El Magonista Newsletter | Vol. 10, No. 34 | September 17, 2022 - CMSC Celebrates Mexican Independence Day!

By Pablo Manriquez | Latino Rebels | SEP 15, 2022 | Photo by Mariam Zuhaib

WASHINGTON — While dozens of immigrant relief bills, amendments, and proposals have been introduced during the current Congress, none are likely to pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by President Joe Biden, sources on Capitol Hill tell Latino Rebels.

The latest failed attempt at immigrant relief came Wednesday morning during a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, in which the topic was bipartisan healthcare workforce legislation co-sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Only Cornyn didn’t want to discuss his own bill. Instead, the senior senator from Texas did what he has been regularly doing as of late: using questions about immigrant relief to attack President Joe Biden and the Democrats by spewing falsehoods about the border.

Asked by Latino Rebels after the hearing about the chances of trading immigrant relief for border enforcement, Cornyn didn’t waffle. “None,” he said.

Sen. Roger Marshall, Cornyn’s Republican colleague from Kansas, told Latino Rebels that legal immigration would be part of the solution to his state’s workforce shortages... READ MORE

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the traditional Mexican Independence Day Parade will resume Sunday in East Los Angeles with colorful floats, charros, dancers, musicians and special guests, including Dodgers pitching legend Fernando Valenzuela as the parade’s grand marshal.

Marking its 76th year, the parade organized by the Comite Mexicano Cívico Patriótico commemorates Mexico throwing off the shackles of the Spanish colonizers two centuries ago, while also disseminating the cultural customs of the region’s Mexican American community, both native-born and immigrant. The parade, which goes from 10 a.m. to noon, will be broadcast live on KABC-TV Channel 7.

“The East Los Angeles parade is a benchmark of our Mexicanness, patriotism and the love that those of us who live abroad have for our country,” said Francisco Moreno, president of the CMCP, who left his home state of Michoacán to settle in California in 1983. Although he has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since the early 1990s, he said he carries his homeland “in my heart.”

“We do it with the aim that the youngest really integrate and that the parade serves as part of their spiritual, patriotic growth and love for their parents and the country where they come from,” added the 62-year-old activist. “Let there be no doubt in your mind: We love the United States, but we also love our home country.”

In its formative years, the parade began at Placita Olvera and ended in Lincoln Park... READ MORE

During Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts this week, President Biden should skip the praise of our various cultures and cuisines. We know he can bop his head to reggaeton. We know the First Lady appreciates breakfast tacos.

What we don’t know is whether this administration has the courage to keep its promises to the most vulnerable Latinos: undocumented Americans, the ones who carry this country on their backs, who’ve built our highways and homes.

Latinos make up the majority of the 11 million undocumented people in the United States. They’ve borne the brunt of modern crises, like COVID and climate change. As they clean hospitals, harvest our crops in extreme heat and care for other people’s kids and elderly parents, they’re living with compounded traumas from pandemic deaths and decades of family separations thanks to bipartisan deportations. All this has wrought unimaginable economic and psychological harm.

It’s time for our president to stand up for them. Tokenizing as this month has become, with corporate America turning Latinos into colorful merchandise, it was created with a noble purpose: to commemorate our contributions to this country. To honor that, Biden needs to use every executive action at his disposal to protect undocumented Americans, such as by granting legal status using parole power under section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows it if there’s “significant public benefit.”

Call it reparations. Reparations for the people who’ve endured irreparable harms while contributing relentlessly to our country.

About 74% of undocumented people, who also come from countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, work in industries that were recognized as “essential” during the pandemic. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to provide essential workers with a pathway to citizenship, but Congress has failed to act. Separate bills for farmworkers and people brought here as children passed the House but not the Senate. Other congressional efforts to help them stalled... READ MORE

Mexico Daily News | SEP. 9, 2022 | Photo by Fernando Macias Romo

Mexico is running a surplus in trade with the U.S., but a deficit overall.

