RSS Feed
Hispanic Leaders Link Census Boycott, Immigration Reform
By Jacqueline L. Salmon
One Christian Hispanic leader's appeal to Latinos to boycott the 2010 Census count is sending other Hispanic leaders into a panic.
The Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the Washington-based National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, has called on Hispanics not to participate in the Census. He wants to use it as a club to force Congress to move ahead on comprehensive immigration reform. So far, there has been little action on the issue, despite the hopes of Latino groups after the election of President Barack Obama that a bill would pass this year.
"This is the time to correct this immorality," said Rivera. "No comprehensive immigration reform passed, no participation in Census 2010."
But other groups are moving rapidly to counter Rivera's call.
Esperanza, an evangelical Latino group that hosts the annual National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, at which President OBama will speak on Friday, has scheduled a new conference on Thursday to ask Latinos to ignore calls not to participate in the Census.
The group points out that Census results will be used to allocate $300 billion in federal funding and determine political redistricting.
But that's exactly why Rivera wants Hispanics to boycott the Census. By his logic, Hispanics can force Congress to move on immigration reform because non-participation by Hispanics in the Census would lower numbers so significantly it would affect federal funding and political redistricting in a number of states. In the first phase of the boycott, he is calling for the estimated 14 million undocumented Hispanics not to participate. If there still isn't any movement on immigration reform by December, he said he will call for all Hispanics to boycott the count.
However, that message is being strongly refuted by virtually every other prominent Hispanic group.
"The financial and democratic ramifications of not participating are so egregious that we need to advocate in favor of every Hispanic in America -- documented and undocumented -- taking part," said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Areas with large Latino populations would lose representation in Congress while federal funding in those could drop dramatically, he said.
"There are other ways we can put pressure" on Congress and the administration, said Rodriquez, including working with the Congressional Hispanic Congress and by punishing Congress in the mid-term elections by withholding votes from Democrats.
It's tough to tell what kind of influence the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders will have on the Hispanic population. Rivera says his group has a 300-member board of directors representing 20,000 mostly urban storefront churches across the country.
Other Latino leaders say they know little about the organization. But they say that many undocumented Latinos are already nervous enough about participating in the Census because they fear the information will be turned over to immigration authorities and that Rivera is playing on their fears.
Rivera rejects that characterization.
"We know exactly what we're doing. Our pastors are not naive or ignorant."
By
Jacqueline L. Salmon
|
June 17, 2009; 4:59 PM ET
| Category:
God in Government
Share This: 
Technorati
| Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
Previous: 'Common Ground' Leads to Confusion |
Next: Health Reform and Faith Groups
Posted by: hunter340 | June 19, 2009 4:00 PM
Report Offensive Comment
It is bothering that so many naturally born U.S. citizens deliberately ignore our own law of the land, make barriers of incovenience and uncertainties for immigrants to apply for citizenship, and have now, as this news clip displays, forced them to become a law unto themselves to intimidate our own politicians whom we all know are of such weak character they ar expected to respond to intimidation.
I would much rather deport in exchange, one naturally born U.S.idiot for one immigrant who is willing to study U.S. civics, learn to speak the English language and, as their imposed illegal residence in the U.S. displays, WORK!
There is no excuse for a U.S. idiot to ignore the law, allow those who have been forced to become a law unto themselves to gradually intimidate our states' politicians to make us a nation with two required languages representing two different paradigms of thought.
The non-citizen enemy of the naturally born U.S. citizen idiot doesn't give a damn about standards that the United States don't give a damn about either.
Let's either melt down the Copper Broad of Liberty, and let the words in the copper book she holds open be spoken no more in this land, or, remove the barbed ware on our southern border and deport the immigrant residence of the United States who have not made efforts to learn English and to pass the civics test of U.S. citizenship within the prescribed time.
Posted by: RogerWDavis | June 19, 2009 3:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Surely Latinos are smarter than this. Congressional districts are formed and reshaped based on the census. If they aren't counted, they can't be represented as well.
This reminds me of the "boycott gringo business day" on May 1 here in Mexico a few years ago. I went to Sam's Club thinking it would be a quick, easy trip. The parking lot there on a Sunday afternoon was more packed than I have ever seen it. The passion of the Latino culture can be quite entertaining trying to get everyone else on board.
Posted by: coloradodog | June 19, 2009 10:16 AM
Report Offensive Comment
The support of illegal immigration will be astronomical to the American taxpayer, but not to the predatory employer and contractors who hire them. Say--YES--to e-verify! It will empty the workplace of illegal labor stealing jobs. Errors can be resolved at the Social Security office, where illegal workers wouldn't dare to go. Say--NO--to any AMNESTY. Last one was full of fraud and never enforced. The 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli bill is still on the books and just need a few amendments to strengthen it' s laws. The Special interest lobby wants to rescind it. Digest more of the facts and unbiased truth at NUMBERSUSA, JUDICIAL WATCH, CAPSWEB, and ALIPAC. At AMERICANPATROL, learn about the massive upsurge on illegal alien criminal activity all across our nation. ANOTHER INTERESTING SITES OFFERS DAYLIGHT ON THE COST OF INCARCERATING ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS at THEDARKSIDEOFILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND ILLEGALIMMIGRANTIONDAILY
It's not about bigotry but about forced mandated taxes to underwrite illegal immigration. It's about waiting for the next hordes of foreigners, anticipating another BLANKET AMNESTY and ready to rush the border. Both sides of the coin have violent types, who take their activist attitudes to far. It's about massive waves of criminals, poor, uneducated and sick family unification--CHAIN MIGRATION-- that you will be the beneficiary too. INFORM YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN--NO--TO ANY AWARDS OR AMNESTY TO LAWBREAKERS.
A traumatic example of runaway benefits to illegal immigrants, where Los Angeles City Councilor Andronivich states 11 billion dollars attributed to these families, that the state has nearly bankrupted itself with a 27 billion dollar crash.
The special interest lobby try to force a face of bigotry or racism on any group that defies open borders and free trade. This has nothing to do with xenophobia. But everything to do with the RULE of LAW and the federal mandates forced on ordinary Americans to support the 20 million plus illegal immigrant invasion.
Posted by: infinity555 | June 18, 2009 6:19 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens.
a.) Enforce the existing immigration laws.
b.) Secure the border.
c.) Don't hire illegal aliens.
d.) No anchor babies.
e.) Deportation through attrition.
SSA estimates that 8.5 million illegal aliens are using fraudulent SSNs. That's a felony that they should be punished for, not rewarded with amnesty.