New Hampshire

Hodes is a co-sponsor of the federal Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAFE) Act. The act would add 8,000 border patrol agents, make new technology available at border installations and expanding the E-Verify program that lets business check immigration status of potential workers.

Hodes said that in addition to beefing up patrols at the border, he thinks immigration officials need better access to more intelligence tools. Databases of information should be shared among government agencies like law enforcement, border patrol and other defenses against illegal immigration, he said.

Immigration has become a hotly debated topic this political season, especially among Republican presidential nominees.”*

*From: http://www.unionleader.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Here are the three things that I found most interesting about Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary in which Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain won upset victories that threw the 2008 presidential race into uncharted territory:

• First, the anti-immigration card didn’t work in New Hampshire. Contrary to expectations, McCain won despite virulent attacks by fellow Republican hopeful Mitt Romney and others that he was being too soft on the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country.”*

*From: http://www.miamiherald.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Illegal immigration, the top issue on the minds of Iowa Republicans a week ago, receded significantly as an issue in New Hampshire, helping immigration reform champion John McCain coast to victory on Tuesday.

The Arizona senator took advantage of the shifting sands of public opinion by winning the overwhelming support of Republicans who do not see illegal immigration as a threat. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the choice of Republicans who would crack down on those illegally in the U.S.”*

*From: http://www.chron.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Several Latino leaders have come to New Hampshire to campaign for Sen. Hillary Clinton on the eve of the Democratic presidential primary, as polls show Barack Obama pulling away from the former first lady.”*

*From: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A few minutes after 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, dozens of volunteers filtered into a storefront campaign headquarters where a massive photograph of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton smiled out from a window beneath a dingy Whirlpool appliance sign.

The plan for the day was to get boots on the ground for a door-to-door canvass of Nashua, about 15 miles down the Merrimack River from Manchester. The Clinton organizers were eager to get started on the crucial last Sunday before Tuesday’s primary.”*

*From: http://www.latimes.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Only 5% of the New Hampshire population is foreign-born, but even here, illegal immigration is among the most volatile issues in the presidential primary campaign. Dennis Williams is one reason why.

Mr. Williams, a retired computer project manager, says he has faxed his senators, representative and the presidential candidates 217 times in the past 20 months about his opposition to illegal immigration. He has made dozens of phone calls to Washington. He emails immigration news to a circle of 100 friends.”*

Immigration is the issue that Republican conservatives in this state want most to talk about, complain about and probably vote about.

The topic keeps coming up across the nation’s first primary state. In bucolic Exeter, high school senior Allison Franklin asked about immigration during a Q&A session last week with Mitt Romney. In Hooksett, Bob Sweeney discussed it at a campaign gathering at a friend’s home.

Shannon McGinley, a Bedford homemaker and determined anti-abortion activist, found as she went to campaign events that immigration ”is something that’s right up there” with abortion this year for conservatives.”*

“One criticism against New Hampshire holding a tight grip on the first-in-the-nation primary status is its lack of diversity. Although that criticism isn’t too far off in a state with a 94 percent white, non-Hispanic, population, there is a small-but-growing Latino community that is looking for politicians to address the issues important to them.

On Thursday, Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester hosted the fourth annual New Hampshire Latino Summit, organized by Vision Hispana-NH, which helps Latinos assimilate into the local community by offering education and small business resources, and Vote Now New Hampshire Hispanics, which aims to get the Hispanic community more politically active. The event was to promote political involvement in the state’s Hispanic population with forums on grass-roots organizing, and the U.S. and New Hampshire political systems. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the only Latino in the presidential race, was the event’s keynote speaker at the closing dinner. During his speech, he floated between English and Spanish and encouraged those present to become involved in his Hispanic outreach effort in New Hampshire, Mi Familia con Richardson.”*

“Spanish-speaking people are coming to a public beach in town on the weekends, prompting Parks and Recreation Director Sherry Kalish last week to ask for a sign that spells out the park rules in Spanish.

The request did not go over well with at least two members of the town council. Finlay Rothhaus and Michael Malzone say they don’t want their town signs to be written in any language but English.”

“New Hampshire has one of the smallest Hispanic populations in the nation, but Bill Richardson hopes his Mexican roots will help him build support for his presidential campaign in New Hampshire’s southern cities.

His campaigns steering committee includes prominent members of Latino communities in Manchester, Nashua and Concord. Although Richardson’s family tree piqued their curiosity, supporters say his resume and personality made them stick around.

“Hes by far the most qualified person for the job,” said Ron Abramson, a Concord lawyer who is Hispanic. “One on one, hes as good as a candidate can be.”"

“Gov. Bill Richardson spent Saturday morning with Democratic activists at a political convention, but he spent part of the afternoon personally seeking Hispanic voters in an urban neighborhood.

Richardson and his entourage — followed by a gaggle of reporters and photographers — stopped in at several local Latino-owned businesses on Union Street, speaking to supporters, potential supporters and curious neighborhood kids in English and Spanish.”

“Bill Richardson announced his New Hampshire steering committee in the Democratic race for president, including four Seacoast leaders.

Jim Casey of Dover, the states former commissioner of labor, is one of the co-chairmen. Other folks helping the campaign include Rep. Dana Hilliard, D-Somersworth; Richard Daschbach of Exeter; Michael Contarino of Nottingham and Roger Stephenson of Stratham.”

“It’s one thing to look at statistics. Darlene Lugo has experienced it firsthand.

Lugo, a 15-year-old freshman at Nashua High School North, said one of her best friends recently decided to drop out of school. Lugo said her friend was frustrated because they weren’t in the same lunch or in any of the same classes.

“I told her she should come back, but she said she’s going to get her GED,” said Lugo, referring to the high school equivalency program.”

So did you know this? If you didn’t, perhaps you could send it to someone you know to help spread the knowledge and please tell them about HispanicTips.

View more “Did You Know?” facts in our “Did You Know?” section

“Hispanic students and students from low-income families – two groups that often overlap – are falling under the radar when it comes to being identified for the school district’s gifted and talented program.

The Hispanic population has been steadily increasing in the schools over the last decade and, as of 2005, made up 12.4 percent of the district. Out of the 685 students in REACH Recognizing Extraordinary Abilities in Children, 13 are Hispanic, fewer than 2 percent, according to school district enrollment figures provided earlier this month.”