http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... /101050065

Colorado's legacy of immigrants

Staff Reports
January 5, 2006

A quick glance at the names of people and places in Colorado shows the Spanish influence on the state.

From the Sangre de Cristo mountains to "Colorado," the state has a rich Latino heritage that extends to present-day leaders such as U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar to Ramon Montoya, mayor of tiny Red Cliff, south of Vail. Nearly 500 years ago, the Spanish became the first non-natives to explore Colorado.

Yet this history doesn't translate into a modern welcome mat for all immigrants from Mexico or Central America.

Some politicians advocate everything from erecting a wall at the border to legislation aimed at denying services to those in the country illegally. Civilian groups like the Minutemen camp out at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the entry of Mexican immigrants and demand that federal agents send them all home.

The two-fold increase in illegal immigrants who have come to the U.S. in the last decade has no doubt contributed to today's anti-immigrant sentiment, some of which comes from fellow Latinos who've been here longer and feel illegal Latino immigrants are tainting the image of all Latinos.

"There is friction because both groups have not learned that we come from a common heritage," said Roberto Córdova, a retired University of Northern Colorado professor and Colorado native. "The people from Mexico are less educated, and Americans don't learn about Mexico's history. The difference is we've been here longer, and they'll go through the same changes."

In Minturn, a town of 1,106 people south of Interstate 70 between Vail and Avon, Japanese immigrants used to raise crops of lettuce and peas, Chinese immigrants built the railroads, and Irish and German immigrants worked as well, said Bill Burnett, a native of Minturn.

"Without immigrants, we never would've built this place," said Bill Burnett, Minturn town councilman and second of six family generations in Minturn.

Yet friction exists today between immigrants and U.S. citizens. Lorenzo W. Martinez, chief of the Minturn Police Department, believes today's immigrants need to learn from the ones who arrived a century ago.

"I have a friend in Pueblo whose parents' grandparents were immigrants, and they took great pride in learning English and becoming a part of it," said Martinez, chief of the department for 20 years and a native to Pueblo. "To blend in, you need to learn the language and become a part of the community and not isolate yourself. It's imperative."

Part of the problem with assimilating Latinos into American culture, Córdova said, is that Americans aren't taught much about multiculturalism and how it influenced the nation's history.

"We're never taught about it in public schools, and we still have teachers who know little about blacks, Native Americans and Asians," Córdova said. "We don't learn positive things about ourselves (Latinos), so there's no respect -- and this causes resentment."

Children of illegal immigrants often struggle in school. Illegal immigrants often move in search of work and deprive their children the opportunity to become accustomed to one school.

"A lot of the kids that are in school regularly do well, shown by the CSAP test scores," Martinez said. "Those that move with jobs mostly seem Mexican, and they're not as stable. It's not because of intelligence or race -- they're moving and aren't doing well, and there are other factors as well."

Córdova said many of these children fail to finish high school, let alone college, and end up with lower-paying jobs.

In Eagle County, the arrival of the ski area at Vail in the early 1960s changed the economy from mostly ranching and farming to a resort industry. The job market changed as well, creating many service-oriented jobs that paid an attractive wage -- particular for people in countries like Mexico, where a few hundred dollars a month is often the most a worker can earn.

That, in turn, has fueled the incentive for immigrants to enter or stay in the country illegally.

"To me, it puts a lot of responsibility on the employer," Martinez said. "It wouldn't be a problem if we weren't luring them into the country. There's a need for these people, but it really hurts social programs, and citizens pick up the expenses."

To combat the negative stereotypes that accompany Latino immigrants here illegally, people like Córdova believe more understanding has to occur on both sides of the border. Education is also key, he said.

For his part, Córdova helped establish the League of United Latin American Citizens Youth Councils program, now established in 40 states. The aim of the organization is to raise cultural awareness, and it also funds scholarships for Latino college students. He hopes he can inspire younger generations to appreciate and understand their heritage.

"I wasn't born in Mexico; Mexico was born in me," Córdova said.