Thread: As East Tennessee's Hispanic population grows, two cultures

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/ ... 04,00.html

As East Tennessee's Hispanic population grows, two cultures make adjustments

By BRYAN MITCHELL, mitchellb@knews.com
November 20, 2005


MORRISTOWN, Tenn. -- Roughly 700 years ago, a group of Aztec Indians fled what is now the Southwest United States in search of a new home.
The tribe left its homeland determined to roam until it located its sign -- an eagle perched atop a cactus eating a lizard.

The Aztecs settled in what is modern Mexico City, and a rich civilization flourished that spread from Utah to Guatemala.

Today, the perched-eagle symbol adorns the Mexican flag. And the descendants of the Aztecs are doubling back on their ancestors' 13th-century journey in search of a new symbol: The dollar sign.

But they are not stopping in Arizona and Texas.

Hispanics from across the Latin world, the majority from Mexico, arrive daily in numbers difficult to quantify in places like Dalton, Ga., Covington, Ky., and this Tennessee town of 25,000.

Here, amongst the rolling hills of rural Hamblen County and residents who trace their heritage six generations, a new subculture has emerged.

Its representatives come to work.

But the impact of the arrival of thousands of Hispanics -- legal immigrants and otherwise -- stretches beyond the farm, factory, workshop or office.

Educators, law enforcement officials and providers of medical and social services are working to adjust and assimilate.

"This new group of people is a reality that is not going away in our community," said Morristown Police Chief Roger D. Overholt. "We are going to continue to work to provide services to everyone in this city."

Hispanics are defined largely by the common language, devout Catholicism and a world view that values family above all else.

With a double-digit percentage increase in Tennessee's Hispanic population in the past five years, the odds are strong a Latino will say a prayer to St. Jude while buying a Lotto ticket somewhere near you very soon.

"Hispanics are a proud people with a rich tradition," said Lourdes Perez, director of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville Hispanic Ministry. "Now there are hundreds and thousands who are bringing that culture here, and that is the situation we are working with."


The new Tennesseans

It began as a trickle in the 1950s and '60s.

Now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics have surpassed blacks as the country's largest minority. One out of every seven people who lives in the United States is of Hispanic descent.

The government estimates there are roughly 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States -- the vast majority of them from Latin America.

Last year, the U.S. Border Patrol captured 1.1 million people attempting to illegally cross the border. It estimates that for every person seized, another three successfully cross the often-unguarded desert border.

"We're fighting a losing battle," acknowledges Gary E. Slaybough, resident agent in charge of the Knoxville branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Factor in the millions of legal immigrants and U.S. Hispanic citizens, and all told, there are approximately 41 million Hispanics in America today.

Here in Tennessee, there are roughly 167,000 Hispanics, a 35 percent increase from the 2000 Census Bureau count.


New neighbors, new issues

In East Tennessee -- where Hispanic population has grown by more than 50 percent since 2000 in some counties -- America's great wave of Spanish-speaking immigrants is affecting government agencies, private companies and social charities.

In the coming week, the News Sentinel will examine how well East Tennessee is assimilating its newest residents -- and how the newcomers are changing East Tennessee.

Highlights of the week ahead:

* Education outreach

The Hamblen County school district educates the second-highest percentage of Hispanic students in East Tennessee; almost 10 percent of the 9,600-pupil student body is of Hispanic heritage. (Hamblen is eclipsed only by the Lenoir City school district, which has a student body that's 12.5 percent Hispanic.)

The Hamblen County district has an English Language Learner program for K-12 students, which officials say has far fewer enrollees than most outsiders would assume.

It also employs Juan Cervantes, whose migrant recruiter title doesn't accurately reflect his daily duties: traveling around the county, meeting with Hispanic families to ensure their children succeed in school.

* Crime and deportation, post-9/11

It used to be a crapshoot. Two men arrested for the same offense on consecutive days could often find far different results. One would go free on bond; the other got a one-way ticket to Texas, where deportees are walked back across the border.

