Historic breakthroughs
August 28, 2008
(from L.A. Times)
Milestones for blacks in the U.S. Forty-five years to the day after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois will formally accept his party's nomination for president. Here are some key landmarks in African American political history:1847 Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, launches an abolitionist newspaper called the North Star.
1857 The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses the appeal for freedom of a Missouri slave named Dred Scott because "Negroes, whether slaves or free, that is, men of the African race, are not citizens of the United States by the Constitution."
1863 President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, a presidential order that frees slaves in states that were in rebellion against the federal government.
1866 The Civil Rights Act, which grants full citizenship to those born on U.S. soil (except Indians), is passed.
1870 Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi is elected as the first African American U.S. senator. That same year, the 15th Amendment, which prohibits states from denying the right to vote because of race, is ratified.
1909 The National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights organization, is formed by W.E.B. DuBois and others.
1954 The Supreme Court outlaws segregation in public schools in the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., case.
1963 More than 200,000 people participate on the march on Washington and assemble at the Lincoln Memorial, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
1965 President Lyndon Johnson issues an executive order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in hiring on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
1967 Former NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall is the first black justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1989 L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia is the first African American to be elected as governor of a U.S. state.
1992 Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois becomes the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
2001 Colin Powell is the first African American appointed secretary of State.
2005 Condoleezza Rice becomes the first black woman to serve as secretary of State.
2008 Barack Obama becomes the first African American presidential nominee of a major party.
Source: Times reporting.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Study on Hispanic issues to be released during DNC
Since all children, regardless of immigration status, have access to a free, public education in the U.S., the dropout issue mentioned in the article below is a reminder of the urgency facing the Latina/o community. A recent report by the Pew Hispanic Forum showed that Latina/o children make up 20% of all public school children and will surpass 50% by 2050. I also learned elsewhere that 50,000 Latinas/os turn 18 years-old each month. Thus, voting, other forms of political participation, access to health care, etc., can be studied in the context of the 50% dropout rate facing Latinas/os. In other words, how is a focus on dropout a signal towards other challenges facing the Latina/o community? -Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study on Hispanic issues to be released during DNC
The Associated Press
Monday, August 25th 2008, 11:18 AM
DENVER — Groups hoping to bring attention to immigration, health care, education and other issues of importance to Hispanics are releasing a document calling on the next president to create a committee on those topics.
While the document doesn't offer groundbreaking information on the U.S.' fastest growing minority — education is a key issue because Hispanics have a high dropout rates, a high percentage lack health care, and immigration status is a big concern — its creators say it's still one of the most comprehensive recent studies on the issues.
The report, commissioned by Azteca America, a Spanish-language TV network, and Fundacion Azteca America, will be presented to the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain in September.
Luis J. Echarte, chairman of the boards of Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca, said the network and foundation commissioned the study because "the issue of immigration is very important, but it's not the only issue that concerns the Latino community."
Echarte said research shows the high school dropout rate among Hispanics is more than twice that of black students and more than three times greater than for white students.
One reason, he said, is that some students who are in the country illegally are afraid they will be caught and deported, while others have to work to support their families.
One solution would be to create a more bilingual and culturally relevant education system for Hispanics, meaning more Hispanic teachers who can be role models for students, Echarte said.
On health care, the document found that about six of 10 Hispanic families in the U.S. don't have health insurance, sometimes because they are in the country illegally.
The study's other major issue is political participation. Researchers found that although Hispanics make up about 15 percent of the U.S. population, about 9 percent of eligible Hispanic voters are registered to vote and only 6.5 percent do vote.
"So all these demonstrations that you see don't have a political impact," Echarte said.
Echarte said Azteca is trying to increase many Hispanics' political awareness. He noted that some Hispanics don't bother to become US citizens after obtaining permanent residency status, thinking their status work is done and doubting that their vote would count anyway.
Others are unaware they can have dual citizenship and don't have to rescind citizenship from their native country if they became naturalized in the U.S.
"Latinos have so much to offer and so much potential, but they keep facing these consistent barriers," said Maria del Carmen Salazar, an assistant professor at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education and one of the study's authors.
