Hispanics and the New Administration: Immigration Slips as a Priority; Latinos Optimistic About Obama (Pew Hispanic Center)

A year and a half after a lengthy, often rancorous debate over immigration reform filled the chambers of a stalemated Congress, the issue appears to have receded in importance among one of the groups most affected by it-Latinos. Only three-in-ten (31%) Latinos rate immigration as an "extremely important" issue facing the incoming Obama administration, placing it sixth on a list of seven policy priorities that respondents were asked to assess in a nationwide survey of 1,007 Latino adults conducted from December 3 through December 10, 2008, by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. The top-rated issue among Latinos is the economy; some 57% of Hispanics say it is an "extremely important" one for the new president to address.

Looking forward, Hispanics are optimistic about the incoming Obama Administration. More than seven-in-ten (72%) say they expect Obama to have a successful first term. Looking back, Latinos offer a negative assessment of the outgoing Bush Administration. More than half (54%) of Latinos say that the failures of the Bush Administration will outweigh its successes. In comparison, 64% of the U.S. general population holds the same view.

The latest report from the Pew Hispanic Center also examines the ways Latinos were involved in the historic 2008 presidential campaign such as using the Internet to research a candidate, trying to persuade someone else to vote for or against a particular party, and displaying material or wearing clothing related to a political campaign.
The report, Hispanics and the New Administration: Immigration Slips as a Priority,
authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, and Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.

The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization based in Washington, D.C. and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Hispanics and the Economic Downturn: Housing Woes and Remittance Cuts (from the Pew Hispanic Center)

Like the U.S. population as a whole, Latinos are feeling the sting of the economic downturn. Almost one-in-ten (9%) Latino homeowners say they missed a mortgage payment or were unable to make a full payment and 3% say they received a foreclosure notice in the past year, according to a new national survey of 1,540 Latino adults conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Moreover, more than six-in-ten (62%) Latino homeowners say there have been foreclosures in their neighborhood over the past year, and 36% say they are worried that their own home may go into foreclosure. This figure rises to 53% among foreign-born Latino homeowners.

The survey also finds that the economic downturn has had an impact on the amount of money that Latinos sent to relatives or others in their country of origin in the past year. Among Hispanic immigrants who sent remittances in the last two years, more than seven-in-ten (71%) say they sent less in 2008 than in the prior year.

Latinos hold a more negative view of their own current personal financial situation than does the general U.S. population. More than three-in-four (76%) Latinos, and 84% of foreign-born Latinos, say their current personal finances are in either fair or poor shape, while 63% of the general U.S. population says the same.

As a result of current economic conditions, many Latinos are adjusting their economic behaviors. More than seven-in-ten (71%) report that they cut back spending on eating out. More than two-thirds (67%) planned to curtail holiday spending. Over one-fourth (28%) report that they helped a family member or friend with a loan.
The report, authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, and Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.
The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization based in Washington, D.C. and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Immigrant Latino Workers and the Recession (from the Pew Hispanic Center)

A small but significant decline has occurred during the current recession in the share of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Workers who are employed or looking for work are said to be active in the labor market.

The proportion of working-age Latino immigrants active in the labor force has fallen, at least through the third quarter of 2008, while the proportion of all non-Hispanics as well as of native-born Hispanics has held steady. Among Hispanic immigrants, the decrease is sharpest among those from Mexico and those who arrived in the U.S. since 2000. Also, the increase in the number of foreign-born Latinos in the labor force is much smaller than previous years.

The labor market data do not paint an unrelentingly negative picture for Hispanic immigrants. The estimated increase in their unemployment rate is not as high as the increase for native-born Hispanic workers. Also, median weekly wages fell for native-born Hispanics but not for foreign-born workers. These developments, however, could be an artifact, a consequence of the likely withdrawal of low-wage foreign-born Hispanics from the labor force.

The report, "Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008," authored by Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.
The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization based in Washington, D.C. and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

New undergraduate scholarship (from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health)

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) has recently established the Alliance/Merck Ciencia (Science) Hispanic Scholars Program, a new partnership to improve Hispanic student access to higher education and degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Ciencia National Scholarships - College STEM Majors
A $2,000 one-time scholarship for students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Puerto Rico who meet the following eligibility criteria:
a.. A student of Hispanic heritage.
b.. In good academic standing and enrolled full-time in an accredited college/university.
c.. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).Are a declared major in a STEM discipline and pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field including Bachelor’s degrees offered in partnerships between community colleges and four-year institutions

Application Process: students can apply online at http://www.alliancescholars.org/ and the Application deadline is January 16, 2009.

Adaptation Guidelines for Serving Latino Children Affected by Trauma (from the Chadwick Center).

In an effort to improve services for Latino/Hispanic children and families who have experienced trauma, the Chadwick Center for Children and Families in San Diego, California, as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), has coordinated a groundbreaking national effort to create Adaptation Guidelines for Serving Latino Children and Families Affected by Trauma. Experts in the fields of child trauma research, clinical practice, policy and cultural diversity worked together to create these guidelines that addresses a number of key priority areas to fit the needs of traumatized Latino children and families. The priority areas range from micro issues (Assessment and Provision of Therapy) to macro issues (Organizational Competence and Policy). The final document is designed to be viewed either in its entirety or by individual priority area. Portions of these guidelines are geared for advocates and therapists, while other priority areas are designed for program administrators and policy makers.


The document is available for download in its entirety or by individual priority area at http://www.chadwickcenter.org/WALS.htm

Salud America! Call for Proposals Released (from www.rwjf.org)

Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children
Application Deadline: Feb. 6, 2009

Salud America! is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that supports research on environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic of obesity among Latino children. The program also aims to develop a network of researchers whose findings will help identify the most promising obesity-prevention strategies specifically tailored for Latino communities.
The specific objectives of this call for proposals (CFP) are to:

increase the skills and experience of researchers who are working to reduce and prevent obesity among Latino children; and
identify the most promising policy-relevant strategies to reduce and prevent obesity among Latino children.
Investigators must propose a project in one of two general areas: 1) research that has strong potential to inform policy; or 2) the evaluation of an existing policy or program, its implementation or its impact. Both research and evaluation proposals must focus on one topic from the detailed lists included in the full CFP.

More info at www.rwjf.org

One Stop Shpping: IPC Synthesis of 08 Latino, Asian, and New American Voting Data, Immigration as a Election Issue, And Prospects For Reform in 2009

December 4, 2008

Washington, DC-One month ago today, Latino, Asian, and New American citizens voted in an historic election that brought wholesale change to the White House and Congress. Since then, leaders on both sides of the aisle have been talking about how the record turnout of Asian, Latino, and New American voters was integral in the both the presidential and congressional victories.

The Immigration Policy Center has released a comprehensive report merging the compelling data from various organizations on the Asian, Latino, and New American vote into one document with a united narrative: Asians, Latinos, and New Americans make up a critical new voting bloc-one with which immigrant-bashing equals a losing strategy for candidates seeking election. The report summarizes early, exit and election-day polling showing how many and why these voters turned out at a record rate and provides insight into how the immigration debate swayed their vote. The report concludes with early signals from the general American public, new administration and Congress on how they see the future of immigration reform playing out.

To view the report visit www.ImmigrationPolicy.org.

Also, visit the IPC blog to learn more about immigration and the 2008 election at www.ImmigrationImpact.com.

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For more information contact:
Wendy Sefsaf, 202-507-7524 or email wsefsaf@ailf.org
Andrea Nill, 202-507-7520 or email anill@ailf.org