Personal Democracy Forum: Technology is Changing Politics

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The Citizen
The Citizen /April 2008
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Pre-election Jam
Massive delays in processing citizenship applications could keep thousands of legal immigrants from voting in November's presidential election.


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Check out stories on education and the economy as well articles on building closings affecting Bangladeshi businesses, the reaction of Chinatown residents to the possible rezoning of the Lower East Side and more from the Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Bangladeshi and Polish language press via our partner, Voices That Must Be Heard.


Day laborers are more vulnerable to the current economic downturn.

With bad economic news making headlines every day, immigrants are feeling the pinch. In New York, "high among those with worried faces about the immediate and long-term future are immigrants from every Caribbean country," the Nation of Barbados reported. As the nation's economy worsens and threatens the economic well being of New York, immigrants here have lost their jobs and their homes.

If there is any good news for immigrants in the economic outlook, it's that Americans do not seem to blame newcomers to the country for the credit crunch, stock market tumbles and worsening job picture, according to at least one poll. "Few people claim that illegal immigration is the main cause of the mortgage meltdown or the collapse of Bear Stearns," political scientist John Pitney told the Atlanta Constitution. In fact, as the economy begins to dominate political discussion around the region and the country, Americans seem less concerned with cracking down on immigrants than they were a year ago.

Ethnic tensions persist, however, particularly in our schools. A Chinese student in Brooklyn was allegedly the victim of a hate crime, and in other schools Mexican students have been the targets of attack. Meanwhile, budget cuts for the Department of Education could hit immigrants particularly hard. Critics have charged that, by requiring the cuts, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has abandoned his promise to address the high drop out rate among immigrant high school students.

The Economy

Unemployment Up Among Immigrants, from El Diario/La Prensa.
With unemployment rates on the rise and half of the New York City workforce being composed of immigrants, the declining economy is having a strong impact on these workers.

Caribbean Immigrants Face Property Losses, from Carib News.
Caribbean immigrants in New York are losing real estate here that they inherited from grandparents and parents. Some of the losses arise from the foreclosure crisis, others from a failure by the current property owners to properly manage the homes that they inherited.

Chinese Restaurants Raise Prices, from World Journal.
Rising food costs have forced many Chinese restaurants around the city -- from small cafes to big catering halls -- to increase prices, So far, customers seems to accept the hike.

Education

Raising African Boys in the U.S., from African Abroad.
Once in the United States, African boys face many of the problems confronting black males in the U.S., as the experience of a Nigerian family now living in Brooklyn indicates.

More Ethnic Clashes in City Schools, from Diario de Mexico.
A shift in the ethnic makeup of many city schools is sparking fights between students, according to one expert. Mexican students in particular are targets of students from more established groups.

Chinese Student Target of School Hate Crime, from World Journal.
Following the beating of a Chinese-American student at a Brooklyn middle school, members of the Brooklyn Chinese community urged the Department of Education to investigate the causes of the crime and take action to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Elsewhere in the News

Latinos Find Wall Street Opening its Doors, from Latino Week.
Every year, Latinos graduate from business school, hoping to land a position on Wall Street. Once they get there, though, they soon find that the firms they wanted to join are overwhelmingly white. Now, some groups hope to make the world of finance and banking more receptive to Latinos.

Building Closings Hurt Bangladeshi Businesses, from Bangla Patrika.
Citing violations, the city has closed many buildings in ethnically diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights. The crackdown has affected 20 Indian and Bangladeshi businesses.

Chinatown Residents Protest Gentrification, from World Journal.
At a recent town meeting, Chinese residents expressed concerns and fears about the rezoning of the Lower East Side.

Muslims Leaving GOP, from Iran Times.
Polls show that Muslim-American have been leaving the Republican Party in droves since the 2000 election, when they voted heavily for George W. Bush.

The City Should Thank Its Immigrants, from Nowy Dziennik/Polish Daily News.
The New York Immigration Coalition organized a rally recently to advocate immigrant friendly policies, including more funds for English classes and safer work environments.

Produce Carts Worry Korean Grocers, from Korea Times New York.
Now that the City Council has approved a plan for "green carts" selling healthy food in selected neighborhoods, Korean produce-store owners worry that the cart will compete with their stores -- and have an unfair advantage.