Salazar and faculty at DU's Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship used information from the U.S. Census and national research documents by the Pew Hispanic Center and other institutions to compile the report.
Research topics were selected by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, the National Council of La Raza, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and other groups.
Titled "The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future," the document calls for the creation a presidential advisory commission to propose solutions to the most pressing issues affecting Hispanics in the U.S.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study on Hispanic issues to be released during DNC
The Associated Press
Monday, August 25th 2008, 11:18 AM
DENVER — Groups hoping to bring attention to immigration, health care, education and other issues of importance to Hispanics are releasing a document calling on the next president to create a committee on those topics.
While the document doesn't offer groundbreaking information on the U.S.' fastest growing minority — education is a key issue because Hispanics have a high dropout rates, a high percentage lack health care, and immigration status is a big concern — its creators say it's still one of the most comprehensive recent studies on the issues.
The report, commissioned by Azteca America, a Spanish-language TV network, and Fundacion Azteca America, will be presented to the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain in September.
Luis J. Echarte, chairman of the boards of Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca, said the network and foundation commissioned the study because "the issue of immigration is very important, but it's not the only issue that concerns the Latino community."
Echarte said research shows the high school dropout rate among Hispanics is more than twice that of black students and more than three times greater than for white students.
One reason, he said, is that some students who are in the country illegally are afraid they will be caught and deported, while others have to work to support their families.
One solution would be to create a more bilingual and culturally relevant education system for Hispanics, meaning more Hispanic teachers who can be role models for students, Echarte said.
On health care, the document found that about six of 10 Hispanic families in the U.S. don't have health insurance, sometimes because they are in the country illegally.
The study's other major issue is political participation. Researchers found that although Hispanics make up about 15 percent of the U.S. population, about 9 percent of eligible Hispanic voters are registered to vote and only 6.5 percent do vote.
"So all these demonstrations that you see don't have a political impact," Echarte said.
Echarte said Azteca is trying to increase many Hispanics' political awareness. He noted that some Hispanics don't bother to become US citizens after obtaining permanent residency status, thinking their status work is done and doubting that their vote would count anyway.
Others are unaware they can have dual citizenship and don't have to rescind citizenship from their native country if they became naturalized in the U.S.
"Latinos have so much to offer and so much potential, but they keep facing these consistent barriers," said Maria del Carmen Salazar, an assistant professor at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education and one of the study's authors.
Salazar and faculty at DU's Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship used information from the U.S. Census and national research documents by the Pew Hispanic Center and other institutions to compile the report.
Research topics were selected by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, the National Council of La Raza, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and other groups.
Titled "The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future," the document calls for the creation a presidential advisory commission to propose solutions to the most pressing issues affecting Hispanics in the U.S.
NYC city schools eye math tests for kindergartners
Research shows that student engagement and interest in school is highest before the third grade (the year most states require a statewide exit exam). Some have suggested an association between disengagement and testing. What would this proposal do to the minds and spirits of our 4 and 5 year-olds? --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Peltz, August 28, 2008 04:59 AM EST, Associated Press
NEW YORK — The city is asking public school principals to consider giving math tests to kindergartners, a proposal that comes amid debate over the growing use of standardized tests nationwide.
The experiment could involve tests as long as 90 minutes and change reading assessments for kindergartners through second-graders in the nation's biggest school system, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has embraced testing. The approach dismays some parents and educators who see it as mechanizing education.
The Department of Education unveiled the $400,000 program in an e-mail Monday inviting elementary school principals to participate. About 65 principals have expressed interest, and as many as 12,000 pupils may ultimately be involved, said James Liebman, the department's accountability chief.
Principals who sign on will choose from five testing systems, each with math and reading components. They include workbook-like, multiple-choice assessments estimated to take kindergartners as much as 60 to 90 minutes per section, according to the Department of Education. Other options include roughly 30-minute-long tests pupils would complete on computers and 10-minute-long sessions face to face with a teacher.
Children in kindergarten through second grade are currently assessed only in literacy, through one-on-one, 20-to-30-minute-long interactions in which teachers write down their multiple-choice answers, Liebman said.
The scores on the new tests would not affect pupils' grades or teachers' evaluations but would yield a better picture of children's progress than current tests do, he said.