"It was a lottery," said Knoxville attorney Mike Whalen, who works as a Knoxville criminal defense attorney representing Spanish-speaking clients.

But following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was renamed and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. And, ironically, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in East Tennessee only has the resources to deport the serious criminal offenders.

That's led to fewer deportations since being absorbed by Homeland Security, according to Slaybaugh, the Knoxville immigration agent in charge.

Ethel Law-Rhodes, a Hamblen County public defender, said her indigent clients now realize that a public intoxication charge will not automatically lead to being deported.

"It's helped us tremendously serve these people who have relatively minor charges but worry about the long term," Law-Rhodes said.

In law enforcement, some local departments include basic Spanish as part of the initial training. But others make no attempt to accommodate Hispanics.

* Health care

Finding the right medical services and paying for them are challenges for any American family.

Try adding a language barrier, a lack of employer-provided options and the specter of many Hispanics' illegal immigration status.

Around East Tennessee, many Hispanics have gravitated to health clinics that generally serve rural and indigent clients. At the Rural Medical Service clinic in Parrotsville, the Hispanic clientele has grown steadily over the past decade. Today, 50 percent of Dr. Edward Capparelli's patients are Hispanic.

Pregnant women and sick children come to the clinic 9 to 5 while doctors and nurses operate mobile clinics that go to area farms for basic physicals after hours.

Indigent pregnant women, regardless of their legal status, are eligible for TennCare. But for illegal immigrants, TennCare only covers the final month of pregnancy and the delivery.

But what happens when illegal immigrants who lack insurance are seriously hurt and wind up in area emergency rooms?

* Helping hands

Nationwide and here in East Tennessee, new groups are springing up to serve the Latino community.

In Knoxville, Alianza del Pueblo offers a variety of classes and programs to help Hispanics assimilate. It also has created an ID system and a cooperative with area businesses and law enforcement that is helping Latinos realize stability.

Culture draws many Hispanics to the Catholic Church. That is also where they seek some of the most basic services.

Perez, whose North Knoxville Hispanic Ministry office soon will house a satellite immigration office, works each day to serve the community's spiritual needs while also ensuring Latinos have what they need to succeed in life outside of church.

On any given day, Perez directs Hispanics to affordable health care, helps newcomers obtain ID numbers so they can pay taxes and directs the faithful to houses of worship for marriages and baptisms.

* Economic clout

Louis Velazquez set out a few years ago to create a directory of Hispanic-run businesses. After touring East Tennessee and talking with dozens of Latino entrepreneurs, the retired engineer found himself with more than a phonebook.

Today, he serves as the president of the East Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is part of the Knox Area Chamber Partnership.

He works to help Hispanics start new businesses and make sure existing businesses have the skills and resources to thrive.

He says Hispanics are making a name for themselves in industries ranging from construction and restaurants to retail and the arts.


Y maA+/-ana?

But what does the future hold for Hispanics?

Opinions vary.

Some foresee a bilingual nation. Others forecast a national referendum on border security, prompted by the strain undocumented immigrants have on social systems.

For Perez, a leading voice for East Tennessee's growing Latino community, the answer is rooted in U.S. history: self-determination.

"Hispanics will have to get involved more actively in the community in order to have a stronger voice in the decisions that are made on our behalf," she said.

Tennessee Volunteer Minutemen!

You can already spot how badly researched this article is just within the first paragraph. The symbol is the eagle and SNAKE. The Nahueno linguistic stock spreads fom Utah to Nicaragua.
The Aztecs while they were a Nahueno group were located in Mexico's Central Valley.

And, THIS is Bill Frist's state. That just tells me EXACTLY why what he has SAID he supports NOW is just another LIE. His position on illegal immigration has taken a complete turn in the last couple of months and the ONLY reason is because he is hedging his bets looking forward to a nomination for President in 2008.

Geesh! I wish they would stop implying that the Aztecs had their land stolen right from under their feet.