Catholics to send Congress pro-immigrant message

Religious leaders are turning to postcards in their latest effort to push politicians to reform the country's immigration laws.
Beginning later this month, pro-immigrant religious groups will begin delivering hundreds of thousands of the cards signed by parishioners to members of Congress. About 40,000 of those will come from the Houston area.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6861209.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fmetro+%28chron.com+-+Houston+%26+Texas%29

[Posted by Tiffany Perales]

New Americans In The Lone Star State

New Americans In The Lone Star State
by Mary Giovagnoli et. al of the Immigration Policy Center

The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in Texas

Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Texas’s population and electorate.

* The foreign-born share of Texas’s population rose from 9.0% in 1990, to 13.9% in 2000, to 16.0% in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas was home to 3,828,904 immigrants in 2007, which is roughly the total population of Los Angeles, California.

* 30.9% of immigrants (or 1,185,001 people) in Texas were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

* 9.3% (or 899,841) of registered voters in Texas were “New Americans”—naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

1 in 3 Texans are Latino or Asian.

Posted By: Ayanna Spikes