Hola Arkansas - bilingual Hispanic newspaper - periodico bilingue para Hispanos - Latino news - noticias:Immigration

Ya Es Hora �Ciudadania! Arkansas Campaign renewed commitment to Citizenship

LITTLE ROCK, AR - To promote the value of U.S. citizenship and to assist eligible legal permanent residents in navigating the naturalization process, Ya Es Hora �CIUDADANIA! Arkansas Campaign held a free workshop Saturday, March 31st. Since the national campaign�s launch, it has contributed to the record 2 million eligible immigrant residents who applied for U.S. citizenship in 2011, held 300 assistance workshops, and fielded more than 100, 000 calls to the referral hotline. Hispanics

Kansas seeks waiver for illegal immigrants

TOPEKA, KS - Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman is seeking a federal waiver that would allow companies to hire illegal immigrants. Facing pressure from large dairies and feedlots desperate for workers, Rodman has met several times with officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about launching a pilot program that would place employers and illegal immigrants in a special state-organized network. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that the goal is to create a legal,

Secretary Duncan calls the Dream ACT �Common sense legislation�

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress today that the Administration supports passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, for two basic reasons: it�s crucial for meeting our national goals and future workforce needs, and also sends the right message about the value of hard work and our Nation�s basic sense of fairness. In testimony at the first-ever Senate hearing on the DREAM Act before the Subcommittee on Immigration,

Democrats ask Obama to stop deportations of students

WASHINGTON, DC - A broad spectrum of the Democratic Senate caucus yesterday issued a letter to President Obama urging him to use his authority and grant relief from deportation to young people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act. The twenty-two senators wrote that they "would support a grant of deferred action" and other measures to grant relief to qualified DREAM students and reiterated their support for the DREAM Act, which passed the House of Representatives and received the support of

President Obama asked to keep families together

WASHINGTON, DC � In El Salvador, during his visit to Latin America, President Barack Obama called for bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. He also said: �America is a nation of laws, and it is a nation of immigrants. And so our job is to create secure borders, to make sure that we've got a legal immigration system that is effective and is not frustrating for families, doesn't divide families.� The same evening, the New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security had

San Antonio: The 'New Face of the American Dream'

SAN ANTONIO, TX - New demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau confirms San Antonio's rising prominence as one of America's fastest growing big cities, fueled by explosive growth in the Hispanic population and a growing job base in 21st century industries. While many large cities in the Northeast and other parts of America continued to lose population, San Antonio grew to 1.32 million residents, likely retaining its position as the nation's seventh-largest city. The latest Census

DREAM Act: �We will give a good fight�

WASHINGTON, DC - At the end of the last Congress's legislative session, President Barack Obama said his biggest legislative frustration was the failure of the DREAM Act to legalize undocumented youth. Earlier this year he said the U.S. should not deport these young people but to take advantage of their talent to benefit the nation. Now the dreamers are ready to ask Congress and the Obama Administration for concrete actions, and plan to hold a national congress in Memphis, Tennessee from March

Why the DREAM Act wont cost us money

If you take a serious look at our alternatives on immigration policy and dealing with the population of immigrants in the country illegally, we really do not have many choices. Mass deportation or policies designed to spark a mass exodus are clearly beyond the scope of reality. Moving an estimated 12 million men, women, and children out of the country is a fantasy that only a few staunch opponents of immigration reform continue to embrace. Like it or not, and despite our record-breaking

Arizona�s Immigration Law and the cost of cancelled conventions

WASHINGTON, DC - The lucrative convention and conference business is the backbone of Arizona�s tourism industry and it has been significantly hurt by the state�s enactment in April of harsh anti-immigration legislation. The industry�s losses will cost the state $253 million in economic output and more than $86 million in lost wages over the next two to three years, according to a report commissioned by the Center for American Progress. The study, conducted by Arizona-based Elliott D.

