By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

A taco truck in East Harlem, a traditionally Puerto Rican section which has become more Mexican in recent decades. (Photo: D. Graglia)

Despite the U.S. Latino population’s diversity and widespread presence, certain Hispanic groups have traditionally been associated with specific U.S cities – Mexicans in L.A. and Chicago, Cubans in Miami, Puerto Ricans in New York.

But New York’s Hispanic face is rapidly changing. By 2024, a new study says, New York’s largest Hispanic group will be Mexicans, with Dominicans in second place. The predicted shift is due to both the migration of Puerto Ricans to other states and other parts of the metro area, and the ongoing influx of people from other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, “The Latino Population of New York City, 2007” was authored by Laura Limonic, research associate at the Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. [You can download it in pdf by clicking here.]

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By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

Diego Graglia, web editor

Latino political leaders have been touting the potential power of Latino voters for years. Though we knew that demographics would end up proving them right sooner or later, their discourse was starting to sound like they had hired The Boy Who Cried Wolf as a spokesman.

Then, 2008 happened.

The November presidential election became the quinceañera party where the Latino vote was introduced in the grand ballroom of American politics as a powerful voting bloc which can have an important role in deciding a nationwide election. (As we’ve already said before, there are many, extremely varied “Latino votes,” but we use the term here to simplify — though not oversimplify — matters.)

Both exit polls and post-Election Day surveys showed that Latino advocates’ turnout predictions had been fulfilled: over 10 million Latinos voted, as compared with 7.6 million in the 2004 presidential election and over 6 million in 2000. An America’s Voice poll [get the pdf here] claims Latinos were 9 percent of the electorate, “approximately 11 million voters.”

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Turns out that, if anything, the U.S economic crisis has motivated many Mexican migrants to remain in the U.S., rather than make the expensive trip back home to try to weather the economic storm in an economy that is less well-prepared to deal with it.

By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

Arpaio, coming soon, on the Fox Reality Channel.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has become famous for his made-for-TV antics, like forcing inmates to use pink underwear, and his immigration enforcement fervor, which has drawn heavy criticism from civil rights advocates. Now, he’s getting his own FOX reality show and pro-immigrant organizations are not happy.

In response to the FOX Reality Channel’s announced launch of Smile, You’re Under Arrest!, America’s Voice is gathering support for a petition which asks the Department of Justice to investigate Arpaio “for gross civil rights violations in the name of immigration enforcement.”

Arpaio is a controversial figure in his home of Maricopa County (which encompasses Phoenix) and way beyond.

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By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

Hilda Solís

On the heels of a much-criticized decision by the Bush Administration to change the H-2A guest worker program, it looks like one of the public officials who spoke against the change is headed to be the new secretary of labor.

California Rep. Hilda Solís, the 51-year-old daughter of a Mexican father and a Nicaraguan mother, was signaled yesterday as President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for the labor position.

The Associated Press reported that Obama plans to make the designation official today,

Unions, which contributed heavily to Obama and Democrats this year, expect Solis to be an advocate for them and for workers. They expect her to press for legislation that would force businesses to recognize union representation once more than 50 percent of a company’s eligible work force signs union cards, instead of waiting for secret-ballot elections.

Solís becomes the third high-profile Latino official to join the Obama Administration, after the designations of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as secretary of commerce and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary.

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By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

A worker picks up tobacco leaves on a field outside Kinston, NC.
(Photo: D. Graglia/newyorktomexico.com)

Barely a month before leaving office, President George W. Bush has instituted changes in a guest worker program for agricultural workers, prompting harsh criticism from both ethnic and mainstream media and immigrant advocates.

“Backstab to immigrants. President Bush changes rule at the last hour. Silence from Latino leaders,” screamed the cover of New York’s Hoy newspaper Tuesday. “A Cheap Shot at Workers,” was the headline of a New York Times editorial.

The H-2A program (which grants visas under that name) allows agricultural producers to hire foreign workers temporarily when they cannot find Americans to fill job vacancies. The Bush Administration claims the changes — which are expected to become official today with their publication in The Federal Register — will help reduce bureaucratic obstacles for employers who want to hire foreign farm workers.

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Virgin of Guadalupe (Photo: Rick/Flickr)

Catholic leaders around the country continue to take the lead on legalization for undocumented immigrants.

We recently reported on the Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas, Anthony B. Taylor asking Arkansas Catholics to welcome immigrants rather than reject them. Now, Minnesota’s Catholic leaders have declared Jan. 4 “Immigration Sunday,” and will use the occasion to transmit the same message to the state’s faithful.

“We, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Minnesota, want to share our hope for: newcomers journeying in search of greater opportunities for themselves and their families; communities enriched by the many contributions of newcomers; and advocates working for justice and reform,” the six bishops in the Minnesota Catholic Conference said in a statement released on Dec. 12, the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron, and the second anniversary of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a meatpacking plant in Worthington, Minn.

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By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor

Washington Heights, a traditionally immigrant neighborhood in Upper Manhattan.

Immigrants are finding it “harder than ever” to access safe and affordable housing in New York City, says a recent study published by a group of pro-immigrant organizations.

For the study, “Confronting the Housing Squeeze: Challenges Facing Immigrant Tenants, and What New York Can Do,” researchers surveyed 541 immigrant New Yorkers to talk about affordability, housing conditions, access to subsidized housing, and other indicators. The study was conducted by the Pratt Center for Community Development, with the New York Immigrant Housing Collaborative, which includes seven pro-immigrant groups. [You can download a pdf of the report clicking here.]

“Immigrant renters in New York City confront severe challenges finding safe, decent, and affordable housing,” the report said. “…(B)y almost every measure, immigrant tenants face housing problems to a degree much greater than native-born New Yorkers.” According to the report, 37 percent of the city’s population is foreign born.

“… (E)ven as they have brought new energy and investment to neighborhoods, many of these newcomers have ended up in overcrowded, illegal, expensive, or unhealthy living conditions.”

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