The city plans to evaluate next year whether the initiative is worth continuing. Liebman said it could help principals see how their schools are doing before third grade, when testing required by the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind Act begins.
"There's nothing about (the tests) that is designed to create anxiety or create a sense of evaluation or create a sense of being compared to someone else," he said.
But the head of the city teachers' union says that's unlikely.
"Once the information is available, the potential exists for school administrators to use it to track students and make premature assessments," said Randi Weingarten, president of the city-based United Federation of Teachers and its nationwide parent, the American Federation of Teachers.
The Bloomberg administration has made testing a centerpiece of its school policy, going beyond No Child Left Behind requirements. For each of the city's more than 1,400 schools, third-grade through 12th-grade test scores factor significantly in letter grades _ which can earn principals bonuses or jeopardize their jobs.
The kindergarten through second-grade scores wouldn't affect school grades for now, Liebman said, though the Department of Education might take the results into account if principals requested it. Some feel the current grading system shortchanges their schools' accomplishments with younger students, he said.
The school grades and stress on test scores anger some parents and teachers, who say classes are being drained of creativity and reduced to drills on how to ace standardized exams. Critics fear the proposed assessment changes could turn even kindergarten into test prep, despite the city's insistence that the intent is only to guide teachers' and administrators' efforts.
"We're teaching kids how to get the right answers, not how to find the knowledge," said state Assemblyman Mark Weprin, a Queens Democrat with sons in public middle and elementary schools.
The rise of testing in No Child Left Behind's wake has caused contention nationally. Some studies show students' math and reading skills have improved, but that schools have cut back on history, music and other subjects.
___
On the Net:
Department of Education: http://schools.nyc.gov
United Federation of Teachers: http://www.uft.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Peltz, August 28, 2008 04:59 AM EST, Associated Press
NEW YORK — The city is asking public school principals to consider giving math tests to kindergartners, a proposal that comes amid debate over the growing use of standardized tests nationwide.
The experiment could involve tests as long as 90 minutes and change reading assessments for kindergartners through second-graders in the nation's biggest school system, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has embraced testing. The approach dismays some parents and educators who see it as mechanizing education.
The Department of Education unveiled the $400,000 program in an e-mail Monday inviting elementary school principals to participate. About 65 principals have expressed interest, and as many as 12,000 pupils may ultimately be involved, said James Liebman, the department's accountability chief.
Principals who sign on will choose from five testing systems, each with math and reading components. They include workbook-like, multiple-choice assessments estimated to take kindergartners as much as 60 to 90 minutes per section, according to the Department of Education. Other options include roughly 30-minute-long tests pupils would complete on computers and 10-minute-long sessions face to face with a teacher.
Children in kindergarten through second grade are currently assessed only in literacy, through one-on-one, 20-to-30-minute-long interactions in which teachers write down their multiple-choice answers, Liebman said.
The scores on the new tests would not affect pupils' grades or teachers' evaluations but would yield a better picture of children's progress than current tests do, he said.
The city plans to evaluate next year whether the initiative is worth continuing. Liebman said it could help principals see how their schools are doing before third grade, when testing required by the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind Act begins.
"There's nothing about (the tests) that is designed to create anxiety or create a sense of evaluation or create a sense of being compared to someone else," he said.
But the head of the city teachers' union says that's unlikely.
"Once the information is available, the potential exists for school administrators to use it to track students and make premature assessments," said Randi Weingarten, president of the city-based United Federation of Teachers and its nationwide parent, the American Federation of Teachers.
The Bloomberg administration has made testing a centerpiece of its school policy, going beyond No Child Left Behind requirements. For each of the city's more than 1,400 schools, third-grade through 12th-grade test scores factor significantly in letter grades _ which can earn principals bonuses or jeopardize their jobs.
The kindergarten through second-grade scores wouldn't affect school grades for now, Liebman said, though the Department of Education might take the results into account if principals requested it. Some feel the current grading system shortchanges their schools' accomplishments with younger students, he said.
