AS/COA President Susan Segal joined Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) as they introduced the Strengthening Communities through Education and Integration Act, a bill designed to help immigrant communities become a more integral part of the American fabric and maximize their social and economic contributions.
Panel Discussions
The failure to pass federal immigration reform and the lack of sufficient related initiatives serve as obstacles to the integration of Hispanic legal residents, even as raids and punitive state-level immigration laws create a climate of fear.
AS/COA Director of Public Policy Programs Juan Cruz Diaz draws on his experience at the 2005 Mar del Plata Summit to look ahead to next year’s meeting of regional leaders, outlining steps that should be taken for a successful summit.
Drug-related violence continues to plague Mexico despite President Calderon’s efforts to stem the violence. Recent U.S. congressional approval of funding to help combat drug and gang violence is the first step in a larger multilateral assistance agreement.
Ecuador is in the midst of a controversial constitutional reform expected to be voted on October 2008. But recent regional tensions with Colombia, a government takeover of several media outlets, and a ministerial shake-up have decreased popular support to approve the measure.
Several economies in Latin America have thus far shown signs of being able to weather the U.S. credit crunch. Peru serves as a prime example, posting impressive growth results.
As the U.S. Navy reactivated its Fourth Fleet to manage operations in Latin American waters last week, U.S. officials responded to concerns from regional leaders about the fleet’s purpose.