Senate Just Passed Commonsense Immigration Reform

Breaking News: Senate Just Passed Commonsense Immigration Reform Friends, Today, on a bipartisan vote of 68-32, the Senate resoundingly approved historic immigration reform legislation, showing that the time has come to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. In response to the vote, President Obama issued a statement, lauding the Senate’s action: Today, the Senate did its job.  It’s now up to the House to do the same.  As this process moves forward, I urge everyone who cares about this issue to keep a watchful eye.  Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality.  We cannot let that happen.  If you’re among the clear majority of Americans who support reform – from CEOs to labor leaders, law enforcement to clergy – reach out to your Member of Congress.  Tell them to do the right thing.  Tell them to pass commonsense reform so that our businesses and workers are all playing by the same rules and everyone who’s in this country is paying their fair share in taxes.  We have a unique opportunity to fix our broken system in a way that upholds our traditions as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.  We just need Congress to finish the job. To read the full statement click here. Thank you all for your continued efforts to advance immigration reform!  With momentum from today’s Senate vote, attention now shifts to the House of Representatives.  Please continue to make your voices heard and remind folks that NOW is the TIME to enact commonsense immigration reform.  As always, please share with your networks. Julie Chávez Rodriguez Associate Director White House | Office of Public Engagement More Updates This week, in an effort to highlight one of the many benefits of immigration reform, the President met with CEOs, business owners, and entrepreneurs.  The President and business representatives discussed their shared belief that achieving immigration reform holds meaningful economic promise for the United States.  The meeting occurred on the heels of last week’s release of the Congressional Budget Office’s official score of the Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill, which concluded that the legislation would reduce federal deficits by approximately $200 billion over the next 10 years and close to $700 billion in the second decade.  CBO also found that commonsense immigration reform will increase real GDP by 3.3% ($700 billion) between 2013–2023 and 5.4% ($1.4 trillion) between 2023–2033.  Citing these findings, the President reiterated his support for reform in his Weekly Address, stressing that it is time for Congress to pass commonsense immigration reform. The Treasury Department has released an informational graph to summarize the CBO’s findings and highlight the potential impacts of the immigration bill. Agency Updates Readout of Secretary Napolitano’s Calls with Major City and County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs June 19, 2013 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano spoke with major city and county police chiefs and sheriffs to discuss the need for commonsense immigration reform to strengthen border security, building upon the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) historic gains achieved over the past four years. DHS Announces Re-designation and 18-Month Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Syria June 17, 2013 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has re-designated Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and extended the existing TPS designation for the country from Oct. 1, 2013, through March 31, 2015. Readout of Secretary Napolitano’s Visit to New York June 14, 2013 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano traveled to New York where she met with business community leaders to discuss the need for commonsense immigration reform, which is critical to our nation’s economic health and prosperity. Readout of Secretary Napolitano’s Call with Southwest Border Sheriffs and Police Chiefs June 10, 2013 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano hosted a conference call with Southwest Border Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to discuss the need for commonsense reform to strengthen border security, building upon the Department’s historic gains achieved over the past four years. Secretary Napolitano and CBP Acting Commissioner Winkowski Participate in Global Entry Enrollment Center and Gallery Ribbon Cutting June 6, 2013 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Global Entry enrollment center and gallery at CBP Headquarters to mark the fifth anniversary of Global Entry.  Beginning June 10, applicants will be able to complete their Global Entry interview at the new Washington, D.C. enrollment center. Blog Highlights Western Officials Demand a 21st Century Immigration System June 25, 2013 Officials in the West wrap up our series by sharing what bringing our legal immigration system into the 21st century would mean to them. Leaders Across the Southwest Say It's Time to Fix the Broken Immigration System June 24, 2013 Officials in the Southwest explain why the time is now to fix the broken immigration system. In the Northeast, Leaders Demand an Immigration System that Lives up to Our Heritage as a Nation of Laws and a Nation of Immigrants June 21, 2013 Officials in the Northeast explain how commonsense immigration reform is consistent with our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. A Great Way to Save $1,000,000,000,000 June 20, 2013 The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan experts who analyze the financial impact of legislation, believes that Senate immigration bill will reduce the deficit by almost $1 trillion over the next two decades. Leaders Across the Midwest Urge Immigration Reform to Strengthen the Economy June 20, 2013 Leaders in the Midwest share why they support immigration reform and how fixing the broken immigration system will help their communities by strengthening the economy, spurring innovation, and increasing U.S. trade and exports. State and Local Officials in the South Speak Up to Fix the Broken Immigration System June 19, 2013 Governors, mayors, county executives, state legislators, attorneys general, and treasurers from the South share why they support immigration reform and how fixing the broken immigration system would impact their communities. My Big American Family June 17, 2013 May Chen shares the story of her immigration to America. Deferred Action Remains a Smart and Sensible Immigration Policy, but Congress Still Needs to Act  June 14, 2013 DACA is just one of the many steps the Department of Homeland Security has taken to make our immigration enforcement policies smarter and more effective at focusing on our priorities. These steps all ensure that our immigration enforcement can focus on high-priority individuals instead of clogging the system with low priority cases. Ansel Adams and My Dad: No Picture Taken June 12, 2013 Frances E. Francis shares how her father proved his American spirit through acts of courage and persistence, similar to the millions of immigrants who make up the landscape of our great nation. White House Staffers Share Their Immigration Stories June 12, 2013 The United States is a nation of immigrants. And the White House, like nearly every other American office, is full of staffers whose stories started in countries all over the world.  We asked some of them to share their own immigration stories and explain why they think it’s so important to fix our broken immigration system once and for all. Get Involved A Conversation With USCIS The USCIS Public Engagement Division invites you to attend a free national Spanish-language event.  Our representatives will share agency updates, discuss immigration-related topics, and will be available to answer your questions.  The event will take place on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 from 7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.  Participants can call in via teleconference at 1-888-989-4980 (Password: Enlace) or watch live via web stream atwww.uscis.gov/live/enlace.  For more information, please emailpublic.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov, or to learn more about USCIS resources available in Spanish, please visit www.uscis.gov/espanol. Informacion enviado por: Fabio Andrade,de Americas Community Center

