ImmigrationProf Blog

New Report Released by the Southern Poverty Law Center : Hate Groups Are Descending on Main Street America

Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center released Year in Hate & Extremism, an annual report detailing the scope and danger of hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating in the United States. The report documents 1,225 active groups and shows how their tactics shifted after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — organizing locally and pursuing their agenda in venues where it is easier to gain power and strip communities of their rights and livelihoods. 

Click the link above to read the report.  Here is the Table of Contents.

• From the Director
• Hate and Extremism — In the Mainstream and on the Main Street
• Building New Networks To Address Targeting of Young People
• Returning to the Schoolhouse Steps, Extremist Groups’ Reactionary Anti-Student Inclusion Efforts
• Protecting Public Education: Support Our Schools
• Understanding Youth Radicalizing and Firearms Narratives To Build a Safer Future
• As Militia Numbers Decline, Antigovernment Threat Persists
• Old Bigotries Melded With New Conspiracies Burgeon White Christian Nationalism
• American Antisemitism Animates the Hard Right
• The Sheriffs Working to Subvert Democracy
• Hate on Main Street

KJ

 

Minyao Wang, Thirty Years After the Golden Venture

 

Guest Post:  Manyao Wang

Thirty years ago this morning, the Golden Venture struck a sandbar off the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. The rusty vessel carried almost 300 immigrants from China. Each would-be migrant paid about $40,000 for the hazardous journey. Most departed China on foot, cut through the jungles of Myanmar and arrived in Bangkok. After a plan to fly to the U.S. using forged passports fell through, they boarded the Golden Venture bound for Kenya. From Kenya the ship picked up additional Chinese human cargoes, circled the Cape of Good Hope, and then crossed the Atlantic. 

Ten people drowned when they tried to jump off the stranded ship. The other passengers were taken into immigration custody. It remains to this date the largest apprehension of undocumented immigrants in American history. The Golden Venture arrived in the middle of a great wave of illegal migration from the southeastern coast China that started in the mid-1980’s and accelerated after the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. In fact, only three days before the Golden Venture’s arrival, two ships carrying nearly 300 Chinese migrants were apprehended within hours of each other off the coast of San Francisco.

The Golden Venture incident set off a media frenzy which in turn led to panic inside the United States government.  Like the Biden administration in 2023, the new Clinton administration did not want to be seen as losing control of the nation’s borders. A swift decision was made to subject the Golden Venture passengers to long-term detention.  U.S. officials explained publicly that imprisonment was intended to deter people in China from starting the same journey. This policy represented a sharp break from the prior general practice where asylum applicants were given a future court date and then released with a temporary work permit.  A substantial part of the Golden Venture passengers was detained for four years. And what started as a one-off emergency response soon became entrenched as a matter of statute.  In 1996, Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide for mandatory detention of foreign nationals in various circumstances. For example, asylum applicants who arrive without documents or with fraudulent documents must be detained.  See 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(IV) (such persons “shall be detained pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution and, if found not to have such a fear, until removed”); Dep't of Homeland Sec. v. Thuraissigiam, 591 U.S. ___ (2020) (preclusion of judicial review of the detention of asylum seekers does not violate the Suspension Clause). The detention requirement most controversially applies to long-term residents of the United States who are subject to deportation because of a criminal record. See e.g., Demore v. Kim, 538 U.S. 510 (2003) (upholding such detention against a Fifth Amendment due process challenge).  As a result, a thriving private prison industry has emerged to cater to the needs of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The arrival of the Golden Venture also led to sharp gyrations in substantive eligibility for asylum. Under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, asylum had been generously granted for violations of China’s draconian one-child policy, which was often implemented with no regard for human dignity. That generosity no doubt stemmed at least in part from the Republican Party’s vocal pro-life position. To reduce the perceived magnet effect and lacking the need to defer to the religious right, the Clinton administration reinterpreted asylum law to say that because the birth control program applied to the entire Chinese population, it could not form the basis of an asylum claim, even to the extent that physical force was used compel compliance.  This is how matter stood until the fall of 1996, when the new Republican majorities in Congress amended the refugee definition to expressly protect individuals who have been persecuted by undergoing a forced abortion or involuntary sterilization. The detention of the Golden Venture passengers and the horrific punishment they endured for wanting to have more than one child was at the heart of the public relations campaign for the legislative change. This new law has opened a pathway to American citizenship and the prosperity that comes with it to tens of thousands Chinese nationals. Its codification in the INA has means that the asylum policy is insulated from abrogation by future Democratic administrations.  

