11.2.09 District Wire News in Spanish

In this Spanish language edition of District Wire News, terrorist suspects at Guantanamo receive H1N1 vaccines, it’s Dia de los Muertos and 20 million more Argentinians are watching futbol this season.

10.26.09 District Wire News in Spanish

In this Spanish language edition of District Wire News, demonstrators rally for immigration reform in front of the Capitol building, a Halloween costume offends the Latino community, how some Latinos are responding to CNN’s special “Latino in America and why Hugo Chavez is against jacuzzis.

Immigration Reform Rally

By Gabrielle Gorder

About 5,000 people gathered in front of the Capitol building Tuesday, October 13 to show support for a new immigration reform bill that Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez will propose to Congress next month.

Gabrielle Gorder, District Wire News

As Latino Population Skyrockets, One School’s Model Tries To Keep Pace

By Neil Hickey, Contributor

Here in Northwest Washington, D.C., one of the more multi-cultural quadrants in the District, a public charter school has struck a model so successful it can hardly keep up with demand.
The Latin American Montessori Bilingual School is one of the few schools in the District that teaches classes in both Spanish and English, a boon for the city’s ever-growing Latino population.

According to the 2007 Census, the District boasts a Latino population of 8.3 percent, half the national average of 15 percent.

But the national figure – and the D.C. figure – are tipped to dramatically rise over the next generation.

A 2008 study by the Pew Research Center found while America’s Latino population stood at 45 million, that number  was expected to almost triple to 127 million by 2050.

By that time, the study predicted, Latinos will be the largest minority group in America and account for 29 percent of the total U.S. population.

The principal of the school is Cristina Encinas, who played a key role in getting it started in 2002.

The school, which teaches morning classes in Spanish and afternoon classes in English, boasts a total enrolment of 145 but will expand to 171 in the new school year.

That’s good news for those on the waiting list – of which there are currently more than 240.

Encinas, a lifelong educator who moved to the U.S. from Mexico in 1989, said the demand for this kind of education no longer surprised her.

“There is a huge demand and I think people are more aware that we need to be more multi-lingual,” she said.

Yoissi Ramos’s nine-year-old daughter, Alyssa, has been at the school since she was three.

She said the education model is perfect for her.

“She gets a great education in English and Spanish that’s why she comes here because of the bilingual program that they have,” she said.

The only way for the school to allocate places is through a lottery – the only prerequisite is that children must live in the District.

With a recently added wing, a stable teacher workforce and a happy student body, Encinas said she loved her work.

“Every morning I wake up and I want to come to work,” she said. “If I see happy children in a very multi- cultural setting with African-American, Caucasian and Latino children sharing culture and language … it’s just a win-win situation for everybody.”

May Day Rally for Immigration Rights

By Sarah Tobianski, Contributor

More than 2,000 area Latinos hit the streets of Washington, D.C., this May Day rallying for changes in immigration policies.

Rally organizers from the National Capital Immigrants Coalition are calling for a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and for an end to workplace raids and deportations that they say separate families.

“They are not targeting criminals,” says Darwin Donilla, an education worker for immigration advocacy group, CASA de Maryland. “They are only going to workplaces where people are working and the only crime they are committing is being here without legal documents.”
Demonstrators demand that President Obama stick to his campaign promise for swift immigration reform. Some protesters say he may loose their votes come the next election if they do not see results.
“We have heard President Obama say he is going to pass immigration reform, but we want him to act on those words,” Darwin says.
But immigration policy did shift a little last week. President Obama addressed immigration policy at his 100 days press conference, calling the immigration system “broken,” saying America can’t live without it.
Though he said he can’t control the legislative calendar,
a Senate Judiciary subcommittee took up immigration last week for the first time in the new Congress.
Also last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued new guidelines that place emphasis on prosecuting employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Raids during the Bush administration were more likely to result in the arrest of workers rather than the employees.
Some of the demonstrators at the rally have been pleased with recent statements made by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who said illegal immigrants make “significant” contributions to the economy.
“The economy is affecting all of us,” says Elsa Zambramio, a nonprofit coordinator. “Latinos will always find a job because when people cried about, you know, get all of the illegals back home, [illegal immigrants] are the people that work the hardest. Without them, where are the nannies? Who are going to take care of the children while they are at work?”
A recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies says the recession has hit immigrants harder than native-born Americans. It’s a change from the recent past when natives had higher unemployment rates than than legal and illegal immigrants.
Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, an advocacy group for immigration reduction, says illegal immigrants hurt the economy.
“The people who loose the jobs the most to illegal aliens are Hispanic Americans,” Beck says. ” But I think you will have trouble finding any Hispanic group that will actually be standing up saying, we are opposed to the protests, we are opposed to amnesty.”
May Day rallies are held annually in cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit and Chicago. Tallies show turnout this year wasn’t as high as the mass demonstrations in 2006. Nationwide furor over the swine flu virus and and fears of loosing jobs because of cutting out of work early may have kept many away.

