This list was signed by “Concerned Citizens of the United States” and indicated that this group observes people in public and included language that blamed undocumented people and those on the list for increases in crime, domestic violence and substance abuse. There was a message on the list urging officials to begin deportation procedures.

Yesterday I was able to speak with Tony Yapias, who heads up the Proyecto Latino de Utah, who has seen the list and has been responding to individuals and families who were listed. Yapias offered an interesting glimpse into what is happening in Utah in regards to immigration and provided some context for how he became involved in addressing this list.

On June 30, Yapias received a phone call from a woman identifying herself as a state worker and a Latina. She went on an angry tirade criticizing Yapias’s involvement in the immigrant and Latino communities. She did not identify herself by name, but she was angry about the immigration situation and expressed that state workers wanted to have a forum with Yapias. She also sprinkled her phone tirade with sentences in Spanish.

Accustomed to receiving threatening calls from anonymous people who harbor anti-immigrant sentiments, Yapias felt that something was different about this call because of the woman’s statement about state workers wanting to have a forum with him. When Yapias asked the woman what agency she worked for, she replied “I’m all of it.” This tipped off Yapias leading him to believe that it was someone from the state of Utah’s Workforce Services, which he describes as a “one stop shop” for applying for medicaid, food stamps and other services.

On Monday, July 12, Yapias received a copy of the list, and as he read it over, he initially felt shocked and terrified. Realizing that what was contained in the list was an egregious breach of confidentiality, he decided to contact the governor’s office to request that an investigation take place. Yapias expressed to the governor’s office that he suspected that this list may have come from Workforce Services because of the kind of information contained and because of the call he received on June 30 from the unidentified state worker.

Plainly the list singled out the Latino community because of the Spanish surnames, leaving out the possibility that other non-Latino immigrants could very well be using state services or in fact be undocumented. Last week, in another media interview with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Yapias said,”…They don’t have any other names on this. I mean, yes, most of the undocumented immigrants in our community—in our state or throughout the country are Latinos. But, you know, what about the 35 percent or so who are non-Latinos—Asians, African—from Africa, from Europe, from the rest of the world?”

Utah Governor Gary Herbert asked that an immediate state agency review take place on Tuesday, July 13, and by Thursday, July 15, the state had found at least two state workers who may have been responsible for the creation of the list. The employees who do work for the Department of Workforce Services have been suspended from their jobs pending the ongoing investigation, but the person who made the call to Yapias apparently has not been suspended from her job and has even admitted to her supervisor that she instigated that phone call.

From what has been revealed at this point, it does appear that state and federal laws have been broken in the distribution of this list of “undocumented people”. Furthermore, some of the people on the list were in fact legal and one person on the list was even getting ready to take the citizenship examination. Yapias indicated that he suspects charges will be filed within the next week against those workers who breached the laws of confidentiality with this data. When asked what he felt about the attorney general prosecuting this case, he said, “Nothing lesser than full prosecution should be accepted.”

When I asked if there were other vigilante type acts happening in Utah in the name of immigration enforcement, Yapias said that there really isn’t much vigilante behavior except for this one. He also commented about the situation in neighboring Arizona creating an environment for the states wanting to take immigration matters into their own hands and offered this:

“These workers had access to information that was very confidential. We trust that this information should remain private. They [those who compiled the list] thought that they were being patriotic by identifying the “illegals” to turn into the feds and other state agencies, but they didn’t calculate how this could backfire.”

Because in Utah, the LDS church (Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints aka Mormon Church) is heavily involved in civic and political life, I did ask Yapias if the Mormon Church has commented on immigration more recently because of what is happening in Arizona and because he has asked the President of the Church for an official declaration, much like what the Catholic Bishops have offered on the immigration issue.

“Unless the LDS church takes a stand like Bishop Wester did on behalf of immigration reform in representing the US Catholic Bishops, we will have a similar law to the one passed in Arizona here in Utah,” Yapias opined.

Russell Pearce, one of the lawmakers behind Arizona’s SB 1070, is considered a “devout Mormon.” And ironically, Mormons have had their own immigration history migrating to Utah and settling there as squatters when it was still part of Mexico, and today some of the break off sects of the Mormon church have settled in the Mexican state of Chihuahua to avoid polygamy laws in the US. I have noticed that the traditional media doesn’t explore the LDS connection, but it is a dimension worth exploring since this faith and members of it are heavily involved in both Utah and Arizona politics.

For more information about this case, read and watch the following:

“They Have Terrorized Our Community” via Democracy Now!

