1. CO leaders call for resolution
2. Economy mobilizing Hispanic voters
3. Activists bemoan new L.A. resolution
4. Activists launch registration drive
5. Chicago residents protest

1.
Colo. leaders, businesses demand immigration reform
By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post, September 26, 2008

Colorado employers, religious leaders and Gov. Bill Ritter converged at the statehouse in separate events Thursday with a message to the next president and Congress: Fix the nation's broken immigration system.

Federal action is essential, they say, to defuse mounting frustrations — from uproar over a fatal auto wreck involving an illegal immigrant to business demands for more foreign workers to fuel the economy.

"I know that a lot of issues are queued up" in Washington, Ritter said at the first of two gatherings. "Immigration has to be something that the federal government tackles in, I would think, the first year of the new administration."

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama has made immigration reform a priority in the presidential campaign.

Colorado and national business leaders have launched a 60-second television ad airing this week in Denver and other Western cities — Phoenix, Albuquerque and Las Vegas.

The ad is expected to reach millions with a call for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. A national nonprofit, Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together, is coordinating the effort.

State lawmakers nationwide pass laws targeting illegal workers, yet "they don't have any way to bring (legal) workers across the border," said Mike Gilsdorf, chairman of Colorado Employers for Immigration Reform and chief executive of Arapahoe Acres Nursery Inc.

"In return" for federal action to bring enough foreign workers to fill advertised jobs that U.S. workers don't accept, "we'll agree to e-verify (the immigration status of) every person we hire. If we don't do that, I think we deserve a jail sentence," Gilsdorf said. "We don't want to hire illegals. But if we don't get the workers we need, we're in the corner. It's stupid for the U.S. government to put small business in that corner."

Some business groups, including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, are noncommittal on whether employers should accept greater responsibility.
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http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10562490

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2.
Economy, immigration could boost Hispanic vote
By Mike Martinez
The Cronkite News Service, September 25, 2008

Victor Camacho, an electrician, said he'll be thinking about the business he's lost lately when he casts a ballot for president.

"I think it's important to vote because the economy is bad," Camacho said as he left a restaurant. "I have definitely felt that my business is hurting."

Camacho also said organizations including Mi Familia Vota and Immigrants Without Borders have encouraged him to vote based on issues including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's crackdowns on illegal immigrants.

"I definitely think it's important to vote on laws that would make Hispanics a target for police," Camacho said.

Both presidential campaigns are eager to woo Hispanics, a group that traditionally hasn't maximized its impact as a voting bloc. This year, experts and activists say, the struggling economy, immigration policy, the candidates themselves and groups promoting voter registration could make Hispanic voters a more powerful force around Arizona and the nation.

Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, the House minority whip, said immigration policy and Arpaio's actions are motivating Hispanic voters. But he also said Hispanics will vote for who is best prepared to deal with the economy.

He bases this, in part, on seeing a skyrocketing number of foreclosed homes in his district.

"The same issues that energize and motivate the non-Hispanic community energize and motivate the Hispanic community as well," Gallardo said.

Gallardo also said that having a minority on the presidential ticket is encouraging all Americans, including Hispanics, to get out and vote.

Hispanics account for 1.9 million, or 29.7 percent, of Arizona's population of 6.3 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the Pew Research Center, there are 673,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Arizona.
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http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/25/20080925cns-hispanics0...

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3.
Crime measure will draw millions from state budget
By Thomas Watkins
The Associated Press, September 25, 2008

Los Angeles (AP) -- Longer prison sentences for some offenders. New powers to build temporary jails. Millions in tax dollars for the fight against gangs.

Proposition 6 reads like a tough-on-crime wish-list and has broad support with law enforcement.

Trouble is, the money—at least $365 million a year—has to come from somewhere. Squeezing that cash from a strapped general fund while the state faces budget deficits has prompted opposition from key interest groups. They fear the initiative would be implemented at the expense of education spending, intervention programs and other vital services.

"This would mandate moving (money) from other parts of the budget to the after-effects of crime and punishment," Los Angeles City Councilman and former police chief Bernard Parks said. "That worries me."

State Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, who co-authored the "Safe Neighborhoods Act," said it's not true that his initiative would mean less funding for other programs.

He said the proposal amounts to only a third of 1 percent of the state's overall budget, so it would not eat into school money. He said intervention programs would still be funded.

"The number one role of government is the protection and safety of its citizens," said Runner, who also authored California's Jessica's Law, which mandates lifelong satellite tracking of released sex offenders. "It's a fine time to ask voters if they want to prioritize their tax dollars for public safety."
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http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10561058

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4.
Spanish-language media, community groups launch massive Hispanic voter registration drive
By Juliana Barbassa
The Associated Press, September 25, 2008

San Francisco (AP) -- A coalition of Spanish-language media and community organizations kicked off a massive voter registration drive Thursday, aiming to register nearly one million Hispanic voters.

Hispanics have long been seen as a potentially powerful voting force, but that promise has yet to fully materialize.

This campaign — whose name in Spanish, "Ya es Hora, Ve y Vota!" translates as "It's Time, Go Vote" — intends to change that by providing eligible new citizens with the information and the incentive they need to take part in the American political process, organizers said.

"This effort will not only put voter registration forms in the hands on Latinos, but also may help shape the political landscape," said Janet Murgia, president and CEO of National Council of La Raza.

Only 47 percent of Hispanic citizens of any race turned out to vote in the 2004 presidential election, compared with 67 percent for non-Hispanic white citizens and 60 percent for blacks, according to census figures.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-hispanics-v...

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5.
Crowds march in western suburbs to protest immigration raids
By Joseph Ruzich
The Chicago Tribune, September 26, 2008

Jose Herrera said he came to the United States when he was 7. Arrested at an Immigration raid recently and detained for three months in Cook County Jail, he has a court case pending in which he's trying to gain permanent residency.

"I have a 7-year-old child to support," said Herrera, 25. "These raids don't do any good. They just separate families."

He joined more than 100 people Wednesday night who marched and held a candlelight vigil in the western suburbs in an effort to halt raids, address inhuman conditions at Immigration detention centers and urge enactment of a state law that would give clergy access to detainees in county jails.

The protesters, spearheaded by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, marched several miles from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Melrose Park to a detention center in Broadview near Lexington and Beach Streets, where they held a candlelight vigil.

Many held signs that read "Stop the Raids" and others shouted "No Deportations!" in Spanish. Some marchers included families with relatives who are currently or have been deported or are being held in detention centers.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-immigration-rally-both-26se...