The comments section at the newspaper website are great, FYI...

O.C. Latino leaders reject call for illegal-immigrant census boycott

Thursday, April 23, 2009
BY CINDY CARCAMO
The Orange County Register

Local groups stress that the undocumented need to be counted to ensure their fair share of resources and representation.

Local Latino politicians, pastors and activists are denouncing the efforts of a national group of ministers calling for illegal immigrants to boycott the 2010 census until Congress passes immigration reform.

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders say they launched the movement to protect the undocumented population, which they said accounts for about 30 percent of the members of their churches.

"If the 12 million of our brothers and sisters are good enough to be counted, then they are good enough to be legalized," said the Rev. Miguel Rivera, president of the coalition.

The group contends that information gathered during the census -- used to calculate federal funding and assign congressional representation – would likely be used against the undocumented community. He said it would highlight areas with large Latino concentrations, which could be used for such actions as immigration sweeps.

However, some Orange County Latino movers and shakers condemned the movement, saying that while Rivera and his group may have good intentions, the effort will only hurt the very population they seek to help.

"I'm absolutely elated that there are pastors more radical than me but I think the target is misplaced," said Nativo Lopez, executive director of Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, an immigrant rights organization.

Lopez said the national group should instead encourage the undocumented to participate and be counted. If not, he warned that immigrant communities will not get their fair share or resources and representation, which is based on population data.

"Just for the very reason that a sizable percentage of our population hides in the shadows," he said. "Their goal is politically counterproductive. It would be disastrous for us to do that."

In response, Lopez and other groups such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials who describe Rivera's group as "irresponsible," are mobilizing to counter the message.

"Well, we thought that we had our hands full by encouraging everyone to be counted, but now we have to clean up everyone else's mess," said NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas. "The anti-immigrant groups are taking delight in this right now."

Vargas said the group is working on a nationally coordinated campaign with Spanish language media and national organizations.

The message?

"There is no connection between the census and immigration reform, and only harm will come, rather than good from promoting the undercount of the immigrant community," Vargas said.

Rivera, whose group represents 16,000 member churches in 34 states, said Vargas doesn't understand the reality of the undocumented immigrant communities.

"I don't think they understand the sadness and frustration of many of our pastors and parishioners who are seeing families torn apart in the cities and communities because of unfair immigration laws," Rivera said.

There are more drawbacks than plusses to those here illegally being counted because the population doesn't get the correct representation in Congress as it is and minimally benefits from the services that receive federal funding, he said.

Instead, the information gathered after the 2000 census hurt illegal immigrants and ended up being used against them, spotlighting localities with large Latino populations and sparking anti-illegal immigrant fervor, he said. He contends the data resulted in local ordinances targeting the undocumented that helped fund law enforcement programs, such as the cross-training of Orange County Sheriff's deputies to screen for illegal immigrants at their jails.

State Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) said the group's efforts would be better spent focusing on targeting local city councils or the Board of Supervisors.

"The targeting of the undocumented is already happening," Correa said. "They are not going to wait for census number to target the undocumented. It's already happening."

Some pastors who lead Spanish-speaking ministries in the county aren't heeding the pastor group's call, but they haven't broached the subject with their congregants either.

Hugo Donis, pastor of Iglesia de Dios Betesda in Orange, said he'd heard about the boycott but doesn't agree with it.

"If someone were to ask me, my suggestion would be to participate in the census," Donis said in Spanish. "We are here, wanting change and so we need to be taken into account and counted."

Contact the writer: 949-553-2906 or ccarcamo@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/grou ... ant-census