Footage from KSL TV in Salt Lake City

And since Mitt Romney is back in the news, this blog is worth revisiting regarding the Mormon Church and its history with people of color.

Fenton communications, teaming up with Presente.org, has already been operating a site called, MoveTheGame, urging the public to get involved in the effort to relocate next year’s All-Star game out of Arizona.

Since the Arizona law pretty much sanctions racial profiling in the name of immigration enforcement, one could imagine that an event with MLB, whose league is comprised of not only a diverse group of players but immigrants as well, that there could be hostility towards players, players’ families, and fans. The Major League Baseball Players Association has already issued a statement in opposition to the Arizona law back in April.

My feeling is that it is unconscionable to put MLB players, their families and fans at risk of being stopped by the local law enforcement authorities in this state because they may appear ‘foreign’. Furthermore, Major League Baseball shouldn’t award a state that stokes the flames of hatred and fear with an event like the All-Star game that brings in millions of dollars.

The meat of Murguia and Henderson’s piece is at the end, which I will include for readers here:

Surely the “best interests of baseball” include protecting players and millions of fans of color, not allowing MLB to be perceived as condoning blatant discrimination and injustice, and taking a stand for fairness, equality and other values that Americans and baseball hold dear. Selig should stand up for these players, these fans and these values.

Such a move would not be unprecedented. The NCAA does not allow post-season events, such as the Final Four, to occur in states that fly the Confederate flag. Years ago the NFL stood up to Arizona over its refusal to recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and moved the 1993 Super Bowl. Those sports institutions defended their players and fans, even though there was no direct threat to their safety. The Arizona law, however, is a direct threat, and Selig ought to take action.

If MLB wants to maintain the right to call baseball America’s favorite pastime, and preserve the legacy of Jackie Robinson, the All-Star game should not go to Phoenix next year. Commissioner, for the sake of baseball players and millions of fans, move the game.

If you are in agreement that MLB should move next year’s All-Star game, please take action here.

Obama and his fellow Democrats appear to lack the political bravery to take strong leadership on immigration reform. This suggests they have lost whatever courage they may have possessed early on. It increasingly indicates that the President is listening to his top political advisors who have convinced him like Rove did to President Bush that CIR is ‘lose lose’ proposition. They read the polls and know how to count. California for instance has 42 percent white population, but this group represents 70 percent of voter registration within the state. Then combine this reality with the deep divisions among the Hispanic community plus general Latino voter apathy. Further exacerbating this situation are the potential high negative feelings toward immigrants held by some in the Black and Asian communities. All this may be telling Mr. Obama to turn tail on CIR or anything related to immigration reform that could result in positive action for illegal aliens. Moreover, the current Administration is militarizing the US-Mexico border while faintly apologizing over the recent shooting of a Mexican teen by the Border Patrol. In sum, there is no penalty for not doing anything to resolve or achieve some progress on the current immigration tangle. Enforcement or clamping down on the presence and flow of the undocumented into the country seems to be the preferred way forward. However, a severe penalty lies electorally should any constructive attempt be made to help alleviate the current impasse to do the right thing.

On top of it all, the Latino national leadership is AWOL as usual. One big problem appears to be that our narrative lacks passion. With passion, one moves mountains and captures the imagination of the majority. It seems the Latino narrative plainly may not evoke deep feelings like slavery did or the drama of the Cubans fleeing communism or the high seas trek of many immigrants over the last two centuries. Jumping fences, digging tunnels under the border, hiding under the car’s floorboards, and fording river puddles are not captivating. Chases across the desert are equally uninspiring as opposed to the high drama of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, NY. Add this to the unjust perception that Latino immigrants are a motley lot seeking hand outs. When the vast majority of immigrants came to America before mid 20th century, the US had not established a social safety net to provide those in need. An exception was made for Cuban exiles because their narrative coincided with the height of the Cold War. Hence, their flight from Communism was readily embraced. Now with a social safety net (medicaid, food stamps, etc.) available the dominant white majority in this recent economic downturn has grown mean-spirited and appears to fear these immigrant ‘hordes of mendicants’ who will feast on their largess. Hence, the Latino narrative becomes even more unappealing. Latinos are viewed like the Native Americans who were colonized and occupied by Anglo-Americans simply putting a stake in the land and proclaiming it was no longer Native American property. Likewise the Alamo and Gold Rush served to conquer the Spanish-speaking people of the Southwest. This may explain why Latino narrative does not fit into the traditional American immigrant saga. Distressingly, high hopes for a practical, timely and humane resolution seem to evaporate as time passes. Then again, the Washington approach may be to get out from under the problem (encontrar una salida) and not to resolve it.

