Study says Hispanics feel unified, involved
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 036004.htm
Posted on Fri, Jul. 14, 2006
Study says Hispanics feel unified, involved
Immigration splits U.S.-, foreign-born
By Danica Coto
McClatchy Newspapers
Pro-immigration-reform marches and fiery debate this year have Hispanics feeling more unified, politically involved and discriminated against, a new study found.
The Pew Hispanic Center survey also identified deep disagreements between U.S.- and foreign-born Hispanics on topics such as legalization and border enforcement.
Researchers polled 2,000 Hispanic adults last month against a backdrop of bitter immigration rhetoric and recent marches that drew about half a million people in some cities.
In North Carolina, several thousand Hispanics rallied in various cities in support of the 390,000 estimated illegal immigrants in the state, the seventh largest population nationwide.
"By any measure, the spring of 2006 was a historical period for the Latino population," said Roberto Suro, the Pew Hispanic Center's director.
Most Hispanics interviewed said the ongoing debate will mobilize new voters and that the marches are the beginning of a lasting, persistent fight for immigrant rights.
Those events have made deep impressions, Suro said, but "whether perception translates into political action remains to be seen."
The study found that one in four Hispanics have lost faith in the Democratic and Republican parties.
Those who believed Republicans had a positive stance on immigration dropped from 25 percent to 16 percent, the majority of them foreign-born Hispanics, the study found.
Overall, the Republican Party saw no significant loss of Hispanic voters, while Democratic affiliation has eroded in recent years.
A nationwide push this summer to register Hispanic voters and provide citizenship classes aims to influence upcoming elections.
About 9.3 million Hispanics are registered to vote in the U.S., and researchers for Pew expect that number to jump because 34 percent of Hispanics living here are 18 and younger and most are U.S.-born.
The challenge, though, is the number of illegal immigrants who can't vote and the number of young people who historically don't get involved because they're mobile and haven't built a family, said Ferrel Guillory, director of the Southern politics program at UNC Chapel Hill.
Hispanic voting power might be felt this year in entry-point states such as Texas, Florida and California, but not in North Carolina or Georgia, he said.
"They're not quite at critical mass yet," he said. "As Latinos live here longer and put down roots, raise children, the children go to school, then they will get a greater stake in participation."
In Charlotte, volunteers recently visited places such as soccer fields and grocery stores to register Hispanics to vote. Some Hispanics have complained about the lack of high-profile events this summer, but a quiet push is just as important, said Adriana Galvez Taylor, who organized a no-consumption day in Charlotte earlier this year.
"I sense amongst the community a set of expectations that we respond with the same flair and fireworks that we did during the rallies and vigils," she said. "I question that."
Too many of those events can backfire because you might create a perception that you're taking someone else's piece of the pie, she said.
Jose Euceda, a native of El Salvador who manages a grocery store, disagreed.
"I thought the marches were a good idea, but nothing has happened since," said the 25-year-old. "We need to keep the pressure on."
The Pew study found that U.S.- and foreign-born Hispanics disagree on these and other issues. Those born in the U.S., for example, felt that the marches didn't have a positive effect and didn't plan on participating in any new ones. A majority also supported heavier border enforcement and opposed an increase in legal migration and citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Family ties and someone's immigration experience influenced these views, the study found.
For example, support for legalizing illegal immigrants dropped about 10 percentage points every generation.
Not all those who are foreign-born, though, support legalization.
"Citizenship, no," said Jenny Carroll, who was born in Mexico, lived in Guatemala and became a U.S. citizen almost 30 years ago. "I'm sorry. We cannot break the law and get rewarded."
One alternative is to require military service of immigrants seeking citizenship, said Carroll, a Fort Mill resident who works as a business and educational consultant.
North Carolina doesn't need any more marches, she said.
"I was mortified, ashamed," she said. "I love the Latino population, but to march and demand rights that we don't have?"
It's a perspective shared by several second-generation Hispanics in the Charlotte region.
While some claim that viewpoint because they're complacent, Galvez Taylor said, others have a deeper understanding of the issue.