Economic Woes for Day Laborers:

Job losses estimated at more than 50 percent

By June Kim, Contributor

The green van pulls up in the Elden Street 7-11 parking lot in Herndon, Va. and is instantly swarmed by a large group of men, eager for work. Only four of them get lucky and jump in while the van drives off, the other 50 day laborers return to the sidewalk. Most of these men will walk home tonight empty-handed.

What was already an unstable line of work is now rockier than ever because of the slumping U.S. economy, according to local day laborer support groups.

“Jobs have decreased dramatically,” says Andres Tobar, the executive director of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC). The SEEC is the only existing local government-sponsored day labor center in Northern Virginia.

Last summer, the Pew Hispanic Research Center found that nationally Hispanic immigrants were the most affected by the decline in the construction industry, losing more than 250,000 jobs from 2007 to 2008. A report from earlier this year, showed nearly a 3 percent rise in the unemployment rate for Hispanic immigrants.

There were almost 400 jobs a month for SEEC’s day laborers before the recession began two years ago, according to Tobar, but now he says there’s only 100.

Tobar says the situation is so desperate that rather than sending money home, the men are calling home to ask for support—some are even returning home. Tobar received a postcard from El Salvador recently from one of these men.

Juan Carlos works as a day laborer in the Culmore area of Falls Church, Va., where he knows other men that have returned to their home countries because of their difficulty to pay rent and make a living.

“They thought it would be better to return home because it’s difficult like when the doors are closed and there’s no other exit,” he said in Spanish.

These days, Carlos can only find work two to three days a week. He usually makes $130 a day. But, he says that after paying for living expenses for himself and his fiancée, he barely has money left to send to his family in Mexico.

To improve his job situation, Carlos takes English language classes through Tenants and Workers United (TWU), a community-based organization focusing on leadership training of low-income minority workers.

TWU organizer José Gonzales says the 10,000 to 12,000 day laborers in the community are caught in an economic crisis.

“The situation is critical, very critical,” Gonzales said. “It’s in our hands to support our brothers and sisters survive this crisis.”

Other than providing educational resources for day laborers, Gonzales says immigration reform would be part of the solution to the economic troubles of immigrant day laborers.

A barrier to finding permanent jobs for these men is the lack of documentation. A 2004 Fairfax County government survey of day laborers found that 85 percent of them had no legal documents.

Borromeo Legal Project Helps Realize Dreams

by Cate Cetta, Contributor

In 2008, more than half of new U.S. citizens were from Latin American counties. The total number of new citizens topped one million for the first time in more than 100 years. In the Washington, D.C., area people are lending a hand to the new members of their community.

At the suggestion of Rev. Gerard Creedon, a group of parishioners at Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, Va., founded the Borromeo Legal Project. The group’s mission is to provide English classes, civics lessons, legal counseling and financial assistance to members of the parish interested in the naturalization process of U.S. citizenship. So far the group has 20 volunteers and 17 immigrants.

The cost of naturalization is almost $700. For its part, the Borromeo group will contribute a portion of the fee as a loan to an immigrant. That the person would then be asked to pay back the money for use by the next hopeful citizen.