Portman-CMC's Collins Canal Bridge:Destined For Troubled Water

Miami Beach Planning Board members are raising serious concerns over Portman-CMC's plans for an approximately 80-foot wide bridge over the Collins Canal that will serve as the main entry point for trucks accessing the convention center. Constructing such a large bridge atop the historic canal won't be easy. A new bridge will create safety, permitting and environmental hurdles that will significantly delay the team's questionable construction schedule: The canal is a designated manatee zone and a known habitat for Johnson’s seagrass, according to Miami Beach’s Public Works Dept. Construction of the bridge will disrupt the environment of this endangered species. Miami Beach Planning Board member Frank Kruszewski thinks Portman-CMC's bridge traffic alongside Miami Beach High School will pose “significant safety concerns for the students and the general public.” The planned bridge will divert large trucks and cars directly through a proposed park north of the convention center, disrupting the green space. All of this begs the question: what is Portman-CMC's plan B if the bridge isn't viable? The South Beach ACE proposal uses existing roads and infrastructure to route trucks into the site. That means less traffic, less harm to the environment, and less risk to neighborhood residents and school children. For these reasons and more, South Beach ACE has won support from a growing list of Miami Beach community groups, businesses, and convention center users, including the Miami International Boat Show, Palm View Historic District Association, and dozens of Lincoln Road property owners. Learn more about the South Beach ACE plan by viewing the below video, visiting our website, or connecting with us via social media.

South Beach ACE: Miami Beach Convention Center Site - dbox

Hispanics of Venezuelan Origin in the United States, 2011 by Anna Brown and Eileen Patten

Released: June 19, 2013

Hispanics of Venezuelan Origin in the United States, 2011

by Anna Brown and Eileen Patten

An estimated 259,000 Hispanics of Venezuelan origin resided in the United States in 2011, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Venezuelans in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Venezuelan origin; this means either they themselves are Venezuelan immigrants or they trace their family ancestry to Venezuela. Venezuelans are the 13th-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 0.5% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2011. Mexicans, the nation’s largest Hispanic origin group, constituted 33.5 million, or 64.6%, of the Hispanic population in 2011.1

This statistical profile compares the demographic, income and economic characteristics of the Venezuelan population with the characteristics of all Hispanics and the U.S. population overall. It is based on tabulations from the 2011 American Community Survey by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Key facts include:

    * Immigration status. About seven-in-ten Venezuelans (69%) in the United States are foreign born compared with 36% of Hispanics and 13% of the U.S. population overall. Roughly eight-in-ten immigrants from Venezuela (82%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. About one-third of Venezuelan immigrants (35%) are U.S. citizens.

    * Language. About two-thirds (68%) of Venezuelans ages 5 and older speak English proficiently.2 The other 32% of Venezuelans report speaking English less than very well, compared with 34% of all Hispanics.