The school grades and stress on test scores anger some parents and teachers, who say classes are being drained of creativity and reduced to drills on how to ace standardized exams. Critics fear the proposed assessment changes could turn even kindergarten into test prep, despite the city's insistence that the intent is only to guide teachers' and administrators' efforts.
"We're teaching kids how to get the right answers, not how to find the knowledge," said state Assemblyman Mark Weprin, a Queens Democrat with sons in public middle and elementary schools.
The rise of testing in No Child Left Behind's wake has caused contention nationally. Some studies show students' math and reading skills have improved, but that schools have cut back on history, music and other subjects.
___
On the Net:
Department of Education: http://schools.nyc.gov
United Federation of Teachers: http://www.uft.org
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Little changes, state SAT scores stay below average
Little changed, state SAT scores stay below average
By BILL KACZOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 10:40 p.m.
TALLAHASSEE -
Florida's 2008 average SAT scores were only slightly better than last year's in math and writing but down in reading, according to results released Tuesday.
That meant the state continued to rank in the bottom third nationally on all three sections of the college entrance test.
Here is how Florida's test takers scored:
497 in math, up one point from a year ago but 18 points below the national average of 515.
481 in writing, up two points but 13 points below the national average of 494.
496 in reading, down one point and 6 points below the national average of 502.
These are the first SAT results released by the College Board since Eric J. Smith resigned as a senior vice president of the board to became Florida's education commissioner.
Smith said he was pleased more Florida students took the exam this year because that indicates a greater number are pursuing a college education.
"I'm particularly pleased with the increased participation of minority students who not only had record numbers of participants, but outperformed their national counterparts on the reading and math sections of the exam," Smith said.
Florida's black students bested national averages for their ethnic group by four points in reading and one point in math but lagged in writing by two points. For Latinos, Florida students did better than national averages for their ethnic group.
Among the 50 states overall, Florida was tied with Indiana and North Carolina for 38th place in reading, tied with South Carolina for 47th in math and tied with Indiana and New York for 44th in writing. Florida outscored the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on all three parts of the test.
SAT participation in the state was a record 98,578 overall. That is 1,212 more than last year.
While more minority students took the test, their participation rate was virtually unchanged. Both years 51 percent of test takers were white and the rest were minorities or students who declined to provide ethnic or racial identifications.
Nationally, it was the second year in a row that SAT scores remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade.
As in Florida, officials said the high number of test takers was largely responsible.
Florida students also did poorly on the ACT, another widely used entrance exam. Results released Aug. 13 showed Florida's composite score down 0.1 from last year to 19.8. That was 48th among the 50 states.
State rankings on both tests are skewed by the number of students who take the exams. Higher participation in many cases results in lower scores.
By BILL KACZOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 10:40 p.m.
TALLAHASSEE -
Florida's 2008 average SAT scores were only slightly better than last year's in math and writing but down in reading, according to results released Tuesday.
That meant the state continued to rank in the bottom third nationally on all three sections of the college entrance test.
Here is how Florida's test takers scored:
497 in math, up one point from a year ago but 18 points below the national average of 515.
481 in writing, up two points but 13 points below the national average of 494.
496 in reading, down one point and 6 points below the national average of 502.
These are the first SAT results released by the College Board since Eric J. Smith resigned as a senior vice president of the board to became Florida's education commissioner.
Smith said he was pleased more Florida students took the exam this year because that indicates a greater number are pursuing a college education.
"I'm particularly pleased with the increased participation of minority students who not only had record numbers of participants, but outperformed their national counterparts on the reading and math sections of the exam," Smith said.
Florida's black students bested national averages for their ethnic group by four points in reading and one point in math but lagged in writing by two points. For Latinos, Florida students did better than national averages for their ethnic group.
Among the 50 states overall, Florida was tied with Indiana and North Carolina for 38th place in reading, tied with South Carolina for 47th in math and tied with Indiana and New York for 44th in writing. Florida outscored the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on all three parts of the test.
SAT participation in the state was a record 98,578 overall. That is 1,212 more than last year.
While more minority students took the test, their participation rate was virtually unchanged. Both years 51 percent of test takers were white and the rest were minorities or students who declined to provide ethnic or racial identifications.
Nationally, it was the second year in a row that SAT scores remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade.