Churches Reach out to Latino Community

By Annie Aho, Contributor

The District has a population of 600,000, many of whom are from South and Central America, as reported by the 2007 Census Bureau.
The Latino community in D.C. grew almost 60% from 1990 to 2002 – making them the fastest growing ethnic minority.
By 2010, the District estimates it will have 70,000 Latino residents.
The 2007 Census estimates that there are 45,000,000 Hispanics living in the United States – and over 70% identify themselves as Catholic.
With such a large Latino community in D.C., churches are reaching out specifically targeting their Spanish-speaking parishioners.

Ana Lopez came to the United States almost twenty years ago from Puerto Rico.
She says she felt a need in the Hispanic community for faith based services in her native language.
In January, she started a Spanish-speaking Bible Study in Capitol Hill.  It began with only two members and has quadrupled in just four months.
She says there are many churches focusing on other minorities, like the Vietnamese and African Americans, but very few who appeal to the Latinos.  Her goal was to create an extended family for those living in a foreign country, using the Spanish language as the common denominator.
Father Mario Dorsonville is the Director of Immigrant Services at the Spanish Catholic Center, a branch of Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C.
The Spanish Catholic Center was founded in 1967 by the Archdiocese of Washington.  Its aim was to provide services and assistance to those coming to the nation’s capital.
Today, the Center provides health, education, immigration legal issues, economic development, employment and other social services to all immigrants.  Last year, the Center provided more than 50,000 services to 31,000 clients.
Father Dorsonville says the Catholic Church is a large part of the Latino culture.  When people immigrate to D.C., they see the church as a familiar symbol.
But Dorsonville says there has been a change in the post-9-11 era.  He says that the events that took place 8 years ago are making it more difficult for the Latinos to assimilate.  Although, he says some people see the events as strictly Middle-Eastern issues, the repercussions have caused heartache and headache for Hispanics.
He says the church is grounded in the right for freedom and the pursuit of happiness.  Due to stricter immigration regulation, many Latinos are stuck.
For Father Dorsonville, the church can only do so much.   He says Catholic Charities is dedicated to helping the Latino population once they arrive, but getting to America is in the Lord’s hands.

Cuba travel restrictions loosened

by Mark Syp, Contributor

For many Cuban-Americans, it has become easier to travel between the United States and their native island nation.

President Obama has passed new legislation to lessen some of the restrictions of the long-standing embargo between the two nations.  The main feature of this legislation is to grant greater travel freedoms to Cuban-Americans who wish to visit close relatives.  It has also increased the number of remittances that one is allowed to send to family.

Questions remain, however, as to what effects this measure will have on the two countries, and the people who live in them.

Juan Carlos Hidalgo of the Cato Institute feels that the easing of restrictions will not cause a sudden increase in travel to Cuba.
“If you look at the practical significance of the decision, there’s not much substance behind it.  Cuban-Americans were already allowed to travel to Cuba, once a year.  They were already allowed to send remittances,” said Hidalgo
However, Hidalgo believes that Obama’s decision to reach out to Cuba will have a symbolic resonance.
“This is a welcome step towards a normalization of relations with Cuba,” he said.
Frank Calzon agrees with Hidalgo about the importance of Obama’s gesture.
Calzon is the Director of Center for a Free Cuba.  He is an exile from the Castro regime, who still retains his Cuban citizenship.
“Why would I return (if the Castros lost power)? I never left,” said Calzon, in response to his current status.
Calzon said that this lessening of restrictions would provide Cubans with an opportunity to visit sick relatives, but feels that the current economic recession will probably limit travel.
He also believes in the symbolic value of the president’s decision, since Obama’s interaction with Cuba provides its people with the rare opportunity to see a person of color in a position of power.
“President Obama is a risk…for the Cuban dictatorship.  The majority of Cubans are non-white and yet blacks are absent for the most part from Cuba’s leadership.” said Calzon.
The men disagree on the scope of the plan.  Hidalgo believes it should be expanded to include American tourists, since these interactions will allow Cubans to have first-hand interactions with Americans.
Calzon disagrees, since he believes that tourist dollars would only be used to finance the regime.
“The tourism industry in Cuba is controlled by the military.  The money goes into the hands of the regime…to help repress the Cuban people,” said Calzon.
Hidalgo also points out that a large portion of what happens next depends on the actions of Cuban president Raúl Castro.
“The Obama Administration was pretty clear that the ball is now on the Castros’ court, to use a tennis analogy,” said Hidalgo.
Hidalgo said that things were not looking promising.  He cited the renunciation by former Cuban president Fidel Castro, who retains popularity in Cuba, of a recent Los Angeles Times article wherein Raúl Castro had said he was open to better relations with the Obama Administration.  Raúl Castro himself would later publicly criticize Obama’s new policy, claiming it didn’t do enough for Cuba.

