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LATEST
NEWS
| 10/2/2008 - Rivals agree on reform |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the Daily Pilot on October 1, 2008.
First paragraph:
Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, who is running in the fall for the congressional seat held by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, says the question of illegal immigration is really a question of sustainability.
For the full story, please visit http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/10/01/topstory/dpt-immigration100108.txt. |
| 9/26/2008 - Latino heritage month raises awareness, hopes to spark change |
Vicki Ruiz, School of Humanities dean and Chicano/Latino studies professor, is featured in the Daily Gazette on September 26, 2008.
First paragraph:
This month, the Intercultural Center and Swarthmore's Hispanic and Latino organization ENLACE held lectures, events and performances in an effort to both talk about and celebrate Latino identity. This September's conglomeration of Latino-centered events is known as Latino Heritage Month.
For the full story, please visit http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2008/09/26/latino-heritage-month-raises-awareness-hopes-to-spark-change/. |
| 8/25/2008 - An opportunity for Prop. 8 backers: Latino voters against gay marriage |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the Mercury News on August 23, 2008.
First paragraph:
As he strolled with his girlfriend in downtown San Jose, David Palacios looked like the type of voter who will oppose the November ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in California - young urbanite, well-educated, a resident of a Bay Area metropolis.
For the full story, please visit http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_10283774?source=rss. |
| 8/20/2008 - Obama forms advisory group focused on Latinos |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 20, 2008.
First paragraph:
Sen. Barack Obama moved this week to bolster his edge over Sen. John McCain in courting Latino voters, announcing a national Latino advisory council with heavyweights including Henry Cisneros, housing secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Clinton transportation secretary Federico Peqa.
For the full story, please visit http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/20/MNKN12DESI.DTL&type=politics. |
| 7/28/2008 - Chavez investigates media portrayal of immigrants in new book, The Latino Threat |
Why aren't Latinos learning English? Do they really want to take over the Southwestern United States? Political pundits have made their careers debating these questions, but UCI anthropology professor Leo Chavez provides answers and exposes myths in his latest book, The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens and the Nation.
Chavez recently spoke about immigration and the 2008 election, May Day rallies, and the surprising way Latino culture is changing American culture.
Q. Why did you title your book The Latino Threat?
A. The title reflects the public discourse so prevalent on TV shows such as "Lou Dobbs Tonight," radio talk shows, books and Internet blogs where Latinos, especially Mexicans, are vilified for all sorts of imagined problems. It seemed to me that it has become rather easy to beef up your audience or rile up people by invoking the so-called threat to American society by Latino immigrants and their children.
Q. How are Latino immigrants changing American culture?
A. They bring new ideas to the U.S. - ideas about sports (soccer), humor, music, dance, food, hard work, personal responsibility, and the importance of family, beauty, among many other things.
Q. What myths about Latinos are you hoping to dispel?
A. The myths include assertions that Latinos don't want to learn English, they don't want to learn and engage in American culture, they want to remain isolated and separated from the larger U.S. society, and they are engaged in a generations-long conspiracy to take over the United States. None of these myths can stand in the face of empirical evidence. For example, only 3.8 percent of third-generation Latinos in Orange County speaks Spanish at home. In the second generation, only a fifth speak all or mostly Spanish at home. Clearly, Latinos are learning English.
Q. How will immigration reform impact the 2008 presidential election?
A. I think those who oppose immigration and any form of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants will force both John McCain and Barack Obama to take a more hard-line stance against immigration given their past positions on the issue.
Q. What do you think will be the long-term impact of the May 1, 2006, immigration rallies?
A. On the one hand, immigrants realize that when their very existence is threatened, they can come together peacefully in large numbers to have their voices heard. On the other hand, those who oppose immigration can turn the immigrants' visible desires for inclusion into reasons why immigration should be restricted. So, the marches were able to get Congress to throw out some of the more outrageous parts of the House of Representatives bill passed in December of 2005 - those that made being undocumented a felony. At the same time, the marches added fuel to efforts to put more funds and resources into immigration control and border surveillance.
Q. How are Latinos similar to earlier immigrant groups? How are they different?
A. Latinos are similar to other immigrant groups in that they come to share in the benefits of this country's economic opportunities. However, they are different from some of the other recent immigrant groups in their willingness to undergo the hardships of migration and low-paid occupational prospects for many years - in some cases, generations. The U.S. has benefited from their endurance.
-- by Laura Rico, University Communications
http://today.uci.edu/Features/profile_detail.asp?key=371
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| 7/14/2008 - Number of Mexicans gaining citizenship soars in 2007 |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the LA Times on July 11, 2008.
First paragraph:
The number of Mexican-born immigrants who became U.S. citizens swelled by nearly 50% last year amid a massive campaign by Spanish-language media and immigrant advocacy groups to help eligible residents apply for citizenship, according to a government report released Thursday.
For the full story, please visit http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-me-citizen11-2008jul11,0,984254.story. |
| 7/14/2008 - Latino convention |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is interviewed on KQED Radio's California Report on July 14, 2008.
Brief:
Both major presidential candidates are actively courting the Latino vote in California. Democrat Barack Obama addressed the National Council of La Raza in San Diego over the weekend. The council is the nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. Republican John McCain speaks to the group today.