One might ask where and who are the Latino national leaders? Indeed at the local level, there are scores of activists, volunteers, politicians, clergy and other admirable folk seeking relief for the Latinos in their communities. Yet rarely if ever do we see Latino political or national civil society leaders on the Sunday TV network talk shows addressing the Hispanic agenda or plight while offering some ideas for consideration or treating these problems. Perhaps the traditional media finds the Latino story or journey uninteresting. Even more disconcerting, if one watches Spanish-language network talk shows like Jorge Ramos‘ Sunday morning hour, the compelling question is: where are the Latino leaders or even more specifically, how often does Ramos interview a Mexican-American (which is the overwhelming majority of Latinos in the country) to comment on the national or international issues at hand affecting the Latino community? It is widely and sadly known that Ramos and his colleagues are most hesitant to interview Mexican-Americans, especially those born here. Perhaps it is the Spanish language competence or is it worse than that: maybe Mexican-Americans are not viewed as telegenic (perhaps these TV personalities feel Mexican-Americans are too dark or not clever enough for their tastes). The spokespersons for Latin American countries and many of the recently arrived well-heeled immigrants do seem to fare better in getting on the Spanish language networks. Another discouraging fact is: where are the US Latino public intellectuals? If they exist, who are they? And why are they not heard or known? Do they publish? Are they pundits? It appears that at high holidays for the Community like the Cinco de Mayo, Hispanic Month and September 16, the only hero consistently quoted is Caesar Chavez, who was truly a saint in many ways yet his anti-illegal immigrant stand is not mentioned. As a labor leader at the time, it was normal for him to take this position since many undocumented immigrants were used as scabs to break up strikes. Yet the Community thirsts to hear and get to know a national political leader and read thoughtful insights from our own public intellectuals and social critics. Perhaps this might explain why the dominant white population has no interest or fear of Latinos in concrete terms: Latinos have no one who rallies them or lack a truly defining issue that brings them all together. Is this valid?

The current discernible white backlash against immigrants is fast becoming plainly anti-Latino: legal or illegal or native born. This is serving ironically in many instances to further divide us: the native born Latinos from the immigrants and the legal from the undocumented; the white versus non-white Latinos; the wealthy from the have-nots and separate one Hispanic nationality from another.The sad fact is that Latino community is disunited, scattered, divided and often frustrated. But the yearning and hope for real and effective leadership remains among the community. But be certain that to be accepted as the real leaders, he or she must be sprung from the loins of the community. They cannot just be ‘designated hitters’ chosen by the dominant white mandarin class. These higher circles seek Latino leaders who have punched his and her ticket in all the white dominant institutions like the Ivy league, hallowed law firms, the correct political appointments, passed muster by the bankers and the real estate developers, be a media darling fabricated or cultivated by the white liberal or conservative establishment to be virtually a Latino Manchurian Candidate. The Latino community is consistently being underestimated in many ways. Yet, the community must begin to understand that political unity which implies being politically monolithic, possessing social cohesion, expressing one big vision leadership, attempting to cobble together a forceful amalgamated national group will all be largely illusive. We will continue to be a defused and diverse group to be certain but the label Hispanic or Latino which stems from being linked to the Iberian peninsula’s language or culture does have a real effect of making us part of a great and rich heritage as Hispanics/Latinos. But as Americans we are loyal and patriotic and earnest believers in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and justice and fairness. The Latino Community merely seeks genuine national leaders who will guide, steer and comfort them through these troubled waters. Just where are the Hispanic Congressional Caucus members, the Latino Academicians, the pundits, the artists, the Hispanic captains of industry and banking, the Latino clergy and high Churchman like the soon to be the first Latino Cardinal of the Catholic Church? These are the voices that need to be heard and become pathfinders to this awakening giant.

And in way, Rep. Linda Sanchez is partly correct. Russell Pearce, who spearheaded SB 1070, does have ties to the controversial John Tanton network and Neo-Nazis. Some of the groups within the John Tanton network have been designated as ‘hate groups’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center. So yes, there is definitely a connection, but Sanchez is correct in clarifying that not everyone who supports SB 1070 is a white supremacist.

VivirLatino has a good post up with some footage outlining Pearce’s relationship to white supremacy groups.

