In reading various news sites over the past few days, I’ve encountered a few interesting articles I’d like to highlight:
- Poll watchers split on Hispanic turnout, By Keyonna Summers, The Washington Times
Hispanic rights activists and immigration-policy researchers disagree on how many Hispanics will turn out to vote on Nov. 7.
Advocates say Hispanics are encouraged by rallies last spring and motivated by local government efforts to limit day-laborer practices and housing of illegal aliens. Researchers argue that the rallies had little effect.
Wilma Linares, of the immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland, said local politicians have ignored immigrants’ concerns about affordable housing, health care, education and immigration reform, and that Hispanics will respond on Election Day.
“We want our politicians to understand that … we have 90,000 Latinos who are capable of voting in Maryland alone and we are going to do everything we can for them to get out and vote for those candidates who are really looking to improve their response to the issues that we’re interested in,” Miss Linares said last week at “Your Vote Is Your Voice,” a nonpartisan campaign to rally immigrant and black voters.
- Latinos’ power in numbers, By Tom Dunkel, Sun Reporter
Democrat Thomas Perez, the Montgomery County councilman who was forced out of the state attorney general’s race when a court ruled that he did not have sufficient legal experience in Maryland, is involved in voter registration efforts on behalf of Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, who hopes to unseat Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Both of Perez’s parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic. His father became an American citizen almost immediately. His mother waited about 60 years. The reason for her change of heart was the momentum shift toward stricter immigration policies that started in the late 1990s.
Perez contends that thousands of Marylanders like his mother have awakened politically. That might be a partisan opinion, but what’s certain is that the Latino community traditionally has been less predictable in its voting allegiances than other ethnic groups: About 53 percent are registered Democrats, with Republicans and independents about evenly split.
What if that math changes? In a statewide contest for governor or U.S. senator, that pool of fluid votes - now about 95,000 strong - could be decisive if it coalesces in larger-than-normal numbers behind a particular candidate.
But the specter of Herndon, Va., hangs over Gaithersburg. In May three of that town’s councilmen were bounced from office for being too day-labor friendly.
Census figures from 2000 showed that Gaithersburg is 20 percent Latino, but some estimates run twice that high. There’s a substantial visual presence, from strip malls with purely Spanish-speaking clientele to the large numbers of Latinos walking and riding bicycles downtown. Non-Latinos seem to be on a step quota: They glide by in cars, but infrequently stroll downtown streets.
Stephen Schreiman, who belongs to an anti-immigration citizens watchdog group, is the most vocal Gaithersburgian critic. He wants nothing to do with any politician perceived as immigration-friendly or amenable to day-labor sites.
“It’s very personal,” says Schreiman. “It’s directly affecting my way of life.”
Roy Passin says uncontrolled immigration adversely affects his business. He owns Roy’s Place, a saloon-like restaurant decorated with vintage campaign posters, movie memorabilia and beer signs that has been a fixture on the edge of Olde Towne for more than 35 years.
Latino men with too much free time to kill, he says, illegally park in his lot, loiter near the property, get drunk, smash his security lights and basically spoil the ambience.
“In certain ways,” says Passin, 84, the influx has changed Gaithersburg “a hell of a lot.” And, to his mind, generally not for the better.
- Panel Aims to Blunt Problems Brought on by Rise in Immigration, By David J. Silverman, Capital News Service
Local officials from Maryland’s smaller towns suggested on Friday that more Spanish language resources are needed to cope with the increasing number of immigrants in their communities.
“The debate about English-only really is irrelevant here,” said Mayor Adam Ortiz of Edmonston, a town in Prince George’s County. “We have got to communicate key information, particularly about public safety and particularly about the health, safety and welfare of this community.”
Kim Propeack, director of community organizing and political action at CASA of Maryland, an advocacy group for the state’s Latino community, recommended using Spanish language translators at public hearings and similar events to boost civic activism among immigrants.
She said translators are one of many options for dealing with immigrants that achieve optimal results without “demonizing” people.
Some in attendance weren’t convinced.
“To say that we all need to learn Spanish is a bunch of bologna,” Anna Marie Angolia, vice chairman of the Cottage City Town Commission, said after the meeting.
John A. Schaffer, a councilman from New Carrollton, said that the biggest problem stemming from immigration in his community is overcrowding in homes.
“We need to stop single family homes from having 31 people in them,” he said, noting that additions to many of the single family homes in his community were destroying the city’s ambiance. The panel agreed that more information was needed to inform city and town legislators on how they can enforce building codes.