As in Florida, officials said the high number of test takers was largely responsible.
Florida students also did poorly on the ACT, another widely used entrance exam. Results released Aug. 13 showed Florida's composite score down 0.1 from last year to 19.8. That was 48th among the 50 states.
State rankings on both tests are skewed by the number of students who take the exams. Higher participation in many cases results in lower scores.
Other states look to California on how to educate growing Latino population
Other states look to California on how to educate growing Latino population
SHARON NOGUCHI - MediaNews
Article Launched: 08/27/2008 01:32:18 AM PDT
Latinos make up nearly half of California's K-12 public school students, and their numbers are surging across the country, underscoring a growing challenge for educators who are looking to the Golden State for ways to adapt to the changing face of America's classrooms.
Almost one in three of the country's Latino students go to school in California. But the numbers, revealed Tuesday in one of the first comprehensive looks at Latinos in public schools, show Latinos now make up the largest minority student group in 22 states.
Since 1990, the number of Latino school-age children nationwide grew 94 percent and now is projected to swell 166 percent through 2050. By contrast, whites, blacks, Asians and other non-Hispanics in K-12 edged up just 9 percent in the same 16 years, and will slow to 4 percent growth through 2050, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
The changing dynamics are playing out in California, where educators are struggling to address an academic achievement gap between Latinos and blacks and their higher-performing Asian and white peers.
In Santa Cruz County, where Latinos make up 48 percent of 38,000 total public school students, Superintendent Michael Watkins of the County Office of Education said the challenges of addressing the needs of English learners is nothing new.
"In this county, we've been immersed in that reality for a number of years now," he said. "We have ongoing ways to refine our efforts in ensuring that the equity is there for all students."
At the Two-Way Immersion Program at DeLaveaga Elementary in Santa Cruz, teachers offer instruction in both Spanish and English. Migrant Head Start, run by the county office, provides childcare and education for more than 700 children of agricultural workers.
The numbers of Latinos nationally who identified themselves as fluent in English were surprising. While 70 percent of Latino students speak a language other than English at home, 82 percent speak English fluently, according to the Pew report.
But the low education level of Latino parents is putting a greater burden on schools to guide students toward college and career tracks, experts say.
Without parents who understand the school system, "they are at a startling disadvantage," said Richard Fry, one of the authors of the Pew study. At Harbor High in Santa Cruz, parents can take a course in Spanish designed to help them navigate their children's preparation for college. But the biggest challenge for schools is still educating immigrant students, especially those who start school at an older age. Students who don't become fluent in English are more likely to drop out.
Sentinel staff writer J.M. Brown contributed to this report.
SHARON NOGUCHI - MediaNews
Article Launched: 08/27/2008 01:32:18 AM PDT
Latinos make up nearly half of California's K-12 public school students, and their numbers are surging across the country, underscoring a growing challenge for educators who are looking to the Golden State for ways to adapt to the changing face of America's classrooms.
Almost one in three of the country's Latino students go to school in California. But the numbers, revealed Tuesday in one of the first comprehensive looks at Latinos in public schools, show Latinos now make up the largest minority student group in 22 states.
Since 1990, the number of Latino school-age children nationwide grew 94 percent and now is projected to swell 166 percent through 2050. By contrast, whites, blacks, Asians and other non-Hispanics in K-12 edged up just 9 percent in the same 16 years, and will slow to 4 percent growth through 2050, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
The changing dynamics are playing out in California, where educators are struggling to address an academic achievement gap between Latinos and blacks and their higher-performing Asian and white peers.
In Santa Cruz County, where Latinos make up 48 percent of 38,000 total public school students, Superintendent Michael Watkins of the County Office of Education said the challenges of addressing the needs of English learners is nothing new.
"In this county, we've been immersed in that reality for a number of years now," he said. "We have ongoing ways to refine our efforts in ensuring that the equity is there for all students."
At the Two-Way Immersion Program at DeLaveaga Elementary in Santa Cruz, teachers offer instruction in both Spanish and English. Migrant Head Start, run by the county office, provides childcare and education for more than 700 children of agricultural workers.