Citizenship Education

By Haifa Al-Mubarak, Contributor

Getting a US citizenship is one of the obstacles that Latinos in the US face everyday.

Northern Virginia lends a helping hand to those immigrants who need instruction on how to prepare for the oral and written citizenship exam.  For example, in Arlington there are courses to prepare students for the exam.

These courses are offered through the district’s Community Outreach program free of charge.  Other courses offered include English lessons for those who need to boost their English skills to be able to take the citizenship exam.

Sowatha Chea, a representative for Arlington’s Department of Human Services, overseas the courses offered in Arlington.  She says that in recent months the majority of immigrants who attend the course are of Latino background.  Sowatha says although it is not evident why most of the students are Latino her job is to focus on encouraging students to excel in these courses so that they may become U.S. citizens.
Monica Naranjo, an immigration assistant with the Hispanic Community Center in Arlington Virginia, says their one of their goals is to help Latinos become citizens so that may become a legitimate part of the American Society.  Monica says it is important for them to become neutralized so that they can represent the growing Latino communities in the US and voice their rights in this democratic society.
Unlike other Northern Virginia counties, Arlington offers citizenship courses for immigrants free of charge.  There are four locations in Arlington where Latinos can be found studying for the citizenship exam.  Each location offers courses up to four days a week for two-hour sessions per day.  And some, like the Fairlington Community Center, even offers courses on Saturdays for working immigrants.
Although most of the students are from Latin decent, there are also other students who come to study, such as Asians and Africans.  All students make it a priority to attend as many classes as possible so that they can succeed in the examination.
Art Politano, a volunteer instructor at Fairlington, says that students seem more encouraged to take these courses today than they did before.  He says this may be because the immigration process to get a US citizenship is shorter than in previous years.  Politano says it can take only three months to process immigration papers today whereas before it took as longs as 18 months.

Prom Dress Giveaway for Latina Youth

By Lauren Swanson, Contributor

April Chairs organized the prom dress giveaway at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights.  Girls attending the event were treated to snacks, refreshments, music and raffle prizes.  They were also given prom gowns, shoes, purses and costume jewelry free of charge, on a first come, first served basis.

The young women browsed the racks of dresses and tables of shoes and accessories as if they were shopping in a department store.  There was even a fitting room so each girl could find the perfect dress.  Once they chose a dress, the girls were given shopping bags to take home their selections.

Most of the outreach for the event was organized through the Latin American Youth Center.  The center describes itself as a “multicultural community-based organization.”  It serves youth and young adults, mostly between 10 and 24 years old, a majority of whom are high school age.  Roughly two-thirds of the youth involved with the center are Latino, and one third are Latin American-born.

Chairs says she was able to collect more than one hundred dresses—maybe as many as two hundred— with the help of LAYC organizers through an email campaign seeking donations.

She said she was inspired to organize the event when she decided to give away her own prom dress.  She was also assigned to organize an event for school involving some kind of leadership, and decided a mass prom giveaway would be a great way to accomplish both.

Chairs is extremely proud of the event and was pleased with the turnout.  She says she would like to make the give-away an annual event, and hopes it inspires other young women to give back to their communities in similar ways.

3.23.09 District Wire News in Spanish

In this Spanish language edition of District Wire News, police are investigating a robbery on the campus of Georgetown University; and a case of vandalism strikes American University during its Relay for Life fundraiser.

4.6.09 District Wire News in Spanish