Arkansas Senators deny passage of DREAM Act

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Senate failed to muster the 60 votes needed to move forward the Defense authorization bill, including the DREAM Act amendment. Both Arkansas senators, Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) were the only two Democrats to vote against the measure. �The immigration reform movement and immigrant youth were stymied by an obstinate minority more interested in scoring political points than in delivering for Arkansans and the American people. Senators caved, again, to

President Obama signs $600 million border security bill

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a $600 million bill in a low-key Oval Office ceremony to beef up security on the U.S. border with Mexico, as Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano watched on Friday, August 13, 2010. A modest election-year victory that underscores the president�s failure to deliver an overhaul of immigration law. The bill fell short by the standards Obama has set for dealing with the immigration problem. Napolitano said

Secure Arkansas proposal on immigration reform disqualified

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Secretary of State Charlie Daniels says supporters of a proposal to deny state services to illegal immigrants did not gather enough signatures to get the measure on the Arkansas November ballot. Daniels said Friday, July 9 that the group only submitted 67,542 signatures. The proposal is disqualified from the ballot because not enough signatures were submitted. Secure Arkansas collected signatures for a ballot initiative to amend the Arkansas Constitution. Jeannie

Immigrants hunger strike in search for a DREAM

RALEIGH, NC -- Rosario Lopez, 25; Viridiana Martinez, 23; and Loida Silva, 22, set up tents across the street from the state legislative building in downtown Raleigh and have subsisted on water, Pedialyte and Gatorade since June 14. The three young women living illegally in the U.S. since childhood haven't eaten in more than a week in the hope of persuading U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to back a bill that could make them legal residents. But they were unable to convince Hagan, a Democrat whose

Harvard student will not be deported

BOSTON, MA -- An undocumented Harvard University student is no longer facing deportation to Mexico after being detained by immigration authorities at a Texas airport, officials said. Eric Balderas, a 19 year-old aspiring molecular and cellular biology concentrator, was stopped by TSA officials in his hometown on June 7 when he tried to board a plane from San Antonio to Boston using a Mexican consulate card and his Harvard student identification. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Arkansas Hispanic Democratic Caucus and community leaders support Immigration Reform

LITTLE ROCK, AR --The Arkansas Hispanic Democratic leadership called on its members and several Hispanic community leaders to agree on a plan to support immigration reform.

Special guest Jose Gomez, Arkansas Director of Reform Immigration PRO America shared the latest national advances.

During the meeting attendees shared ideas to instigate the active participation of the state's immigrant population. An effort placed on attracting young people of Arkansas to help pass the message

Local leaders join on national effort to discuss Immigration Reform

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Community leaders from all over the Little Rock area got together Thursday to talk about immigration reform. The leaders include people from faith-based groups, African American groups, businesses, media and education.

This local meeting is part of a much larger effort across the nation to change immigration laws. They say the current system is broken.

Arkansas Director of Reform Immigration for America J.R. Gomez says changes will not just benefit the Hispanic

Arkansas group seeks signatures to toughen immigration laws

LITTLE ROCK, AR � The group Secure Arkansas wants to toughen the state's illegal immigration laws. The group says state and federal tax dollars are subsidizing undocumented residents. It needs to collect 20,000 more signatures in less than two weeks to get their initiative on the November ballot. It would prevent undocumented people from receiving public benefits like food stamps. The group says it's on a mission to prevent Arkansas from becoming a sanctuary for undocumented

Nation's minority numbers top 100M

WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States is becoming more diverse, with ethnic and racial minorities topping 100 million for the first time in 2006, according to data from the Census Bureau, a symbolic milestone that signals more challenges for communities adapting to diversity.

Hispanics are moving out to more states across the nation, creating a sharp contrast between their predominantly young numbers and those of an aging white society, according to Census population estimates out

U.S Senator Cornyn introduces bill to grant Laser Visa holders from Mexico parity with Canadians

WASHINGTON, DC-- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee�s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee, on Monday, January 29, 2007 introduced legislation permitting laser visa holders�temporary, fully screened travelers from Mexico�to stay in the United States up to six months.

The Secure Border Crossing Card Entry Act of 2007 extends the length of stay for these visitors from 30 days to six months, or parity with Canadians. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey

National Hispanic organizations express disappointment that President Bush signed the Secure Fence

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) expressed their disappointment that President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law on Thursday, October 26, 2006.

