At an October 10 program in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, the AS/COA brought together experts to look at the importance of Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. economy. Speakers focused on how the economic downturn is affecting the U.S. Hispanic population.
Immigration
The U.S. economic downturn, rising unemployment, and heightened border security are taking a toll on migration and remittances, with declines witnessed in migration flows to the United States and cash wired to families in Mexico.
In her Washington Post column, Marcela Sanchez stresses that "it makes economic sense to help Hispanic workers fully integrate into the U.S. economy," and highlights AS/COA's new working group white paper U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration: Expanding the Economic Contributions of Immigrants.
En un artículo de opinión para El Diario, Christopher Sabatini explica por qué América Latina se mantiene en un nivel secundario en los radares de política exterior de los Estados Unidos en este año electoral. También analiza los puntos de vista de los presuntos candidatos presidenciales en torno al comercio regional, Cuba, y la reforma migratoria.
En un artículo de opinión para El Universal, Jorge Pinto analiza la problemática de la integración de inmigrantes mexicanos en Estados Unidos y sus efectos en las relaciones bilaterales entre México y Estados Unidos. Además, cita ejemplos de iniciativas de integración como la del Consejo de las Américas, la cuál estudia ejemplos de cómo ciertas compañías privadas trabajan para integrar a sus empleados hispanos.
At the July 24 launch of AS/COA’s white paper U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration, Senator Ken Salazar, Representative Michael Honda, and other congressional leaders joined high-ranking corporate representatives to speak on the importance of achieving greater integration of Hispanics within the United States.
The failure to pass federal immigration reform and the lack of sufficient related initiatives serve as obstacles to the integration of Hispanic legal residents, even as raids and punitive state-level immigration laws create a climate of fear.