Hispanic y Latino Top Stories (Noticias)

Hispanic lawmakers say an old adversary, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, has his fingerprints all over a push to prohibit illegal immigrants from buying health insurance plans in a new market for people who don’t get insurance through their employers.

Some U.S. Democrats see momentum building for an overhaul of immigration laws that would legalize millions of undocumented workers, but analysts say a crowded agenda and struggling economy may once again sink hopes for reform next year.

Mexican migrants are spending more money on taxes in the United States than on the remittances they send home to relatives, according to a new study by Mexico’s largest bank, BBVA Bancomer.

Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Report Finds Immigrants Hit Harder During Economic Downturn than Native-Born Workers

After a 3 year trial of producing regionalized news for several top 10 Hispanic market stations via the Telemundo Production Center in Dallas, the network is reverting to producing local news. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix and San Jose will once again have locally produced news.

New Report Shines Light on Detainee Rights Violations in Minnesota

Video: Senator Menendez Speaks on Behalf of Hispanic Farmers’ Discrimination Lawsuit + update

New Report: More Than 2 Million Hispanic Households With Children Face Hunger – Hispanic households with children experiencing very low food security up almost 50%

On November 18 at 8:00 PM Eastern time/5:00 PM Pacific, all across the country people are hosting house parties with their families, friends, neighbors, churches, classmates and anyone else who supports comprehensive immigration reform for America.

Video report of Latina forced to give birth while in chains in Maricopa County, AZ courtesy of Sheriff Joe Arpaio (en Español)

California’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman told a group of supporters Tuesday that she is making an unprecedented effort to attract Latinos to the Republican party – in South El Monte

New Study Demonstrates Hidden Credit Card Fees Take From the Poor and Give to the Rich – The report found that through imposing swipe fees on every transaction paid by plastic and requiring those fees to be buried in prices to consumers, the credit card industry ensures that the top 10% of Americans get $354 million in frills while the bottom tier pays $669 million more than they should.

Environmentalists alarmed by Puerto Rico policies – Sweeping from lush mountain rain forests to pristine beaches, a corridor of land protected by Puerto Rico’s last governor hosts dozens of rare and endangered species and was championed by celebrities who helped fight off resort proposals. – Now new Gov. Luis Fortuno has revoked the reserve as part of a drive to bring jobs and investment for the U.S. territory’s struggling economy. And activists see a broader pattern of looser protection for the island’s environment.

Eleventh-hour criticism is arising over President Obama’s nomination for United States attorney in northern Iowa of a prosecutor who had a leading role in the criminal cases against hundreds of illegal immigrants arrested in a May 2008 raid at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. – Stephanie Rose

For the first time in its more than 20-year history, the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards will take place in Puerto Rico, marking the first time the show goes on the road from its traditional Miami homebase. The awards, presented by State Farm, will be broadcast live on April 29, 2010, by the Telemundo network.

Report from America’s Voice: The New Constituents… How Latinos Will Shape Congressional Apportionmention After the 2010 Census

15th annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio – more than 1,000 professional & student musicians participating – 8-day festival of mariachi competitions, workshops, presentations, serenades & concerts attracts more than 15,000 visitors annually.

Money Trickles North as Mexicans Help Relatives – reverse remittances from Mexico

The first Texas Hispanic legislators didn’t want to go public when they organized some 40 years ago out of fear they might be considered “un-American.” – Today, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) is growing in influence — and raising record amounts of money — as Texas’ population turns increasingly Hispanic.

The Obama administration will insist on measures to give legal status to an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants as it pushes early next year for legislation to overhaul the immigration system, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday.

One of the Republican Party’s most respected and relied-upon consultants has serious reservations about two the party’s biggest names. – Alex Castellanos, a conservative media strategist and regular presence on CNN, raised questions of Sarah Palin’s viability for office and took major swipes at Florida Senate candidate Charlie Crist

ASU, ALRE release major study on Arizona’s Latino population – (direct link to report & powerpoint)

10 Latino MLB ‘09 Season Highlights – (some cool stuff here)

Few Latinos in leadership positions at California nonprofits – hold only 6% of executive director positions and 9% of board seats but are 36% of the state’s population

Postville Raid: Eighteen months have passed since immigration agents raided Agriprocessors Inc. meat plant, arrested nearly 400 workers, and sent the plant spiraling into bankruptcy. – On Thursday, the plant’s former vice president – Sholom Rubashkin – was found guilty of 86 of 91 counts of financial crimes. – Verdict brings closure to many in Postville

Federal authorities have identified more than 111,000 immigrants with criminal records being held in local jails, during the first year of a program that seeks to deport immigrants who have committed serious crimes.

The official death toll from the floods caused by torrential rains last weekend stands at 157, with 14,166 people still in shelters – El Salvador

Latinos felices por renuncia de Dobbs

Salud en EE.UU.: hispanos temen exclusión

Men, especially Hispanics, hard hit by loss of good jobs

Her Honor: A Portrait of Justice Sonia Sotomayor

For Battered Latina Immigrants: Dwindling Resources, But Also Hope – This is the second report in a special two-part series on domestic violence in immigrant communities by Feet in Two Worlds reporters.

Donations from countries and organizations began to be distributed on Wednesday in El Salvador among those affected by last weekend’s flooding and mudslides that killed 157 people, resulted in 58 people missing and hundreds of damaged homes.

Initially waved off, Hispanic advocates jump into health debate – Effort centers on ensuring reform doesn’t shortchange immigrants

BastaDobbs.com Announces Victory: Lou Dobbs to Leave CNN

As many as 750,000 Latinos and Latinas served in the armed forces during World War II, according to the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project

Domestic Violence In Immigrant Communities: Often Triggered by Stress and Complicated by Immigration Status – This is the first in a special two-part series on domestic violence in immigrant communities by Feet in Two Worlds reporters.

Mexico declares flood emergency in 2 south cities – A week of torrential rain has flooded the homes of more than 200,000 people along Mexico’s Gulf coast

At least 10,000 Salvadorans are in urgent need of food aid after devastating floods and mudslides that damaged crops, destroyed homes and killed 130 people, the U.N. World Food Program

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus took the right stand on threatening to withhold healthcare votes

After deferring his dream to play in the NBA, Greivis Vasquez is returning to Maryland for his senior year. But in Venezuela, they’re more interested in what comes after that.

One of the largest immigration crackdowns under the Obama administration to date took place in the Twin Cities last month, when 1,200 undocumented janitors were ‘quietly’ fired from their jobs

Colombia said on Sunday it will appeal to the U.N. Security Council and the OAS after Hugo Chavez, the fiery leftist president of neighboring Venezuela, ordered his army to prepare for war in order to assure peace.

Honduras leadership in limbo as accord dissolves

BLS: Unemployment Rate Rose to 10.2% in October; Hispanic Unemployment at 13.1%

Carmen Ortiz has been confirmed as the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, becoming the first Hispanic and the first woman to hold the state’s top federal prosecutor’s job.

Latin Grammys: Calle 13 dominates with 5 awards – “Other than Calle 13, there were no other major winners. ” – Mercedes Sosa won the prize for Best Folk Album.

Senate Democrats Thursday blocked a GOP attempt to require next year’s census forms to ask people whether they are U.S. citizens – Vitter’s attempts fail

Low Latino voter turnout in NJ and VA elections reveal a return to the old ways

Grassroots Effort to Oust Lou Dobbs Now 100,000 Strong – Latino leaders and their allies who are part of BastaDobbs.com vow to continue online campaign putting pressure on CNN to drop Dobbs