    * Age. Venezuelans are younger than the U.S. population but older than Hispanics overall. The median age of Venezuelans is 32; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 37 and 27, respectively.

    * Marital status. Venezuelans ages 15 and older are more likely to be married (49%) than Hispanics overall (43%) and about as likely as the U.S. population overall (48%) to be married.

    * Fertility. About one-in-twenty (4%) Venezuelan women ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to this survey. That was less than the rate for all Hispanic women—8%—and the overall rate for U.S. women—6%.

    * Regional dispersion. Venezuelans are concentrated in the South (65%), mostly in Florida (41%).

    * Educational attainment. Venezuelans have higher levels of education than the Hispanic population overall and the U.S. population overall. Half (51%) of Venezuelans ages 25 and older—compared with 13% of all U.S. Hispanics and 29% among the U.S. population—have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree.

    * Income. The median annual personal earnings for Venezuelans ages 16 and older were $25,000 in the year prior to the survey—greater than the median earnings for all U.S. Hispanics ($20,000) but less than the median earnings for the U.S. population ($29,000).

    * Poverty status. The share of Venezuelans who live in poverty, 15%, is about the same as the rate for the general U.S. population (16%) and lower than the rate for Hispanics overall (26%).

    * Health Insurance. One-quarter of Venezuelans (26%) do not have health insurance compared with 30% of all Hispanics and 15% of the general U.S. population. Additionally, 12% of Venezuelans younger than 18 are uninsured.

    * Homeownership. The rate of Venezuelan homeownership (48%) is about the same as the rate for all Hispanics (46%) but lower than the 65% rate for the U.S. population as a whole.

About the Data

This statistical profile of Hispanics of Venezuelan origin is based on the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from 2011 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population.

Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. Information on the ACS sampling strategy and associated error is available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/methodology_main/. An example of measurement error is that citizenship rates for the foreign born are estimated to be overstated in the Decennial Census and other official surveys, such as the ACS (see Jeffrey Passel. “Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization,” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2007)). Finally, estimates from the ACS may differ from the Decennial Census or other Census Bureau surveys due to differences in methodology and data collection procedures (see, for example, http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/methodology/ASA_nelson.pdf, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/laborfor/laborfactsheet092209.html and http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/datasources/factsheet.html).

Enviado por Noel Simonovis

EL EQUIPO VENEZUELA DE WESTON INVITA

Queremos informarle a la Comunidad Venezolana de Weston y sus
adjacencias,  sobre una reunion de coordinacion de actividades de
nuestro Equipo Venezuela Weston, en la cual estuvieron presentes: Jose
Hernandez, Ramon Peraza, Julio Rodriguez, Luis DeNicolo, Jose Luis
Armas, Alicia Rivero y Oscar Ganem.

 La Programacion e Invitacion de los actos para los  meses de Julio y
Agosto 2013, quedo definida de la siguiente manera:

1). Lunes 01 de Julio. Lugar: Sesion Solemene en la  Alcadia de Weston
en honor a la Indpendencia de nuestro Pais. Salon de Sesiones. Hora:
6:30 p.m.  a 8:p.m. Entrada Gratis

2). Viernes 05 de Julio. Acto Central Conmemorativo de nuestra Independencia.
Reconocimiento al Comisionado  Angel Gomez Lugar: Town Center Weston
al lado del Reloj/ Campana. Discurso de Orden: Ramon Peraza jr.Hora:
04 p.m. a 8p.m.Entrada Gratis  y Refrigerios.


3). Domingo 07 de Julio. Celebracion del dia de la Independencia de
Venezuela  en el Sun Life Stadium.  Lugar de Reunion y Salida del
Autobus: Cafe Canela. Costo de traslado: ($10) por persona. Costo de
la Entrada al Espectaculo: ($20) por persona. Hora de Salida: 1p.m.
Retorno 11:p.m.

4). Domingo 14 de Julio. Acto de Americas Community Center.
Celebracion de las Independencias de Venezuela y Colombia. Lugar: Town
Center Weston. Hora: 2p.m. a 10:p.m.  Entrada Gratis y Refrigerios.

 5). Viernes 16  de Agosto. Encuentro con  Asesor Politico J.J.
Rendon en Weston. Lugar: Biblioteca de Weston en Bonnaventure.  Hora:
6p.m. Entrada Gratis y Refrigerios.

Agradeciendo de antemano su apoyo, esperamos verlos en los eventos programados

Por el Equipo Venezuela Weston,


Ramon Peraza, Alicia Rivero, Jose Luis Armas, Luis Denicolo y Oscar Ganem