To listen to the full story, please visit http://www.californiareport.org/. |
| 7/12/2008 - Immigration treats church sanctuary carefully |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted by the Associated Press on July 12, 2008. The story appears in 24 additional outlets.
First paragraph:
Everyone knows where Flor Crisostomo lives, even the federal immigration officials who have ordered her deported to Mexico. The reason they haven't detained her is her address - Adalberto United Methodist Church.
For the full story, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071201006.html. |
| 7/9/2008 - National voting trends on affirmative action bans topic of UC study |
As the November 2008 election draws near, several states may soon find themselves voting on legislation with arguably longer lasting effects than a four year Presidential term, says UC Irvine political science associate professor Louis DeSipio.
With a recently awarded $50,000 grant, DeSipio, along with researchers from UC Berkeley, will be examining trends in voter supported state bans on affirmative action programs.
For Californians, it was Proposition 209 back in 1996. With its passage, state-level affirmative action programs in higher education and public employment ceased to exist. Washington State's 1998 Initiative 200 and Michigan's Proposition 2 in 2006 yielded identical results.
Last week, interest groups from Arizona and Nebraska submitted petitions to put similar amendments on their November ballots - a move Coloradans also made in March with Amendment 46. All three states' petitions are currently being challenged for validity.
"Popular opinions about state affirmative action programs, particularly in higher education, are quite deeply held by many voters," says DeSipio. "When voters, rather than legislators, are asked, affirmative action programs are often ended."
Using entrance and exit polling data, he and UC Berkeley's Lydia Chavez and Andres Jimenez will determine how factors such as voter demographics, media and special advocacy and interest group efforts impacted the voter decisions about affirmative action in California, Washington and Michigan.
"By looking at past elections and factors that contributed to voter turnout and results, we may better anticipate the coalitions that will form to support and oppose affirmative action in each of these states," he says.
He adds that their findings should be of great interest to groups in Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado looking to sway the November vote either way.
This study is funded by the nonprofit Public Interest Projects with $5,000 coming to UCI.
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| 7/8/2008 - McCain balances dueling stances on immigration |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in The Wall Street Journal on July 8, 2008.
First paragraph:
Early in the Republican nominating contest, Sen. John McCain bucked his party's base with a moderate stance on immigration, offering illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
For the full story, please visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121548110158934579.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. |
| 7/1/2008 - O.C. anti-illegal immigration activists prefer Ron Paul, Bob Barr |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on June 30, 2008.
First paragraph:
The T-shirt said it all. Costa Mesa resident John Powelson, a lifelong Republican, displayed his political sentiments across his chest at an anti-illegal immigration meeting last week: "Is John McCain the Manchurian candidate?"
For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/articles/immigration-illegal-anti-2080495-mccain-obama. |
| 6/26/2008 - Minutemen leader laments path of anti-illegal immigration groups |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on June 25, 2008.
First paragraph:
When Jim Gilchrist headed to the U.S.-Mexico border three years ago to press for tougher immigration enforcement, he carried binoculars.
For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/news/minutemen-leader-laments-2076833-path-of. |
| 6/2/2008 - More immigrant detentions, more deaths |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 2008.
First paragraph:
Yanira Castaneda weeps at the space in her living room where she spent a year caring for her brother, who died in February at 36, a loss for which she blames the U.S. government.
For the full story, please visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-detention-immigrantsjun01,0,6121815.story. |
| 5/21/2008 - Latino turnout could hold key to White House |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 21, 2008.
First paragraph:
The Democrats' best strategy to win the presidency this year could lie in an energetic campaign to turn out Latino voters in key swing states, according to Democratic political strategists who cite Latinos' surging voter participation and intensifying preference for Democrats.
For the full story, please visit http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/20/MN4T10PM2S.DTL&type=politics. |
| 5/15/2008 - 2008 Jeff Garcilazo Undergraduate Paper Prize award winners |
Established in honor of the late Chicano/Latino studies and history professor Jeff Garcilazo, the annual Undergraduate Paper Prize which bears his namesake provides students the opportunity to examine the historical and contemporary experiences of Chicano/Latino communities.
The winners of the 2008 Jeff Garcilazo Undergraduate Paper Prize award are as follows:
First Place: Veronica Garcia, sociology major
"Single or Both Parents? Which is Better for Educational Attainment?"
First Runner Up: Luis Alberto, anthropology major
"Fear Undocumented Immigrants Have and Denied Health Care Services."
For further information on this award, please visit http://www.socsci.uci.edu/clstudies/webdocs/JGSF-ScholarshipFellowship.html.
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| 5/13/2008 - Immigrants assimilate quicker today, study shows |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on May 12, 2008
First paragraph:
Immigrants are assimilating faster today than in generations past, and whether they speak English may not be the key to how well they integrate into the U.S. economy and civic life, according to a study published today.
For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/articles/immigrants-vigdor-communities-2041054-assimilation-civic. |
| 5/1/2008 - Immigrant rights rally draws only 200 marchers to Santa Ana |
Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on May 1, 2008.
First paragraph:
About 200 people marched through the streets of Santa Ana on Thursday, in part of what has become an annual tradition of rallies nationwide demanding that the U.S. government overhaul the immigration system to let undocumented immigrants apply for legal papers and put a halt to workplace raids.
For the full story, please visit http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rights-immigrant-immigration-2031076-advocates-hold. |
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