The law enforcement crackdown in the wake of Golden Venture ended the business of smuggling people on big freighters. But that did not by any means end unlawful Chinese migration to the United States. In the last two decades, China is consistently a top source country for asylum applications filed in the United States.  Indeed, the City of New York has estimated that almost half of the new Chinese migrants to the city have been under the U.S. asylum program. Recent news events strongly suggest that illegal Chinese immigrants will continue to come the United States to seek the freedom and economic opportunities that are not available in their country of birth. The allure of the American Dream is irresistible to those living under totalitarianism.   

KJ

New U.S. immigration rules send asylum requests soaring in Mexico

 

NPR reports on the fallout in Mexico migrant shelters with the recent end of Title 42.  Overcrowding is the norm and shelters are pressed to the limits.

KJ

Not An Onion Article: Pro-Enforcement Group "NICE" Launches Today

It sounds like an Onion article, but it's not. Today is launch day for the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), a new nonprofit that aims to "push back" against the "Abolish ICE" movement and "help return ICE to the enforcement agency it was meant to be." Okey doke.

The National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) launched today to advocate for the proper enforcement of immigration laws in the interior of the United States – a practice that is critical to national security, public safety, and the rule of law.https://t.co/xkcORWkXH9

— National Immigration Center for Enforcement (@NICEnforcement) June 5, 2023

-KitJ

Immigrants have helped change how America eats. Now they dominate top culinary awards

 

Immigrants are changing what Americans eat through their culinary influence in cities large and small, reports Joel Rose of NPR. The culinary awards for restaurants granted by James Beard Foundation offer proof: For today’s ceremony, "more than half of the 75 finalists  vying for the chef and baker awards are immigrants or children of immigrants from all over the globe."

KJ 

White House Proclamation on National Immigrant Heritage Month 2023

The White House proclaims June as Immigrant Heritage Month. Here is President Biden's proclamation:

    America is more than a place; it is an idea.  It is the idea that everyone is created equal and deserves to be treated equally throughout their lives and that everyone should have a fair shot and an equal chance to get ahead.  That is what has drawn people to our shores for centuries.  It is what makes us who we are.  And that very idea of America has been advanced by immigrants from every part of the world — my ancestors and yours.  Their dreams built America, and during National Immigrant Heritage Month, we celebrate their courage.

      The First Lady and I are proud descendants of immigrants — the Giacoppas, from the northeast corner of Sicily in Italy, and the Finnegans of County Louth and the Blewitts of County Mayo in Ireland.  Vice President Harris was born in Oakland, California, to parents who emigrated from India and Jamaica.  Like so many who still come here seeking a better future, our parents and great-grandparents could not be sure what life would bring. But they had faith that, for their children and grandchildren, anything would be possible in America.  And they were right.

      Many families also came to America in search of a better future and the promise of the American Dream, and each wave of newcomers brings energy and new ideas to move our Nation forward.  Today, one third of our doctors and nearly three quarters of our farmworkers are immigrants, and so many more are essential workers, first responders, and military service members.  Immigrants own approximately one in five businesses, create millions of jobs, pay hundreds of billions in taxes, and spend even more on American goods.  Almost half of all Fortune 500 companies were started by immigrants or their kids. Immigrants help strengthen our diplomatic and people-to-people ties around the world.  It’s simple:  immigrants keep our Nation strong and our economy growing.