The numbers of Latinos nationally who identified themselves as fluent in English were surprising. While 70 percent of Latino students speak a language other than English at home, 82 percent speak English fluently, according to the Pew report.
But the low education level of Latino parents is putting a greater burden on schools to guide students toward college and career tracks, experts say.
Without parents who understand the school system, "they are at a startling disadvantage," said Richard Fry, one of the authors of the Pew study. At Harbor High in Santa Cruz, parents can take a course in Spanish designed to help them navigate their children's preparation for college. But the biggest challenge for schools is still educating immigrant students, especially those who start school at an older age. Students who don't become fluent in English are more likely to drop out.
Sentinel staff writer J.M. Brown contributed to this report.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid (from NY Times)
As the school year begins across the country, I wonder about the families and specifically the children who are affected by this raid. Imagine starting the school year under these conditions? To learn more, visit the National Council of La Raza's website. They have done some advocacy work around immigration raids and its impact on Latina/o children across the country. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 26, 2008
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid
By ADAM NOSSITER
LAUREL, Miss. — In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.
Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.”
The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.
The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.
An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.
“It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,” said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. “It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.”
In Laurel on Monday afternoon, several dozen family members of immigrants waited for news of their relatives at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. There were several small children. A priest at the church who identified himself only as Father Sergio refused to allow interviews with the families or answer any questions, saying only: “People are afraid. We need to calm them. There are mothers and children involved.”
Entrances to the sprawling plant, in an industrial section south of town, had been blocked off by ICE. A nearby fast-food restaurant was full of the blue-shirted agents, one of whom would say only that a “little inspection” was under way at the facility.
A woman entering the church grounds with four small children said several of the youngsters’ parents had been detained. The woman, Mary Troyer, said she was a translator for many of the families.
“I don’t like this at all,” Ms. Troyer said. “I don’t understand it. They have come here to work. It’s very sad.”
The ICE spokeswoman, Ms. Gonzalez, said the workers would be taken to an ICE detention center to “await the outcome of their cases.” She said 50 would be “released into the community” instead of being sent to the center, for “humanitarian reasons,” including medical difficulties or the need to take care of children.
She said no lawyers were present while the workers were being interrogated. “Everyone will have due process under law,” Ms. Gonzalez said.
Late Monday afternoon, the grim-faced workers, some of them handcuffed, were lined up near white and silver buses as the rain poured down.
In a statement issued after the raid, Howard Industries, one of the largest employers in the region, acknowledged that it was “visited” by immigration agents trying to determine if its employees were citizens or otherwise legally authorized to work in the country.
“Howard Industries runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for jobs,” the statement said. “It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.”
Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, called the Laurel raid a violation of human rights.
“We’re very disturbed at what’s happened,” Mr. Chandler said. “It’s a real contradiction between our proclaimed values of hard work and family in Mississippi and the actions of local law enforcement, and ICE. I think it’s a real affront to our values. They’re creating their own terrorism by going after workers.”
After the Iowa raid, the federal interpreter said many of the immigrants did not understand the charges to which they pleaded guilty. But federal officials said the judges in the cases believed that the guilty pleas had been made freely and voluntarily.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 26, 2008
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid
By ADAM NOSSITER
LAUREL, Miss. — In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.
Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.”
The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.
The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.
An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.
“It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,” said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. “It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.”
In Laurel on Monday afternoon, several dozen family members of immigrants waited for news of their relatives at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. There were several small children. A priest at the church who identified himself only as Father Sergio refused to allow interviews with the families or answer any questions, saying only: “People are afraid. We need to calm them. There are mothers and children involved.”
Entrances to the sprawling plant, in an industrial section south of town, had been blocked off by ICE. A nearby fast-food restaurant was full of the blue-shirted agents, one of whom would say only that a “little inspection” was under way at the facility.
A woman entering the church grounds with four small children said several of the youngsters’ parents had been detained. The woman, Mary Troyer, said she was a translator for many of the families.
“I don’t like this at all,” Ms. Troyer said. “I don’t understand it. They have come here to work. It’s very sad.”
The ICE spokeswoman, Ms. Gonzalez, said the workers would be taken to an ICE detention center to “await the outcome of their cases.” She said 50 would be “released into the community” instead of being sent to the center, for “humanitarian reasons,” including medical difficulties or the need to take care of children.