In the end, I think that Linda Sanchez should not run away from her statements. Instead, I wish she would talk openly about the John Tanton network and those with ties to white nationalist groups who helped influence and craft Arizona’s new immigration law. And finally, I think that GOP candidates, Steve Poizner especially (who commented in the video I linked to), should not simply dismiss the fact that not everyone who supports the Arizona law is a white supremacist and attribute Sanchez’s comments to demagogue-ing, but also address this hate head on. Let’s have an honest discussion about the people behind SB 1070 with participants from the left and the right.

Rachel Maddow had a decent segment about Russell Pearce, the Neo Nazis, and the John Tanton network as well back in April:

I was listening to a local Spanish-talk radio program, and the caller argued for why SB 1070 might be good. He argued that the federal government deducted $287 from his paycheck, for almost ten years now, but that he will never see a dime of that. His argument was that SB 1070 might propel the Congress and the White House to initiate comprehensive immigration reform, and therefore, he might in the future begin to see the fruit of his labor.

Americans, by nature, whether documented or undocumented have interests and we play to those. Clearly, Latinos aren’t going anywhere. We’ve purchased (or rented) into the American dream, including buying homes, cars/big pickups, groceries, technology, and sending our kids to American colleges. Whether this gentlemen’s predictions are right is for another column, but I do know SB 1070 has created a hornets nest of discussions on TV, radio and the internet. My fellow Chair and former Vice Chairman wrote “The Two Arizonas” in the state’s largest-circulated newspaper, and they were asked by an OregonLive.com commenter to show their green card.

Massive mobilizations have been and continue to be organized using radio, TV, social media networks, email campaigns and text messages. We’ve seen these before, but what will be different? How will these mobilizations using offline or online methods curtail or exponentially grow SB 1070s across the country? Already, about a dozen other states are considering similar legislation, including Utah, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska. There’s a sentiment by undocumented immigrants alike: SB 1070 is the clearest example that immigrants are welcome to rent and buy in America, pay federal and sales taxes, but you’re not allowed to become a true American citizen. How many more SB 1070s will it take for the Congress to act? And more pointedly, what will it take for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to taken seriously in this debate? The right and wrongs of SB 1070 did not begin in Arizona or neo-nazi marches that ferment the Grand Old Party (GOP). They began when Latinos and Americans alike failed to get involved in the democratic process before the historic signature signing that created this discussion.

Blog by David Molina, currently serving on the Oregon Commission of Hispanic Affairs:

Latinos have never shied away from a fight either against the United States (think U.S-Mexico War) or for the U.S. (Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and now in Iraq and Afghanistan). While SB 1070, signed into law last week by Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, gives law enforcement officials the “green light” to enforce federal immigration policy, as a parallel to 287(g), many speculate the decrease in calling law enforcement to crime scenes particularly with undocumented communities. At the same time, speculation that Latinos will be rounded up after weddings and quinceañeras and at our daily favorite restaurants, we must remember that this new law takes effect in less than 90 days. Latinos have seen this before. Despite massive protests on the streets and letter writing campaigns campaigns, in 1994 California passed Proposition 187 which eliminated public services to undocumented residents and led to major discrimination and hate-crimes against Latinos. In 2007, Pennsylvania made it a crime to rent to undocumented Pennsylvanians leading to a downward economic spiral and an exodus of residents impacting entire cities and county budgets. In 2008, Oregon passed a measure eliminating the issuance and certification of a drivers license to undocumented residents. Obviously, cities and counties are laboratories for the states; the states are laboratories for the federal government. Will SB 1070 language begin seeding in other communities or will it be a wake up call to the serious immigration reform talks that need to happen?

Latinos are the last front in the U.S. By 2040 the U.S. Hispanic population is expected to reach or exceed 100 million when one in four persons will be Hispanic making our group the largest and fastest-growing ethnic/racial minority population group in America. Our purchasing power surpassed $1 trillion dollars in 2006 and is growing at an average rate of four billion dollars per month and 50 billion dollars per year. Some pundits have speculated that SB 1070 is aimed at suppressing Latino voters in the November election. The myth on the street and the cable channels is that Latinos are politically apathetic, while far from it, Latinos are registered to vote at a rate six times greater than the general population and turning out to vote at a rate five times greater than the general population. Giving Arizona law enforcement officials authority to ask for individuals proof of residency may curtail the out-of-control violence on the Mexican side of the border by the drug cartels, but slamming innocent hardworking families in the crossfire, and potentially leading to racial profiling.