      That truth used to be something most of us agreed on.  President Ronald Reagan proudly signed a law giving an opportunity to 2.7 million undocumented people to seek permanent residence.  President George W. Bush pushed hard for comprehensive immigration reform.  On day one of my Presidency, I sent the Congress my plan that includes a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, people with temporary status, farmworkers, and essential workers; smarter border solutions, including more equipment and modern infrastructure; and provisions to clear court backlogs, speed up processing, and protect families.  Let us come together again in a bipartisan way to fix our broken immigration system for good.

      Until the Congress acts, my Administration will keep using every tool we have to make the system more orderly, safe, and humane.  We have announced new pathways for nationals of Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, and other countries in the region to come here lawfully.  And in May, we joined with partners across the Western Hemisphere to launch a plan to open new centers where people can receive help with applying to come to the United States, rather than making the dangerous trek at the mercy of criminal organizations and smugglers.  At home, we have expanded whistleblower protections for undocumented workers so they too can call out wage theft or unsafe working conditions, improving things for everyone.  And we have strengthened the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that for more than 10 years has allowed 800,000 Dreamers to live and work freely in the only country they know as home.  In addition, we have recently proposed a plan to expand DACA recipients’ access to health care through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.  

      Immigration has always been essential to America, and this month, we reflect on the strength and spirit of immigrants that have been passed down through families and infused in our Nation.  This spring, I had the chance to travel back to Ireland, to walk the ground my ancestors walked, and to celebrate the bonds that connect us still.  Over the years, stories of that place have become part of my soul.  I stood beside a cathedral built of bricks that my great-great-great-grandfather supplied.  I imagined his son bringing his family across the ocean during the famine of 1850, leaving all they had known for hope on a distant shore.  I remembered stories of his son — my great-grandfather — who kept those roots alive in Scranton, helping to found the Irish American Association, chairing the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and passing that pride on to his granddaughter — my mom.  It is a pride that speaks to the history and the values that bind us:  immigrant values of hard work, dignity, and respect that I have tried to pass on to my own children and grandchildren.

      Most Americans have their own version of that same story:  ancestors who overcame incredible odds to build new lives in this promised land and contribute to the fabric of our Nation.  And we see those same values alive at the White House every time we celebrate our proud immigrant communities, whose holidays and rich cultures give new life to our Nation — including Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights; Eid, the feast ending Ramadan; Greek Independence Day, a celebration of freedom and democracy; and the Lunar New Year, a festivity committing to new beginnings.  We see that spirit of hope at every naturalization ceremony, when we celebrate the journey completed by millions of people whose courage and commitment have earned them a title that is equal to that of President in our democracy — the title of “citizen.”  This month, we honor our ancestors by working to keep the torch of liberty lit and held high.

      NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2023 as National Immigrant Heritage Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about the history of our Nation’s diverse and varied immigrant communities and to observe this month with appropriate programming and activities that remind us of the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

President Jimmy Carter's Refugee Legacy

 

Former President Jimmy Carter is in hospice care in his home state of Georgia.  We should not forget that, as President, Carter accepted refugees from Viet Name, signed the Refugee Act of 1980 into law, and responded to a wave of Cuban migration through an unprecedented boatlift. 

Read this CNN story on President Carter's immigration achievements, which were not  popular politically. 

KJ

Economists Love Immigration. Why Do So Many Americans Hate It?

In "Economists Love Immigration. Why Do So Many Americans Hate It?", Idrees Kahloon for the New Yorker considers the U.S. love/hate approach to immigration.

KJ

From the Bookshelves: Whose America?: U.S. Immigration Policy since 1980 by Maria Cristina Garcia and Maddalena Marinari, editors

 

 

Whose America?: U.S. Immigration Policy since 1980 by Maria Cristina Garcia and Maddalena  Marinari, editors (July 2023, University of Illinois Press)

The publisher's description of the book:

 

"A centerpiece of contemporary politics, draconian immigration policies have been long in the making. Maria Cristina Garcia and Maddalena Marinari edit works that examine the post-1980 response of legislation and policy to issues like undocumented immigration, economic shifts, national security, and human rights. Contributors engage with a wide range of ideas, including the effect of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and other laws on the flow of migrants and forms of entry; the impact of neoliberalism and post-Cold War political realignment; the complexities of policing and border enforcement; and the experiences of immigrant groups in communities across the United States.

