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GROWTH — Hispanics and Latinos accounted for more than half of the nation’s population growth in the last decade, reshaping both big states and small towns, report Suzanne Gamboa and Nicole Acevedo in a region-by-region analysis for NBC News. "The Latino population has been dispersing across the United States for years — a reflection of where the nation’s population is moving and where opportunities are located," said Pew Research Center’s Mark Hugo Lopez. And when it comes to Hispanics relocating to places with new economic opportunities, he added, "oftentimes immigrants are leading the way." Moreover, New American Economy is out with a great update about the economic contributions of Hispanic Americans: "Hispanic households now collectively earn more than ever—to the sum of more than $1.2 trillion and paid almost $309 billion in taxes in 2019 alone—and remain one of the fastest growth segments of the U.S. population." UNLIMITED POTENTIAL — St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter announced a new program Wednesday "that will provide up to $2,000 in no-interest loans to residents who need help covering the costs of applications for naturalization or other immigrant benefits," reports Katie Galioto for The Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We know that when immigrants become naturalized, their ability to participate in our community, their ability to participate in our economy, their ability to contribute to our city increases tremendously," Carter said. "We are looking forward to continuing to build our economy not by luring in folks from out of town, but by ensuring that we double down and always invest in and bet on the unlimited potential of our neighbors."
EXTREME HEAT — A coalition of 68 organizations urged the Biden administration via a Wednesday letter to "[adopt] a climate-informed approach to policies affecting border communities, migrants, and asylum seekers," per Human Rights Watch. "We need a new way to manage our borders, a humanitarian response that welcomes both migrants seeking safety and border community members at our ports of entry. Doing so will save thousands of lives," said Vicki Gaubeca, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. "Responses to extreme heat in the border region, including access to humanitarian shelters and water, should be nondiscriminatory and accessible regardless of migration status." THE DARIEN GAP — Every day, at least 500 migrants from around the world set sail from the small town of Necocli, Colombia, "to start a week-long trek through the jungle that takes them into Panama — the next stop on the long road to the United States," Astrid Suárez writes for the Associated Press. According to Panamanian officials, one quarter of them are children. "While trekking through the lawless jungle known as the Darien Gap, migrants face the risks of being swept away by rivers, assaulted by armed groups, or getting lost in the rainforest," Suárez notes. Said Jackie Charles, a Haitian migrant boarding a boat in Necocli: "We want God to help us prosper … Our country is in crisis and we need to support our family." 'AMERICAN SIKH' — A new animated film, "American Sikh," is set to chronicle the life of Vishavjit Singh, who is "known for his Captain America persona — a Sikh man equipped with his turban and beard — fighting against bigotry, intolerance and perceptions of what an American should look like," reports Alejandra Molina of Religion News Service. "There is not a lot of representation of people who look like me in the American entertainment landscape. Because that story hasn’t been told, it leads to a persistent level of ignorance," Singh said in a Kickstarter video aiming to raise funding for the film. "So that negative impact on fellow American lives can be countered by telling stories of Sikhs in America." Thanks for reading, |