Noting that the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border will do little to fix our broken

Filmmaker Jesus Nebot to present lecture on immigration at UALR

LITTLE ROCK, AR � UALR is offering the opportunity to meet Jesus Nebot, a truly inspiring Latino film winner of 21 International Awards, filmmaker and lecturer.

Nebot will participate in a box lunch discussion at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the DLC�s Leadership Lounge on The Hidden Truth About Immigration: Solutions Revealed. The actor, renowned in Latin America and Spain, starring in the popular television series La Loba Herida and Divina Obsesion, distributed by Warner Brothers

�YA BASTA! NHLA launch "It Starts With You" national voter mobilization campaign

a joint nationaWASHINGTON, DC -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a nonpartisan coalition of major Hispanic national organizations and distinguished Hispanic leaders from throughout the nation [for a list of member organizations, go to http://www.bateylink.org/nhlaboard.htm], today launched "It Starts with You,"l, multimedia, and nonpartisan civic engagement and voter mobilization campaign urging Latinos to vote in the upcoming election in November.

"NHLA members have

NCLR to both political parties: �Don�t demonize Latinos and immigrants in 2006 campaign�

WASHINGTON, DC -- Citing a set of disturbing ads from both the Republican and Democratic parties in recent weeks, WASHINGTON, DC -- Citing a set of disturbing ads from both the Republican and Democratic parties in recent weeks, Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., called on the leaders of both political parties to refrain from campaign tactics demonizing immigrants and Latinos.

Department of Homeland Security proposes expansion of visitors enrolled in US-VISIT

WASHINGTON,DC -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on July 27 a rule proposing to expand processing in the US-VISIT program to an additional number of non-U.S. citizens. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will be published in the Federal Register on July 27, 2006, but will not go into effect immediately.

US-VISIT records biometric and biographic information to verify the identities of foreign visitors to the United States. Most visitors experience US-VISIT

Vigil in Arkansas brings attention to immigration laws

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- A group gathered in Little Rock on Friday, May 19 night calling on Congress to enact comprehensive and humane immigration reform.
The Arkansas Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform held a candlelight vigil at MacArthur Park. The group sang, prayed, and lit candles.

"It's to bring attention to immigration laws and how they affect people. Human beings are suffering. It goes beyond politics it's about human lives," said Dr. Cesar Compadre with the

President Bush discussed his vision for comprehensive immigration reform

WASHINGTON, DC � (THE WHITE HOUSE) On May 15, 2006, President Bush Discussed His Vision For Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The five clear objectives of comprehensive immigration reform are securing our borders, creating a temporary worker program, making it easier for employers to verify employment eligibility and continuing to hold them to account for the legal status of workers they hire, dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants who are already here, and honoring the great American

Over 1 million rallied in support of �A Day Without an Immigrant�

LITTLE ROCK, AR � On Monday, May 1, immigrant rights organizers from across the country promoted a worker strike and consumer boycott to raise awareness of the contributions of immigrants in a day people are calling �El Gran Paro Americano 2006: The Great American Boycott of 2006� and �Un Dia Sin Inmigrante: A Day Without an Immigrant.� Others are backing high school walkouts, teach-ins and prayer vigils to commemorate this day.

Organizers across the country say their goal is to push

Homeland Security Committee passes anti-immigration bill

WASHINGTON, DC -- On November 17 the Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the �Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R. 4312).

The bill goes well beyond border security and would be excessively harmful to immigrants from Latin America. Bill would put military on border and detain hundreds of thousands of Latinos.

H.R. 4312 would require mandatory detention of nearly all persons who enter the U.S. without a visa for the duration of

Arkansas Chamber of Commerce lead discussion in immigration reform

HOT SPRINGS, AR -- During the 77th Arkansas Chamber of Commerce meeting the issue of immigration was discussed with a panel of experts from the policy and business perspective.

