. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans support its passage. We hope to have a bipartisan approach from both houses of Congress.”

LULAC National Legal Advisor Luis Vera and head counsel on LULAC’s lawsuit filed Friday against the Arizona law said at a press conference today, “SB1070 has brought national attention to the immigration crisis. It shamefully preys on a broken immigration system and throws the door wide open to racial profiling. As a nation, we cannot have each state decide how to implement immigration laws. The Department of Justice is taking an essential step to maintain federal authority over immigration controls and enforcement, and we hope that the courts will make the right call.”

LULAC launched the Unite Arizona Campaign, with over 40 organizations nationwide supporting its efforts, immediately after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law. The proposed law requires state, county, and municipal employees to ascertain the immigration status of a person if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is unlawfully present in the U.S. It also subjects local governments and their personnel to lawsuits by any resident who feels that the new law is not being enforced sufficiently.
LULAC a a meeting today with Linda Chavez-Thompson, Vice Chair of The Democratic National Committee, reiterated its actions to resolve the problem, some of which include:

• Supporting Arizona boycott
• Filing a class action lawsuit that alleges that Arizona’s training materials violate federal law
• Registering voter outreach initiatives in the state of Arizona to offset the under-representation
• Asking President Obama to pass comprehensive immigration reform or to pass a down payment approach with DREAM Act and Ag Jobs now
• A moratorium on deportations and temporary protective status until a bill is passed

LULAC after a meeting with President Barack Obama last week, is placing immigration reform and related issues at the top of its agenda during its annual national conference taking place this week in Albuquerque. . “Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws,” added Vera. “The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country.”