Mexico was the United States’ second largest trade partner in the first seven months of the year with two-way trade worth almost US $450 billion, U.S. government data shows.

United States Census Bureau data published this week shows that two-way trade increased 19.8% between January and July to $449.8 billion. Almost 60% of that amount – $261.9 billion – came from Mexican exports to the United States, while imports from the U.S. were worth $187.9 billion.

The value of Mexico’s exports to the United States increased 20% compared to the first seven months of 2021, while imports from the U.S. rose 19.5%.

Mexico was also the United States’ second largest trade partner in 2021, behind Canada. It seized the No. 1 position earlier this year, but has since relinquished it.

Most of Mexico’s export income comes from manufactured goods, including vehicles, machinery, computers and televisions. However, it also sends a range of other products to the United States and other countries further afield, among which are crude oil, fruit and vegetables, chemicals, beer and alcoholic beverages such as tequila, mezcal and wine... READ MORE

Four top progressive advocacy groups are calling on Democrats to campaign affirmatively on immigration, countering Republican rhetoric on the issue rather than pivoting away from it.

In a memo released Tuesday by Community Change Action, Mi Familia Vota, SEIU and United We Dream Action, the groups shared internal message testing they hope will encourage Democrats to take a more positive stance on the issue.

“Community Change Action, Mi Familia Vota, SEIU, and United We Dream Action envision a future where our society treats immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with dignity and respect,” wrote the groups in the internal memo reviewed by The Hill.

“We know this vision is in jeopardy if the GOP gains control of Congress and other state and local seats across the country as they continue their dangerous anti-immigrant rhetoric that leads to bad policies and even worse outcomes for our communities,” they added.

The memo’s release two months before the midterms comes as many Democrats have shied away from immigration, although some high-profile Democrats in tight races have already leaned in.

Bruna Bouhid, communications director for United We Dream, pointed to campaigns in Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, where Democrats Charlie Crist, John Fetterman and Michelle Vallejo have released ads countering the Republican narrative on immigration.

“That’s what they should be doing, going on the counteroffensive. What Charlie Crist is doing is effective. Using something that’s quite popular and has majority support to remind voters what he’s about,” said Bouhid... READ MORE

Ten years ago, Alessandro Negrete missed out on the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program — better known as DACA — a policy that gives certain immigrant youth who were brought to the United States as children a work permit and protection from deportation. In 2008, Negrete had been arrested for being drunk in public and fighting with a police officer. While he eventually got his record expunged 10 years later, it kept him from qualifying for immigration relief.

His lack of DACA changed the trajectory of his life —pushing him toward success. Now, the 39-year-old, who came from Mexico as a baby with his mother, is an entrepreneur. He earns a six-figure salary as a communications, political and philanthropic strategy consultant. He makes his own schedule. He’s looking to buy his first home in Los Angeles.

“As people of color, growing up in poverty pushes us. I think the added layer of being status ambiguous pushed me even harder,” Negrete said.

Negrete, who launched Alessandro Advisors six years ago, is one of an estimated 820,000 entrepreneurs who are in the country without legal status, a jump from 770,000 in 2016, according to a study by the New American Economy, a research and immigration advocacy think tank based in New York... READ MORE

By Robert Morales | Press-Telegram | SEP. 16, 2022 | Photo by Jae C. Hong

Extricating oneself from life as a gang member is not easy. Neither is reintegrating into society after a prison term. That’s why it was a big deal when Homeboy Industries was founded by Father Gregory Boyle in 1988, ultimately becoming what is considered to be the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program globally.

Boyle and others on Friday, Sept. 16, met with first lady Jill Biden, who toured Homegirl Cafe, an arm of the organization, at Homeboy Industries in downtown L.A.

Biden’s visit – only about 30 minutes – was part of a two-day fundraising swing through Los Angeles. Earlier in the day, at a private fundraiser in Hancock Park, she urged donors to work to elect more members of Congress to help push through President Joe Biden’s agenda.