The panel was formed by Angela Schnuerle, special assistant Hispanic affairs for U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, David Boling, Randel Johnson V.P. labor, immigration and employee benefits of the Chamber of Commerce, Steve Patterson, chief of staff for U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln and Archie Shaffer V.P. of

Immigration reform discussed thoroughly in public forum in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, AR � On Tuesday, August 30, St. John�s Catholic Center offered a meeting location to a public forum on immigration reform. Participating panelists, Paul Greenberg, Sheila Gomez and Pat Houlihan from Catholic Charities, Matthew Mayers, ACORN's legislative director, Alan Hughes, President of the AFL-CIO, Dr. Andre Guerrero, and Dr. Cesar Compadre discussed the most urgent points.

Panelists accorded that the United States immigration system is broken. People are dying on

Study revels Immigrants do not overwhelm U.S. healthcare

WASHINGTON, DC -- Immigrants are not swamping the U.S. health care system and use it far less than native-born Americans, according to a study released on Monday, July 25.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that immigrants accounted for 10.4 percent of the U.S. population but only 7.9 percent of total health spending and 8 percent of government health spending.

Health spending by the government, insurers and patients themselves averaged $1,139

30 Children separated from parents after raid

ARKADELPHIA, AR � On Wednesday, July 27, thirty children were left behind, some as young as 3 month old, after special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided the Petit Jean Poultry in Arkadelphia to crack on illegal immigrants. They arrested 119.

The raid, follows an audit of the company's employee records plus a conviction of one of their former employees for falsifying U.S. documents. Special agents from the local ICE Texarkana Office were joined by 30

Immigrant dollars create the difference in the Mexican economy

NEW YORK, NY -- The Mexican remittances that leave from New York and other American cities, not to mention the historical phenomenon of the city of Los Angeles, play a fundamental role in the economy of the Aztec nation.

The same ones constitute the second source of currencies for Mexico, after the oil exports, and surpass the amounts of different foreign investments done throughout the country. Inclusively, it had been debated during the last years that the power of remittances

Hispanic issues abound in Arkansas Legislature 2005

LITTLE ROCK, AR-- When issues attacking Hispanics in Arkansas began surfacing in the Legislature this year, the state's Hispanic community wasn't initially prepared to react.

We found ourselves for the first time trying to defend the interests of the Hispanic community. We have had to pretty quickly organize ourselves at all kinds of levels,'' said Maura Lozano-Yancy, publisher of �Hola! Arkansas.

While Lozano-Yancy and others worked to mobilize Arkansas Hispanics, they

Homeland security announces expanded border control plans

WASHINGTON, DC -- Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson announced plans to expand control of the United States borders through increased use of immigration laws to combat illegal entry between the ports of entry while facilitating travel for legitimate Mexican visitors.

This will be accomplished by: Expanding the use of expedited removal from the ports-of-entry to locations along the U.S. border, and Increasing the amount

Arkansas Democratic Hispanic Caucus hosted Immigration

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The Arkansas Democratic Hispanic Caucus (DHC) hosted an Immigration Forum on Saturday, February 28, 2004 at Jose's Club Latino in Little Rock. U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln; Sheila Gómez, Director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas; and Katherine Culliton, Legislative Attorney for the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) participated in the well attended forum.
DHC District Director, Cesar Compadre, noted that, "the Caucus organized this forum to

Bill offers migrants chance for new lives

MIAMI, FL -- More than half of Florida's farm workers labor in the shadows, working in an underground industry that brings food to dinner tables but leaves the sweat-soaked laborers vulnerable to abuse. Key U.S. Congress members have filed a bill in Washington that, if passed, could transform the lives of the men and women who pluck the country's fruit and vegetables. It could also reshape the industry itself.

An estimated 100,000 undocumented farm workers in Florida, and 500,000

The Sherwood Police Department introduces identification program

SHERWOOD, AR -- The Sherwood Police Department along with the Mayor�s Office has recently introduced a new program called the �Community Assistance Card�. �This program is designed to assist the non-English speaking Hispanic community, along with law enforcement, merchants or any other person who may need communication assistance. The Community Assistance Card will assist with communication problems that might arise within the community. This program was designed with the help of the pastors