Up-to-date yet rooted in history, Whose America? provides a sophisticated account of recent immigration policy while mapping the ideological struggle to answer an essential question: which people have the right to make America their home or refuge?

Contributors: Leisy Abrego, Carl Bon Tempo, Julio Capó, Jr., Carly Goodman, Julia Rose Kraut, Monique Laney, Carl Lindskoog, Yael Schacher, and Elliott Young"

KJ

Playing Politics with Immigrant Lives: Migrants Transported from Texas to Sacramento, California

 

In recent months, Governors of Texas and Florida have sought to score political points in the immigration debate by shipping vulnerable migrants to other states, with Martha's Vinyard in Massachusetts one of the destinations.

CNN now reports on the latest development in this cynical practice:  "over a dozen migrants arrived in Sacramento, California, by private jet `with no prior arrangement or care in place,'"

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta met with the group yesterday.

The immigrants were taken from Texas to New Mexico, then flown by private chartered jet to California, where they were “dumped on the doorstep of a local church without any advance warning,” Newsom said in a statement.

The full statement of Governor Gavin Newsom on the migrant arrivals in California reads as follows:

“Today, Attorney General Rob Bonta and I met with over a dozen migrants in Sacramento. These individuals were transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento and dumped on the doorstep of a local church without any advance warning. We are working closely with the Mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases. My Administration is also working with the California Department of Justice to investigate the circumstances around who paid for the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping.”

KJ

UPDATE (June 5):  There was another migrant flight to Sacramento today.

 

BREAKING: Another plane carrying migrants from Southern Border arrives in Sacramento.

A source close to the investigation tells me 20 people were on board, and CADOJ has made contact with them.

It appears Florida is involved in this too, sources say. https://t.co/GPFdOjTebi

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) June 5, 2023

KJ

The Changing (International) Face of Professional Basketball in the US

 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) finals featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat continue later today.  One interesting development in the NBA is that, as reported here,

"[f]or a fifth straight year, the NBA's Most Valuable Player award will go to someone born outside of the United States. While the league has not yet announced the winner of the Michael Jordan Trophy, the finalists are Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Cameroon-born Embiid (the league's leading scorer), Serbia's Jokic (the two-time reigning MVP), and Greek-Nigerian Antetokounmpo (who hoisted the trophy in 2019 and 2020) each turned in a superlative 2022–2023 campaign . . . 

Along with Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, who at the tender age of 24 has already made the All-NBA First Team three years running, Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo are becoming the defining faces of the NBA's global brand . . . .

. . . 120 foreign-born players . . .  now constitute about one-third of the league, a total that is up from just 23 such players 30 seasons ago.

This injection of foreign talent has been a boon for the NBA and, in turn, for American basketball fans. League revenue is at a record high, and quality of play is as well, by many metrics. While their pure hoops talent is key, the NBA's foreign star quartet has accelerated the adoption of new, more free-flowing, all-court playing styles borrowed from the international game that have elevated the league's on-court aesthetic.

The NBA's adoption of talented individuals from around the globe provides a lesson for the wider American economy." (bold added).

KJ

Portrait of Linda Ronstadt

 

Latino USA is celebrating its 30th anniversary.  It is bringing listeners voices of some of the most influential Latina/os in the last three decades.  This episode of Latino USA is with music legend, Linda Ronstadt.  Ronstadt has had an extraordinary music career.   She has produced a wide range of musical work, from rock, folk, country, big band, Broadway, mariachi and even light opera. In 2000, Latino USA interviewed Linda for the first time — delving into her Mexican roots and her decision to return to the traditional Mexican music of her childhood.  At 76 years old, Ronstadt talks about her memories growing up in Tucson, Arizona, reckoning with her family history and her legacy.

