State News
Mississippi group helps immigrants become US citizens
JACKSON — Advocacy groups will begin a push this weekend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to encourage immigrants to start the process of becoming U.S. citizens.
The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance will spend Saturday in Biloxi educating immigrants about becoming naturalized citizens. Census figures show about 2 percent of Mississippi’s population is Hispanic, the leading immigrant population.
The Gulf Coast’s migrant worker population swelled after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005 gave way to multibillion dollar rebuilding that attracted construction workers. But the region also is home to more established immigrants who haven’t sought citizenship, said MIRA executive director Bill Chandler.
He said the citizenship process — including English and civics tests and a $675 fee — can be discouraging.
“A lot of people are conflicted about abandoning their country of origin; others because they don’t speak English,” he said.
Yet, interest in citizenship nationally has been growing.
“In 2006, we had millions that marched around the country for fair and just immigration reform and to stop state Legislatures and Congress from passing regressive bills,” Chandler said.
The year after the march federal statistics show citizenship applications surged with nearly 1.4 million applications, the most in nearly a decade.
Hispanic support also is credited with helping elect Barack Obama as president.
Clarissa Martinez, director of immigration national campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, an advocacy organization, has criticized the Obama administration on immigration reform. The president has yet to present a proposal to Congress.
“I think the community is growing very impatient in terms of what is going to be done on this issue,” Martinez said. “What happens after elections? You need to hold people accountable.”
Obama has said he’ll begin work on comprehensive immigration reform this year, White House spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai said this week.
“The president understands our nation’s immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed,” Tseggai said in an e-mail.
In the meantime, Martinez said immigrants need help to navigate the system to citizenship.
Sharon Scheidhauer, spokeswoman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the government doesn’t want the process to be a stumbling block.
Scheidhauer said study materials are available on the agency’s Web site. She also said the government has cleared a backlog so the citizenship path can take as little as six months for some.
Scheidhauer said the fee increased from $400 to $675 in summer 2007. Other requirements include living in the country legally three to five years and undergoing an extensive background check.
Some green-card holders never try to naturalize, Scheidhauer said.
“They think it’s a difficult, extensive process so they just avoid it,” she said.
On the Web: http://www.uscis.gov
- State News
-
-
Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding
Hurricane Earl packed winds near 125 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Canada on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.
-
Bernanke: Shut down banks if they threaten system
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.
“If the crisis has a single lesson, it is that the too-big-to-fail problem must be solved,” Bernanke said Thursday while testifying before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. -
Oh snap! New baby carrot campaign mimics junk food
Baby carrot farmers are launching a campaign that pitches the little, orange, crunchy snacks as daring, fun and naughty — just like junk food.
A group of 50 producers hopes the ‘Eat ’Em Like Junk Food’ effort starting next week will double the $1 billion market in two or three years. -
NASA studies conditions that make storms intensify
NASA scientists are flying into Hurricane Earl to gather data about what makes some tropical storms intensify while others fizzle.
The flight is part of a six-week NASA research mission to collect information that could help forecasters accurately predict how strong a hurricane will be. -
Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion
A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP’s massive spill.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc. -
Ole Miss begins football season without new mascot
A yellow-beaked bird known as “Cocky” will be the only mascot on the sidelines when the Mississippi Rebels take the football field Saturday in Oxford, and he’s rooting for the other team.
-
Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding
Hurricane Earl packed winds near 140 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard up to Maine on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.
A hurricane warning for the tip of Massachusetts, including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, joined earlier warnings and watches for hurricanes or tropical storms that stretch from North Carolina up to near the Canadian border. -
Unemployment claims drop for second straight week
The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the second straight week, suggesting that the slowing economy isn’t prompting widespread job cuts.
-
Clinton opens new round of Mideast peace talks
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton formally opened the first direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years on Thursday, imploring the parties to make needed compromises to forge an agreement.
At a ceremony in the State Department’s ornate Benjamin Franklin room, Clinton said the Obama administration was committed to bringing about a settlement in a year’s time. But she stressed that after decades of failed attempts, the heavy lifting must be done by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. -
Bernanke: Shut down banks if they threaten system
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.
- More State News Headlines
-