If history is any indicator, Latinos are not going away. Piolin Por La Mañana asks his Latino callers every time when they call, why they came to the U.S. and the response is always the same: “a triumfar” or “to triumph, to succeed.” It’s a simple reminder that Latinos aim to be part, contribute and build this country stronger just like African-Americans, the Japanese, the Irish and Italians before. America was founded by hardworking immigrants. As a son of immigrants, from my experience, our family has a love for the United States. I don’t believe we can continue to sacrifice and build this country from the ground up and then tell immigrants that they are welcomed, then compromise that contract as SB 1070 just did.

So where is the America that could be?

1. Boycott Arizona. Avoid traveling there and engaging with business headquartered in the Grand Canyon state.

2. Make sure that you and all of your friends and family are registered to vote and are informed about the upcoming midterm elections — and then get out and vote. Conventional wisdom is that we (Latinos and other Americans) don’t turn out in as large of numbers for midterm elections, but our participation is as crucial as ever.

3. Contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators and ask that comprehensive immigration reform be pursued.

So I started thinking to myself, what exactly is ‘reasonable suspicion’ that someone is an illegal immigrant? Does that mean someone who speaks Spanish most of the time could trigger this ‘reasonable suspicion’? Or is it someone who has a Piolin sticker on his car? Could someone with darker skin dressed in blue collar worker clothes be an illegal immigrant? Or could it be an Asian person who shops in markets where all the signs are in Korean or Vietnamese? Perhaps an illegal immigrant could be a very pale European who has overstayed his visa and hasn’t yet made arrangements to return home.

Chris Newman, the legal director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, issued the following statement yesterday after the law was passed in the Arizona legislature:

“Arizona is on the verge of enacting the most anti-immigrant legislation the country has seen in a generation. We are hopeful Governor Brewer will consult with her legal counsel, issue a veto, and spare Arizona the expense of defending an unconstitutional, unwise, and odious bill in federal courts. Arizona has long been a laboratory for anti-immigrant experimentation, and its demagogue leaders have become folk heros for white supremacists throughout the United States, but this bill ushers in a new chapter of disgrace for the state that resisted celebrating the life of Martin Luther King.”

What are your thoughts about this? I think that we are going to see some legal residents swept up in the local jails in Arizona for things like leaving their wallets and purses at home, which could divert resources from more serious crime fighting.

There are a few items that I will be blogging about this week, but in the never ending search for new material, I came across this piece regarding Latinos and the “tea party movement.” Essentially, Latinos have become the perfect scapegoats for the Tea Partiers. Here’s the latest video from the Facebook group “Cuentame” exposing some of the hate being spread around at these tea parties:

In California politics, Mayor Villaraigosa’s cousin, John Perez was sworn in as the new Speaker of the Assembly. Perez is the first openly gay speaker to serve in this role. Today he expressed that his sexuality does not define him, but he gave a nod in acknowledging gay political leaders who came before him. Perez also distinguished himself from his cousin, Mayor Villaraigosa, when asked about the possibility of following his older cousin’s career path:

“It’s not my goal in life,” Perez said in a recent interview with the Times. “You never rule anything out but it’s as close to a rule-out as you can possible do. I love my cousin. We’re very different people in many ways. Just because he did it doesn’t mean I want to do it.”

You can read Speaker Perez’s swearing-in speech here. I particularly liked the part about public-private partnerships in the community colleges and his expressed commitment to fight for higher education in California.

In regards to the recent earthquake in Chile, I have come across some interesting pieces about why Chile is poised to recover more quickly from this disaster than Haiti was. Most notably, Chile has more modern building codes, but its economy is considered one of the “best run” in all of Latin America. Also, this week, Secretary Clinton will be hand delivering the first American assistance to Chile in the form of satellite phones.

I think that Deutsch probably rationalized using the “coconut” term because Rubio has expressed rather conservative views, especially in regards to immigration. But again, this illustrates that not all Latinos are immigration or pro-migrant friendly. Deutsch has since apologized for using the term. Hopefully, Deutsch will not make this kind of silly remark again. He reveals how little he knows about Latinos and the extent that the traditional media misconstrues our identities and issues.

Finally, I don’t even know if Marco Rubio would consider himself to be “dark” or “brown.” I know that some people claim to be “brown and proud,” but typically that is an idea expressed by Mestizo Latinos. Our colonial history has made us rather color sensitive. If we are going to go back to putting candidates through a skin color monitor, I keep going back to Rubio’s opponent, Charlie Crist, who seems to be sporting his own “tan,” but isn’t being compared to tropical produce. In comparison, Rubio looks pretty light in my view. What do you think?

Photo: Charlie Crist on the left, Marco Rubio on the right