KJ

DACA Litigation Continues

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Associated Press reports that U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen heard oral arguments on the fate of the federal policy that prevents the removal of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.  In a hearing earlier this week, attorneys representing the nine states that have sued to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy argued the updated policy is essentially the same as the earlier one that was declared unlawful and asked Judge Hanen to find the program illegal.

For additional coverage of the oral argument, click here and here.  Stay tuned for a ruling, which will be the latest chapter in years of litigation over the policy.

KJ

Was Border Patrol at Fault for Eight-Year Old Immigrant Detainee's Death?

 

A few weeks ago, an 8-year old tragically died in immigrant detention near the U.S./Mexico border in South Texas.  Valarie Gonzalez for the Associated Press provides an update on the story.  She writes that Border Patrol medical staff declined to review the file of a girl, who had a chronic heart condition and rare blood disorder, before she appeared to have a seizure and died while in custody, according to an internal investigation found:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection has said the child’s parents shared the medical history with authorities on May 10, a day after the family was taken into custody.

But a nurse practitioner declined to review documents about the girl the day she died, CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility said in its initial statement Thursday on the May 17 death. The nurse practitioner reported denying three or four requests from the girl’s mother for an ambulance.

Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, whose parents are Honduran, was born in Panama with congenital heart disease." (bold added)

The review

"to date has determined that none of the CBP contracted medical personnel or U.S. Border Patrol personnel at Harlingen Station who interacted with the girl, or her mother, acknowledged being aware she suffered from sickle cell anemia or had a history of congenital heart disease. Contracted medical personnel did not consult with on-call physicians (including an on-call pediatrician) about the girl’s condition, symptoms, or treatment. The contracted medical personnel failed to document numerous medical encounters, emergency antipyretic interventions, and administrations of medicine. A review of CBP records revealed the camera system at Harlingen Station was flagged for repair/replacement on April 13. The outage was not reported to CBP OPR as required by H.R. 1158, Fiscal Year 2020 DHS Consolidated Appropriation. Closed circuit television recording capabilities were restored at Harlingen Station on May 23."

KJ

Should Prince Harry's Visa Documents Be Made Public?

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 

CNN reports that

 

"Prince Harry’s US immigration records should be unsealed in the light of revelations about drug-taking in his recent book, a conservative think tank will argue in a federal court next week.

The Heritage Foundation is suing the US government to find out if it acted according to procedure when it granted the Duke of Sussex a US visa. Under US immigration law, evidence of past drug use can be grounds to reject an application.

The case will be held in front of a federal judge on June 6 at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Heritage Foundation filed a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act, attempting to compel the government to release Harry’s immigration file. `The requested information is of immense public interest,' reads an amended complaint . . . ."

KJ

I study migrants traveling through Mexico to the US, and saw how they follow news of dangers – but are not deterred

This piece from The Conversation is not altogether surprising: 

I study migrants traveling through Mexico to the US, and saw how they follow news of dangers – but are not deterred by Angel Alfonso Escamilla García.

KJ

From the Bookshelves: Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons by Anthony Christian Ocampo

Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons by Anthony Christian Ocampo, NYU Press 2022

 The publisher's description:

The stories of second-generation immigrant gay men coming of age in Los Angeles

Growing up in the shadow of Hollywood, the gay sons of immigrants featured in Brown and Gay in LA could not have felt further removed from a world where queerness was accepted and celebrated. Instead, the men profiled here maneuver through family and friendship circles where masculinity dominates, gay sexuality is unspoken, and heterosexuality is strictly enforced. For these men, the path to sexual freedom often involves chasing the dreams while resisting the expectations of their immigrant parents—and finding community in each other.

Ocampo also details his own story of reconciling his queer Filipino American identity and those of men like him. He shows what it was like for these young men to grow up gay in an immigrant family, to be the one gay person in their school and ethnic community, and to be a person of color in predominantly White gay spaces. Brown and Gay in LAis an homage to second-generation gay men and their radical redefinition of what it means to be gay, to be a man, to be a person of color, and, ultimately, what it means to be an American.

