Thread: Leaders add immigrant outreach to UN trip agenda

Leaders add immigrant outreach to UN trip agenda
By SAMANTHA HENRY © 2008 The Associated Press
Sept. 21, 2008, 5:19PM
TRENTON, N.J. — World leaders used to fly to New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly session, address the world body, conduct some official business and head home.

These days, however, many heads of state are making a stop in immigrant communities in the U.S. a high diplomatic priority.

With emigrants wielding more financial and political power in their native countries than ever before, several leaders attending the 63rd session of the General Assembly — which gets under way Tuesday — will visit these shadow constituencies whose financial contributions — and influence over politics both in the U.S. and abroad — continue to grow.

Some plan to give public speeches, others to meet quietly with community leaders or attend parties where they'll get a chance to mingle with businessmen, local power brokers and immigrant families who form vital connections between their home countries and the United States.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon plans to make the usual rounds of diplomatic functions, economic forums, and a Wall Street visit before heading home to Mexico. But in a break from tradition, he's chosen to make a public school in the New Jersey city of New Brunswick his final U.S. stop so that he can meet with emigrants from his country, according to Mexican consular officials.

"It does reflect the global change and the recognition that the diaspora and migrants abroad are actually very important to the affairs, economy and politics of what's going on in a particular country," said Joanna Regulska, dean of international programs at the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University. "It is the sort of local-global connection that is needed for many countries around the world."

Rutgers hosted one such gathering with Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone, at the New Brunswick campus Sunday. Regulska said Koroma's decision to give his first public address in the United States in New Jersey — before he speaks before the U.N. body — pays homage to the large Sierra Leonean community that helped him get elected.

When he was running for office, Koroma's campaign stops included cities across his West African nation — and Franklin Township, N.J., where 7 percent of the population is Sierra Leonean. He also plans to visit Sierra Leoneans in Connecticut during his stay.

"Talking to this community will have an impact in Sierra Leone, too," Regulska said. "These messages will be carried back to them, and they'll have a sense that the president is valuing this community here."

Thomas Weiss, a professor at the City University of New York who directs the school's United Nations Intellectual History Project, said the General Assembly has traditionally been a venue that world leaders use to network and generate publicity back home.

As an example, he cited remarks by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez when he took the podium in 2006 for his General Assembly speech, saying it smelled of sulfur because George W. Bush had been standing there.

"Chavez making comments about Bush and the sulfur was designed to be seen back home," Weiss said. "Or when (Cuban leader Fidel) Castro came to the U.N. (in 1960) and stayed in Harlem to try and make a statement."

Weiss said that world leaders still seek to generate international headlines with their U.N. remarks, but that they have recently tailored messages for communities living abroad.

"These groups who are members of the diaspora send money home, and it's easier technology-wise to do so, so these earnings have become far more important, not just in Mexico, but in Sierra Leone, Haiti, Rwanda and everywhere on earth," Weiss said.

In many countries, remittances from immigrants are a leading contributor to the nation's economy, even outpacing foreign aid. Some nations allow immigrants living abroad to vote in local elections or contribute money to campaign funds or development projects.

"The importance of these earnings to the former sending country is huge, and because of the size of these diaspora communities, they've become an important force in local politics, in supporting candidates and in lobbying the U.S. government with regards to foreign policy," Weiss said.

Norberto Curitomai, a leader in Paterson's sizable Peruvian community and a behind-the-scenes fixture in north Jersey politics, has been lobbying the Peruvian congress to create a seat that would represent Peruvians living outside the country.

"In recent years the Peruvian government has been placing more importance on our community," Curitomai said in Spanish. "Not so much in deeds but in words, such as the proposal to create a position for Peruvians abroad to be represented in congress."

Curitomai has hosted many Peruvian government officials in Paterson — which has such a large Peruvian population that it has a foreign consulate — but wishes the country's president would come to see the neighborhood for himself.

"We are so close by — the largest community of Peruvians in the U.S. just outside Manhattan — they could at least come over and make a quick visit to see the community," he said. "It would be great if they would come, but it hasn't happened so far."

Several community organizations in New Jersey's growing Turkish community are working with their New York counterparts to host a gala dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel next week in honor of Turkish president Abdullah Gul while he is in town for the U.N. summit.

Osman Oztoprak of Lodi, who is helping organize the event, says it's designed as an opportunity for Gul to connect with influential members of the immigrant community and meet Americans who may want to do business with Turkey.

"We're trying to create a medium where they can get together," Oztoprak said. "It wouldn't have happened 10 years ago because the Turkish community wasn't as visible and organized as we are now."


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 14563.html

And Barack Obama wants to give the UN $800 million dollars of your and my money to the UN. What guy.

But in a break from tradition, he's chosen to make a public school in the New Jersey city of New Brunswick his final U.S. stop so that he can meet with emigrants from his country, according to Mexican consular officials.

WHY! 1st of all, they are not "emigrants", they are most likely ILLEGAL ALIENS. What is Calnderon going to do, give them a speech on how proud he is that they broke the law to get here.

One day I hope that the United States completely breaks away from the U.N.

I agree, butterbean. And I think we should remove diplomatic immunity and take the entire UN building back, sell it to someone like Donald Trump or one of the other major developers to turn into some nice condos.

We are the ones stupid enough to fund the UN. The UN is a corrupt organization. I say we tell the UN to pack up and leave. Go hold yoru cocktails and bizarre meetings somewhere else, like Belgium. That's right, let the Europeans now host that distinguished bunch of diplocrats.

This article is now on the USA TODAY Online site. You can leave a comment there about it at this link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... macy_N.htm

The leaders in this country have lost there ever loving mind.....we have divided loyalties everywhere, communities all over this country , state and local government and all the way to capitol hill, so much for United we Stand.

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http://www.alipac.us/article3561.html

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

The leaders in this country have lost there ever loving mind.....we have divided loyalties everywhere, communities all over this country , state and local government and all the way to capitol hill, so much for United we Stand.

These so called leaders that are BETRAYING this country need to be put in PRISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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September 22, 2008

Last week Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) attempted to bring E-Verify to the Senate floor for a vote, but, once again, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has blocked E-Verify and won't let it pass unless he is allowed to add hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to our struggling economy. E-Verify, an inexpensive, effective, and indispensable work-site enforcement tool that instantly and electronically verifies the legal work documentation of new employees, has proven its worth as an essential tool in turning off the job magnet that encourages so many to enter the country illegally. If the program is not reauthorized, advances that we have made in the state legislatures such as Arizona and Mississippi with E-Verify as a cornerstone will be destroyed. Additionally, a new rule requiring federal government contractors to use E-Verify will be rendered worthless. If Senator Menendez is successful in destroying E-Verify, the United States will have lost one of its most effective tools in thwarting illegal immigration.

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