Immigrants and Politics Blog

[A special issue by Carlos Ulises Decena and Margaret Gray (PhD, CUNY Graduate Center) on immigrants in New York State well beyond the large city]
The Border Next Door: New York Migraciones
Carlos Ulises Decena , Margaret Gray
A special issue of Social Text 24:3 (#88)

Addressing how national immigration concerns play out at urban, rural, and suburban levels in the state of New York, this special issue of Social Text offers new insight into an area of study that has long been focused primarily on cities. As new Latino/a immigrants change the culture and social fabric of small communities and reshape policy concerns, suburban and rural regions are becoming key locations for anti-immigrant acts and immigrant social justice organizing. This special issue presents immigrant stories and community and advocacy responses that underscore the need to recognize the diversity of Latino/a immigrant experiences, and it explores the widely varying responses of towns, counties, and both new and established immigrant groups to the race, ethnic, and class tensions usually associated with cities.
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[KR: Perhaps this will help ensure passage of some kind of reform legislation (just as in earlier reform attempts, maybe the desire to help out Irish immigrants will help sway some votes or just provide some political cover)]
Ahern, Bush discuss immigration reform
March 16, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, at the White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, said Friday that he hopes the U.S. Congress will embrace President Bush’s immigration proposal that would affect illegal Irish immigrants in the United States.

“The resolution of this issue would mean enormous amounts to so many Irish men and women,” Ahern said of the 50,000 to 70,000 illegal Irish immigrants in the United States. “I fervently hope that they will, in the not too distant future, be able to step away from the shadows and into the sunshine of this great country.”

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[KR: Given the importance of religion to politics in the U.S. (turnout, party affiliation, issue preferences, social movement activism), it becomes more imperative to figure out what is happening in immigrant religious institutions, esp. with the growth of evangelical churches.  Some scholars are already doing significant work in this area (Peggy Levitt, Janelle Wong, Gaston Espinoza) and this field will surely grow in the coming years.]

Asian American churches face leadership gap
Pastors aren’t being prepared to handle congregational conflicts over cultural and generational issues, experts say.
By K. Connie Kang, LA Times
March 3, 2007

Asian American churches are going through a “crisis of leadership” because seminaries are not preparing a new generation of pastors to work in multi-generational and multicultural settings, Asian American Christian leaders say.  The problem, the leaders say, affects churches throughout the country but is particularly pronounced in California.

At a time when Christian immigrants from Asia and Asian converts in the United States are fueling what a study calls “the most dynamic changes in American Christianity,” few U.S. seminaries offer courses designed to prepare pastoral leaders for the linguistic and cultural needs of Asian American congregations. That was the view expressed by experts who gathered last month at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena for a national summit of directors of seminary-based Asian American Christian centers.
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[Rudy Espino (ASU) notes that the OC supervisor race is notable because of two Vietnamese Americans who are staking out strong positions on the border migration problem.  Despite a recount with her winning 7 votes, Janet Nguyen has not yet been installed as a supervisor]

O.C. board to wait on seating new member
A judge will rule on a recount demand over the razor-thin margin in the supervisorial race.
By Mike Anton
LA Times

March 7, 2007

Orange County supervisors said Tuesday that whoever a judge decides won last month’s election for an open board seat will be sworn in at their March 27 meeting.

Originally intending to fill the vacant position Tuesday, supervisors acceded to Monday’s request by Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael Brenner that they wait until after a March 21 trial over a contested recount in the race, between Republicans Janet Nguyen and Trung Nguyen.
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[Story sent by Chris Zepeda on power struggles within the Minuteman Project; apparently in-fighting is not new to the minutemen, as is evidenced in this other blog entry]

Ousted Minuteman leader seeks court remedy
Illegal immigration foe Jim Gilchrist of Aliso Viejo
says he was railroaded. Other group members say he’s
to blame.

By Jennifer Delson
LA Times
February 27, 2007

A behind-the-scenes power struggle over control of the
Minuteman Project spilled into an Orange County
courtroom Monday with ousted co-founder Jim Gilchrist
asking a judge to give him back control of the citizen
border patrol group.

Superior Court Judge Randell L. Wilkinson said he
would issue a ruling within a few days.
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