KJ

More than 1 in 3 student visas denied

According to State Department data, in 2022, consular officers denied a record 220,676 student visas. This means 35%, or more than 1 in 3 student visa applicants, were denied; it is a much higher rate than other visa denials.

David Bier of the Cato institute attributes the change to a shift in the number of Chinese and Indian applications. Chinese visa applications that are granted 2 to 4 times more often than Indian applications are trending downward, which reduces a reliable stream of visa grants. Meanwhile, Indian visa applications that are more likely to be denied are up.

Bier writes of the overall reduction in student visas on a corresponding blog post, "This is a disaster as student visas are the jumping-off point for most skilled immigrants." So the impacts will be felt by employers. It is also consequential for universities since the U.S. Department of State turned down 220,676 students who would have likely paid roughly $30,000 per year or $6.6 billion per year in tuition and living expenses. Over four years, that number rises to $26.4 billion in lost economic benefits to the United States. 

MHC (H/T David Biers, @David_J_Bier)

Immigration Article of the Day: The US Immigration Courts, Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Systemic Immigration Failures: The Causes, Composition, and Politically Difficult Solutions to the Court Backlog by Donald Kerwin and Evin Millet

The US Immigration Courts, Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Systemic Immigration Failures: The Causes, Composition, and Politically Difficult Solutions to the Court Backlog by Donald Kerwin and Evin Millet, Journal on Migration and Human Security (2023)

Abstract

The US immigration court system seeks to “fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly administer and interpret US immigration laws” (DOJ 2022a). It represents the first exposure of many immigrants to due process and the rule of law in the United States, and occupies an integral role in the larger US immigration system. Yet it labors under a massive backlog of pending cases that undermines its core goals and objectives. The backlog reached 1.87 million cases in the first quarter of FY 2023 (Straut-Eppsteiner 2023, 6). This paper attributes the backlog to systemic failures in the broader immigration system that negatively affect the immigration courts, such as:

 

•  Visa backlogs, United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) application processing delays, and other bottlenecks in legal immigration processes.

 

•  The immense disparity in funding between the court system and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies that feed cases into the courts.

 

•  The failure of Congress to pass broad immigration reform legislation that could ease pressure on the enforcement and court systems.

 

•  The lack of standard judicial authorities vested in Immigration Judges (IJs), limiting their ability to close cases; pressure parties to “settle” cases; and manage their dockets.

 

•  The absence of a statute of limitations for civil immigration offenses.

 

•  Past DHS failures to establish and adhere to enforcement priorities and to exercise prosecutorial discretion (PD) throughout the removal adjudication process, including in initial decisions to prosecute.

 

•  The location of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees US immigration courts, within the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency, the Department of Justice (DOJ).

 

•  The misconception of many policymakers that the court system should primarily serve as an adjunct to DHS.

 

•  A past record of temporary judge reassignments and government shutdowns.

 

The paper supports a well-resourced and independent immigration court system devoted to producing the right decisions under the law. Following a short introduction, a long section on “Causes and Solutions to the Backlog” examines the multi-faceted causes of the backlog, and offers an integrated, wide-ranging set of recommendations to reverse and ultimately eliminate the backlog. The “Conclusion” summarizes the paper’s topline findings and policy proposals.

 

Click here to register for a webinar on the paper.

 

KJ

A Message from MALDEF on 20 Years of Latina/os as the Largest Minority Group

 

A message from MALDEF:  In 2003, Latinos surpassed African Americans to become the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the United States. The Census Bureau’s announcement prompted speculation that the demographic shift would reshape the national conversation around the social and economic divide in America.

But twenty years later, little has changed. Latinos largely remain closed out from much of the national conversation on key issues despite their growing numbers and remarkable contributions to the U.S., particularly during the pandemic.

Instead, the growth of the Latino community has sparked a backlash. In state after state, lawmakers are adopting measures intended to roll back the civil rights gains of the last 50 years. Emboldened by Donald Trump’s demonization of Latinos, many white supremacist leaders are resurrecting dangerous and false replacement theories intended to fuel racial fear among some and to target Latinos.

KJ