Noticiero Latino Highlights for November 2003

Monday, November 3rd, 2003

- California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection predicts end of wildfires; recent fires resulted in deaths of at least 14 people and more than 3,500 destroyed homes.

- Immigrant community in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood renames local post office after farm worker leader, Cesar Chavez.

- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) files lawsuit in federal court against Texas’ new redistricting map, alleging that new boundaries violate minorities’ voting rights.

Tuesday, November 4th, 2003

- U.S. Senate approves President Bush’s request of $87 billion to continue military operations and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

- As part of the UN General Assembly, Mexico votes against the U.S. embargo towards Cuba, alleging that it rejects unilateral sanctions against any country.

- San Diego resident, Paul Velazquez, and two other soldiers from Puerto Rico died in recent helicopter blast in Iraq.

Wednesday, November 5th, 2003

- U.S. Supreme Court asks Bush Administration to justify secret detentions of immigrants linked to 9-11 terrorist attacks.

- Republican party wins gubernatorial seats in Kentucky and Mississippi during yesterday’s elections.

- Participants in 2003 New York-Mexico Guadalupana Torch Race will reach Tamaulipas in order to cross border to promote immigrants’ human rights.

- Caravan carrying hundreds of immigrant activists heads to Springfield, Illinois, to lobby legislators in favor of SB 67, which would grant drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Thursday, November 6th, 2003

- UN condemns the U.S. embargo against Cuba, as well as the Helms-Burton Act, which sanction countries that conduct trade with the island.

- Texas Governor, Rick Perry, invites a select group of high ranking Republican campaign donors to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox, in order to explore business opportunities.

- Hundreds of Latino activists from Illinois meet at Springfield’s Capitol building to rally for the approval of SB 67, which seeks to grant drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.

- Residents in San Francisco vote to raise city’s minimum wage to $8.50 per hour; state hourly minimum wage is $6.75.

Monday, November 10th, 2003

- U.S. Supreme Court agrees to consider cases of immigrants detained at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as “enemy combatants,” who have no legal representation.

- Nine undocumented workers facing possible deportation, file lawsuit against Wal-Mart, after being arrested during a raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.

- Mexico’s President, Vicente Fox, says government is investigating the murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez, after being criticized by human rights organizations.

Tuesday, November 11th, 2003

- U.S. Department of State announces that Mexico may allow Peace Corps to work in the country for the first time since the organization was created in the 1960s.

- California’s Pacific Legal Foundation files lawsuit challenging SB 60, which grants drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.

- Report by Chicago’s Northwestern University finds that Latino seniors are 44 percent more likely to suffer from depression than Anglos.

- Texas’ Department of Health announces creation of several bi national forums in January to address health issues and national security in border cities.

Wednesday, November 12th, 2003

- George Soros, one of the world’s wealthiest men, donates $15.5 million to several organizations in order to beat President Bush during upcoming presidential elections.

- Officials from U.S. and Mexico meet in Washington, DC, to discuss a legalization agreement and use of consular ID cards as valid form of documentation.

- Eugenio Elorduy, Governor of the Mexican State of Baja California, says state will reject project proposed by Marathon Oil, for the construction of a natural energy plant in Tijuana.

Thursday, November 13th, 2003

- Negotiators from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, fearing a presidential veto, agree to recall a provision that would eliminate travel restrictions to Cuba.

- According to Florida’s GOP, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Mel Martinez, is seriously considering running for Senate post that will be left vacant by Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL).

- Henry Cisneros receives the “Aguila Azteca,” the highest honor given by the Mexican government to foreign nationals.

- Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approves motion that requires employees to learn Spanish in order to provide better services; close to 50 percent of county residents speak Spanish.

- Mexico’s President, Vicente Fox, says government is investigating the murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez, after being criticized by human rights organizations.

Monday, November 17th, 2003

- Mexican government and ConfiCasa launch new project to assist nationals to acquire U.S. bank loans in order to buy homes in Mexico.

- More than 30,000 new jobs were created in California during month of October, according to state's Employment Department.

- Immigrant and legal organizations in Los Angeles express little optimism over the inauguration of Governor Schwarzenegger.

Tuesday, November 18th, 2003

- Roberto Lopez is first Mexican immigrant elected to a public post in New York City; Lopez is new Councilmember for city's 4th District.

- After a 5-week strike, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Authority and mechanics reach a contract agreement; city officials predict that bus services will be in full operation by this Thursday.

- During his inaugural speech, California's newly-elected Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says that he will call a special session to recall SB 60, which grants drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.

- Mexican government announces the dismissal its UN Ambassador, Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, after he stated that Mexico is United States' backyard.

Wednesday, November 19th, 2003

- U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear case of Mexican national, Osbaldo Torres, currently on Oklahoma's death row, who argues authorities never informed him he had right to contact consulate officials.

- U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans document checks of all persons exiting the U.S. through Mexico, starting December 2004.

- Security measures are heightened at Mexican Congress, while legislators discuss a possible tax on food and drugs.

Thursday, November 20th, 2003

- Thousands of California drivers entering Mexico through the San Ysidro border checkpoint, were detained for more than four hours due to a protest by Mexican taxi drivers.

- Jose Suarez Lopez, Mayor of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico asks help by counterpart in Laredo Texas, Elizabeth Garcia, for an initiative asking for fair treatment of Mexican nationals using international bridges to cross into Texas.

- Southern California supermarket strike has entered its seventh week; negotiations between supermarkets and employees will resume on Monday.

Monday, November 24th, 2003

- According to the U.S. Labor Department, claims for unemployment benefits have dropped to the lowest level since January 2001.

- Congressman Bob Menendez (D-NJ), describes the new Medicare overhaul, providing prescription drug coverage for seniors, as deceiving.

- Fernando Suarez del Solar, father of a solider killed in Iraq, announces he will lead a peace group to Iraq; trip will be funded by Global Exchange.

- Human rights groups in Mexico accuse President Vicente Fox of failing to investigate killings of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Tuesday, November 25th, 2003

- U.S. Senate approves historic Medicare overhaul.

- Study by Inter-American Development Bank and Pew Hispanic Center reveals that 42 percent of Latino immigrants send more than $30 billion annually to their families in Latin America.

- House Majority Leader, Tom Delay (R-TX) and Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), receive judicial orders to testify in U.S. Department of Justice hearings after Democratic legislators challenge to state's new redistricting map.

- Rice University in Texas announces that it will consider race and ethnicity for Fall 2004 enrollments.

- Strikes at Southern California supermarkets have cost an estimated $ 1 billion; Teamster drivers announce support for striking workers stating that their demands are fair.

- In 2001, immigration authorities in New York, denied 53 percent of 18,000 residency petitions filed by immigrants married to U.S. citizens.

- The World Health Organization finds that close to 1,200 women are murdered in Mexico each year; Patricia Espinoza, Director of Mexico's National Women's Institute denies estimates.

Wednesday, November 26th, 2003

- California's Senate Transportation Committee considers a possible recall of SB 60, a law that grants drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.

- Miami business owners report millionaire losses due to security measures that forced the closures of businesses near the site of the Free Trade Area of the Americas conference.

- During a Justice Department hearing, representatives from the League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC, spoke against the Texas redistricting map, arguing that it violates the voting rights of minorities.

- Mexican consular authorities in Laredo, Texas, advice nationals to avoid leaving the U.S. if they are under the immigrant adjustment status.

- Rigoberta Menchu, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is honored in Los Angeles with the Guatemalan "Orden del Cristo Negro de Esquipulas".

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