She said no lawyers were present while the workers were being interrogated. “Everyone will have due process under law,” Ms. Gonzalez said.
Late Monday afternoon, the grim-faced workers, some of them handcuffed, were lined up near white and silver buses as the rain poured down.
In a statement issued after the raid, Howard Industries, one of the largest employers in the region, acknowledged that it was “visited” by immigration agents trying to determine if its employees were citizens or otherwise legally authorized to work in the country.
“Howard Industries runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for jobs,” the statement said. “It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.”
Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, called the Laurel raid a violation of human rights.
“We’re very disturbed at what’s happened,” Mr. Chandler said. “It’s a real contradiction between our proclaimed values of hard work and family in Mississippi and the actions of local law enforcement, and ICE. I think it’s a real affront to our values. They’re creating their own terrorism by going after workers.”
After the Iowa raid, the federal interpreter said many of the immigrants did not understand the charges to which they pleaded guilty. But federal officials said the judges in the cases believed that the guilty pleas had been made freely and voluntarily.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tensions flare over Texas school dress code (from Associated Press)
Expect more cases like these to emerge. This reminds me of the district that proposed to install GPS devices under the skin to keep track of truant youth. What kind of political climate and culture allows for such ideas to surface? --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tensions flare over Texas school dress code
© 2008 The Associated Press
Aug. 12, 2008, 1:59PM
GONZALES, Texas — Police were called to a school board meeting because of the loud protests of parents upset about a revamped dress code that includes prison-like jumpsuits for kids who don't comply.
Gonzales Independent School District superintendent Vic Salazar said that following the public comment period Monday night, a few members of the audience started yelling at school board members about the dress code. They were asked repeatedly to quiet down but would not, he said. Salazar didn't know who called the police.
"When it gets to be disruptive, we asked them to leave," Salazar said Tuesday. "They wouldn't be quiet. They were given an opportunity" to speak.
Capt. Gayle Autry of the Gonzales Police Department said two police officers arrived to keep order, stayed less than an hour and didn't arrest anyone.
The school district is implementing a revamped dress code that includes a ban on cargo pants and requires students to wear collared shirts. Those from fifth through 12th grade who don't obey may also be put in prison-style navy blue coveralls the district ordered from Texas Correctional Industries, the industrial arm of prison system.
District officials have emphasized that the coveralls are only an option aimed at allowing students to comply with the dress code and remain in the classroom. Parents can still bring students a change of clothes or students may still go to in-school suspension.
Salazar said the retooled dress code, approved in July, was not on Monday night's agenda, but that seven people spoke against it during the public comment period.
Gonzales is about 70 miles east of San Antonio.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tensions flare over Texas school dress code
© 2008 The Associated Press
Aug. 12, 2008, 1:59PM
GONZALES, Texas — Police were called to a school board meeting because of the loud protests of parents upset about a revamped dress code that includes prison-like jumpsuits for kids who don't comply.
Gonzales Independent School District superintendent Vic Salazar said that following the public comment period Monday night, a few members of the audience started yelling at school board members about the dress code. They were asked repeatedly to quiet down but would not, he said. Salazar didn't know who called the police.
"When it gets to be disruptive, we asked them to leave," Salazar said Tuesday. "They wouldn't be quiet. They were given an opportunity" to speak.
Capt. Gayle Autry of the Gonzales Police Department said two police officers arrived to keep order, stayed less than an hour and didn't arrest anyone.
The school district is implementing a revamped dress code that includes a ban on cargo pants and requires students to wear collared shirts. Those from fifth through 12th grade who don't obey may also be put in prison-style navy blue coveralls the district ordered from Texas Correctional Industries, the industrial arm of prison system.
District officials have emphasized that the coveralls are only an option aimed at allowing students to comply with the dress code and remain in the classroom. Parents can still bring students a change of clothes or students may still go to in-school suspension.
Salazar said the retooled dress code, approved in July, was not on Monday night's agenda, but that seven people spoke against it during the public comment period.
Gonzales is about 70 miles east of San Antonio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)