She toured the plant where the goodies are made, chatting with enrollees. She also sat down with Boyle, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, as well as Homeboy Industries enrollee Johanna Carbajal and senior staff member Eugene Walker inside the cafe.

Homeboy Industries is benefitting from a $2 million opportunities grant from the Biden administration, supporting job training and supportive services, along with a $1.5 million re-entry employment opportunities grant.

Biden, a community college professor, did not take questions from reporters. But when she walked into the plant through the back door, she was all smiles in her pink and green dress. After exchanging pleasantries with Boyle, Garcetti and Solis, she greeted everyone else... READ MORE

White House Proclamation - September 15, 2022

Hispanic heritage holds an indelible place in the heart and soul of our Nation, and National Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that the American identity is a fabric of diverse traditions and stories woven together.  Since the beginning, our country has drawn strength and insights from Hispanic writers, scientists, soldiers, doctors, entrepreneurs, academics, and leaders in labor and government.  Our culture has been enriched by the rhythms, art, literature, and creativity of Hispanic peoples.  And our deepest values have been informed by the love of family and faith that is at the core of so many Hispanic communities.  All of these contributions help us realize the promise of America for all Americans.
     During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we reaffirm that diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths.  We also acknowledge the Hispanic leaders who have stayed in the struggle for equal justice to ensure that everyone in this Nation can contribute their talents and have the opportunity to thrive.
     My Administration is committed to the success of Hispanic communities.  Since coming to office, we have provided billions of dollars in loans, including to Hispanic-owned small businesses, and are working to increase the share of Government contracts going to underserved businesses by 50 percent.  We have helped students, including Hispanic students, earn postsecondary degrees by providing over $10 billion to community colleges and approximately $11 billion to Hispanic-Serving Institutions... READ MORE

By Tom Porter | Insider | SEP 16, 2022 | Photo by Jonathan Wiggs

His role in securing Mexico's independence was short-lived but he is still an iconic figure.

“Father of the country” is not a concept unique to the United States. Many countries have figures honored with that title, and in Mexico, that man is Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

For those of us raised to revere George Washington as a near-saint, it’s perhaps curious that Hidalgo is remembered not only as the father of his country but also a Catholic priest — and despite the latter detail, the father of two daughters.

Born in Guanajuato in 1753, Hidalgo was a criollo, a person of Spanish heritage born in New Spain. They were the second highest-ranking caste in New Spain, under peninsulares, those born in the mother country. This class system was significant to both Hidalgo’s life and Mexico’s War of Independence.

Mexico’s “founding father” attended school in Valladolid (today Morelia, Michoacán) and Mexico City. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1778. Some sources emphasize that Hidalgo was not a particularly pious priest, in it more for the position and economic gain, but that was not uncommon during the time period... READ MORE

The NFL released a special edition logo on Thursday to coincide with the start of Latino Heritage Month. The logo added a squiggle of yellow on top of the N of the NFL's shield to make it look like an Ñ.

"The league is proud to celebrate Latino Heritage Month by highlighting NFL players, coaches, and staff while partnering with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement," the NFL said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing collaborations with Latino creators, (artists), and writers.

"We are here to AMPLIFY THE VOICES of the Latino Community (on) and off the FOOTBALL FIELD."

The logo is part of a broader campaign called "Por La Cultura," which translates to "For the Culture" and features a list of Latino players, coaches and employees on the league's website, an interview with Reggaeton star J Balvin and an announcement that a collaboration with Mexican streetwear company Chito is coming soon.

As for its explanation of the logo, the league said: "This shield integrates an unmistakable Latin flavor, is fundamental to our always-on, 365 day initiative. The electric brush stroke of the 'eñe' is filled with an infectious personality that is carried out through the rest of the look and feel."

The shield logo received backlash on Twitter as several asked what type of flavor the league meant? Adobo or jalepeño, perhaps?... READ MORE