Pew: Most Latino kids born from immigrants

With the nomination of Latina Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court there are a myriad of perspectives on what the pick symbolizes for the political future of the Latino community as a whole.

Obama Admin to yank state’s $3 million immigrant detention subsidy

Colorado is set to lose approximately $3 million in federal funds that are used to cover the costs of detaining undocumented immigrants in the state, according to current budget documents released this month.

Task force seeks to create local immigration ‘dragnets’

A measure introduced in the Senate Monday would require that the federal government train more local police to identify, arrest and detain immigrants who have been charged with crimes in the state. The measure would also allow the state to use biometric identification — like DNA tracking — and federal databases to create an enforcement dragnet.

Pew: Undocumented population in Colorado leveling out

While Colorado’s population of undocumented immigrants more than quadrupled between the years 1990 and 2000, new census data analyzed by the nonprofit Pew Hispanic Center show that the state’s undocumented population has been stagnant since 2005, congruent with national trends.

The updated demographic figures have wide-ranging implications for future political debates on local economies, labor trends, public education and health care in Colorado which has some of the toughest immigration laws in the nation.

Pew: Latino incarceration rates increase, legal confidence wanes

The tenuous political relationship between African Americans and Latinos may have found a new rallying point — criminal justice reform.

Concerns by both groups about growing incarceration rates and flagging confidence in the legal system are highlighted in a new national study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan think tank.

Bennet on the record: Supports DREAM Act for immigration reform

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is voicing his approval of federal legislation that would give undocumented high school students in the United States a legal avenue to attend college. The proposal — introduced in Congress two weeks ago as the DREAM Act — would permit undocumented individuals who entered the United States before turning 15 years old to obtain conditional permanent residency in order to attend college or a trade school or to serve in the military.

Immigration concerns shadow upcoming census count

In just one short year, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin the momentous task of counting every single person in the United States. But civil rights advocates are worried that many Latinos and immigrants will not be tallied due to distrust and fear sparked by increased immigration enforcement in the last 10 years. Now, an unprecedented media campaign is being launched in Colorado and other states to encourage Latinos to be counted.

Big business lobby stumps in Denver to defeat ‘card check’ bill

A representative with the world’s largest business federation was in Denver on Monday to decry H.R. 800, federal legislation that would give workers greater rights to unionize. At the meeting, business leaders were not only told to oppose the proposal by putting pressure on members of Congress, but they were also encouraged to make changes to state law.

New media, new opportunities through the eyes of a young journalist

In the five years since I first became a reporter, I have worked for two established print weeklies, both of which have gone out of business. Most recently, I was working for an award-winning online news site financially supported by a nonprofit organization, before nearly two-thirds of the staff were abruptly laid off after the election. For young reporters like me, the Internet is the primary medium for news content, and it is already leading to a new and inclusive form of journalism rooted in public participation. Although cynics like to say that the craft is a dead end for both young reporters and veteran writers alike, I think it’s an exciting time to be a journalist.

Colorado Latinos turned out in record numbers

Latino voters turned out in record numbers in Colorado this year, more than doubling their turnout since 2004, according to recent polling data.

More than 330,000 Latinos voted in the state last week, compared with 165,000 in 2004, based on exit polling from media outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Voto Latino, a national nonprofit organization that organized Latino voting drives in the state.